Needles by William Deverell

Author:William Deverell
Language: eng
Format: epub, azw3
ISBN: 9781770905399
Publisher: ECW Press
Published: 2013-11-01T04:00:00+00:00

Thursday, the Sixteenth Day of March,

at Ten O’Clock in the Morning

Cobb took a deep breath, glanced over at the jury, and began.

“Your name is Laszlo Plizit?” said Cobb.

“Yeah.”

“And you know Dr. Au P’ang Wei?”

“Yeah.”

“Point him out, please.”

Plizit pointed to the accused without looking at him.

“Were you with him on the evening of December third last?”

“Yeah.”

“Did you go somewhere with him?”

“We gone first to Jimmy Fat Leung’s home.”

“What happened there?”

“Well, me and Dr. Au and Charlie Ming, we have pick up Jim Fat and went to office of Nationalist Association, where Dr. Au paralyze Jimmy with needle.” His words came in a great rush. “I know nothing about what will happen, believe me. We go to Jim Fat home, you see, and Dr. Au say there is important job for him in business. That is what Dr. Au say for us to say, do you see, and —”

“Not so fast,” Cobb said. The jury were losing this. Plizit was barrelling along too fast in his thick accent.

“. . . Jimmy Fat is paralyze with needle, can’t move, and Dr. Au, he ask Charlie Ming to take him downstairs to butchering shop, and they tie up Jim Fat. I seen all this, but don’t do nothing, don’t touch. Just stood, not helped. Dr. Au, he makes Charlie Ming takes all Jimmy’s clothes off first, let’s see, that is in butcher office. Then ties his hands and feet to butcher block. And he cut two, three times, and I see Dr. Au cut Jim Fat’s throat with some knife, and that’s all.”

“A little too fast, Mr. Plizit . . .” Somehow, Cobb was going to have to retrace the ground. Some jurors looked puzzled.

“I done nothing but help, and too scared to call police.”

“Let’s go back a bit,” said Cobb. “Who was driving the car when you left Jim Fat’s home?”

“Me . . . Charlie . . . I can’t remember.”

“What conversation was there in the car?”

“I don’t know,” said Plizit. “All in Chinese, do you see? There was nothing I understand, just that we go to office to talk about business.”

“What business are you referring to?” said Cobb.

“What business I don’t know. Just business.”

“What business did you do with him?”

“I quit now.”

“Mr. Plizit, what business?”

“Um, I have serve as personal secretary, property management, charge of collections.”

“And did Jim Fat work for him too?” said Cobb. “What was his job?”

“He was also personal secretary, handled some accounts.”

“And Charlie Ming?”

“He also has handle property-management stuff, adviser for mortgages.”

“The National Benevolent Society — what kind of business is that?” said Cobb.

“I think Dr. Au has charity for refugees from China. He is sending money to Hong Kong for refugee stuff.”

“How did you get into the building?”

“Dr. Au have key,” said Plizit. “Charlie have key too, I think.”

“Describe those offices.”

“Two rooms, nothing. Tables, chair. Usual stuff, you see.”

“Tell us what happened in those offices.”

“Dr. Au is talking to Jimmy in Chinese, and after a while he goes, gets a needle and, like, jabs Jimmy in the back, you see, and Jimmy falls down, can’t move.

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