Chương 123: I Testify

The atmosphere in the conference hall became somewhat oppressive.

Jimmy Walker's "subordinate scapegoating" argument cleverly absolved him of direct responsibility for the murder and embezzlement.

Several committee members who favored the Tammany Association even began whispering among themselves, seemingly implying that the evidence was insufficient.

Samuel tapped the table lightly, bringing the room back to silence.

He was not discouraged by Walker's sophistry, but instead showed the calmness of a hunter seeing his prey step into a trap.

Samuel pulled out a note protected by transparent cellophane from the bottom of the file.

Samuel held up the note and showed it to everyone.

"Mayor Walker, since you've pinned everything on your advisor McGuire, then please explain this. This is a note found at the assassin's hideout."

Samuel read the above content aloud, word for word.

"Make sure it's clean, we're leaving tonight. —JW"

"The handwriting experts at the New York State Supreme Court conducted an emergency assessment early this morning. It is undeniably your own handwriting, Jimmy Walker. Are you going to tell us that McGuire forged this too?"

Everyone in the hall held their breath, staring intently at Walker in the witness stand.

This is solid, irrefutable evidence.

No one present thought Walker could possibly make sense of this gangster-sounding code.

Even the Tammanian bigwigs in the audience wiped the cold sweat from their foreheads.

But then something shocking happened.

Walker actually laughed out loud into the microphone.

He shook his head, as if he were listening to an utterly absurd joke.

Walker stood up and pointed to the photocopy of the note in Samuel's hand.

"Gentlemen, this is exactly what I was saying earlier—a frame-up based on taken out of context! I did write those words, but it was absolutely not an order to hire someone to kill me!"

The entire room erupted in uproar, and even Roosevelt frowned slightly.

Walker seized the opportunity and began his extremely brilliant and shameless live performance.

"A few days ago, the city health department submitted an urgent report to me regarding garbage cleanup in the Lower East Side. The mountains of garbage there during the winter have sparked strong dissatisfaction among many residents."

"I was furious. I immediately approved the report and sternly demanded that the sanitation department clean it up properly! Not only that, but to avoid disrupting daytime traffic, I specifically added a sentence at the end: 'We'll leave tonight.'"

He spread his hands, making an extremely innocent gesture.

"This was originally an instruction note pasted on a regular sanitation report. It instructed the garbage trucks to leave the city tonight!"

The hall was so quiet that only gasps of shock could be heard. Everyone was stunned by this distorted explanation.

Walker looked at the reporters in the gallery, raised his voice, and shifted the blame onto them.

He angrily accused, "I don't know which malicious person tore this note off the sanitation documents and maliciously stuffed it into that envelope full of stolen money."

"It could be McGuire, it could be those three thugs, it could be some editor who'll do anything for newspaper sales. But this just proves that someone is deliberately piecing together a fabricated chain of evidence to frame a mayor!"

With a deafening roar, the audience erupted in chaos.

Reporters frantically recorded this exceptionally brilliant defense statement.

This explanation is utterly absurd and extremely far-fetched.

However, in terms of the literal meaning and logical loopholes of the law, it has perfectly patched up the loopholes.

If no third party is present to testify to the original purpose of the memo, the defense attorney could certainly make a big deal out of it before the jury.

Sitting in the back row, Arthur Kennedy watched Walker's performance quietly. He had to admit that Jimmy Walker's ability to be elected mayor of New York City twice was indeed a testament to his unparalleled talent for roguishness.

Samuel's face darkened completely. He knew Walker was difficult to deal with, but he never expected him to be able to concoct such a perfectly coherent story in a desperate situation without batting an eye.

If the hearings become a drawn-out dispute, the state legislature will be unable to pass a recall resolution.

Samuel spoke coldly, interrupting Walker's performance.

"Mayor Walker, your imagination is admirable. But sophistry won't change the facts. We don't need to get bogged down in the literal meaning here, because we still have living witnesses."

Roosevelt waved to the guards on his side.

"Bring witness number one into the room."

The heavy side door of the conference hall was pushed open.

Two tall, burly state troopers escorted a man in.

The man was wearing a gray prison uniform, his hands were heavily handcuffed. He was bald, burly, and had noticeable bruises around his eyes and cheekbones.

It was Danny Costello.

This is the gang leader the Tammany Association used to do dirty work, and the direct executor of the arson and last night's ambush.

The moment Walker saw Danny, the confident smile that had been on his face finally froze completely.

Walker's pupils contracted slightly, and his heart began to race.

He firmly believed that a gang leader like Danny, who had spent half his life in the underworld, would never publicly criticize his employer.

Because once he breaks the gang's rules of secrecy, not only will he be unable to continue his life in the underworld, but his family members will also face retaliation.

But Walker miscalculated one thing.

He forgot how ruthless John Collier, the head of the Tammany Society, made the decision after learning of Danny's arrest early this morning.

In an effort to preserve the organization, the Tammany Society issued an emergency statement in its morning newspaper, announcing the permanent expulsion of Danny Costello and several other "tainted peripheral members" and distancing itself from all ties.

Danny saw the newspaper in the Long Island jail.

He immediately realized his situation: he had become a pawn.

If he doesn't shift all the blame to Jimmy Walker, the mastermind, and try to become a witness for the prosecution, he could very well be silently killed with a sharpened toothbrush in a high-security prison.

Danny was escorted by state troopers to another witness stand just meters away from Walker.

He didn't look at Walker once, but kept his head down, staring intently at the microphone in front of him.

Samuel opened the case file and began the formal questioning.

"Mr. Costello, please tell the investigation committee the truth. Who ordered you to burn down the printing press of the New York Herald, and who ordered you to assassinate Arthur Kennedy last night?"

Danny suddenly raised his head, a fierce glint flashing in his bloodshot eyes.

Without hesitation, he extended his handcuffed right hand and pointed it directly at Jimmy Walker, who was standing next to him with a pale face.

Danny gritted his teeth and said, enunciating each word clearly, "It's him. Mayor Jimmy Walker of New York City."

A huge gasp erupted in the hall. All the reporters stood up.

The police officers maintaining order desperately pounded on their shields and batons, barely managing to quell the situation that was about to spiral out of control.