The pharmacy, unsurprisingly, also has ties to the church.
Even though it was past closing time, the supervisor actively pulled back several staff members after Wayne and the others arrived, showing a bit of a 'proactive cooperation between brother units' vibe.
Wayne felt a little bad for making others work overtime because of him.
However, he still had to ask what needed to be asked. After a thorough comparison, based on matching names, accents, and physical characteristics, they could basically make a 'same person identification'.
Since some time had already passed,
the clerk who was the main witness that day had a slightly hazy memory of the event, half-remembering and half-thinking, not daring to speak too definitively:
"The basic situation is pretty much what I said earlier, as for more clues..."
"At the time, that gentleman's carriage left in this direction. It seemed that while waiting in the middle, he said something to his companion like, 'Let's go to Oak Street first, then back to Marshall Street...'"
Wayne's eyebrows rose. "Are you sure?"
The clerk was already a little unsure, and upon hearing this, became even more hesitant: "Maybe I got it mixed up or misheard..."
Inessa blinked beside him. "Do you have 'Night Rose' here? Brew some tea with it, perhaps it will help with recalling memories after drinking it."
The pharmacy supervisor had no objections and happily arranged for someone to brew the tea. When it was served, there was plenty for everyone, including Wayne and Inessa.
Wayne looked down at the black 'mushroom' that had been brewed in his cup. Damn, it's called 'Night Rose', why is it mushroom tea?
Inessa picked up her cup and took a sip first, indicating that Wayne didn't need to worry. "This is a raw material used to calm the nerves and dispel drowsiness, and it's harmless to people when consumed appropriately."
Ugh...
Indeed, it had a strange taste, and the aftertaste was even more overwhelming than the dirty toilets in the prisoners' residence...
The clerk who was questioned also had a "jolt" after drinking it. If the supervisor hadn't been there to persuade him, he probably wouldn't have taken a second sip.
After half a cup of mushroom tea, the clerk held the cup and refused to drink any more, putting on a thoughtful expression and desperately trying to remember. After a while, he nodded in confirmation:
"I should have indeed heard such a sentence at the time. These two street names don't have similar pronunciations in Richmond, and I don't think I misheard."
Wayne stared at the clerk, repeating the question, "Are you sure? We may need to ask you to testify in court as a witness, repeating this testimony in court—you will have to swear publicly in the name of the Holy Spirit at that time."
After the aftertaste passed, the clerk gradually calmed down, his eyes a little clear: "I'm sure."
Bad news.
Wayne forced a smile, reaching out his hand to the clerk. "In that case, I thank you for your cooperation."
...
After telling the pharmacy supervisor that tonight's events must be kept strictly confidential, Wayne casually asked about the price of the finished "Night Rose" product, and found out that it was almost as expensive as gold of equal weight.
The "brother unit" was generous, so Wayne didn't want them to suffer a loss, leaving behind a large double eagle gold coin that he usually kept for show, and slightly regretted not having finished drinking it earlier.
Then, Wayne didn't rush to leave after leaving the pharmacy. He wandered around nearby for a while, and after confirming that no one was following, he put away his weapons and returned to the pharmacy, finding an excuse to pick up the clerk who had been asked to wait and put him on the carriage.
Oak Street and Marshall Street are both quite long, and of course, there are many locations along the way. The latter is still a "main street," which is larger in scale.
However, according to the detective agency's recent investigation, 76 Oak Street is the residence of the third-party forces' prisoners, and 97 Marshall Street is the foothold that Senator Walter personally gave to the contact person of Pastor Tyrrell, which is where Inessa was "accidentally arrested" during her investigation.
Plus, that missing small boss, as a connection between these two possible locations...
Damn it,
that "third-party force" is actually a local intelligence organization?!
This time, the detective agency has really hit an "iceberg." Their backstage is a federal senator with real power.
In order not to put pressure on the clerk, Wayne and Inessa tacitly didn't talk about this topic in the carriage on the way to the cathedral.
This guy is now more important than the "master of prying windows," belonging to the level of being too "hot to handle" even at the temporary stronghold back at the detective agency. Although there were other people in the pharmacy when he gave his testimony, and there would be replacements even if he was silenced, for safety reasons, Wayne decided to send him to Tom Hagen in a timely manner.
When confirming the trackers near the pharmacy just now, it was almost the moment when Wayne had the strongest killing intent since he came to Richmond this time.
If the other party knew about this key witness, they would probably enjoy the same silencing treatment as the gold master Mr. Morrie, so if Wayne and Inessa had discovered the trackers just now, they would have tried their best to prevent them from leaving.
Tom Hagen, out of consideration for avoiding suspicion, did not meet with the clerk, but by linking together the clues that the detective agency had already found, the entire case was obviously clear in his eyes.
As the real target victim of the assassination attempt, Wayne was actually quite curious about what kind of "acceptance speech" he would give, but Tom Hagen didn't seem particularly surprised. After thinking for a while, he asked Wayne instead: "Now that you have found out the truth, what are you going to do to arrest them next?"
Wayne: "Huh?"
"If the Bishop hears the report, he might ask you the same thing."
Tom Hagen shrugged his shoulders, jokingly saying, "I thought you were the type who would help avenge your innocent colleagues."
"I am indeed. But when I discovered that there was likely a Congressman standing behind the other party, I began to reflect on whether our colleague relationship was that good."
Wayne, while playing along, pondered the meaning of Tom Hagen's words. "The cathedral and Mr. Walter, their previous interactions didn't seem very pleasant?"
"The church and the high-level figures in politics will not have public conflicts." Tom Hagen gave Wayne a look, letting him understand on his own.
Wayne thought for a while, "To say that Mr. Walter knew about the assassination attempt, I wouldn't particularly doubt it. But it would probably be difficult to prove that he directly ordered it, unless someone under him accused him."
Logically speaking, according to the laws and national conditions of America, a Congressman effectively enjoys immunity from all crimes except treason and bribery. At least since the founding of the federation, there has never been a precedent for a Congressman to be liquidated after retirement. At most, they would be impeached and step down, with the past being forgotten.
And even if it was proven that he ordered the assassination of a treasurer of the cathedral, it would be a bit too much to call it "treason." No matter how fiercely the newspapers scold him, as long as the court doesn't care, then the person involved can just pretend not to see it...
Tom Hagen looked at the ceiling: "Speaking as friends, if the things you have found out now are made public, there are many people who will seize the opportunity. Each state in the Federation only has two Congressman seats, and there are many people eyeing them. You don't have a foundation in politics, and the young people of the Bidon family are still too early. You need to be careful about making friends recently."
Wayne pondered for a moment, "Do you think the Bishop would consider our detective agency's mission to be completed if I could catch that small boss who is on the run?"
"Of course. In fact, it should already be considered completed now." Tom Hagen nodded. "The extra things are your own personal choices, and the church will not interfere with personal development."
