Chapter 22 Chapter 22 The Theft of the Orient Express

Tracy started a new life.She bought an antique Georgian garden house at 45 Eaton Square, which is well-lit, cheerful and uplifting, and an excellent place to entertain guests.The house has a "Queen Anne" - British slang for "front garden" and a "Mary Anne" - meaning "back garden", which is lush with flowers and trees all year round.Gunther helped Tracy with the interior decoration, and before the two of them finished the decoration, this place could already be included in the scene of London. Gunther introduced Tracy to the crowd and said that she was a very rich young widow whose husband had made a fortune in import and export business during his lifetime.Because of her beauty, intelligence, and personable manner, she quickly became popular, and various social invitations poured in like snowflakes.

Tracy took short trips to France, Switzerland, Belgium, and Italy at regular intervals, and she and Gunther Hartog benefited from each trip. Under Gunther's guidance, she carefully studied "Gosser's Almanac" and "A List of Debright's Noble Family History". authoritative records.Tracy became a chameleon, an expert at disguising herself and imitating different accents.She got six or seven passports.She has been in and out of different countries, for a while she was the Duchess of England, for a while she was an Air France flight attendant, and for a while she became an heiress from South America.Within a year, she had accumulated more money than she could spend in her lifetime.She set up a foundation from which she drew huge sums of money to anonymously fund organizations that help female prisoners released from prison.She also arranged a generous pension, which was remitted to Otto Schmidt's name every month.The thought of washing my hands and quitting it almost never occurred to me again.She loved the challenge of outwitting and forcing the cunning winners into submission.The thrill of each daring prank was a shot in the arm, and Tracy felt she had to keep getting new and greater thrills.Of course, she has her own creed: she must be careful not to hurt innocent people.Those who beat their chests and gnash their teeth at her deceit are either greedy or immoral, or both.Nobody would kill themselves because of what I did, Tracy was sure of that.

Newspapers began to print stories of unimaginable mischief all over Europe.Because Tracy used a variety of disguises, the police determined that this series of clever deception and theft was committed by a gang of strong women.Interpol has raised concerns. At the Manhattan headquarters of the International Insurance Protection Association, Reynolds sent for Daniel Cooper. "We've got a tough problem," Reynolds said. "A significant number of our European customers are being attacked -- apparently by a gang of women. People are yelling about something." Bloodbath. They want to bust the gang. Interpol has agreed to work closely with us. That's your job, Dan. Leave for Paris early tomorrow morning."

Tracy and Gunther were having dinner at Scott's on Mount Street. "Have you ever heard of Maximilian Bilbon, Tracy?" The name sounds familiar.Where has she heard of it?Ah, I remembered.Jeff Stevens talked about it on Elizabeth 2. "We came here for the same purpose after all. Maximilian Bilbon." "He's rich, isn't he?" "And it's brutal. He's the best at buying other companies and dismantling them." When Joe Romano took over the company he fired everyone and put his own people in.Then he started looting the company... They took everything - the company, the house, even her car...

Gunther saw something strange on her face. "Tracey, what's the matter with you?" "Nothing. I'm fine." Life can be unfair sometimes, she thought, and it's up to us to make things right. "Go on with Maximilian Bilbon." "His third wife has just divorced him, and he lives alone. I think it would be very beneficial for you to make the acquaintance of this gentleman. He has booked a trip on the Orient Express from London to Istanbul on Friday." Tracy smiled. "I've never taken the Orient Express. I think I'd like it." Gunther smiled back. "Okay. Maximilian Bilbon's collection of Faberge eggs is the most important collection outside of the Leningrad Hermitage Museum. According to conservative estimates, it must be worth at least twenty million dollars."

"If I managed to get you some eggs," Tracy asked curiously, "what would you do with them, Gunther? You can't sell something too famous, can you?" "Private collector, dear Tracy. You give me those eggs, and I'll find a nest for them." "I have to think about what I should do." "Maxmillan Bilbon is not easy to approach. However, there are two other pigeons booked for Friday's Orient Express, and they go to Venice for the film festival. I think it's time for these two to shed their hair too .Ever heard of Silvana Luadi?" "Italian movie stars? Of course I've heard of them."

"She was married to Alberto Fornati, who made some of the most epic epics. Fornati hired actors and directors for very little cash, and promised them a lot of money after making the film, Yet he has a very bad reputation for sucking up his profits. He scours to buy expensive jewelry for his wife, and the more he is unfaithful to her, the more jewelry he gives her. Hitherto, West Alvana can start her own jewelry store. I'm sure you'll have a lot of fun in the company of these people." "I'm looking forward to it all," Tracy said. The Venice Simplon-Orient-Express from London to Istanbul departs from London's Victoria Station at 11:44 every Friday, passing through the cities of Boulogne, Paris, Lausanne, Milan and Venice.Thirty minutes before the departure of the train, a movable ticket gate was set up at the entrance of the platform of the departure station. Two strong station attendants in uniform pushed aside the passengers who were eagerly waiting to get on the train, and spread a red carpet from the ticket gate to the gate. platform.

The new owner of the Orient Express is trying to recreate the golden age of rail travel at the end of the 19th century. The new trains are still replicas of the original ones, including an English Pullman coach, several French long-distance dining cars, a bar salon and several sleepers. car. A waiter wearing a navy blue uniform popular in the 1920s and wearing a gold tassel chain on his chest carried two large suitcases and a small suitcase for Tracy to her box.It was pitifully small, with only one seat, upholstered in mohair and woven with floral patterns.The carpet was green plush, and the ladder to the upper bunk was also covered in green plush, making one feel like being locked in a candy box.

Tracy saw a silver-grey gift basket with a small bottle of champagne in it, and a greeting card next to it that read: OLIVEER AUBERT, CONGRESSER. I'll save it for when I need to celebrate something, Tracy thought.Maximilian Bilbon.Jeff Stevens didn't get it.It would be great if he could be better than him.Thinking of this, Tracy smiled faintly. She looked around the cramped space, opened the suitcase, took out the clothes she needed and hung them up. She would have preferred to travel on a Pan Am jetliner, but this time the train journey was said to be more exciting. The Orient Express started on time and pulled out of the station.Tracy sat in her seat, watching the southern suburbs of London flash behind her.

At 1.15pm, the train arrived at Folkestone Harbour, where passengers would transfer to a cross-sea ferry across the Channel to Brune, where they would transfer to another Orient Express heading south. Tracy called over a conductor. "I know that Maximilian Bilbon is with us. Can you show me who he is?" The conductor shook his head. "Unfortunately, Madame, he has booked and paid for his box, but there is no sign of him. It is said that the whereabouts of this gentleman are very uncertain, and there is no certainty." That leaves only Silvana Luadi and her husband, the guy who shoots epics that no one can remember.

In Brunn, passengers were put on the Orient Express across the continent.Unfortunately, Tracy's box in the first car had the same uneven bed as the previous box, making the trip even more difficult.She stayed in her box for a whole day, carefully calculating the plan, and at eight o'clock in the evening, she began to dress up. The dress code on the Orient Express called for evening dress, so Tracy chose a grand dove-gray chiffon dress, gray stockings, and gray soft satin shoes.The only jewelry was a single-strand pearl necklace that matched the shade of the dress.She stood in front of the full-length mirror and looked up, down, left, and right for a while before leaving her residence.Her green eyes were so innocent and her face felt open and vulnerable.Mirrors always give people an illusion, Tracy thought.I am not that kind of woman.I live in a masquerade, and an exciting masquerade at that. As Tracy left the box, her wallet slipped from her hand, and as she knelt down to pick it up, she looked quickly at the lock on the door.There are two locks: one is a Yale lock and the other is a universal lock, no problem.She stood up and walked to the dining car. The train has three dining car carriages.The seats were upholstered in plush, the walls were paneled and softly lit by sconces with brass bases and Lalique shades.Tracy stepped into the first dining car and found that there were still a few empty seats.The restaurant manager came forward to greet him. "Want a single-seat table, miss?" Tracy looked around: "I'm looking for some friends, thank you." She came to the second dining car compartment.It was a bit crowded here, but there were still a few empty seats. "Good night," said the restaurant manager. "Are you eating alone?" "No, I'm looking for someone. Thank you." She went on again and came to the third dining car.Here, the seats are all taken. The restaurant manager stopped her at the door. "No table available, I'm afraid you'll have to wait, ma'am. There are seats available in the other dining cars, however." Tracy looked around, and on a table in the far corner she found what she was looking for. "It's okay," Tracy said, "I'm looking for friends." She let the head of the restaurant go, and went straight to the table in the corner. "I'm sorry," she said apologetically, "all the tables are full. If you don't mind, can I join you?" The man quickly stood up, stared at Tracy for a long time, and suddenly shouted: "Please come! You are very welcome! My name is Alberto Fornati, and this is my wife, Silvana Luadi." "Tracey Whitney." She used her passport. "Ah! Americans! I speak excellent English." Alberto Fornati was a squat, balding man.Why Silvana Luadi married him has always been the most talked about topic in Rome during the two decades they have lived together in the past.Silvana Luadi is a classic beauty with a slim figure and enviable talent.She has won the Academy Award and the Silver Palm Award, and has always been favored by the audience.Tracy noticed that she was wearing a five-thousand-dollar Valentino evening gown, and that the jewelry she was wearing was probably worth a million dollars.Tracy remembered Gunther Hartog's words: the more he cheated on her, the more jewelry he gave her.So far, Silvana can open a jewelry store by herself. "This is your first time on the Orient Express, ma'am?" Fornati asked after Tracy was seated. "Yes, it's the first time." "Ah, this train is so romantic and full of legends." His eyes were wet. "There are many interesting stories about it. Basil Sakharov, the great arms dealer, to take just one example, used to take this Orient Express--always booked compartment No. 7. One night, Suddenly he heard a scream, and then someone knocked on his door. A beautiful young Spanish Duchess threw herself on top of him." Fornati paused, buttered a roll, and took a bite. "His husband was going to murder her. Their marriage was ordered by her father, and the poor woman found her husband insane. Sakharov stopped her husband's nonsense and comforted the hysterical young woman, and such a romance was never It started and lasted for forty years." "It's exciting," Tracy said.Her eyes widened, fascinated. "Yes. After that, they met every year on the Orient Express. He lived in the 7th box and she lived in the 8th. After her husband died, she married Sakharov. In order to express his love for her, he lived in Monte Carlo. Lo bought her a casino as a wedding present." "What an interesting story, Mr. Fornerty." Silvana Luadi sat like a stone, silent. "Eat," Fornati urged Tracy, "Eat." The dinner consisted of six courses, and Tracy noticed that Alberto Fornati not only finished his own portion, but also ate what was left on his wife's plate.As he gobbled it up, he kept nagging. "Are you an actor?" he asked Tracy. She laughed. "Ah, no, I'm just a tourist." He was looking at her with a smile. "It's so beautiful. You are so beautiful that you can be an actress." "She said she wasn't an actress," Silvana said grimly. Alberto Fornati ignored it. "I'm in the movies," he said to Tracy, "of course you've heard of Rampage, Titans and Supergirl..." "I'm not much of a movie watcher," Tracy apologized.She felt his fat calf pressing against hers under the table. "Perhaps I can arrange for you to see some of my films." Silvana turned pale with anger. "Have you ever been to Rome, honey?" His leg brushed against Tracy's. "Actually, after I go to Venice, the next stop is Rome." "That's great! That's great! We've got to get together and have a dinner. Will you, dear?" He gave Silvana a quick look, and then he added, "We've been on Arpin Road for a while." A very nice house. Ten acres..." With a jerk of his hand, a bowl of gravy was knocked over, just in time to spill all over his wife.Tracy couldn't figure out whether it was intentional or not. Silvana stood up abruptly, looking at the soup stains on her clothes. "You bastard!" she screamed. "Don't let this bitch of yours touch me, get the hell out of here!" She ran out of the dining car angrily, and everyone looked at her. "That's outrageous," Tracy muttered, "what a dress." She wanted to slap the man who had made his wife look bad.She deserved her jewels, Tracy thought, and more. He sighed. "Fornati will buy another one for her. Don't mind her losing her temper. She's jealous of Fornati." "I believe she's right." Tracy smiled slightly to hide her teasing tone. He said smugly, "Really. Women find Fornati attractive." Tracy looked at the little man in front of him who was putting on airs, and she was really amused, but she couldn't help it. "I can understand." He reached across the table and took her hand. "Fornati likes you," he said, "Fornati likes you very much. What do you do for a living?" "I'm a court secretary. I've saved up some money for this trip. I hope to find a more interesting position in Europe." His blistered eyes flicked across her body. "That's an irrelevant question. Fornati has guaranteed you. Those who treat him well don't say anything." "That's very kind of you," Tracy said shyly. He lowered his voice: "Perhaps, we can go to your room to continue the discussion later." "That's embarrassing." "why?" "You're a big celebrity. Probably everyone in the car knows you." "Of course." "If they saw you coming to my room—well, did they, some might misunderstand. Of course, if your room was near mine... What number do you have?" "Box E70." He looked at her hopefully. Tracy sighed. "I'm in the other car. Why don't we meet in Venice?" He was all smiles. "Great! My wife usually stays in her room. Her face can't stand the sun. Have you ever been to Venezia?" "No." "Ah. You and I can go to Tosello, which is a very beautiful island, and there's a nice restaurant there called Locanda Cipriani. It's a small hotel again." He said The eyes are bright. "Very secluded." Tracy smiled slightly to show she understood. "It's so exciting." She lowered her eyes, too excited to say a word. Fornatti moved closer, pinched her hand, and said stickily against her ear: "You don't know what kind of excitement that is, my dear." Half an hour later, Tracy went back to her room. Passengers were asleep, as the Orient Express cut through the night, passing Paris, Dijon, and Vallard.The night before, they had surrendered their passports, and the train stewards had gone through the border crossing formalities. At three thirty in the morning, Tracy quietly left her box.Timing is crucial.The train will cross the Swiss border, arrive in Lausanne at 5:21am and is scheduled to stop in Milan, Italy at 9:15am. Tracy walked down the hallway in her nightdress and a Styrofoam bag in her hand.Every fiber of hers was on high alert, and her heart was pounding with that familiar excitement.There is no toilet in the box, only at the top of each car.When Tracy was questioned, she responded by looking for the women's room, but she met no one.The flight attendants and porters are trying to catch up on a few hours of sleep in the early morning. Tracy came to box E70 smoothly.She turned the doorknob quietly.The door is locked.Tracy opened the Styrofoam bag, pulled out a metal tool and a small glass bottle with a straw, and got to work. Ten minutes later, she returned to her box.Thirty minutes later, she fell asleep with a smile on her freshly scrubbed face. At seven o'clock in the morning, two hours before the Orient Express arrived in Milan, a series of screams were suddenly heard.The cry came from the E70 box, waking up all the people in the car from their dreams.Passengers poked their heads out of the door one by one, not knowing what happened.A flight attendant rushed over and walked into box E70. Silvana Luadi was screaming, hysterical. "Come here! Come here!" she cried. "All my jewels are gone! This damn train is full of thieves!" "Please be quiet, ma'am," pleaded the steward, "anything else..." "Quiet!" Her voice rose another octave. "How dare you ask me to be quiet, stupid pig! Someone stole my jewelry worth over a million dollars!" "How could this happen?" Alberto Fornati asked. "The door is locked—and Fornati sleeps alertly. If anyone comes in, I'll wake up right away." The flight attendant sighed.He knew exactly what was going on, because similar incidents had happened in the past.In the dead of night, someone sneaked down the corridor and squirted a straw of ether through the keyhole.For those who want to do such things, opening the door lock is just child's play.The thief enters, closes the door, sweeps the house, takes what he needs, and goes back to his room, all while the victim is unconscious.But this theft was a little different from the past.In the past, the theft occurred when the train reached the terminal, when the thief may have escaped.This time it was different, no one got out of the car after the theft, that is to say, the jewels were still in the car... "Don't worry," the steward reassured Fornati, "the jewelry will be found. The thief is still in the car." He hurried out to call the Milan police station. Twenty uniformed policemen and plainclothes detectives lined up on the platform as the Orient Express rolled into Milan.The car received an order not to release any passengers and luggage. Sergeant Luigi Rich, who was in charge of the task, came to Fornati's box. Silvana Luadi's hysterics intensified. "All my jewels are in that box," she cried hoarsely, "and none of them are insured!" The sheriff looked carefully at the jewel box. "You must have put the jewels in this box last night, ma'am?" "Of course. I put it there every night." Her big, shining eyes, which had fascinated millions of moviegoers, now burst into big, crystal-clear tears.Sergeant Rich was filled with righteous indignation, and if he was asked to kill dragons and capture dragons at this time, he would not hesitate to do so. He walked to the door of the box, bent down and sniffed the keyhole.The residual ether smell is still faintly discernible.This was a case of theft, no doubt, and he must capture this ruthless thief. Sergeant Rich straightened up and said, "Don't worry, ma'am. He can't move the jewels. We'll catch the thief, and your jewels will be returned." Sergeant Rich is so confident, of course, has a solid basis.The heaven and earth net has been laid, and the thieves have no possibility of escape. Passengers, accompanied by detectives, came one by one to the waiting room of the station, which had been cordoned off, and they were searched one by one.All the passengers, many of whom were dignitaries, were furious at being so insulted. "I'm sorry," Sheriff Rich explained to each of the passengers, "a million-dollar theft is no small feat." As the passengers were led off the train one by one, detectives turned their compartments upside down.Every inch of space was scrutinized.For Sheriff Rich, this is an opportunity to make a big difference.If he can recover the stolen jewels, he'll get a promotion and a raise.He let his imagination run wild.Silvana would be grateful to him, maybe she would ask him... He issued order after order with increasing vigor. Tracy heard a knock on the door and a detective entered. "I'm sorry, ma'am. There has been a theft here. All passengers must be searched. Please come with me..." "Stolen?" Her tone was full of surprise. "on the car?" "I'm afraid so, ma'am." Tracy walked out of the room, and two detectives went in, opened her suitcase, and examined the contents of the suitcase one by one. The four-hour search concluded with only bags of marijuana, five ounces of cocaine, a knife and a handgun without a license.The stolen jewels are not missing. Sheriff Rich couldn't believe it. "Have you searched all the cars?" he asked one of his lieutenants. "Sheriff, we've searched every inch of space. Locomotives, restaurants, bars, lavatories, every box. Passengers and stewards, without exception, all luggage is checked. I swear to you , the jewelry must not be in this car. Perhaps, the lady took it for granted." But Sheriff Rich knew better.He talked to the waiters in the car, and they all testified that Silvana Luadi had indeed worn the dazzling string of beads at dinner the night before. A representative of the Orient Express company flew to Milan. "You can't hold this train indefinitely," he said firmly. "We're way behind schedule." Sheriff Rich couldn't help it.He has no reason to hold on to this train any longer.All that needs to be done has been done.He could only explain that around midnight, the thief threw the jewelry to an accomplice waiting outside the car.But is this possible?It is impossible to grasp the timing so accurately. It is impossible for a thief to know in advance when the corridor is empty, when which flight attendant or passenger will come out to stroll, and when the train happens to arrive at some remote designated location.This was really a mystery that the sheriff couldn't figure out. "Keep the train going," he ordered. As the Orient Express slowly pulled away from the station, he stood there, looking helplessly.What the train took away was his chance of promotion and salary increase, and his dream of having fun with Silvana Luadi was also blown away by a gust of wind blown up by the train. The only topic of conversation at the breakfast table was the theft. "This is the most exciting event that I have encountered in many years," said a prim female middle school teacher.She pointed again to her gold necklace with a small diamond in it. "I'm lucky they didn't take this." "Lucky," Tracy replied gravely. Alberto Fornati entered the dining car, caught a glimpse of Tracey and came to her side. "Of course you know what happened. Did you know that it was Fornati's wife who was stolen?" "have no idea!" "Should have known! I nearly died. A bunch of thieves got into my box and chloroformed me out. Fornati slept soundly and almost got killed." "too terrifying." "I've been cheated so badly! Now I have to buy all of Silvana's jewelry again. It's going to cost me everything." "The police found no jewelry?" "No, but Fornati knows how the thief got away with it." "Oh! How did you get rid of it?" He looked around, and said in a low voice, "An accomplice was waiting on a train platform we passed at night. Thieves throwing jewels out of the window—hey ho—that's it." Tracy said with admiration, "You're so smart." "Yeah." He raised his eyebrows meaningfully. "You will not forget our tryst at Venezia?" "How come?" Tracy smiled. He squeezed her arm hard. "Fonatti is looking forward to it. I have to comfort Silvana now. She is looking for life." The Orient Express arrives at Venice's Santa Lucia station, and Tracy is one of the first passengers to disembark.She ordered her luggage to be taken straight to the airport, and she took the next flight back to London with Silvana Luadi's jewels. Gunther Hartog will be very pleased.