Shawshank Prison.
A sedan stopped at the prison gate.
Henry and Lawyer Bob got out of the car.
Lawyer Bob was in his forties this year, with over twenty years of experience in the legal profession. When Henry asked him to help with Andy's case, he hesitated a bit. The case of the banker killing his wife was once sensational, and of course, he knew about it.
At first, he hesitated because overturning a court verdict was much harder than winning a lawsuit.
But in the end, he was moved by the lawyer's fee that Henry offered him.
Lawyer Bob handed the meeting slip to the guard at the door, and the guard let them in after looking at it. After several checks, the two arrived at the meeting room.
When the guard informed Andy that a lawyer wanted to see him, Andy was surprised.
With a puzzled look, he walked into the meeting room.
"Who are you?" Andy asked in surprise.
Lawyer Bob smiled, "I'm Lawyer Bob, and this is Mr. Henry. We're here because of Mr. Andy's case."
Andy's heart raced when he heard this.
"Are you sent by the state court?!" His first thought was that his monthly appeals to the court had worked, and the court had sent someone to prepare for a retrial of his case.
Bob shook his head and said, "I was commissioned by Mr. Jon Hardy."
Andy murmured, trying hard to search his memory, but in the end, he couldn't remember who Jon Hardy was.
"Mr. Hardy is my boss," Henry said.
"I seem to not know Mr. Hardy," Andy said in confusion.
Henry smiled and said, "You'll know who Mr. Hardy is when you walk out of prison. Let's talk about your situation now."
"Oh, okay."
Bob took out his lawyer's certificate and a power of attorney and said, "Mr. Andy, this is a power of attorney. Would you like me to represent you in applying for a retrial in court?"
Andy picked up the lawyer's certificate and power of attorney, his hands trembling slightly.
Years of anticipation seemed to finally see the dawn.
Although he didn't know who Mr. Hardy was, But he wouldn't give up, as long as there was a glimmer of hope.
"I've looked at the lawyer's certificate and power of attorney; there's no problem." Andy looked at Henry again. "I'd like to ask, why does Mr. Hardy want to help me?"
"Perhaps it's because of justice!" Henry said.
In fact, Henry didn't quite understand the boss's idea either, why suddenly help this Andy. But it didn't matter. For him, there was nothing to doubt about the boss's orders, just execute them.
Andy signed the power of attorney, took it with trembling hands. This power of attorney was extremely important to him.
Another glimmer of hope after seven years of waiting.
After Lawyer Bob and Henry left, Andy was taken back to the cell block. Captain Haley saw Andy being brought back and called the guard responsible for the meeting room.
"Who did Andy just meet, and what did they say?" Captain Haley asked.
"A lawyer met with Andy, and said that someone wanted to help him appeal to the state court, and had Andy sign a power of attorney," the guard said.
Captain Haley frowned.
A retrial was not good news for him.
He ordered his men to keep an eye on it and went to the warden's office. Warden Samuel Norton was playing with an antique music box. Collecting music boxes was his little hobby.
Captain Haley closed the door, lowered his voice a bit, and said, "Warden, a lawyer just met with Andy, and he said someone wants to help him appeal to the state court and retry his case."
Warden Norton stopped playing with the music box.
He looked up at Haley and asked, "Do you know who's helping him?"
"I don't know, just a lawyer and an assistant came," Captain Haley said.
Warden Norton's face darkened.
Andy was a banker before he was imprisoned, proficient in finance and accounting affairs. After Knowing his ability, Samuel Norton let him help with falsifying accounts, money laundering, and tax evasion.
Andy was sentenced to two life sentences. Under normal circumstances, he wouldn't think about leaving the prison alive. It was very safe to use him to do his accounts. But now there was a sudden situation, which caught him off guard. If Andy really got acquitted and released from prison, he would be finished.
His first thought was to get rid of Andy.
Eliminate all future troubles, but it wasn't time for that yet.
Andy might not necessarily be acquitted. Overturning the verdict of the state court was not that easy. Out of a thousand cases, not necessarily one would succeed.
Andy was very capable, and he didn't want to lose such a good helper.
"Haley, keep an eye on Andy. Report to me immediately if there are any developments," Warden Norton said in a deep voice.
"Yes, Warden."
Captain Haley left, and Warden Norton put down the music box, walked to the window of his office. In the distance was the spacious prison yard, with his office overlooking everything, where inmates gathered to chat or play games.
Warden Norton gritted his teeth, a fierce expression on his face. "I won't let you leave Shawshank alive."
The August sun made people sweat.
But people were still willing to step out of their cells and enjoy the rare moments of breathing free air during the day.
Andy came to the yard.
He sat down next to Red, who glanced at him. "Was it a visit from your family?"
Andy shook his head.
"It was a lawyer," he said.
Andy recounted the encounter to Red, who was surprised. "How could someone help you out of the blue? Do you really not know this, Mr. Hardy? Could he be an acquaintance from your past?"
"No, I've thought of everyone I know, and I'm sure I don't know anyone named Hardy."
Red rubbed his chin. "That's very strange, but no matter what, it's good news for you. You've been writing letters to the state court every month, asking for a chance to appeal. Now that someone is helping you, you should feel fortunate."