Chapter 202: The East Coast's Top Lawyer Strikes: Detective Chuck, Listen to Me, Thank You!
"I don't need you to answer any questions,"
Chuck said calmly. "I'll tell you where the stone debris is. The marble you pulverized with your power drill is spread all over the driveway."
Everyone followed his gaze to the driveway and noticed it was covered in stone chips.
They hadn't noticed before because it was in the mountains where gravel was common. But Chuck's observation made them realize the stones were a different color from the surrounding rocks, and like the New Goddess statue, they were Belgian gray marble.
Captain Randy Disher walked over and, with his bandaged hands, picked up a stone chip in each hand, holding them up in front of the New Goddess statue, making everyone's lips twitch.
"Did you notice?"
Chandler quipped. "This guy's so theatrical, he definitely wouldn't skimp on proportions."
"Oh, I didn't mean... it's too tall."
Under the strange looks from everyone, Captain Randy Disher realized the spot he was gesturing to was rather inappropriate and awkwardly lowered his hands.
It wasn't intentional; when sculpting a human figure, to showcase the curves of the human body and create a strong visual impact, Gold had deliberately enlarged the proportions, making this new goddess statue taller than him. So much so that when he raised his hands to compare, they only reached the statue's chest.
"I'll call the forensics team over right now to collect evidence!"
Captain Randy Disher put down the gravel, laboriously pulled out his phone to make calls, and then said to the sweat-drenched, panicked, and regretful-looking Gold, "Evan Gold, you're under arrest!"
"Now you're going to be the new goddess."
Chandler looked at Gold's plump but increasingly feminine face and figure and teased, "After you go to prison..."
"Wait, don't say another word!"
Just then, a Porsche 911 pulled up, and a man in an expensive suit got out of the driver's seat and shouted at the ashen-faced Gold.
Gold, the man with the ponytail, exclaimed with delight, "Harrison!"
"I told you to shut up,"
Chandler mocked. "Why didn't you listen? You don't really think a slick lawyer can save you, do you?"
"Are you questioning my abilities?"
Harrison, impeccably dressed in a three-piece suit, flashed a practiced smile revealing perfect white teeth. "Sounds like you don't know who I am."
"He's Harrison Powell, the best criminal defense attorney on the East Coast!"
Gold, seeing his savior arrive, wiped the sweat from his brow and launched into a speech, explaining to everyone, "He's my lawyer! If you want to frame me or get revenge, you'll have to get past him first! By the way, he's undefeated—he's never lost a case!"
"Because I represent justice, and justice always triumphs over evil,"
Harrison Powell said with a practiced smile.
"The justice you represent is that after his wife was murdered, the husband not only didn't care who the killer was, but instead listened to music while working and immediately called the supposedly invincible top criminal defense attorney on the East Coast?"
Jane scoffed. "That sounds truly righteous!"
"Ma'am, you may not understand the law,"
Harrison Powell said, his smile unchanged. "Regardless of appearances, justice is what accords with the law. Procedural justice is justice, and we attorneys are like insurance. Whether there's a problem or not, contacting us first is always the right choice, just as a precaution. Mr. Gold is just like many others, having this prudent habit, so it's perfectly normal. As for his wife being murdered and Mr. Gold listening to music while working, that's just his way of processing his grief. He's an artist—that's typical! Any other questions?"
"This kind of justice is really expensive,"
Chandler complained. "How can ordinary people afford this kind of justice?"
"Everything comes at a price."
Harrison Powell glanced at Chandler. "That's why we work hard to make money, thereby promoting economic progress and ensuring justice prevails."
Everyone was stunned by the shameless lawyer's words and looked at Chuck, waiting for his decision.
"You must be Detective Chuck."
Harrison Powell also looked at Chuck, a smirk playing on his lips. "Thanks for giving me another high-profile client."
"You're welcome,"
Chuck said calmly. "You'll have plenty of time to thank me after the case is over."
"Why would I have plenty of time?"
Chandler immediately chimed in, then feigned sudden realization. "Oh, right! I heard you lawyers are all about billable hours. You're known for your perfect record, so you never lack clients. You even have to drive a sports car to save time and see more clients. But after this case is over, that record will be broken, and you'll definitely lose a lot of clients. Then you won't be so busy, and you'll have plenty of time to thank Chuck for giving you a de facto vacation."
"You'll thank me later!"
Captain Randy Disher's eyes lit up, uttering his old partner Detective Monk's classic line. Seeing everyone looking at him, he quickly explained, "Monk has severe OCD. He always tries to correct others to do things his way. When faced with surprise and reluctance, he always says, 'You'll thank me later.'"
"Does anyone thank him?"
Chandler teased.
"Of course not,"
Captain Randy Disher said frankly. "Only he's grateful to himself, because it serves no purpose other than satisfying his OCD; it only makes everyone more frustrated."
"Oh, really?"
Chandler drawled, looking at Harrison Powell with a mocking expression. "You'll thank me later... that phrase is quite fitting here."
Faced with this back-and-forth banter, Harrison Powell's practiced smile faltered. He looked at Chuck and said, "I will, but only to thank you for bringing me greater fame and more high-profile clients! Now, if there are no issues, I need to leave with my client. You have no right to detain him. See you in court!"
"No."
Chuck shook his head. "Evan Gold has been arrested. We have evidence that he murdered Nancy Gold, so see you at the station."
Harrison Powell was taken aback. He glanced at Gold with his ponytail, seeing his anxious expression, and cursed inwardly. He thought he had arrived quickly enough, but this client had folded even faster. Detective Chuck's reputation was indeed well-deserved.
"Captain?"
Suppressing a sense of foreboding, Harrison Powell reassured the anxious-looking Gold with his ponytail, then looked at Captain Randy Disher, attempting to apply pressure: "Are you sure you want to arrest my client without evidence?"
"Am I sure?"
Captain Randy Disher looked around blankly.
"Don't turn yourself into a badge-carrying fool,"
Harrison Powell threatened. "I've been looking for an excuse to sue the department for a while now, don't give me the opportunity..."
He then quipped, using a classic line from Detective Monk: "You'll thank me later!"
"I'm sure!"
Captain Randy Disher glanced at Chuck, who was nodding at him, then suddenly snapped back to reality and nodded seriously. "One of you is the East Coast's top criminal defense attorney who has never lost, and the other is Detective Chuck, who has never missed a case. I trust Detective Chuck more; it's faith in the detective!"
He smiled and said, "Of course, if it were Detective Monk, given his terrible people skills, I might have to think twice. But Detective Chuck doesn't have Monk's social issues; he's the perfect detective!"
"You'll regret it,"
Harrison Powell said, his face grim. "No one is perfect, not even the so-called Detective Chuck. Our justice system is the fairest in the world. Even if this so-called detective wanted to frame or retaliate against my client, it would be impossible. I will never allow it!"
"Are you finished?"
Chuck glanced at his watch. "You can save your speeches for the judge."
"..."
Harrison Powell's face darkened.
This was a phrase he often used to dismiss the police.
"Evan Gold, you're under arrest!"
Under Harrison Powell's glare, Captain Randy Disher handcuffed the client the attorney was trying to take away.
The so-called lack of right to detain someone only applies when there's no evidence, and the officer is worried about prosecution.
But once there's evidence, or the officer believes they have evidence and isn't afraid of prosecution, any officer has the right to detain a suspect.
Defense attorneys also need to go to the station to follow procedures, not just brazenly slap the police in the face and walk away with the suspect.
"Captain, could I speak with my client in private? That's our right."
The tone had been set; Harrison Powell couldn't casually take Gold away as before. He could only stand there with everyone waiting for the forensics team to arrive before going to the station, so he addressed Captain Randy Disher.
"I'm Captain Randy Disher."
Randy didn't appreciate being addressed so dismissively.
"Okay, Captain,"
Harrison Powell said sarcastically, "I need to speak with my client in private!"
"Alright."
Captain Randy Disher glanced at Chuck, and seeing no objection, he took the ponytailed Gold into the studio, found a room, kept him handcuffed, and let him speak with his attorney alone.
This was legal procedure, and he couldn't refuse.
"Oh God, oh God!"
Once the door closed, Gold, the man with the ponytail, could no longer contain his fear. His handcuffed hands gripped his head as he cried out, "He saw right through my plan! He knows everything now! Damn it! I shouldn't have confronted him!"
"No, no, no!"
Harrison Powell smiled confidently, as if he had everything under control. "You did very well. His claim of knowing everything is a bluff, fabricated to frame you and get revenge. I will prove it. You had a public confrontation with him, which is a very... advantageous angle. We can exploit it. And I never go into battle unprepared. Detective Chuck may be very capable, but he has many weaknesses. Do you know why I became the top criminal defense attorney on the East Coast?"
"Because you're also very capable?"
Gold, influenced by Harrison Powell's confidence, looked at him hopefully.
"That's the appearance and the result,"
Harrison Powell chuckled. "The reason and the process are this: when I litigate, I never focus on the case itself, but only on the opposing party—the plaintiff, the defendant, the prosecutor, the witnesses, the jury, and the judge. They're all human, and humans have weaknesses. As long as I identify those, and focus on the person, not the case, I can win every case, no matter what!"
"What major weaknesses does Detective Chuck have?"
Gold couldn't help but ask curiously.
"There are plenty,"
Harrison Powell glanced outside. "Setting aside his public conflict with you, his biggest weakness is that he's mentally ill!"
"He's mentally ill..."
Gold's eyes lit up, and a smile appeared on his lips.
After overcoming the initial fear of Chuck's razor-sharp insight into his meticulously planned murder, he gradually calmed down and remembered his original strategy.
Months ago, he noticed his wife, Nancy, was contacting divorce attorneys. The thought of losing a fortune in the divorce drove this "money-conscious" artist to desperation. At that moment, he harbored murderous intent and frequently plotted in his studio.
After months of agonizing deliberation, he finally devised a plan. However, the sudden flood of news reports about Detective Chuck alarmed him. The methods Chuck used to rescue Amy were terrifying, especially for someone about to commit murder.
He followed the news for a week, reading every report. After much deliberation, he devised a backup plan: to stage a public confrontation with Chuck. This way, if Chuck uncovered the truth, he would have grounds to claim bias.
Furthermore, Chuck's Asperger's syndrome would be a powerful weapon in the hands of a skilled attorney.
Therefore, he hired the top criminal defense attorney on the East Coast as his lawyer.
As clever as he was, he had already anticipated all of this. He was simply caught off guard by Chuck's swift deduction, which caused him to panic momentarily.
In reality, everything was under his control.
"Exactly."
Harrison Powell's lips curled into a cold smile. "Even with the reputation of Asperger's as a 'genius condition,' it still can't hide the fact that he's diagnosed with a mental disorder! A mentally ill detective who had a public conflict with you—no matter how logical his theory sounds, it's all just fabricated speculation. Who in their right mind would believe that and convict a renowned artist of first-degree murder?"
"It's all thanks to you."
Gold, with his ponytail, laughed. "I knew I was right to hire you. Detective Chuck has only handled a few cases and he dares to claim he never makes a mistake. You, the top criminal defense attorney on the East Coast, have handled so many cases and yet you can claim to never lose! I believe that after this case, your title as the top criminal defense attorney on the East Coast will change to the top criminal defense attorney in the entire country!"
"I will thank him later. I'm about to release my new book, 'Undefeated: The Harrison Powell Story,' and this case is perfect for building buzz before the book launch."
Harrison Powell revealed his confident smile. "I believe that with this case, my new book will definitely hit the bestseller list! So I want to thank you now."
Outside.
"Damn it!"
Jane checked her phone and immediately cursed, "This guy specializes in getting serious criminals acquitted. Rich people love hiring him, and he's not just bragging; he's never lost a case on record."
"I've also heard of Harrison Powell,"
Captain Randy Disher frowned. "Everyone says he's ruthless and unscrupulous, a truly terrible person."
"Are you sure he's even a person?"
Chandler scoffed. "He practically called you badge-carrying apes."
"Chuck, how about we do a run-through to make sure there are no problems?"
Jane looked at Chuck: "We absolutely cannot let him win this case, otherwise the consequences will be catastrophic. If even you are defeated by him, then he is truly unstoppable. Countless criminals will hire him, asking him to get them off. He'll make a fortune, but justice will be lost, and countless innocent people will suffer."
"Don't worry,"
Chuck said calmly, "He can't win."
This is the world of American television, not the chaotic reality of the American legal system that defies basic logic and decency. Some of the most basic, fundamental principles of justice will still be upheld.
As long as everyone maintains these basic standards and basic logic, then Chuck cannot lose.
Of course, if everyone abandons these basic standards and basic logic, criminals like Gold and lawyers like Harrison Powell might win, but Chuck will still never lose.
(End of Chapter)
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