Chapter 21 twenty one

twenty one She stepped past him into the tub without a word.Then he picked up the soap and smiled at him and said, "Steve, I feel hot too." By the time Randall returned to his office at the Krasnapolsky Hotel, it was past 3 o'clock in the afternoon. This environmental and psychological transformation seemed to fall from the clouds into the real world. He flashed the red security card at the entrance of the hotel, and the guard frowned, "Oh, Mr. Randall, they're looking for you everywhere. Captain Helderling, please go to the meeting room immediately." "Where's the captain?"

"He is in the conference room on the first floor with several publishers." "Thank you." Randall hurried inside. There was tenderness, pleasure, excitement and contentment in Victoria and Angela just now.But now, as soon as he heard that some people had been looking for him everywhere and were still waiting for him to hold a meeting, he suddenly had a big psychological change.Obviously, this sudden meeting is not a good sign, something must be wrong. He jumped over the elevator and climbed up the stairs in two steps at a time.After going upstairs, he stopped for a while to adjust his breathing, and at the same time found the direction of the conference room, and then walked quickly.But when he was holding the handle of the revolving door and was about to go in, he realized that it was locked inside, and it was also the first time he noticed that there was a peephole on the door from the inside to the outside.

He raised his hand and knocked on the door a few times, and after waiting for a while, he heard a buzz of voices coming from the room. "Mr. Randall, are you alone?" "Yes." He replied. He heard the snap of the latch, and the door swung open, revealing the calm face of Captain Hölderling.Randall walked in a little uneasy. Several people sat tightly around an oval conference table in the room.Randall found at first glance that his hunch just now was not wrong, and there was indeed something wrong. In the smog, he saw the five publishers present: Deckhard, Wheeler, Gaida, Yang, and Fontaine.Two other chairs were vacant, one apparently reserved for Randall, and Heldrin walked to the other vacant chair after closing the door.In addition, sitting in a corner of the room, holding pad and pencil, was Naomi.Although the faces of these people here are different, they all have one thing in common, that is, they all look extremely confused.

Wheeler spoke first, "Steve, where the hell have you been?" he asked tentatively. "It's okay." He hurriedly pulled Randall to sit down on a chair between him and Dr. Deckhard. "We had this emergency meeting half an hour ago, and we need your help." Randall sat down awkwardly.Since everyone was smoking cigarettes or cigars, he clumsily ordered one. "Guys," he said, "what's the matter?" He heard Dr. Deckhard's voice answering him, "Mr. Randall, there is one thing I want us to clarify first." He picked up a document with a pink cover in front of him, "This is the document you distributed this afternoon. Classified document for us, isn't it?"

Randall glanced at the file. "Yes. The memorandum proposes that we hold a press conference at the Royal Palace in the Netherlands to announce the International New Testament and broadcast it to the world via satellite. If you will do so, we can proceed as planned." "Of course we want to do it, of course we want to," Dr. Deckhard said. "It's a great idea, and our work is worth it." "Thank you." Randall said carefully, but he still couldn't understand what was bothering them. "But, speaking of this memo—" Dr. Deckhard rustled the document, "what time did you hand it out this morning?"

Randall thought for a moment. "About—I remember it was about ten o'clock in the morning." Dr. Deckhard took out a heavy gold watch from his wide pocket, and opened it with a bang, "It's not yet 4 o'clock." He glanced around everyone, "So this confidential memo The time of distribution is only 6 hours from now, which is really unpredictable." "Steve," Wheeler tugged at him to get his attention, "how many copies of this memo were distributed?" "How many? Well, I think nineteen." "Who are they distributed to?" Wheeler asked.

"Well, I don't have the list with me, but everyone here—" "We've got seven of us here," Wheeler said. "What about the other 12?" "Let me think about it." Naomi spoke. "I have a list here. I thought you might want this list, so I brought it with me." So Naomi took out a list and read in a melodious voice, "Jeffries, Riccardi , Soberlier, Trautman, Zachary, Kramer, Grote, O'Neill, Kaneran, Alexander, DeBoer, Taylor. 12 people plus the seven present here make a total of 19." Trevor Young shook his head. "It's unbelievable, these are people who have no worries about safety. Mr. Randall, is there something missing? Or did you verbally disclose the contents of this memo to others?"

"Verbally?" Randall frowned, "Well, of course, because Lori is my secretary, she naturally knows about our coordination of the use of the Dutch Palace and the artificial communication satellite, but she has never seen this Memo. Oh, yes, and I mentioned it to Angela, who was representing her father—” Dr. Deckhard glanced at Captain Helderling through his rimless spectacles. "Has Miss Monty been through our thorough security checks?" "Investigated," said the Inspector. "There is no problem. In fact, the above-mentioned people have been checked by security and completely trusted."

"Finally there is me," Randall said lightly, "I wrote the contents of those memos." Dr. Deckhard asked in distress. "Except for Miss Cook's hospitalization, there are twenty-one," he said. "There are only twenty-one, not a single person. It puzzles me that every single one of these people can be trusted." "What's going on?" Randall asked impatiently. Dr. Deckhard tapped his fingers on the table. "Mr. Randall, the contents of this memorandum were in Reverend Froome's hands exactly three hours after you sent it." Randall sat up straight, his eyes wide open.He showed great horror. "Frumi, did he—had he got our confidential memo?"

"Exactly," said the German publisher. "But that's impossible!" "Maybe or maybe not, Steve, he got it anyway," Wheeler said. "He already knows the date, time, where and how we're going to release it." "How do you know he knows?" Randall asked. "Because—" said Dr. Deckhard, "since someone from him has come inside us, we've also recently tried to infiltrate him in order to—" Inspector Helderling quickly sat up straight, shaking a finger. "Professor, you have to be careful." Dr. Deckhard nodded to the chief in charge of security, and at the same time said to Randall: "I don't need to say more about the details. We also have some people over there. One of them called two hours ago Tell me a secret order from Frumi, I have written down the contents of it. Would you like to read it? Here it is."

Randall took a piece of white typing paper from the German publisher, and carefully looked at it... dear brothers: Now I want to report one thing to you, that is, an orthodox church publishing organization will hold a press conference at the Dutch Palace on July 12 to announce the publication of a new "Bible", and artificial satellites will be sent to the world broadcast.We decided to get an advance copy of that new Bible and announce it to the press before they did.In this way, we can not only achieve the goal of destroying their propaganda, but defeat it forever.I hope you will work hard. In the name of the Father, the Son, and the future of our faith. Mertin Di Frumi After reading it, Randall handed the document to Dr. Deckhard with trembling fingers, "How did he find out?" He almost asked himself. "That's the problem," Deckhard said. "What do we do?" Randall wondered. "Take your time. At present, we can only advance the date in response to this situation." Deckhard said calmly. After discussion, they changed the press conference originally scheduled for July 12 to July 8.In this way, by executing the plan 4 days in advance, you can act before Frumi.Also, memos about the event were sent to only a handful of people who attended the meeting.Deckhard left all the preparations for the meeting to Randall. Randall said uncertainly: "I'm afraid the time is too tight? The time you gave our department is 17 days. Is there enough time to do so many tedious things in 17 days?" "There is nothing difficult in the world, as long as there is a heart," Al Qaeda comforted him, "I believe that as long as you make up your mind to do it, there is nothing impossible." "That's right. However, if you don't have a lot of confidence and determination, it may be useful if we pay more." Mr. Fontaine said. "No, no need," Randall felt very unhappy after hearing this, "I just said that the time is too tight, 17 days. However, if you think it is enough, I will try my best! " "Excellent." Deckhard said, as if he saw the success of the matter. "Do you know that we held a press conference before Frumi's action, and it will definitely hit Frumi's arrogance. Frumi's arrogant tone in the instructions stated that he will definitely get the new Bible. ", it simply doesn't take us seriously. I have asked Mr. Henning to advance the publication time. I believe he will do it." The mood of the people present was very dignified.If there is another leak, the consequences will be unimaginable.Although the risk of taking an early action is great, in any case, the people on Frumi's side cannot be allowed to take the lead, and the subordinates can also see the content of the "International New Testament" in advance, which will definitely help the work .However, Frumi's tone was so arrogant, not only did he get the memo, but he also seemed to be sure that the spy would definitely give him the strange book.Who did these two things?Who is so fine?They secretly speculated in their hearts. "Who is Judas who betrayed Jesus? Who is the traitor?" Wheeler broke the silence, "The man who betrayed Jesus for 30 yuan should have a conscience! He is the saboteur of our grand plan!" Deckhard said thoughtfully: "Before the spy completely destroys us and destroys us, how can we find out this spy and eliminate him?" Randall looked at the crowd, he felt very uncomfortable, being played in the hands of others, and he was helpless against the spies!He couldn't help but asked loudly: "Is there really nothing to do? Are we just passively waiting for the spies to continue their activities?" When Helderlin heard the words, he immediately stopped the recording he had been making, and a thought flashed through his mind like lightning. "I still recommend using a polygraph - the most advanced scientific instrument to test all the people who got the memo, that is, the 21 people. The results will be found out very quickly." "No, no, it's definitely not going to work!" Dr. Deckhard secretly scolded the idiot captain in his heart. "Don't you think this is a very stupid approach? It not only expands the situation, but also hits our staff, isn't it worth the candle?" "But can you guarantee that these 21 people are loyal? After all, there is only one spy, and it is among these 21 people." Helderlin still insisted on his idea. Randall watched them arguing with red faces, but he didn't hear a word in his ears. His heart seemed to fly to a distant place. There, there was something calling him, and he tried his best to capture it. The imagination revived, and my heart suddenly surged violently, and the thought of using the tricks flashed by.He finally figured it out. "I have a great idea," he suddenly broke the silence after the argument. "You can see if it can be like this: we will issue another memorandum, and we can make some articles on the documents we issue. For example, the content of each document is exactly the same, but with slight changes, that is, how many people in each document? The words are different, these words are not found in other documents. We write down the different words in each document corresponding to the owner of this document. Do you understand?" "You mean, the spy will definitely inform Frumi of the contents of the documents in his possession, and then we can follow the clues to find this person." Wheeler took over his words, his mind spinning rapidly, "Yes , Yes, it’s really wonderful, thank you for thinking it out.” Dr. Deckhard and others are still a little confused. "Randall, can you tell me all about your plan? I want to know every detail of this idea, can you talk about the specifics?" The German publisher leaned almost to the tip of Randall's nose. went. At this time, Randall's thinking was extremely clear, and every link in the plan seemed to be unfolded in front of him.He immediately talked about his own thoughts: "You know Jesus' last supper, right? Let's take this as an example. There were 12 disciples who had dinner with Jesus, right?" "What does this have to do with our activities?" Some people muttered to themselves, but they didn't say it out loud. "These 12 people fit right in with our plan. If eight people in this room -- we certainly trust these eight people, if we don't join the second memorandum plan, we're left with 13 people. I want to take a risk and pick a Let someone be my assistant and help with some preparations, let’s pick Taylor. Then, there are just 12 left. I want to match the names of the 12 disciples in the Last Supper with our 12 people one by one, maybe That would be safer. Of course, if none of them betray us, it can only mean one thing: there must be spies hidden among all of you here.  … Would you please read this, Miss Naomi? 12 names?" Naomi stood up and read the names on the list: "Dr. Jeffries, Dr. Trautman, Dr. Zarich, Mr. Riccardi, Professor Soberlier, Mr. Grote, O'Neill, Cunningham, Helen DeBoer...Kremer," Naomi looked at a list and muttered, "And Alexander." Hearing these names, Dr. Knight's face suddenly flashed across Randall's mind.Just as he was about to add Dr. Knight's name, he held back again. For some reason, he felt a little scared in his heart.Dr. Knight's book was ruined because of the project they were going on, so he kept looking angry at them so he couldn't attend. "Forget it," Randall thought to himself, "Even if he needed to know, Jeffries might show him the file, and it shouldn't matter much not to include him." "Very well, Naomi, the 12 will each have a new memo." Deckhard took a deep breath. "If spies appear among these people, what a terrible thing it will be. This is something we never dreamed of. At the beginning, we selected these people after strict security checks, and they also swore to ensure the integrity of the new "Bible". Safety. If there are traitors, what a blow it will be to us." "Someone has been a shameful traitor," Wheeler said meaningfully. "Yes, yes, that's right. Mr. Randall, you go on with your thoughts." "Let's assume. If the memo looked like this: confidential.This document is intended to complement the previous one - the day announced on July 12 will be dedicated to the Resurrection of Jesus Christ, Lord of all things - and dedicated each day for 12 days thereafter to one of Jesus' 12 disciples one.Within 12 days we will hold a grand event to celebrate the birth and release of the new "Bible". The first of the 12 days we will dedicate to the disciple - Andrei. Okay, got it?We can give this document to Jeffries, whose corresponding name is Andre.Then everything in the second copy is the same as this one, except for the last few words.The last words were replaced with: 'The first day of 12 days I will be dedicated to the disciple - Philip. 'This document was given to Helen De Boer, and Helen De Boer's corresponding code name became Philip.And so on, we concocted 12 new memos.After posting, if there is news that the first day is for Andre, it means that the traitor is Jeffries.Do you guys think this approach will work?Is there any flaw? " "No problem." Everyone present agreed. "It's really ingenious and incredible, even a little scary..." Deckhard said to himself. "What? Is this plan terrible?" Randall repeated. "No, you misunderstood. I mean, if any one of those 12 people betrays us, that would be extremely terrifying." "Even Jesus was betrayed, how can we guarantee that our people will not betray us?" Randall was a little annoyed by Deckhard's pedantry. Dr. Deckhard stood up, seeming preoccupied and thoughtful.He glanced at the four issuers present, turned back to Randall and said: "This is indeed the only feasible way, and we can only do this. Randall, I will trouble you about everything. From now on, You can carry out your plan. I hope the spy can be found as soon as possible." It was a long day for Randall, who was busy until 11:20 p.m.He drove happily to his room in Amstel. Now Randall lay in the back seat of the car on his way to the Amstel, feeling tired after a bout of tension.He fumbled in the door pocket for the results of his day's work—a memo.For the sake of confidentiality, he typed the names of the 12 disciples himself, and then Ms. Taylor prepared the content of the memorandum and sent it out. I don't know how long it will take to convey the news to Frumi.Last time, it took less than 3 hours, and their efforts were wasted in such a short time.This time Randall knew that within 45 minutes of leaving the conference room, Taylor had written the memo and handed it to Captain Heldrin, whose security personnel delivered the documents to each individual and asked them to sign for.Before he left work, Randall received a report that they had received all the documents.This is in the afternoon, and it has been more than 5 hours since now. According to the speed of last time, if the spy informs, obviously these 5 hours are more than enough, and Frumi may have obtained this "document".Randall has been very nervous. The key to this operation is the person lurking beside Frumi. As long as he can stay alert, he will soon send back accurate news from there.Success or failure is here. Can't think about it anymore.Randall quickly put aside his messy thoughts, and the only thing he could do now was to pray. He prayed that the spy could catch him and remove this big obstacle before he got his way. While still in his office, Randall had called to ask Angela out for dinner.He longed to see her every moment, especially tonight.When eating at the luxurious Berlin Hotel, they exchanged their life these days, and the sweet and harmonious atmosphere made him extremely comfortable.When parting from the beautiful Angela, he reluctantly watched her walk towards the Victoria Hotel with a graceful and charming back.Even now, after being away from Angela for a long time, her warm and sweet kiss is still rippling on his lips. After his car arrived at the hotel, Randall hurriedly said good night to the driver, Theo, and got off the car and walked towards the hotel. Just then, he heard someone calling his name loudly.Randall looked around and stopped.There was a figure floating on the safety island in the parking lot behind him, walking towards him. Seeing him turn back, the man called again: "Mr. Randall, wait a moment!" Under the flickering lights in front of the restaurant, Randall could see clearly. That man was Plummer. As soon as Randall saw him, anger gave way to surprise.He didn't bother to pay attention to him, he didn't want to see him again, so he turned his head and walked his own way.But Plummer had come up to him and grabbed his arm. Randall snapped free of his arm. "Get out of the way," he said, "I don't think I have anything to tell you, and I'm not interested." "Mr. Randall, listen to me. It's not that I'm looking for you. I'm entrusted. Don't worry, I won't disturb you. That character is very important. He asked me to find you to talk to him. He wants to meet you," Plummer said pleadingly. "I'm sorry, I don't want to be scammed anymore. We have nothing to do with each other," Randall said. After speaking, he walked up the steps.Plummer followed reluctantly. "Mr. Randall, will you hear me out? Reverend Froome sent me to you." Randall stopped involuntarily.His heart fluttered: "Frumi wants to see me?" Plummer nodded desperately to confirm this. "How do you make me trust you?" "I'll put my head on it. What do I gain by lying to you? This time it's definitely the truth." "What does Frumi want to see me for?" "I don't know about that." "I guess you don't know. But how can you tell me to believe it? Frumi wants to see me, just make a phone call, and it's just a matter of little effort. What reason does he have to trouble you, a foreign reporter, as an envoy?" Hearing this tone, Plummer was eager to prove himself: "A person with a head and face like Frumi is very cautious in everything he does. If you know Frumi, you will understand that he has always done things in a roundabout way." .How could he call you directly?" "So you're on good terms with him?" "I've always been proud, so to speak, and I'm proud of him to have a friend like him." Randall suddenly remembered that in the interview report published by Plummer before - that article can be called a sensation in the world, some of which were spoken by Flumine alone to him, so it is very likely that they It's a friend's husband.Randall wanted to meet Frumi very much. There were not many opportunities to talk to an enemy who could threaten him. Moreover, he could take the opportunity to try his hand at the depths. Although the meeting might be full of traps, Randall didn't care .The opportunity was irresistibly attractive to him, and seemed to stimulate him strongly. So Randall asked calmly, "When would Frumi want to meet with me?" "Of course, the sooner the better, if it's convenient for you, it's better now." The reporter's anxious mood immediately relaxed, and a stone in his heart finally fell to the ground, and he let out a sigh of relief. "Is there anything urgent? It's so late?" "I don't know. But as far as I know, his biological clock has always been different. He is used to working at night and is a night owl." "Where is he waiting for me now?" "Witkel." "Okay, let me see what this big man wants to do." Sitting in Plummer's car, Randall leaned back comfortably, and Plummer had a panoramic view of driving.What was the relationship between the British journalist and the radical religious figure?He really couldn't see how closely the reporter with the thin hair, the small eyes, and the gray skin could get close to the powerful figure. He couldn't resist asking: "Plummer, do you call Frumi a friend?" "Of course." "What kind of friends? I mean, are you purely friendly? Or are you just there for his money? Like his propaganda or his Reformation? Maybe you're his adviser?" Plummer laughed out loud, shaking his head and waving his hands in denial, full of femininity. "Your imagination is too vulgar, isn't it? How can it be like this? Tell you, Frumi and I have a friendship based on mutual interests. We both want to get the new "Bible". I think I can Provide a little bit of information, and Frumi can help me get the scoop on this matter. That's all." His tone was unscrupulous. Randall found it very interesting, and he asked with interest: "Are you sure you can guarantee that Frumi will trust you?" "We all want to get the new "Bible" before you announce it, especially Froome. Although our purposes are different, I don't think there will be a problem with Froome." Plummer suddenly smiled, very cunning . "So, I have to thank you for the warning?" "Whatever you say," Plummer suddenly changed his expression, turning his head and said to Randall seriously, "No matter how you look at me, please believe that neither Frumi nor I are bad people." "Is Frumi a gentleman too? But I don't know much about him. What does he do? It's always a mystery like a veil. Is he a high-ranking figure in the Dutch Reformation?" "There are no official titles in the Dutch Reformed Church. The four to five million Protestants here are divided into 1,466 dioceses, and in 11 provinces they elect 54 representatives, some pastors and some elders, to attend religious Council. You could say he was the head of the Dutch Synod, but he's not. Their council representatives are called witnesses, not bishops. Father Frumi likes to say that their synod represents the conscience of the church, not power Institutions. The church here is community-centered and therefore appears disorganized to Anglo-Americans. Frumi is the head of a regional church elected by council, the most important diocese in the Netherlands, but still a Diocese. He has told me more than once that he has no special power even in this diocese, and that his prestige is entirely based on his charisma. His only duty is to speak and listen, and never forget them The church is the church of the people. The reason I say this is that you have some understanding of the people you are about to meet." "According to what you said, he seems to be just an ordinary pastor, but I heard that he is the leader of the Christian Radical Reform Movement, and there are countless believers inside and outside the church all over the world!" "Of course, his international influence is indeed great. However, there is no contradiction with his personal identity. Domestically, his weight is insignificant, but internationally, he is a person who worships him like a god. Not a few." Plummer continued driving. "Look, Frumi's studio is in front of you. You said he was a radical just now, and it didn't sound so pleasant to you." "Don't you think so?" "Maybe in a sense. I know that your so-called radicals just want to break up the original order and rebuild it. From this point of view, Frumi may be called a radical, He has always done his best for the reformation of the church."