Chapter 27 32/33

32 "Exactly," said Froome, impressed. "I can see that you have done a good job of preparing your home, Mr. Randall. Of course, you have an excellent tutor—Professor Monty's daughter. Good." Well, let's continue our story. That day, after reading Professor Monty's paper, LeBlanc immediately went to the place where the ancient manuscripts might be found in Monty's article-that is, Ostia Anti. along the coastline near Ka. After a secret and careful search he found the ruins of a Roman villa of the first century—a place of many ancient ruins." Randall had another question: "How could he do this without being discovered by others?"

"He did it," said the pastor firmly. "I don't know how he did it. He didn't tell Plummer the details of his method, but I do believe that LeBlanc was and is the same. Nothing is impossible." Most importantly, you have to realize that he was patient. After he buried the sealed papyrus and parchment in the ground, he had to wait many years for the sealed jars and slabs to become part of the site , so as to appear as old as all their contents. During this period, the Italian government authorized Professor Monti to carry out further excavations in the Ostia Antica region. LeBlanc is concerned, hoping that his forgeries could be discovered by chance, but the digs were not extensive enough. Meanwhile, Professor Monti continued to publish his radical papers arguing for his own views on the possibility of the Q-Files being found in Italy. As a result, Monti was met with opposition from his conservative Rejection and ridicule from colleagues. Hearing these things, LeBlanc guessed that Professor Monty, under the attack of academic critics, must be very eager to prove that his views are not fanciful. Time to act, LeBlanc thought. About 7 years Before that, he made up his mind to visit Professor Monty, and it turned out that LeBlanc's psychological guess was correct."

"You mean Professor Monty accepted?" Randall asked confusedly, "but accepted what?" "Accepted a small piece of papyrus written in Aramaic that Leblanc carried with him," said Frumi. "Leblanc must not be underestimated. Just tore off two small pieces from Papyrus No. 3, and these made the manuscript buried in the ground jagged and look corroded, very realistic. Of the two pieces, one he kept intact, and the other he He changed the shape and wrote words on it, and he showed it to Professor Monty. Leblanc expected that Professor Monty would ask how the manuscript got into his hands, so he made up the words He explained that he was an amateur of first century Roman history and had been preparing for a long time to write a book about Rome and its ancient colonies. His weekend hobby was to visit monuments related to Rome's early commerce ...because Ostia Antica was a very active seaport at the time, and Leblanc spent countless weekends there, scouring the area and trying to imagine what the seaport might have been like 2,000 years ago, which would become The contents of his book. At least, that's how he told Professor Monty. LeBlanc explained that he became a well-known figure in this area. On a Sunday afternoon--so he said-- An Italian kid approached him timidly, holding a souvenir for sale, the fragment that LeBlanc had brought to Professor Monty."

"Didn't Professor Monty question how the kid got the shard?" Randall interrupted. "Of course. But LeBlanc can answer anything. He explained that the kid and his friends liked to dig holes in the hills when they were playing, and they had found a little clay vessel the week before that they were looking at When I dug it out with great force, the vessel was shattered, and there were pieces of paper in it, some of which were powdered when taken out, but a few remained intact. These wild children played with these The scraps of paper were treated as paper money, and they were eventually thrown away. However, the little boy kept a fragment, thinking that it might be worth a few lires to an amateur scholar. Leblanc claimed that he bought it from The boy bought the scrap of paper because he was not sure of its value. Then he returned to Rome and studied the faded old papyrus in his house with great care. With his knowledge of ancient manuscripts With a deep knowledge of research, he saw almost immediately the possible importance of this manuscript. Now he brought it to Professor Monti, head of the Department of Archeology at the University of Rome, and asked him to distinguish the authenticity. According to LeBlanc, Monti Dee was skeptical, but intrigued. He asked LeBlanc to leave the papyrus there for a week so he could take a closer look, and you can imagine what happened?"

Randall had been listening carefully, and just as he had long doubted the Second Resurrection, he now doubted LeBlanc's story.Both stories are equally too coincidental, yet one of them must be true. "Pastor, I'm interested in how Robert LeBlanc imagines the next step." Frumi's eyes looked at him. "You're still skeptical. Professor Monty was skeptical at first." He smiled. "I believe you will be persuaded, just as Professor Monti was convinced a week after receiving the papyrus fragments. When LeBlanc returned to the University of Rome a week later, Professor Monti received him solemnly, Invited him into his office. Monty made no secret of his gleeful excitement. LeBlanc recalled his excitement. Monty declared that he had studied the fragment thoroughly and in detail, and that his actual piece of the fragment was far from " Satisfied as the word can express. The fragment looks like a copy of an early New Testament, and is older than any surviving New Testament. It is even older than the known The earliest Gospels, Mark's Gospel of AD 70 and Matthew's Gospel believed to be written in AD 80. If this fragment survives, there must be more. If more can be found fragments of what could be the most incredible biblical discovery in history. Monty is ready to apply for excavation and begin his research if LeBlanc will take him to the site of the discovery. LeBlanc agrees to cooperate , but there are two conditions. First, he requested that if the excavation is successful, he should get half of the remuneration that Professor Monty received for it; second, LeBlanc insisted that he only participate as a silent collaborator. Confidentiality. Professor Monty must not mention his name to others, because he is a foreigner in Italy, and has a criminal history in France-he did not reveal the true content of his criminal history to Professor Monty, of course-he does not want to be publicized, Because doing so is very likely to bring out his background, which will cause him to be expelled from the country that adopted him. The professor agreed to these two conditions, and finally the two reached an agreement."

"So Monty started his excavations at Ostia Antica?" "Yes, after LeBlanc took him there, the site was drawn for him. After half a year of preparations, the professor began to dig. Three months later, he dug up the so-called second sealed jar, which contained Contains the papyrus of the Gospel of James and the parchment of Petronas. Today, 6 years later, the world is about to read the fifth Gospel and Jesus in the history of the International New Testament." "Pastor," Randall said, sitting up straight, "I want another drink." The pastor stood up and said, "I think I'd better have another drink, too." Randall nervously filled the tobacco while Frumi carried the glass to the refrigerator.He has been looking for the door to the truth, and now the door has been opened, but he still can't see what's inside. "This can't be the whole story," he insisted, "there's a lot more."

"That's by no means the whole story," Froome replied from the drink tray, "and the end of the story—two endings, in fact—one with LeBlanc and Monty, one with LeBlanc. Plummer has something to do with me." When the vicar finished pouring the wine, he gave Randall a scotch and himself a brandy.Frumi was in the corner of the sofa, and went on with his story. "According to Robert LeBlanc, after the manuscript was certified and sold to the publishers of the 'Second Resurrection' project, Professor Monty kept his promise and gave him half of the proceeds. But remember, LeBlanc Brown's original object was not money, but his real purpose was to make the manuscript acceptable to the Church, and then to expose the deceit and enjoy his final vengeance. Years passed and he waited for the publication of the International New Testament, Whenever the patient criminal loses patience, Professor Monty reassures that the manuscript is being translated or proofread or typeset, and will be published soon. This is the moment LeBlanc has been waiting for. The moment of discovery, he will prove to the public that it is a lie and that the church is a liar. But last year, something important happened to LeBlanc. He lost most of the money he got from digging in Ostia Antica, He spent a lot of money on prostitutes and became almost a penniless pauper. Because he was used to being penniless, it was not enough to motivate him to take the next step. It was a real love story that led him to meet Professor Monty again. Lai Brown, in his seventies, had fallen in love with a prostitute in the Borges Gardens district, a young, simple, shrewd girl whom I am sure would not have fascinated him that way. He spoke frankly to Pu Lumer said that he vowed to get her at that time. But if you get it, you have to have money, where can you get the money? He thought of the only way to solve it-that is blackmail."

"Blackmail? Who is he trying to blackmail? Professor Monty?" "Yes. In recent years, besides exposing religion and the church, he has another new desire, which is to buy love with money. So, at some time last year, he arranged another meeting with Monty. A private meeting with the professor." "When was last year?" "I can't tell." Maybe a year and two months ago, Randall calculated. "Could it be last May?" "It sounds like it did. Anyway, he met Professor Monty somewhere outside the university. He was obsessed with knowing when the manuscript would be published. At that time, Henning was in Mainz preparing a translation for printing. Monty Dee assured LeBlanc that the new Bible would be available to the public in the following year, which means this year. He even told him the name of the Bible. LeBlanc was pleased with that, and he said The real purpose of his visit was to borrow money. LeBlanc told Monty that he was in desperate need of money, that he needed a large amount of money, and that he wanted it as soon as possible, and that he hoped that Professor Monty would give him the money. Obviously, Monty was so embarrassed that he couldn't give any money. Even if he had money, he couldn't think of any reason to give it to him. Monty had done his duty and paid what he needed and no more Give him reasons.'There are many reasons,' LeBlanc said to Monty. 'If you don't pay me, I'll destroy that Bible that you and the publisher are preparing to publish. I'll expose the entire manuscript It's all—a falsification—a hoax, invented by my brain, made by my hands.' Can you imagine the effect these words had on poor Professor Monty?"

Randall took the pipe from his mouth. "Monty sure didn't believe him." "Of course Monty didn't believe him. He had no reason to believe him. Besides, how could he believe him? But LeBlanc told Monty that he was prepared for his disbelief. He brought proof of his Absolutely irrefutable proof of falsification.” "What evidence?" "He wouldn't reveal it to Plummer," said the chaplain, "but he obviously had proof of falsification, real proof, because when Professor Monty saw it, he was shocked." LeBlanc told He, 'If you give me the money I want, I'll give you this forged piece of evidence, and your career and reputation will be safe. The International New Testament will still be true. If you refuse, I'll Just make the evidence public and reveal that the Gospel of James and the report of Petronas you have found are all forgeries. You can figure it out." Professor Monty's answer is - he will try to get the money together."

"Has he got enough money?" "There's nothing he can do about it, you know that very well, Mr. Randall. He's back in his private office at the University. You can imagine him being there alone, tormented, because not only himself Conned, his life's work ruined, and even those who trusted him in the 'Second Resurrection' project bankrupt. He had a total mental breakdown. A few days later, when LeBlanc managed to contact him , he was too sick to talk to anyone when the money he extorted was demanded. Leblanc didn't believe this was happening, so he went to the University of Rome to inquire and learned that the professor had taken a long vacation. Leblanc still couldn't believe it, there was One afternoon, he followed Monty's daughter to Bellavista Villa outside the city. When he found out that they came to a hospital for the mentally ill, he had to accept this fact, that is to say, Monty's love for the mentally ill. He's useless."

"He didn't try to talk to Monty's daughter?" Randall asked. "I don't know that," Frumi said, "after which he admitted to Plummer that he considered extorting several other victims, and that he wanted to extort money from the Italian Ministry of Education and then keep the scandal secret. But he knows that he is not an opponent of the government, the government will just arrest him, confiscate his forged evidence and destroy it.He wants to go to Amsterdam, take his deceitful evidence and go directly to the publisher, he feels that they are in the project for protection Millions of dollars invested, they would do anything. But he was afraid of them, he was afraid they would find a way to arrest him, take his evidence and put him in jail. He even thought of going to the press media, but he was afraid that the press would consider him a lunatic and expose his embarrassing background. He finally concluded that his only way out was to find someone who wanted to destroy as much as he did'Second The 'resurrection' project. One day he came across Plummer's series and he felt he had found the right man, he had found hope, and he felt right." Randall raised his glass with a trembling hand and sighed heavily. "So," he said, "what was the result of the meeting between Plummer and LeBlanc at the Pere-Laches cemetery? Have you spent Money to obtain falsified evidence?" Reverend Froome frowned, stood up, and took a chegar from a box on the table. "The second meeting," he murmured, lighting a cigarette, "is more bizarre than any of the previous ones." Still standing there, fingering his cigar, "Yes, Plummer was talking to him about another meeting as they strolled out of the cemetery. LeBlanc hid his forged evidence in a Hidden place. He agrees to return to Rome, take out the evidence, and wait for Plummer there. They arrange a second meeting—Leblanc fixes a time, date, hour, and place—a secluded and seldom-visited place in Rome. The coffee house. There, LeBlanc would allow Plummer to scrutinize his forged evidence. Plummer was offering him a considerable sum of money for his forged evidence and a written account of the deception." "How much?" Still standing there, smoking his cigar, Flumine said, "Leblanc wants $50,000 or the equivalent of $50,000 in Swiss or British currency." Plummer bargained with him, and Leblanc dropped the amount to $20,000. " "So, did they meet as promised?" "Meeting. But first let me tell you about a change of plan. When Plummer returned to Amsterdam, he told me what happened between him and LeBlanc, and I was - let me put it this way - — hopeful, excited. I feel this deal is critical to our cause and cannot be handled by Plummer alone. He is an enthusiast, a reporter, not papyrus, Aramaic, and An expert on manuscript reviews, and I'm an expert on all of them. I think LeBlanc's falsified evidence is another fragment he cut out of your papyrus number three and preserved, or something like that Stuff. I guess it should also include some undeniable evidence that it is a counterfeit and not genuine. I am quite qualified in judging such evidence, much more qualified than Plummer, so I accompanied Plummer Mo came to Rome." "When was that?" "We drove to that meeting place in the city three days ago." "Where in town?" Frumi said patiently, "This is a cheap student coffee shop or bar, located in a corner of May Square, it is not as picturesque as it sounds, the coffee shop is called Flannery— —Fubry, commonly known as the Brothers Bar, is a very unattractive place. There are 4 tables and a few wicker chairs in front of the house, and there is a green strip that has been weathered and weathered to protect it from the scorching sun. Hanging at the intersection of two roads With a plastic frieze to keep out flies—the kind that reminds one of the door curtains of houses in disreputable Algeria. Plummer and I met Robert Leblanc there at one o'clock in the afternoon, as agreed. We arrived 15 minutes early with $20,000 in our pockets. We sat down at a table outside the house, ordered two cups of coffee, and waited nervously for his arrival, as you can imagine." "Did he show up?" Randall asked eagerly. "At five minutes past one, just as we were beginning to worry, a taxi suddenly drove into Plaza de Mayo and stopped abruptly on a wide road in front of the coffee shop. The back door opened and a squat man came out. Elderly, limping over to pay the taxi driver. I remember Plummer holding my arm and shouting, 'That's Robert LeBlanc, that's him.' Plummer jumped up, shouting "LeBlanc, I'm here!" LeBlanc turned around and almost fell over because of his artificial leg. He glanced at us and immediately changed. He looked very angry. He put a With one hand clenched into a fist and shaking it at me, he shouted frantically at Plummer: 'You didn't keep your word, and you don't want it in the papers! You want to sell me out to them!' He Pointing a finger at me, that's when I realized for the first time that I was wearing my priestly attire, the black cassock. What a stupid mistake, I was wearing it for a ceremony and forgot to take it off LeBlanc was convinced that Plummer had always been in touch with the church, and he was just trying to get fake evidence for the church, which would then be destroyed by the church. Plummer answered vigorously, walked through the crowd, walked up to him, and explained that I The reason for being there. But it was too late. LeBlanc staggered into the taxi, which drove him away without catching up with him. There was no hope. Rome phone book or city registration There was no LeBlanc, he just disappeared." "So you get nothing," Randall said. "Besides the story I just told you in the room, I'm telling you everything that happened, all our secrets, because we know you have the same doubts about the new Bible as I do. , and because you did something I couldn't do. Mr. Randall, you met with Professor Monty today. Monty - the only one left - knows the real name of this forger. Monty , only Monty can help us find the last proof of LeBlanc and the forgery. Do you think Professor Monty will help you?" Randall put his pipe away, picked up his suitcase, and stood up: "You know that Professor Monty is insane. You know he's recuperating in a mental hospital. How can he help?" "But his colleagues at the University of Rome told us he was only temporarily insane." "That's what they said on purpose. It's not true. I've seen Monty. I tried to have a rational conversation with him, but I failed. Professor Monty's mental illness has no hope of recovery." Frumi looked a little downcast. "Then there's no hope." His eyes met Randall's. "Unless you know something else that can help us. If so, will you help us?" "No," Randall said.He started to walk across the living room toward the door, but then stopped and said, "No, I can't help you. I'm not sure I would if I could. I'm not sure Robert LeBlanc like that." Does a man exist. If he does exist, I am not sure whether his words are trustworthy. Thank you for your reception and your confidence in me, priest. I am returning to Amsterdam, where my search for truth ends. I Don't believe your Robert LeBlanc's words - or his existence, good night." But as he left Froome's apartment and walked up the stairs to his room, Randall knew he hadn't told the Dutch priest the truth. Randall knew he had lied on purpose. Randall was sure that somewhere in the city there was a man named Robert LeBlanc, and he also believed that this LeBlanc must have some kind of falsified evidence.This is logical and just fits with the sequence of events that Randall knows happened. All that's left is to find LeBlanc and get the falsified evidence.He doesn't intend to go back to Amsterdam.He's making one last sprint to find out the truth.Now he had a clue that would lead him to Robert LeBlanc. It all depended on one thing, the success of the forthcoming call to Angela Monty. ------------------ 33 The next morning, it was another scorching, suffocating Roman weather.Steve Randall sat in the cool living room of Monty's house, waiting for the butler to bring what he'd been waiting for. All of this may be due to the phone call he made to Angela Monty last night.She had long since left home with her sister and did not call him back until after midnight. He had long ago decided not to say anything about his meeting with Reverend Frumi at the Hotel Jinhua, and about the fact that the Reverend had revealed that her father's discovery was probably a fake.He felt that it was unreasonable to embarrass Angela with Frumi's shocking proof, especially since it had not yet been confirmed. "So you're going to Amsterdam tomorrow morning?" she had asked him. "Perhaps in the afternoon, just after noon," he replied. "I have one more thing to do tomorrow morning. However, it will require your cooperation." He hesitated, then continued nonchalantly, "Angela, the day your father fell ill—actually, the day he Sick, when you put him in the hospital—what happened to his papers? The ones that piled up on the desk and in the drawers of his desk at the university?" "A week after we put my father in the Villa Bella Vista hospital, my sister and I went to his office at the University of Rome - I still remember how excruciating it was to do it, just imagine, When someone you love is terminally ill and you go to pack his stuff—we took all his papers from his office and stuffed them into a few little boxes." "Have you saved everything?" "A small piece, a single piece of written paper, waiting for the day when he recovers - even though we know it's unlikely, the thought makes us feel better. We're not in the mood to organize these things, we just Boxed them up and shipped them home and put them in storage. I haven't wanted to see them since." "I understand, Angela. Oh, I don't think you'd mind letting me see what's in the boxes? That's something I'd like to do before I leave Rome!" "Oh no, I wouldn't mind. There's not much you can look at." She paused, then said, "Steve, what are you looking for?" "Well, since your father won't be able to attend the Announcement Day ceremony, I thought I'd find some notes he made so I could do a little publicity for him in Amsterdam." Angela was very happy, "Great idea! But I'm going out this morning, and I'm going out with my sister and the kids. If you'd like to wait until I come back..." "No," he interrupted eagerly, "I don't want to waste any more time. I can do it alone if someone lets me into the storage room." "I'll tell Ruth Rezia to let you in. She's the housekeeper here—she's always home. The only problem is..." Her voice was erratic. "What is it? Angela?" "The only problem is that you won't be able to read my father's notes. He knows many languages, but he always takes notes in Italian. I think if I could be here - you don't want to be delayed, do you?" ?——I know that Ruth Rezia can translate Italian into English quite well. So, if you are interested in any point, and you think what seems important, you can ask her. Or put them Take it back to Amsterdam and I'll help you when I get back. What time will you be here tomorrow morning?" "How about ten o'clock?" "Okay, I will let Ruth Rezia wait for you, and she will take out the files in the box for you. Do you still want to see the files?" "Do you know what's in the file?" "There are his speeches, speeches, and published papers." "Where are his personal letters?" "He cleared them out a few weeks before his onset. He needed more room for his things and threw them all away. But the rest of the archives, especially his published papers, are of great importance to your Propaganda will help." "Probably, but it would take too much time to do it right away. Maybe later, maybe after the announcement day, we can go through the materials together." "I'll be glad to help you. So tomorrow you're only going to look at the contents of those boxes?" "Yeah, just look at the stuff that's been cleared out of the office." Hanging up, he feels guilty about his lie.But he knew he couldn't tell her what he wanted to do, at least not yet.There was only one thing left, he had to find Robert LeBlanc. Listening to Frumi the previous day, all thoughts converged on the idea that there might be a real LeBlanc, and a clue to follow to find it. Dr. Venturi inadvertently provides the first half of this clue, which is that Professor Monty often meets people outside the university and he has just returned from a meeting with someone on the eve of his illness. Reverend Froome uttered the second half of it, and on that fateful day, Professor Monty probably met a man named Robert LeBlanc somewhere. The combination of these two circumstances formed a hint—not obvious, and based on hearsay and conjecture—but a hint anyway, the only clue to LeBlanc's whereabouts and related facts. It was morning, and Randall was waiting in the living room of Monty's house.It's an old house--it looks like a two-story home--and has been restored and brightly decorated.The golden and emerald-green striped Venetian tea set is placed in the living room, which is luxurious and comfortable.The butler, Ruth Rezia, greeted him in elegant English with the courtesy and warmth of Angela's fiancé.The housekeeper was no longer young, with large breasts, and wore a light green smock that hung over her like a tent.She brought Randall coffee, cake, and an Italian-English dictionary and phrasebook that Angela had left for Randall.Then she ran out to find him the boxes containing the papers from Professor Monty's desk. Randall walked over to the round table—on which there was a tray—and poured himself a cup of coffee.Most importantly—he thought—Angela and her sister had kept these papers of their father, and hadn't touched them since their father had been found delirious at his desk.The crucial question, then, is whether Professor Monty actually left the University a year and two months ago - last May - to meet Robert LeBlanc.If so, did Professor Monty, being a busy dater, make a note of his meeting with LeBlanc?Or was he inadvertently not recording it?Or did he not do it out of fear? As Randall began drinking coffee, Ruth Rezia reappeared at the door with a full cardboard box.Randall put down his teacup to help her, but the housekeeper had put the box at her feet before he got there. "Look at this," Ruthrezia murmured, "I'll move another one." She left the room, and Randall crouched, then sat cross-legged on the carpeted floor.After he folded the side core of the box over, he slowly began to take out the contents of the box.He was not at all interested in the research papers, onyx pen holders, pens, blank sheets of yellow paper that lay in folders. A professor who has many private meetings will usually list them, jot them down in some way, on something like a desk calendar or special notepad.Randall didn't know what the Italians used to record things like this—he didn't want to ask Angela—but it must be on something, some record, maybe even a secretary's note, unless Professor Monty put everything in in mind. Several more manuscripts were turned over, some of which were typescripts of speeches or handouts that had not yet been published, and some letters that had not been answered and might never be answered. Randall carefully flipped through the depths of the box, and when he was halfway from the bottom of the box, he grabbed a leather-covered booklet—maroon. A large paper clip separated the cover from the thick The pages were jammed together.The title of the book is stamped in Italian on the cover: Notebook. Randall's heart beat faster. He opened the notepad and turned to the pages in the folder. The date is May 8th. On this page, list the hours of the morning, afternoon, and evening, with one space for each hour.Several blanks were filled in, apparently written by Professor Monty himself with his black pen. Randall's eyes traveled slowly down the page, deliberating over each entry (written in Italian): 10:00...Attend professor meeting. 12:00... Lunch with the professors. 14:00...Meet Professor Bosch in the office. He cared—looked up those key words in the English dictionary, but none of these activity programs were what he wanted.There was just a faculty meeting on that fateful day, a lunch with some colleagues, and an interview with a foreign professor (obviously a German) in his office. Randall's eyes continued to move down, and suddenly, his eyes stopped: 16:00...Appuntamento Con R． L． da Doney． Importante Randall sat motionless. He starts to translate. 16:00 is 4 o'clock in the afternoon. R．means Robert. L．It means LeBlanc. Doney is the world-famous outdoor coffee shop of Doney Company, which is located just outside Jinhua Hotel. Apptameuto Con R． L． da Doney． Importante means "Meeting Roberto LeBlanc at Dhoni. Importante." With a burst of ecstasy of discovery, Randall realized he had found what he had been looking for. On the afternoon of May 8 last year, Professor Monty recorded himself meeting Robert LeBlanc at the Dorney Coffee Shop.It was there, according to Frumi, that LeBlanc revealed to Professor Monty that the latter's great discovery was a fake, and it was there that Professor Monty planted the seeds of his own insanity. This is a very subtle clue recently discovered, but it is the only real clue. Randall put the notebook back in the box, hurriedly piled some other papers on top, and jumped to his feet. Ruth Rezia just walked into the living room with another box in her arms. "Inside this box, there are just some scientific works, journals, nothing else," she shouted. Randall walked quickly across the room to her. "Thank you, Ruth Rezia, I don't need to look any further, I found what I was looking for. Thank you very much." He gave Rezia a hasty kiss on the cheek and rushed to the door, and Rezia watched him go, dumbfounded. Randall hopped out of the taxi in front of the passageway in front of the Jinhua Hotel, strode across the open space in front of the hotel, passed a group of lazy drivers chatting in the sun, stood on the sidewalk and looked around—right at the这里，一年零两个月前莱布朗向蒙蒂教授进行了毁灭性的透露。 多尼咖啡厅分为两部分，餐厅部分在门里面，是该酒店一层向前伸出的部分。咖啡厅的桌子全部摆在门外，占据了从旅馆行车道边到街角的全部空问。 多尼咖啡厅由两长排桌椅组成。一边是一排排桌子靠着餐厅的外墙，另一边，一排排桌子靠着永远拥挤的大街，那儿有停放和行驶的车辆。 当兰德尔站在骄阳下打量着咖啡厅时，他不禁对多尼咖啡厅那两个带边饰的用来挡日的蓝色遮阳篷大感兴趣。此时正是星期六接近中午的时间，这里对他来说正是个好地方。 只有为数不多的旅客坐在桌边——大部分是观光客，兰德尔这么猜测。此情此景简直是一幕宁静的生活画面，那些客人即使是新来的也是慢条斯理地走过来。兰德尔想，这可能是罗马的天气所致。罗马6月将尽时，讨厌的灼热看来要把任何雄心壮志和积极主动都熔化成液汁似地。 带着他现在掌握的一些粗略的信息，兰德尔思索着他下一步该怎么走。一年零两个月前，他想如果罗伯特?莱布朗提出要与蒙蒂教授会面，那么，一定是莱布朗选定多尼咖啡厅作为他们会面的地方的，如果是莱布朗选择多尼这个地处闹市、人人皆知的地方，那一定是由于他熟悉这个地方。如果上述是真实的话——也可能不是真实的，但让我们假定——那么，罗伯特?莱布朗本人肯定对多尼咖啡厅的工作人员熟识。 兰德尔端详着几个梦游般的侍者，他们身穿带蓝肩章的白夹克，硬硬的衣领下打着暗蓝色的蝴蝶领结，下身穿着黑裤子，手捧淡紫色的菜单或者是空空如也的托盘。靠近餐厅入口处站在最后一排桌子之间有一个人倒背着双手，是个年纪大一点的意大利人，脸上带着权威的神情。他穿着正式——西服外套，浆过的衣领，蝴蝶领结，夜礼服裤子——并且看起来精神十足。一定是餐厅领班，兰德尔想。 兰德尔顺着人行道向前走去，突然进入荫凉，顿感异常惬意，他接着坐在一张空桌子边，面对着通道。 时间不长，一个侍者注意到了他，从容缓慢地走到桌边，递给他一份淡紫色的菜单。 打开菜单，兰德尔问道，“领班在吗？” “在，”侍者招呼那位衣着正式的年纪大点的意大利人，“乔利奥！” 乔利奥，那位领班快步走上前，拿起钢笔，打开预订簿，“你有什么吩咐，先生？” 兰德尔漫不经心地浏览着菜单。上面每道菜都印了两次，一次用意大利语，一次用英语。他看了一下一份叫葛拉提的菜，在它下面找了一份柠檬果汁——500里拉。 “我想要果汁——柠檬的。”兰德尔说。 乔利奥把那张纸撕下，递给后面那位逗留在旁边的侍者，把菜单收了回去。 “事实上，”兰德尔说，“我还要一些东西，但与你们的菜单无关。”兰德尔亮出钱包，抓出3张大面额的1000里拉的钞票。“我是一个美国作家，我想得到一些消息。也许你能帮帮忙。” 那位领班职业的表情僵硬的脸上显示出一丝感兴趣的迹象。他的眼睛盯着兰德尔手中的钞票。 “如果可能的话，”领班答道，“我将非常乐意为你效劳。” 兰德尔折好钞票并塞进领班热乎乎的手中。“乔利奥，你在这儿干了多长时间了？” “5年了，先生。”他把钞票塞进口袋，嘟囔道。 “去年5月你在这不在这儿？我是说没有度假或干别的什么？” “嗯，是的，先生。”他现在变得很热情、优雅和友好，“那时还没到旅游季节，但是很忙，太忙了。” “那么你很有可能在值班了。我会告诉你我想知道些什么，我正在做一项调查，我想见一个人，别人告诉我他经常来这里。我的一个朋友去年5月在这里碰见了他。我听说我要找的这个人是咖啡厅里的常客。你认识这儿的常客吗？” 乔利奥微笑着说，“自然。这不仅仅是我的工作，而且熟识我们忠实的顾客也是我们义不容辞的事。每个人我都能叫出名字，然后还知道一点关于他们的性格和生活的事情。正因为如此，我这个职位才报酬丰厚。你想知道谁？” “他是个法国人，但居住在罗马，”兰德尔说，“我不清楚他来这儿的次数如何，但我听说他确实来过。”兰德尔屏住呼吸，然后说出了那句他曾经祈祷过的能成为像“芝麻开门”一样神奇咒语的话，“他的名字叫罗伯特?莱布朗。” 领班看起来毫无反应，“莱布朗，”他慢慢地重复着。 “罗伯特?莱布朗。” 乔利奥正绞尽脑汁在想，“我想一下，”他支吾着，好像怕不得不退回自己所得的小费似的。“这个名字没有记载。我所知的我们的常客中没有叫这个名字的。” 兰德尔的心沉下去，他试图记起弗鲁米对莱布朗的描述，“如果我告诉你他的长相的话，你可能……” "Speaking." “有80多岁了，戴副眼镜，脸上皱纹很多，驼背，大约和你一样高。这就是罗伯特?莱布朗。有印象吗？” 乔利奥很委屈地说，“很抱歉，可那么多人怎么能……” 兰德尔记起了别的什么事情，“慢着，有一点你肯定留意过，他的步伐，他走路一瘸一拐的。很久以前他失去了一条腿，就装上了一条人造的。” 立即，乔利奥眼睛一亮，“有一个这样的人！我不知道他是法国人，因为他说得一口流利的意大利语，他是一个地道的罗马绅士。但他不叫莱布朗，实际上，我不知他的真名，他告诉我们什么我们就知道什么。当他喝多了酒时，他就打趣，告诉我们他叫托蒂，恩里科?托蒂。这是一个本地的笑话，你懂吗？” "don't know." 乔利奥对他解释道，“你驾车进入波格斯花园，穿过停车场，就会看到许多塑像，其中有一个，方方正正的石头基座上矗立着一尊高大的男人英雄赤身的雕像，这个男人只有一条腿，斜倚在一块岩石上，一条腿向外伸直，另一条腿的余部在岩石上歇息。基座上刻着恩里科?托蒂。这个名叫托蒂的男子，尽管只有一条腿，还自愿报名加入意大利军队参加奥匈战争，他理所当然地被拒绝了。但他一而再、再而三地请求，他们不再拒绝了，就把他带去加入了意大利军队，他战斗得很勇敢，成了英雄。所以我们的这个一条腿的顾客开玩笑说许多年前他是个英雄，他的名字叫托蒂。所以，这是一个唯一的名字。” “托蒂？”兰德尔说，“嗯，念起来与莱布朗一点儿不相似，是吗？可能他有许多名字，”他看到乔利奥咧开嘴露齿而笑，他想知道为什么，“乔利奥，怎么了？” “还有一个名字，我刚刚想起来，真蠢，只是……” “你是说这个托蒂还有别的名字？” “我真蠢，太蠢了。那些在街面上混的女孩儿，你知道，他们给他取了这个名字，因为他很穷且惹人怜悯但又聪明地装出一副优雅的样子。他们叫他——”乔利奥咯咯地笑着——“Duea Minimo，意思是空空公爵，这就是她们取笑他的名字。” 兰德尔兴奋地抓住班头的胳膊，“就是这个名字，这就是他的另一个名字，托蒂——空空公爵——罗伯特?莱布朗，这就是我要找的人！” “我很高兴，”乔利奥说。他想要的那3000里拉的小费保住了。 “他还来多尼咖啡厅吗？”兰德尔想弄清楚。 “哦，是的，很忠实，几乎每个天气晴朗的下午都来。下午5点钟他就准时来吃甜点心，喝波诺德酒或聂葛罗尼酒，然后开玩笑，读报纸。” “昨天他来过这儿吗？” “昨天我没在他来的时候值班，尽管今天我在。我给你找一下。” 乔利奥走到站在较远地方的3个侍者旁，问了他们几句，其中两个笑着不住地点头。 班头返回来，微笑着，“是的，这个托蒂——你说的莱布朗——昨天按惯常时间来了一个小时，很有可能，今天下午5点出现。” “太棒了，”兰德尔说，“真是太棒了。”他又从钱包里翻出一张5000里拉的支票，塞给不知所措、大喜过望的班头说，“乔利奥，这对我很重要。” “请……谢谢你，先生，非常感谢，只要我能做，我会很乐意效劳。” “请这样办，我想在4点45分时坐在这里。当托蒂——或莱布朗——来时，替我把他指出来，余下的事我来做。如果他凑巧来早了，给我房间打电话。我就呆在锦花大酒店。我叫史蒂夫?兰德尔。你不会忘了吧？史蒂夫?兰德尔。” “我不会忘记你的名字的，兰德尔先生。” “还有，乔利奥。我们的朋友莱布朗——每天他怎么来这儿呢？我是说，是坐出租还是走来呢？” “他总是步行来。” “那么他一定住在附近，住在近处。拖着条假腿他是不会走太远距离的，是吗？” "right." “好了，”兰德尔站起来，“感谢这一切，乔利奥。四点三刻见。” “可是，先生，你的柠檬果汁？” “都是你的，是我赠给你的！今天的甜点心我早已吃过了。” 他在锦花旅馆五层的套房里度过了焦虑不安的5个钟头。 他试图不去想前面发生了什么事情。他把衣箱放在床上，打开，取出自己的通信记录。在靠近房间唯一的窗子边的一张玻璃面的桌子上，他试图把自己的思绪集中在这些信件上。 他写了一封作为儿子的例行公事般的信给在奥克城的父母，其中提及了他的妹妹克莱尔和舅父赫尔曼。又写了一封短信给自己在旧金山的女儿朱迪，信中的关于游览的篇幅远远多于关于父亲对女儿慈爱的篇幅。他又着手写一封给“万象暴光社”的麦克洛克林的信，信中解释说由于某种无法控制的情况——兰德尔集团公司不能接受他那项业务了，但信没写完他就将它撕掉，扔进了废纸篓。 由于他再次疏忽了与他的律师写信，所以他考虑给纽约的萨德?克劳福德打个电话。尽管一点也不饿，但还是叫来服务员订了一份清淡的午餐。但是端上来的却是蘑菇炖鸡加番茄酱、胡椒。这些东西由于自己不断增长的焦虑连一半也没吃完。 他本想让安杰拉知道自己仍在罗马，最后还是决定不打电话，因为如果那样，他就会不得不再撒谎，不然会使她内心充满忧虑的。他也考虑过给在阿姆斯特丹的乔治?L?惠勒打个电话解释自己缺席的原因，因为《国际新约》发行宣布日6天后就要来到，但他打定主意推迟这个电话——惠勒难免要发火——直到他碰到罗伯特?莱布朗。 尽管他努力不去想莱布朗，但发现无济于事。他在旅馆房间里踱着步直到他弄清楚脚下的波斯地毯每个花样的每个细节、大理石面写字台上的每条裂缝以及自己面容上每一条皱纹——因为他一次又一次地在梳妆台上椭圆形镜子里看见自己映出的脸部。 两个多星期以前，他到阿姆斯特丹的“第二次复活”的总部去干一件至关重要的事，为的是领教信仰的意义。然而，他已化了自己一半的时间，是要把自己可能相信的事物彻底摧毁。 就这样，这一切都是从博加德斯的那个所谓的致命的错误引起的。或许正如安杰拉和其他与自己接近的人所指出的那样，这种错误的生长完全是自己的多疑导致的。 所以，最终一切都落在了罗伯特?莱布朗这个人身上。不管怎样，他一定得在莱布朗身上找到最后的答案。 上面是兰德尔在楼上自己房间里的思索。他现在仍在想着这些东西。当他又一次烦恼而又焦灼地坐在多尼咖啡厅的一张桌子边时，他甚至不再知道自己是否想让莱布朗出现。他只是确信自己希望这些令人难以忍受的遭遇尽快结束。 兰德尔在过去的一刻钟里至少看了10次手表盘上那些慢慢、慢慢移动的指针。5点过6分了。他又呷了一口杜松子酒，当他举杯时，他从眼角瞟见班头乔利奥向他溜过来。 乔利奥压低声音说，“兰德尔先生，他来了。” "Where?" “我身后，这一排，我身后第三张桌子边。你会认出他的。” 乔利奥走到一边，兰德尔转过头来看。 他就在那里，正像弗鲁米所描述的那样，但要更甚一点。他看来更矮，比兰德尔想象的背更驼。头发梳得干净利索，肯定染过。枯槁的面容，满脸沟沟坎坎，戴着一副铁架、浅色镜片的眼镜。他穿着一件旧华达呢大衣，绒毛已磨光，大衣松散地披在他的双肩，两只空空的袖子自由地悬着，就像时髦的意大利人和胸怀抱负的年轻演员一般。他看起来虽然老迈，但并不虚弱。他面前桌面上的毕叽桌布上仅放了杯饮料，他正聚精会神地看报纸。 接着，兰德尔离开了自己的桌子。 到达目的地以后，他搬过一张空椅子，故意放在莱布朗对面坐了下来。 “罗伯特?莱布朗先生，”他说，“我希望你能让我有幸敬您一杯并做一个自我介绍。” 莱布朗满是皱纹的脸从报纸上面露了出来，他深陷的灰眼睛充满了警惕。他湿润的嘴唇由于假牙装得不合适，涎水外流而湿湿的。“你是谁？”他咕噜着说。 “我叫史蒂夫?兰德尔。我是搞宣传的，是从纽约来的一个作家。我一直在这里等着与您见面。” “你想要什么？兰德尔——你这么叫我，你是从哪里听到的这个名字？” 这个法国人的神情非常冷淡而傲慢，兰德尔知道自己得趁热打铁。“我了解你是奥古斯图?蒙蒂教授的一位朋友，你们是一项考古发现中的搭档。” “蒙蒂？你知道关于蒙蒂的什么情况？”