Note: Here we go in court. After the next chapter, we are done.

Now it was time for court.

Everybody who knew about the court date was there, but Perry felt weird that he didn't have his mother around to answer questions on the witness stand. This has been the first time he's lot a witness and only himself without anybody to represent.

"Mr. Mason, where is your witness?" Hamilton asked him.

"Well, Hamilton, she can't make it. She's not alive anymore."

"So you can't find a replacement to take over your mother?"

"No, but there is somebody I am interested in to spend a long time with on that stand."

"Who is it?" Hamilton asked.

"Adam Smith. I believe he did that to my father."

"We can spend as much time as we need, but this is your case, and not mine. How are you doing now of what your doctor said about disabled?"

"It's still tough. Got a parking permit this morning."

"Sorry, Perry. I'm sure things will get better sooner or later."

"I keep hearing that, Hamilton," Perry said, seeing Cindy, Paul, Della and Patti come in.

"Who's the woman over there?"

"She's a friend of Della Street's, but a therapist."

"Why do you need counseling for?"

"Because of communication with my mother when we found out he was murdered."

"Perry? Patti's here," Della told him.

Even Harriana was able to make it, but she just didn't like being told about something on such notice.

Perry wished Ada and George would have been here to see the court, but knew their spirits were with him.

"Where did this start with your mother from what you've been telling me, Perry?" Patti asked, remembering they didn't communicate very much during the past couple months George was gone.

"Right here on the witness stand. She wouldn't forgive me after the first time we had her there. Now I can't get her answers from the questions I want to ask her."

"Would she have done this if your father was here?"

"I doubt it. This has never happened to me before by losing a witness to an old case."

"I understand. I'm sure after this case is over, it wouldn't happen ever again, but you never know."

"True," Perry agreed.

"Are we ready to go, Perry?"

"I think so, Judge. Let's have Cindy McCarey start. Go for it, Mr. Burger."

"All right. Why don't you start out by telling the court how you were able to get a job from George Mason?" Hamilton asked.

"I was introduced from Adam Smith. Like you've been hearing, he was new at the time."

"I understand he got screwed up a few times."

"Yes. I was one of the witnesses at the Goodwill store with the shooting involved. I didn't pay attention that Mr. Mason and Mr. Smith were there. I was young at the time," Cindy answered.

Perry saw so far Cindy is telling the same story that she shared with him and it turned out she wasn't lying.

"Did you know Mr. Mason before he hired you to help out on a case?"

"Of course not. I was able to get a lot finished since I was so ahead of him when he had a case and couldn't get some of it. Mr. Mason always told me I could had his job instead of being a private detective. I'm not interested in being a lawyer in the first place."

"All right, Ms. McCarey, the next question is, have you been around a dead person that was murdered?"

Perry didn't want her to answer that, but since he didn't know Cindy very well, he couldn't object to it.

"A few times, but not recently."

"What do you do when you're not solving murder cases?"

"I sing."

"Have you ever had people who were murdered at any of your shows?" Hamilton asked.

"Never had."

"So from what we've been told, you were involved in a Goodwill shooting back when George Mason was still alive?"

"Yes, sir, but I was young, so I didn't know it was him that was there when he showed up inside."

Hamilton still felt bad for Perry because of all that's been happening to him lately until having no witness next to him, so it should feel pretty weird.

Today was only a 20 - minute recess, so they could talk then.

"Your witness," Hamilton told him.

"Ms. McCarey, I remember we had a chat about this case earlier. I remember asking you how did he feel when somebody finished the job for him when he couldn't?"

"Yes."

"Would you mind repeating what you told me?"

"He was jealous since I was so ahead of him in the cases I worked on with him. He also did point out I could have been a better attorney than he was."

"Were you also a new investigator at the time when you were introduced to George Mason?"

"No. I was only about two years or so when I started working with him."

"So you know the work very well, then?"

"Yes."

"Tell us what your plans are after this case is finished on what you plan to do for a new job."

"Since Mr. Smith is already retired, I plan to keep his agency going."

"Was this your dream job to be a private detective?"

"I wouldn't call it a dream job, Mr. Mason. I wanted something different since the past generations in my family were only into music and entertainment. This is why I chose to become a private detective."

"Did you think of that when you witnessed the shooting at Goodwill?"

"Not right away, I didn't think about it. My mother and father never really shop at thrift stores when I was growing up back then."

"Did you recognize George Mason right away or know who he was when the shooting began?"

"No, I didn't, but I do remember seeing his picture in the newspaper."

"Did your family know him personally?"

"Of course not. They never met him."

"Were they fans of following attorneys on every case?"

"My father was, but not my mother. She was more interested in entertainment."

"You may step down," Perry told her.

"Now defense calls Adam Smith to the stand."

Adam would probably be the one who had to be on the witness stand for the longest time today, but there's no telling how long he would want Adam there. He could even recall Cindy again, but let's wait and see.

He even let Hamilton ask some questions for Adam later, but this was more his case since Hamilton didn't follow it much.

"How did you meet up with George Mason again after college?"

"Like you keep hearing, Perry, he was new at the time. He was starting a few cases before he remembered we went to college together and reached out and asked if I wanted to work with him."

"What were you doing at the time George reached out to you?"

"I was coming back home from vacation time. I spent it by fishing."

"Did you catch a lot of fish?"

"Some, but not everything."

"We're not here to talk about fishing, Mr. Mason," Hamilton spoke up.

"Are you interested in asking questions, Mr. Burger?" the judge asked.

"In a couple of minutes I will be."

"All right. Mr. Mason, you can trade with Mr. Burger."

So they switched as Perry joined, Della, Paul, Cindy and Patti.

"Mr. Smith, since you worked with George Mason, do you remember how many cases you both did together that won in court?"

"That was so long ago, but I would probably guess about over 100 or 200. I can be wrong, though."

"Did you know George Mason kept all of his case files since the first one after he stepped down to take care of Perry?"

"Some of them, I did. I still have some of my duplicates of the originals he had."

"Did you still have the case file with the shooting at Goodwill?"

"No, I don't. I didn't think it was necessary to keep old case files like George Mason did."

So Hamilton asked a few more questions and then Perry took over.

"Were you a private detective at the time of the Goodwill shooting?"

"Yes, I was, but I didn't see any reason to bring a gun with me into the store for protection like he did. He was dating Perry's mother at the time when the shooting happened."

"Did you meet Mrs. Mason when they dated?"

"Not really. It wasn't my business what he did with women."

"Your witness."

Perry didn't bother standing up from where he sits, so all he did was ask his questions.

"Tell us, Mr. Smith, what was the first case that you had when George Mason hired you."

"The first case? Come on, Perry. That is impossible to remember when your boss was new and you were a detective."

"Do what you remember, Mr. Smith."

"I'll have to think more about that one."

"We can recall you if you remember anything about the first case."

"All right."

Perry still thought Adam was the one who murdered George, and wanted to win this case, no matter what. Looks like he might even win.

After court is over, then it would be time to visit Dr. Charles at his office and see if he's finally made up his mind about the car. If he still says no, then he'll have to do what he says.

"Tell us, did you have any friends at the Goodwill store when you heard about the shooting from George Mason?" Perry asked.

"I was friends with the store manager for a while, but she and I didn't bother to keep in touch for a get – together. All I did was show up the minute Mr. Mason called and reached out to me. So I did."

"Did you or somebody else call the police department and ambulance if somebody was hurt?"

"The store manager did that part. There was no way I could have done that myself. When I arrived and walked in, I only stood by him and never left his side, even if it meant the police and ambulance showed up."

"Where were you at the time when George Mason called you about the shooting?"

"At his office. His secretary had an appointment at the time of the shooting, so I didn't mind staying behind at the office in case phone calls came in."

Now it was Hamilton's turn to ask more questions.

"Did you remember why Mr. Mason say what he was doing at the Goodwill store?"

"No, he didn't say anything to me or his secretary about popping into a thrift store. I don't know why he would go into one of them. He never said and I never bothered to ask."

"Now Mr. Mason already asked Ms. McCarey this question, I'll ask you."

Perry didn't mind Hamilton asking that kind of question to Adam Smith. It looked like Hamilton seemed to agree with him on Adam Smith.

"What do you want to ask me?" Adam asked.

"Was being a detective your dream job?"

"I don't think you would call it that. I was more interested in entertainment, but I never got very far."

Now Perry could see why Adam and Cindy made a good team, with or without George Mason. Both of them had been successful.

"We've been told there were children and teenagers who were witnesses at the time of the shooting, Mr. Smith. We understand a few of them are here in this court."

"Yes, I do remember seeing a few of the children and teenagers. I see a few of them right now."

"Where were the children at the time of the shooting?" Hamilton asked.

"I don't know. I didn't see them when I showed up. All I did was stand by George himself and let everybody else take care of the rest."

"What time did George Mason reach out to you?"

"I'd say it sometime after eleven – fifteen. I can't be one hundred percent sure since that was years ago."

"And did you know George Mason's girlfriend at the time when they were dating?" Hamilton asked.

"Not personally, but I did meet her a couple times. She seemed friendly, even for a first meeting."

"Did any of the children or teenagers look like they felt lost or were they without their parents?"

Perry saw Hamilton asked a few good questions, which he would never thought about them himself.

"I'm not sure, Mr. Burger. I didn't pay much attention to that. I was only doing my job that George Mason asked me to when I showed up. That's when the store manager called the police and ambulance and report a shooting at her store."

Perry was still learning a lot about his father, even in this court nobody had mentioned sharing with him.

Too bad Ada wasn't here since she was the number one witness, but only hung out in the car since George kept her in there. This was why Perry felt weird by not having a client or witness next to him. Maybe the next case would be better with a client or witness. This one was just feeling weird without anybody volunteering as a replacement for Ada Mason.

Perry thought Adam could use a break from the witness stand, so he said something.

"Your Honor, I'd like to recall this witness at a later time."

"Of course, Mr. Mason. You may step down now, Mr. Smith."

"Defense would like to call Harriana Washington to the stand."

So she traded places with Adam Smith.

"Ms. Washington, was it true you were another one of the witnesses at the same time as George Mason showed up at your store?"

"Yes, it is, Mr. Mason. I didn't know who he was back then at that time."

"Would you like to tell the court how you winded up at the store when George Mason was inside?"

"Well, my mother was interested in checking out a thrift store and thought my brother and I would need some new clothes, toys and books. This was our first time there when he came in with a gun. At first my mother thought he would shoot somebody."

"Do you remember what George Mason was wearing?"

"Objection, Your Honor. This has nothing to do with the murder of George Mason," Hamilton spoke up.

"Mr. Burger is right, Perry. You may continue."

"Thank You, Your Honor. Tell us exactly what area you were in when the shooting happened."

"We were in the kids' section looking at the toys."

"Was your brother a child or teenager?"

"He was only three years older than I was, so yes, he was getting close to being a teenager at the time."

"Is your brother still alive?"

"No, he's not. He was one of the people who started the shooting."

"Any questions, Mr. Burger?" the judge asked.

"How old were you when you were shopping at the Goodwill store?"

"Let me think. Since he was close to thirteen, that would make me seven."

"Do you remember seeing the last witness who was here? Adam Smith?"

"I don't think I did. I do happen to think my mother recognized him more than I did because I was only a child."

"Since you took over the management job, Ms. Washington, how long have you been manager?"

"Almost nine years. The manager before me was having some health issues and died not too long ago. She reached out to me and asked if I would like to take her place, and I accepted."

"Did she remember you when your family were at the store when the shooting began?"

"I think she did."

"Your witness," Hamilton told Perry.

"Ms. Washington, since you just told us that you were only a child at the time of the shooting and George Mason was there, how long did you guess the police and the ambulance showed up?"

"I don't know. I didn't pay attention to the time, Mr. Mason. If my brother was here today, I'm sure he would be able to answer this question. I saw him look at his watch a couple times, but never bothered asking what time it was."

"Ms. Washington, do you remember the place where George Mason and Adam Smith were in at the time of the shooting?"

"Yes. By the manager's office. It was a good thing Mr. Mason wasn't the one who started it."

"He always liked to be safe, no matter where he went. George always kept a gun in the car," Perry told her, remembering the times when he was in the car with George.

He went back to his seat and grabbed the file from Della.

"Thank you, Della," he said, taking it from her.

"See this file right here? It has a lot of information about this case that George Mason left behind from the time he was murdered a couple months ago," Perry said, handing her the file.

"Would you mind opening the file and tell us what you see?"

Even Hamilton didn't get it from what he was listening to Perry.

So everybody in the court watched as Harriana opened the file and looked it.

"What can you tell us that you see in this file?"

"Notes, articles and a picture."

"Exactly correct. Would you mind reading the headline of the article to us?"

"RETAIL STORE SHOOTING."

"Correct again, Ms. Washington. Now read the article for yourself and tell us if any of it sounds familiar. You don't need to read out loud."

When recess comes, Hamilton will have to ask Perry if he could see the file for himself, which he would let him do and get a good idea what happened that day.

"Does any of the article sound familiar to you?" Perry asked.

"Yes, it does."

"Now look at the picture. Do you recognize anybody in the picture? This witness you see in the picture is here in the court. The other person besides the witness is George Mason. What can you tell us about what they were doing in the picture?"

Harriana looked around the court, trying to see if any of them were familiar to her.

"Well, can you tell us who is in this very court?"

"Mr. Mason, it's time for recess, so she can answer that after our break," the judge said.

"All right. You may step down and then we will talk again when recess is over," Perry told her.

Once he joined Della, Paul, Patti and Cindy, he said, "This has to be the hardest case I've ever worked on and solve it."

"We understand, Perry. Do you think she could have done it with Adam Smith?" Cindy asked.

"I haven't thought about that one, Cindy, but we could ask her."

Recess was only for half an hour, so they had plenty of time to talk and guess who was in the picture with George Mason.

"Cindy, I'd like you to get back up there as well. When Ms. Washington is finished, I'll recall you for the same question and get Adam Smith back."

"All right, Perry."

Hamilton joined them.

"You asked questions I wouldn't have, Perry," Hamilton told him.

Perry looked over his shoulder and found Hamilton heading over.

"I know. You did the same, Hamilton. Do you want to take over after recess is over?"

"This isn't my case, Perry. I can try, but I don't have any questions. Can I see that file?"

"Sure," he said as he handed it to Hamilton.

"I'm curious to see this for myself, Perry."

While Hamilton was looking at the file, Perry told Patti, "You can go back to your office now if you want."

"Della and I talked about this, Perry. She thought it was a good idea I can stay until the court is over and then go back to work. You did a good job up there. I now can imagine why your mother hasn't forgiven you much since you both started to talk and reconcile more."

"Yes, but she still disagreed with me that I wasn't on her side when I actually was when we both found out he was murdered. Ever since he quit his practice, he was never a morning person. He slept in because of me waking them up in the middle of the night."

"That's understandable, Perry. What else do you remember being told?"

Before Perry could answer Patti, the judge joined them. Hamilton was reading the article and looked at the picture. Now he got the idea about Adam being the one who did the job this time.

"I think you're right, Perry. I can have some questions for this woman as well."

"All right, Hamilton. You can start when recess is over," Perry told him.

"I didn't know anything about an article and picture, Perry. Has Hamilton scared you at all during his thoughts about your condition from the last case?"

"A little, but I'm used to it. My doctor is pretty strict right now. I don't know what he wants to do when I show up after today."

The judge who was in the courtroom today was the same person who was with him and Cindy when they had the introduction. He was also the one who worked with George Mason in the past.

"Your Honor, would you mind looking at the file yourself and see if you remember anything?"

"Are you having me get up there myself, Perry? If you are, that's crazy."

"No, I'm not, Your Honor, but I was only curious when I asked questions when I had Ms. McCarey with me that day to introduce herself."

"Your Honor, I might need to get you over there on that witness stand at some point. I know it sounds crazy, but I do have questions everybody needs to hear."

"All right, Mr. Mason. If you wish."

"Of course I wish. I want to solve this for him, no matter what."

"I understand that's important to you, Mr. Mason, but you might not have the chance to work on anymore longshot cases of your father's in the future."

"I promised my mother that."

"Where is your mother?"

The judge who was in the courtroom today was the same person who was with him and Cindy when they had the introduction. He was also the one who worked with George Mason in the past.

"Your Honor, would you mind looking at the file yourself and see if you remember anything?"

"Are you having me get up there myself, Perry? If you are, that's crazy."

"No, I'm not, Your Honor, but I was only curious when I asked questions when I had Ms. McCarey with me that day to introduce herself."

"Your Honor, I might need to get you over there on that witness stand at some point. I know it sounds crazy, but I do have questions everybody needs to hear."

"All right, Mr. Mason. If you wish."

"Of course I wish. I want to solve this for him, no matter what."

"I understand that's important to you, Mr. Mason, but you might not have the chance to work on anymore longshot cases of your father's in the future."

"I promised my mother that."

"Where is your mother?"

The judge who was in the courtroom today was the same person who was with him and Cindy when they had the introduction. He was also the one who worked with George Mason in the past.

"Your Honor, would you mind looking at the file yourself and see if you remember anything?"

"Are you having me get up there myself, Perry? If you are, that's crazy."

"No, I'm not, Your Honor, but I was only curious when I asked questions when I had Ms. McCarey with me that day to introduce herself."

"Your Honor, I might need to get you over there on that witness stand at some point. I know it sounds crazy, but I do have questions everybody needs to hear."

"All right, Mr. Mason. If you wish."

"Of course I wish. I want to solve this for him, no matter what."

"I understand that's important to you, Mr. Mason, but you might not have the chance to work on anymore longshot cases of your father's in the future."

"I promised my mother that."

"Where is your mother?"

The judge who was in the courtroom today was the same person who was with him and Cindy when they had the introduction. He was also the one who worked with George Mason in the past.

"Your Honor, would you mind looking at the file yourself and see if you remember anything?"

"Are you having me get up there myself, Perry? If you are, that's crazy."

"No, I'm not, Your Honor, but I was only curious when I asked questions when I had Ms. McCarey with me that day to introduce herself."

"Your Honor, I might need to get you over there on that witness stand at some point. I know it sounds crazy, but I do have questions everybody needs to hear."

"All right, Mr. Mason. If you wish."

"Of course I wish. I want to solve this for him, no matter what."

"I understand that's important to you, Mr. Mason, but you might not have the chance to work on anymore longshot cases of your father's in the future."

"I promised my mother that."

"Where is your mother?"

"No, don't do that, Patti. You can go now. I'll tell you the rest of it at an other time."

"Are you sure, Della? I don't know him very well, so I plan to stay. I don't want to argue with you."

Della agreed with her friend.

So they chatted a bit more during recess.

Paul and Perry had a conversation without Della around.

"So you still really think Adam Smith murdered your father, Perry?"

"Yes, I do. Even Hamilton thinks spending a lot of time with him today is a good idea."

"Did Hamilton know him?"

"I don't think so, Paul. I might even get the judge on the witness stand."

"That's crazy talk, Perry. I wouldn't do that."

"He worked with my father, okay? So he knew him pretty well since he was here in the courtroom with my father since his first case."

"I hope you don't do anymore of his longshot cases, Perry."

"I made that promise to my mother about it."

"Promises aren't easy sometimes, Perry."

"I know. If somebody wants me to solve another of his murder cases, I might just end up saying no. I think he has almost all of those cases in the file cabinet and the house."

"Why would George Mason want to keep them?"

"That's a good question, Paul. I didn't find out about his cases until after his murder happened."

"But you knew he did have this practice, right?"

"Yes, I did, Paul. I didn't know what cases he worked on before quitting and take care of my mother and myself. But if somebody does ask for another of his cases in the future, I might want to take a look at the file if he had it in the file cabinet and see for myself."

"I wonder what your next case is after this one is solved, Perry."

"I don't need to know yet, Paul. It's still too soon to tell on that one. I do have something to share with you."

"What's that, Perry?"

"When this case is solved, I'm letting you have a month of vacation time."

"What about Cindy? Are you going to give her something to do?"

"Of course. We can just test her out on the next case and see if she understands what you showed her."

"Yes, she does understand, Perry. I just thought it was a nice surprise for you and Della to have another one around."

"It was a nice surprise, Paul. I'm sure she and Della got to spend a lot of time together. It just feels weird since I don't have my number one witness in this case and I couldn't get a replacement on such short notice."

"I understand, Perry. Your mother sure did have a big part, but she was a bystander, right?"

"That's what I was told, Paul. Even she mentioned it."

"I'm sure that she did, Perry. Let's go see what else Adam Smith has to say for the rest of today."

Hamilton gave Perry the file back.

"That's a very interesting file your father left behind, Perry. I do see Adam Smith in this court and Cindy. I thought I saw her in the picture."

"We'll recall her when recess is over, Hamilton."

"Great idea. Do you still want to talk with her or should I?"

"You already asked some good questions, Hamilton, but if you want to, go ahead. I know you said that you haven't been interested in this case since it had my last name on it."

"That's why I didn't follow it very much, Perry. If my father was a lawyer instead of a doctor, I would just leave his record alone."

"Hamilton, how would you feel if you were me and your mother was the number one witness in this case and she isn't here anymore to share her side of the story a second time around?"

"I'd feel weird, but I can't blame you for that, Perry. I'll talk with you later."

"All right."

"The judge doesn't need to be asked questions, Perry. I would just leave him out of it, but you did some crazy talk on that."

Recess was finally over and Cindy was recalled from Perry.

"Ms. McCarey, since we decided to recall you, the district attorney wants to ask some," Perry told her.

"What do you have for me?" Cindy asked Hamilton as Perry sat down again.

"Ms. McCarey, have you seen the file Mr. Mason brought with him today about the article and the picture that was taken?"

"Yes, I have. I didn't get a close look at it and see if Adam Smith was in there or not, but that was years ago," Cindy told Hamilton.

"Did the article or the picture look familiar to you?"

"Not to me. I was too young to read the newspaper back then. I did recognize George Mason a little since I have seen his picture in the newspaper a few times. I didn't care much for following stuff like that since my father did most of it."

"Was your father an attorney also?"

"No. He didn't show that kind of interest. He wasn't crazy about my being a private detective either, but accepted it."

"Do you remember how long you were at the Goodwill store when the shooting happened?" Hamilton asked.

Perry didn't think Hamilton needed to ask that question.

"Objection, Your Honor. That doesn't need to be asked."

"Sustained."

Cindy didn't bother asking that question because it was so many years ago.

Perry gave Hamilton the file once again.

"Ms. McCarey, this question was already asked by the defense counsel, I am going to ask you the same question," Hamilton told her.

Perry didn't think of that question when he had Cindy up there, so he let Hamilton ask that question.

"What's the question?"

Hamilton handed the file over to her.

"Do you recognize anybody in the picture that was taken when the shooting happened?"

She took a look at the picture and see if she remembered anything.

"I see myself and George Mason."

"There is a third person in the picture, Ms. McCarey. Do you recognize the third one? This person is also in this court."

She studied the picture a bit longer. Then she also looked at everybody in the court like Hamilton said.

"Who is it?" Hamilton asked.

"Adam Smith."

Adam was still listening and watching everybody who had been on the witness stand so far, but he didn't count himself.

So far, Cindy has gotten almost everything right, Adam told himself.

Since he's getting ready to quit after this case, Adam already liked the idea of Cindy taking over his detective agency going, which is what they talked about with Paul Drake.

"You may step down," Hamilton told her.

So she did.

"We now recall Adam Smith," Hamilton said and then added, "your witness."

So Perry took the file back from Hamilton.

"What you just heard from the other two witnesses, Mr. Smith, did any of it sound accurate to you?" Perry asked.

"From what I remember, yes."

"Since the other two witnesses have looked at this file, Mr. Smith, would you mind looking for yourself and see if there is anything familiar or if we missed anything?"

Adam took it from Perry and opened the file.

"Would you read to us what the headline article says?" Perry asked.

"RETAIL STORE SHOOTING."

"Did you read the article when it came out the next day in the newspaper?"

"Yes, I did."

"How did you feel about that?"

"I can't be happy about that, Mr. Mason."

"You said earlier that you were at the shooting immediately when George Mason asked you to come out. Did you start the shooting?"

"Are you crazy, Mr. Mason? Of course I didn't start it."

"What was George Mason's reaction when it started and you showed up?"

"He did look scared a bit when I joined him near the manager's office. He did mention to me when the police and ambulance showed that he was happy to play safe by bringing his gun in the store with him."

"Did you remember seeing Mrs. Mason when you showed up?"

"Of course not. I never knew her at the time since they were dating."

"Mr. Smith, would you mind looking at the picture a second time and tell us who you see in the picture? Like we've been saying, these witnesses are also in this court. The number one witness isn't here anymore to get on the witness stand a second time around and nobody wanted to replace her, including you. There are three people in the picture. Who are they?"

"Ms. McCarey and George Mason. Wait a minute. The other person looks familiar."

"And who is the third person?" Perry asked.

"That's me. How did I get in the picture?"

"That you'll have to tell us, Mr. Smith. Is that something you can answer for us?"

"No. I don't remember getting into a picture and the newspaper put it out the next day."

Perry didn't bother saying anything to the court about Adam telling Cindy more of the story with George Mason and her sharing with him and Della.

"We understand that George Mason had a girlfriend at the time when the shooting happened. Did George tell you anything about bringing his girlfriend with him to the Goodwill store and the shooting happened?" Perry asked.

"I don't think he said anything, Mr. Mason. I didn't have to ask where he was going and who he was bringing with him."

"And could you tell us who murdered George Mason at his house when his wife was out to lunch with a friend? Were you and George talking back then?"

"All right, Mr. Mason. You win. I did it."

"You killed George Mason?"

"Yes, I did."

"Why did you go over to the house if he was still sleeping in when he was murdered? Was he expecting you over anytime soon?"

"Yes, he was. We were going to lunch and a game of bowling."

Perry didn't remember George being a bowler for fun, but he must've mentioned it a few times and play on occasion.

"Were you aware of any the neighbors witnessing you showing up inside the house when George Mason was still in bed asleep?"

"I don't think anybody was watching, Mr. Mason. I did it because somebody asked me to."

"Why would George deserve to be murdered? He and I were very close to each other, including the number one witness in this case."

"Somebody told me to murder George, so it wasn't my idea."

"Did you know the person who wanted you to kill him?"

"Not very well, but I think he was from the last case you had with that accident."

"Is he in this court?"

"No."

"Do you remember where George Mason's secretary was when George Mason left for the shooting at Goodwill?"

"At the office. Only she knew why he went there."

"I understand she's not alive anymore."

"Of course she's not alive to be in this court to answer your questions, Mr. Mason."

"Would you mind giving us the name of the person who gave you the directions on the murder of George Mason?"

"Under the last name of Hutchinson."

Perry recognized that name since it was the people who hit his car was their attorney for that case.

"Was there any other person who worked with Hutchinson for the murder?"

"Some guy who was a doctor. I forget his name."

"You mean the one who took care of me during the accident? Dr. Webber?"

"Something like that, Mr. Mason. That's why I had to do it for them since they were somewhere else."

"You know killing somebody who you worked with is not the answer, Mr. Smith. Did you know where George Mason lived at the time so you could go into his bedroom when he was still asleep?"

"Yes, I did."

"When he quit his practice, did you work on any other cases until he was killed?"

"Not at the moment since I recently finished one at the time."

The judge thought it was a good idea to end the case since it was now solved.

"First degree murder for George Mason. This case is closed," the judge said to the court.

"That does it, Perry. This case went somewhere and it's now finished," Della told him.

"Yes, it is. I don't think I want to work on anymore of his cases in the future. I have a promise to keep from what my mother asked me to. If somebody does want me to work on another case of his, I will just say no."

"But you will still look at the file and listen to the story, right?" Cindy asked.

"Yes, but it doesn't mean I would take the case, Cindy."

"Perry, since this case is closed, when do you have to go in and see the doctor about your disability?" Paul asked.

"I think he said tomorrow morning. Let me call him at the office."

"Perry, I don't mind giving you a ride," Cindy offered.

"Go with her, Perry. This could be your chance to know each other a bit," Della told him.

Perry accepted Cindy's offer and she followed him out of the courtroom.

"Della was telling me something about the foster parents inviting you to church. Did you decide on that?" Cindy asked as she unlocked her car.

"I accepted, but I don't think I will go to one. You should know by now court is on Sundays sometimes."

"It doesn't mean you can't go. Do you have the information written down?"

"Yes, I do. They gave it to me when we were out to breakfast."

Cindy remembered Paul saying something about that.

"Paul told me about it. I think I asked this before, but I will ask again, Perry."

"What is your question? I don't think I remember answering that question."

"You might remember I said that I sing when I don't work on murder case."

"I do remember. What does performing have to do with murder cases?"

"Nothing, really. I was only wondering if I ever help you with another case in the future and I have a date at the same time, what would you like me to do?"

"I remember you asking that before. If you have to be at the show when I want you to be somewhere else, all you do is call your manager and reschedule."

"What about Paul? This is why he chose me to help you out in the future."

"Paul is not a performer, Cindy. He can still do it, but I'm sure he wouldn't mind taking your spot while you're at your shows."

"Since we're done with this case, Perry, I have a show tomorrow night."

"You don't need to ask permission for that, Cindy. Just go and have fun."

"Thank you, Perry. Now that Adam is retired and locked up, I am not going to look back at the time he first hired me and connected with your father."

"Did he ever tell you why my father was murdered?"

"No, he didn't, Perry. I guess he decided to wait until today to share with the court."

"He shouldn't have done that to somebody you love and were close to. My mother would never do such a thing. I know their spirits were in the court when I asked those questions. My parents are probably smiling that the case is finished."

"How did you know their spirits were with you?" Cindy asked.

"I thought I felt something."

They finally made it to the office and he unlocked the door. When they walked inside, Perry was holding Cindy's hand for help since it was a bit hard for him because of his disabilities.

"I'll go call the doctor now and see what he wants to do," Perry told her.

"I'll stay out of your way, then. I know that's private."

"Thank you, Cindy."

He went to the phone as he sat down and called the doctor's office.

Dr. Charles was available, so he was able to chat with Perry.

"Dr., the case is now closed. What should we do about the car now?"

"I've made up my mind about that, Counselor. I can take you in now unless you're tired and we can do it tomorrow morning at nine."

"I like the idea of tomorrow morning, Dr."

"How did you do with the case?"

"I won."

"Congratulations. I don't need to know who killed your father."

"No, you don't. I'll see if my detective or secretary could take me in tomorrow."

"I'll see you then."

End of conversation.