Chapter 6 chapter Five

In 1942, 6,000 German troops surrounded the port area of ​​Marseille.About 20,000 residents in the area were ordered to evacuate from their residences within two hours, each person was only allowed to carry luggage under 30 kilograms, and more than 3,000 criminals were arrested.The entire old port area was completely destroyed.This breeding ground of all crimes, the most dangerous den of crimes in Europe, was thus wiped out. Thomas cooked a delicious supper in the kitchen of Santa Tessier's home on the evening of November 25, 1940, and when the caramelized fruit was served, the clock in a nearby clock tower chimed After knocking ten times on the ground, Santa suddenly buried his head in his hands and began to speak to himself. "What's the matter, honey?" Thomas asked, stirring the fruit in the glass bowl.Santa looked up.Her nostrils were still trembling, but her beautiful face had lost all color.She said clearly, "Ten o'clock."

"Yes, why?" "They're down in the hallway right now. I just turn on the gramophone and put on a record called "I Had Two Lovers," and they'll be up." Thomas asked gently, putting the silver spoon on the table. Said: "Who wants to come up?" "Colonel Simon and his men." "Colonel Simon?" Thomas couldn't even speak. "Second place, yes it's him. I betrayed you, Jean. I'm the meanest thing in the world." Then there was a moment of silence from the divorcees in the room.In the end, it was Thomas who spoke first: "How about some more cherries?"

"Jean! Come on! I can't stand it! Why don't you scold me? Why don't you beat me?" "Santa." Thomas felt an unbearable tiredness hit him: "Santa, why are you doing this?" "The police here got hold of me. It was a nasty thing, and Pierre was involved in it too. Fraud stuff... Then out of the blue Colonel Simon came up and said to me if you could get Le Bring me here, Brown, and your business is over! Jean, what would you do if you were in my place? I don't know you!" Such was life, Thomas thought.It's all like this, you hunt me, I hunt you.You betray me, I betray you.In order to survive, you have to kill others.He asked softly, "What does Simon want from me?"

"He's got instructions from above . . . that you've played tricks on them with some list, haven't you?" "Yes, that's right." Santa stood up and walked up to Thomas. She put a hand on his shoulder and said, "I want to cry, but there are no tears. Hit me and kill me." Come on. Let! Do it! Don't look at me like that." Thomas sat quite still, deep in thought.After a while he asked softly, "Which piece did they ask you to play?" "The song "I Have Two Lovers"." Suddenly Thomas' pale face burst into a rare smile.He stood up, and Santa took a step back.But Thomas didn't touch her.He went into the next room.He picked up the record, glanced at the title of the song, smiled again, and turned on the phonograph.Twist the needle and put in the record, and the music starts.It's Josephine Barker's voice singing I Have Two Lovers...

Then there were footsteps outside.Footsteps sounded from far to near, almost to the door.Santa is close to Thomas, standing in front of him.Her mouth was open and her chest heaved and heaved under the thin green silk of the tights.She whispered between her teeth: "Run, there is still time... There is a flat cover under the bedroom window..." Thomas shook his head with a smile, and Santa was very angry. "Idiot! They're going to cut you into pieces! In ten minutes, you'll be the water ghost of Laogang!" "My dear, if only you had remembered to say that sooner," Thomas said kindly.She raised her fists as if to punch Thomas on the head: "Stop talking nonsense, now..." But before she could finish speaking, she began to sob.Someone is knocking on the door. "Open the door!" The person outside the door shouted viciously.Santa put a hand on his mouth and didn't move.The people outside the door knocked more urgently.Josephine Barker is still singing.A voice familiar to Thomas shouted outside the door: "If you don't open the door, we will shoot and break the lock!"

"Brother Simon." Thomas said slowly, "Are you still so impatient?" Then he left Santa and walked forward.As soon as he opened the door, a gun was already pressed against his stomach.Simon stood before him with his moustache upturned and his noble head with a Roman nose thrown back.Thomas thought about being away for a few months, and it seemed that he still hadn't made a fortune.The poor man was still wearing his crumpled trench coat.Thomas exclaimed with joy, "I'm so happy, Mr. Colonel. Are you doing well recently? What is our beautiful Mimi doing?" The colonel said with an angry face, "Your play is over, you This shameless traitor!"

"Please don't put the gun against my stomach, will you? Go to another place, you know I just had dinner." "In half an hour you won't care about your digestion anymore. You pig." Simon's mouth was about to burst into flames of anger.At this time, another person walked in. He was tall and handsome, with gray temples and sharp eyes.The collar of the coat was turned up high, his hands were in the coat pockets, and a cigarette was stuck in the corner of his mouth. "Good evening," said Thomas. "I knew you'd be here when Santa told me the title of the record. How's it going? How are you doing, Major Debra?" Simon immediately corrected: "It's the colonel! It's Colonel Debra!" But Colonel Debra didn't answer Thomas' question.He just raised his head towards the door in a commanding manner.

At this moment, a furious cry stopped all three of them.Santa blocked the door with his hands, holding a Malayan dagger in his right hand, and screamed like a wild animal: "Get out! Or I will kill you, both of you! Let me go!" Simon took two steps back in fright.Thomas thought to himself, where is the arrogance of you, an idiot hero when you conquered Paris, now!Then he said sternly to Santa: "Don't be silly, Santa, you told the colonel that you would betray me." Santa's voice became hoarse, and she whispered: "It doesn't matter .I did it like a scumbag. But I can make it up...”

"You can still make up for it!" Thomas cursed: "You stupid bitch, they will put you in jail!" "Let them close it... I don't care about anything. I've never betrayed anyone. Come behind me, Jean. Quick, get into the bedroom..." Now she was standing very close to Thomas.Thomas sighed and shook his head again.Then he suddenly kicked Santa's right knuckle.Only hearing Santa groaned, the dagger flew out of her hand.Thomas picked up his hat and coat, pulled the dagger from the door and handed it to Debra: "You can't imagine how embarrassing I was to punch a woman. However, it seems that Tessie didn't It won't work for Ms. Er to act recklessly. Shall we go now?" Debra nodded silently.Simon pushed Thomas forward and followed him toward the vestibule.

The door closed, leaving Santa alone in the room.She felt a convulsion, and her whole body groaned.The carpet she collapsed weakly rolled over and over, crying.The record had run out, and the needle was still spinning rhythmically.She walked over and picked up the gramophone and threw it against the wall.She had insomnia that night.It was the worst night of her life.She tossed and turned on the bed, ashamed, self-reproached and remorse all overwhelmed her.She was sad and desperate, and could not find peace for a moment.She betrayed the man she loved, she ruined him.She knew that Simon and Debra wanted to kill Thomas.She was tortured by her conscience all night, and she didn't fall asleep until it was dawn.I don't know how long it took, and a burst of vigorous baritone singing awakened Santa from his lethargy.She stood up abruptly, only to feel that her headache was about to burst, and her limbs seemed to be made of lead.The man is singing: "I have two lovers..." Crazy, I'm crazy.Santa panicked and wondered how I heard his voice.The voice of a dead man.Oh, my God, I'm crazy... "Let!" She screamed, looking at the ceiling with all her strength.no answer.She staggered to her feet and ran out of the bedroom, still in her pajamas.Leave here, leave here... She was about to rush downstairs, but she stopped suddenly after running a few steps.The bathroom door was open.In the tub sat Thomas Levin.Santa closed her eyes hard, and when she opened them again, she saw Thomas still sitting in the tub.Santa cried with a smile in his tears: "Let..."

"Good morning, you wild cat." Santa stumbled into the bathroom and fell on the edge of the tub, his tongue was stiff: "Why... what are you doing here?" "I want to soap my back. Will you please soap me up?" "But……" "But what?" "Didn't they kill you...you are a dead..." "If I were a dead person, I wouldn't be soaping my back anymore, it's just bullshit." Thomas said a few words angrily, and then continued calmly: "Really, Santa. You have to take care of it." You are not in a lunatic asylum, nor in a tropical jungle. Sober up, you are not crazy, and I am not dead." He handed Santa a bar of soap.She took the soap and dipped it in the water and said, "Then tell me quickly what's going on?" "Get the soap out of the water. After a while you're going to be beaten anyway. For God's sake, Santa, I've never shaken my fist at a woman until now. But I'm no longer keeping my holy principles with you." Rub my back, point forward, don't you hurry up?" Santa picked up the soap and rubbed his back according to his request. When she saw his handsome and naked body inadvertently, she couldn't help but secretly felt the pain on her face. Some fever. "Tell me about it, Jean. Tell me about it..." "What are you talking about, please say please!" "Okay, okay, let. Please, please tell me quickly..." "It's looking good. Well you listen. Those two guys dragged me out of here and drove me to the harbor wharf..." Simon and Debra escorted Thomas towards the port, and the bone-chilling wind howled in the alleys.A full moon hangs in the sky, and dogs can occasionally be heard barking.Debra sat in the driver's seat of the crumbling Ford, and Simon sat in the back holding Thomas still with a gun in his hand.Everyone didn't say a word along the way.Finally, it stopped beside the No. 1 breakwater. "Get off!" Simon yelled.Thomas Levin obediently got out of the car.A gust of cold wind rushed towards me with a fishy smell.A few lights scattered on the breakwater kept dancing on the water.A muffled siren sounded from somewhere nearby.Then Debra pulled out his pistol all at once.Thomas resigned himself to walking toward the lonely and desolate jetty.He still had a smile on his face.But gradually the smile disappeared.Pale moonlight shone on the water, which foamed white.The cold wind brought bursts of strong fishy smell.Thomas walked forward step by step.He heard Simon stagger behind him.I could also hear him cursing the injustice.Thomas thought his fingers must be on the bolt.I hope he stops stumbling.It was so easy to leave this world... Major Debra hadn't spoken.Now the three of them stood alone in this deserted place, with no one in sight around them, the cold wind was blowing, and the waves beat desolately against the night-shrouded shore.If anyone falls into the water here, it will not be easy to be found.If there were a few more bullets in his stomach, no one would see his body. "Stop!" Simon shouted.Thomas stopped.Now that Debra finally spoke, he said, "Turn back." Thomas turned around.He heard the bells of the church of Marseilles tinkling so faintly that they seemed to be blown away by the chilly night wind.Then he heard Simon's voice, anxious and worried: "It's a quarter to eleven, we have to hurry up. Take him to the lady at eleven!" Thomas took a breath In one breath, the muscles on his face relaxed and a slight smile appeared.He almost laughed out loud when he heard one colonel calling another an idiot.Thomas cleared his throat and said to Debra with a smile: "Don't be angry with him, he spoiled your interest in this trip. Forget it! Once in front of a German captain I was also very embarrassed...but, having said that, he is still a good guy!" Thomas said as he tapped the embarrassing Simon on the shoulder.Debra put away the pistol and turned his head away because he couldn't help laughing.He didn't want Thomas or Simon to see him laughing.Thomas went on to say, "Besides I figured out a long time ago that you guys were just trying to scare me so I could come back and do things for you." "How did you come up with this?" Simon stammered. "When I was listening to the Josephine Barker record, I knew Mr. Debra was around. I figured that since Major, oh, sorry, Colonel. Congratulations on your promotion to Colonel. Since the Colonel came all the way from Casablanca , it’s not just to accompany the killing field, is it?” Debra scolded: “You old fox!” Thomas said: “This is not a place to stay for a long time, and the smell is not very good. We Let's go, and besides, we can't keep Madam waiting there. Please go around to the train station when you go back." "Why did you go to the train station?" Simon asked with a pair of bull's eyes. "There's an all-night florist there. I've got to get some orchids for my lady..." Thomas thought Josephine Barker was more beautiful than ever today, and she had received Thomas at the Hotel Suinoa, rue de Carnebe, the main street in Marseilles.Josephine's navy-blue hair was coiled in a glittering crown on the top of her head, and there were huge white earrings in her ears.The skin is dark and shiny.Her large ring with a diamond-encrusted rose shone iridescently as Thomas respectfully kissed her hand.She solemnly took the three pink orchids, and said solemnly: "Thank you, Mr. Levine. Please sit down. Morris, would you please open the champagne?" There are only three of them together now, and because Simon is so impatient, Debra sent him back to his residence.Thomas looked around the room and saw a large mirror here.There was a grand grand piano with a thick stack of sheet music stacked on top of it.Colonel Debra filled his crystal glass with champagne and said: "Mr. Levine, let us drink to the lady who saved your life!" Thomas bowed deeply before Josephine and said: "I have always hoped that my actions would be understood by you. Madame, you are a woman. Of course you hate violence and war, bloodshed and murder more than I do." "Indeed," said the beautiful lady, "but I have love besides hatred. I love my country, and you have done a great disservice to our country by destroying the real list." "Ma'am," Thomas replied, "wouldn't it be more damaging to your country if I hadn't destroyed the lists and given them to the Germans?" Debra broke in "That's right, don't talk about it any more. After all, you saved me from Madrid. You'll get away with it this time, Levin. But listen, if you try to lie to us again, even if the appointment Sephine understands your actions, and there will be no more champagne. Don't come back from the jetty next time!" "Listen, Debra, I like you! I like you with all my heart! I like France too. But I will swear to you now that if you want to force me to work for you, I will lie to you. Because I I don’t want to harm the interests of any country, including my own.” Josephine asked softly, “What about the Gestapo?” "what?" "Are you afraid of harming the interests of the Gestapo?" "Doing this kind of thing, ma'am. It's a supreme pleasure for me." Colonel Debra held up a hand and said: "You know that we are currently supported by the British, in France occupied and unoccupied." A new intelligence service is being formed in the occupied area to support the resistance forces." "Yes, I know that." "Colonel Simon was tasked with coaxing you to Marseilles from his new superiors in Paris. But he first spoke to Josephine about you. So Josephine told me the situation and asked me to intervene." ..." "Ma'am." Thomas said with a deep bow, "May I pour you some more champagne?" "Levin, I have to go back to Casablanca. Josephine is coming with me in a few weeks. We have orders from London. Simon is to stay here alone. What do you think of Simon?" said Thomas. : "Then I have to tell a lie." Debra sighed and said: "Simon is a good man. He is a passionate patriot." "A majestic soldier!" Thomas added. "A brave Luffy!" Josephine added. "Yeah, yeah," said Debra. "He's lacking something. We all know what he's lacking. I don't need to say it." Thomas nodded regretfully. "It's not enough to be brave. Your fists alone don't prove a man's courage," said Josephine. "You have to have your head. You, Mr. Levin and Colonel Simon. Or I should say you are the head, He's the fist. It's a good pair." Debra bit his lip and said, "It's a tough situation, Levin. I'm not saying my countrymen are any better than other countries. We have bastards there too. Egg." "Bastards are everywhere," Thomas said. "Our French bastards! Occupied and unoccupied! Collaborating with the Nazis. These bastards betray our people, betray our country. They are French pigs in the hands of the Gestapo. I mean the Gestapo, Monsieur Levin... ..." "I hear you," Thomas said. "You're German. You can deal with Germans. And you're capable and capable of being French-born at any time." "Oh my god, it's coming again! It's starting again!" "These people not only betrayed their own country, but they also robbed their own country." Debra said: "Look, for example, two people came to Paris a few days ago, they are dealers who buy gold and foreign exchange .” "French?" "It's a Frenchman working for the Gestapo!" "One of these two traitors is Jacques Bergi and the other is Paul de Lessepton." Thomas fell into deep thought without saying a word.It was a while before he said, "Okay, Debra. I'll help you find these two traitors. But will you let me go when it's done?" "Where do you want to go?" "You know that. Going to South America. There is a friend waiting for me there, he is also a banker, and his name is Lindner. I have no money, but he has..." "Mr. Levine." "...he's got millions of dollars. If you can give me a new passport, he'll go over there and say I can get an entry visa..." "Mr. Levin, listen to me..." "...As long as I get a visa, I can buy a boat ticket..." Thomas stopped talking and asked, "What's wrong with you?" "I'm sorry, Mr. Levin. I'm very sorry, but I think you'll never see your friend Lindner again." "What does this mean? Tell me quickly, don't hide it from me. I always have such a bad feeling. Tell me, my friend Lindner, what's the matter with him?" "He's dead," Debra said. "Dead?" Thomas' face slowly turned ashen.Walter Lindner is dead.My last hope, my last friend, my last chance to leave this crazy continent of Europe, is over... "You were in your cell and you couldn't have known about it." De Bulla said: "The ship Lindner was on hit a floating mine in the sea of ​​Belmuda on November 3, 1940. It sank in 20 minutes. Only a few people survived and survived. Among the people who did not see your friend, his wife also died together..." Thomas slumped on the chair in despair, his hands kept turning the wine glass. "If you catch up with this ship, I'm afraid you will also be buried in the belly of the fish." "Yes," said Thomas Levin, "it's comforting to think so."