400. I Have a Business Proposal for You

Dr. House's supplier was a portly middle-aged man who, unlike Dr. House, was not known for his clean lifestyle. It seemed that socializing had prematurely aged his body. The man's name was Joe.

"I swear, he was in good health when I saw him. He talked to me about the price of medicines. You know, factories have been developing rapidly recently, and some pharmaceutical companies are working overtime to produce large quantities of drugs at low prices. The medicine bottles I supply here seem expensive now, and I need to explain that to him."

When Joe met Trist, that was the first thing he said.

"When I left the clinic, he was already preparing to close. He said he had something else to do that night. I asked him casually, and he didn't say exactly what he was going to, but I guessed he was going to some kind of party or to see a woman because he was very clean. You know, he's usually very clean, but he was even cleaner that day."

The middle-aged man with a thick belly took out a handkerchief to wipe his sweat. The air near the pharmaceutical factory was humid, especially in the morning.

Do you have a list of the supplied medicines?

Trist asked.

"Here, all of them are here. He didn't buy many kinds of medicine from me."

Joe pulled out a list, which was a list of his most recent transactions with Dr. House.

Trist glanced at them and saw that they were indeed common medicines, mostly used to treat gastrointestinal diseases, external injuries, lung diseases, and common colds and fevers.

In the Gray Alley, these are the prevalent symptoms.

"You didn't provide any illegal drugs, did you?"

Trist was outspoken.

"No, of course not, I never do those things."

The man wiped the sweat from his forehead.

"But we found some illegal drugs at Dr. House's clinic, like this."

Trist pulled out a small vial containing prohibited drugs that had been placed on a shelf in the dark room.

Joe's expression grew even more serious. He examined the medicine bottle carefully and immediately offered his explanation.

"I didn't provide this medicine. This kind of medicine is hard to find, not even in hospitals, let alone for pharmaceutical representatives like us. Only certain big shots can control the channels for it."

"Important person, are you referring to the Catania Family?"

Trist took the medicine bottle back.

"I dare not say, I dare not say. I know House is still well-connected with many people, but I advise you not to get involved in those things."

The middle-aged man shrank his neck.

"Has Dr. House shown any unusual behavior during this period?"

Lu Ban suddenly asked.

"Whether it's words and actions, the types and quantities of goods purchased, or anything else you sense."

"Him? He hasn't changed much. He's always been the same, meticulous and seemingly cold-hearted, but sometimes he seems like a really good person. As for the supplies, he's recently had a lot more medication for treating lung disease. I reckon the workers at the factory are starting to get sick."

When Joe saw that Trist and the others had stopped asking him about the medicine, he sat up straighter and was no longer so shriveled up.

"Ha, these businessmen are really clever. They put homeless people to work in factories and make profits off them. The workers' health deteriorates because of the exhaust fumes, and they need to buy medicine to treat them. The wages they receive then end up back in the businessmen's pockets."

As he spoke, he noticed the looks in Trist and Xiya's eyes, and immediately shut his mouth again.

"Dr. House treated those workers for free?"

Dr. House's reputation is a topic of discussion. Trist asked, recalling when he looked through the files earlier that most of the people were middle-class with some money and there were almost no workers.

"Probably. Sometimes he would go to the factory area and give the workers free medicine to relieve their lung disease. I don't know what he was after. Maybe doctors always have some kind of ambition, which is different from us businessmen."

Trist then questioned the medical supplier about his alibi and other details, comparing them with the police investigation, before leaving his house.

"The air here is very fresh."

Lu Ban stepped out of the house and took a breath.

There's always a foul smell in the room.

"Agree."

Xiya nodded.

"You two."

Trist spoke, he patted his clothes, as if trying to brush off something unclean.

"He doesn't seem to have any reason to kill Dr. House, and according to the pattern of the case, he is the most suspicious person as the last person to see Dr. House, so the possibility of him committing the crime is the least."

"That makes a lot of sense. Shall we go see those two patients next?"

Lu Ban asked.

"I need to go see Madam Martina first. Perhaps you can wait for me across the street?"

Trist instinctively touched the pistol hanging under his arm.

"No problem, we'll have a nice meal while we wait for you."

Lu Ban had no objections.

Trist touched the medical records in his pocket. He led Lu Ban and Xiya to the street corner, told them to wait in a restaurant there, and then took a rickshaw, traveling through two streets before arriving at a musical instrument shop.

The owner of the music store was playing with a violin. When he saw Trist, he didn't say anything, but just pointed behind him.

Trist walked through the music store and came to the room behind it, where two men in suits were sitting, puffing away and filling the room with the smell of cheap tobacco.

Upon seeing Trist, the two men stood up slightly, stubbed out their cigarettes, and became more polite.

"This is what Madam Martina wanted."

Trist handed the file he was carrying to one of the men.

"You didn't open it?"

The man glanced at the file.

"Of course! How would I know she wanted this if I hadn't opened it?"

Trist felt that these gangsters really needed some public education.

"Oh, alright, we'll give this to Madam. As for the payment, Madam said it's here."

The man glanced at the file with feigned nonchalance, but Trist knew perfectly well that neither of them could read. It was only reassuring to have illiterate gangsters transporting documents.

He handed Trist an invitation.

"The charity banquet tomorrow night?"

Trist didn't question the two men; he knew they were just messengers.

It seemed that Madam Martina wanted her to attend this charity banquet so she could test him personally. If there were no problems, she would pay and leave; if there were, then...

After putting away the invitation, Trist returned to the music store.

He saw the music store owner sitting in a chair, with two tall thugs standing next to him, holding the owner down and preventing him from leaving.

On the other side, the violin that was just in the boss's hand is now in the hands of a young man, who plays a classical melody.

Trist didn't curse or leave at lightning speed. He saw the car outside the music store and knew very well that if he made any rash moves now, he would be met with the crisp gunshot of the typewriter.

A moment later, the young man put down his instrument and glanced at the Motionless Trist.

"Hello, great detective, I have a business deal I'd like to discuss with you."

For some reason, Trist found the young man's face somewhat familiar.