Chapter 10 5. The death of Mr. Manoelson

The Greeks pretended to be calm, but not for long.Allen Rock stared at him fiercely, and he stood up immediately in fright, and smiled slightly. "Perhaps you would like to hear me speak. I wish I could. Talking is my profession. But what?" "Talk about the kidnapping." "What kidnapping?" "Kidnapping Leticia Tulsi." "But this matter has nothing to do with me, my sir! I know, indeed, that the poor lady has been kidnapped by villains. But I have absolutely no part in this indecent affair, and the court..." Chafellow panicked again.Undoubtedly, the eyes of this unknown opponent left a deep impression on him.He tried his best to avoid the important and trivial, and started the discussion on another level. In short, he was to mitigate the other party's accusations and describe himself as an irrelevant character.

"So," he said, "you want to have a frank talk? That's a different story. I don't care about threats, but let's be frank! . . . Sad thing. Oh! I was forced to do so. Adjutant Boniface and I are old friends, I hope you don't know this thing, but he once helped me, and he did me a big favor. One day, he came to find Me, say to me: Chafellows, I need a favor from you. I say: Just tell me. Otherwise, am I a human being. Everyone has a conscience, and mine is particularly sensitive in this respect .especially……" "Cut the bullshit," Aaron Rock urged.

"Especially," continued Chafferos, "a very small incident...almost insignificant...a friend of his, a very important person, asked him to take a local girl to Palermo, This friend was living there at the time, he had seen the girl many times, and he was infatuated with her... This kind of thing is very common, isn't it? But I am a cautious person, so I put a condition, and I said: Yes Yes! But I have been with several of the Torsey women, and I don't want anyone to hurt Letticia. Boniface said: How could she be hurt? My friend is a gentleman, and I think Honorary guarantee, Letticia can go home the next day. With these words, I agree. I repeat I do not want to. However, the things in life are often not our choice. The future , you all know..."

"What happened next was that Letticia didn't come home for two weeks and she went crazy." Chafellow pushed his hands away. "Is it my fault? How do I know that Boniface's friend is not a gentleman?" He looked distressed, and had Nathalie and Pascaela testify, emphasizing that the problem lay with the insane hijackers behind the scenes. "Is this considered a gentleman? Can a gentleman betray the trust of others?" Alan Rock, impatient with the digressions, said, "What else?" "What else?" "another thing?" "Another thing?"

"About Mr. Manoelson." "Mr. Manoelson? I don't know him." "Haven't you heard of a man named Mr. Manoelson? The man who died of heat stroke on the steps of the temple two years ago." "Ah! Is his name Manoelson? I remember. I happened to be away that day. But, the next day, I was told..." "you are lying." Chafelos did not let go: "I was not there. I remember it very clearly. I was asked to go to Palermo to help. I can find proof. I will say it squarely. I was not there. This is a very concrete fact. It is an absolutely indisputable fact.”

Before he finished speaking, Natalie, who was staring at him closely and waiting for him to explain something, was surprised to find that his face suddenly turned pale, and the muscles on his face twitched. A groan, followed by another horrific cry. "What do you want? What do you want?" he muttered. It was only then that Natalie noticed what had happened.It turned out that Alan Rock grabbed Chaferos' wrist and twisted it hard, causing him to yell in pain. Chafferos knelt on the ground with a thump, desperately begging for mercy: "No...don't...no, let me go..."

However, Alan Rock didn't let go, he didn't seem to make any effort, but his still face showed a fierce look!The blue veins on his forehead showed how angry he was!Natalie has always been very self-controlled when she saw him, and she rarely paid attention to the obstacles that hindered his progress. Now she was surprised to see his arrogant appearance, and she said: "Let him go. I can't Agree with this approach.” Immediately after the extraordinary effort of tensed muscles, he calmed down and smiled naturally. "It's the best way to get this guy to stop talking nonsense and not lie, and besides, my goal has been achieved, isn't it, Chafellow?"

As he spoke, he took out a thousand-lire bill from his wallet and said with emphasis: "Finish it soon. Have you decided, huh?" Chafellows had made up his mind.He was so frightened lest this terrible figure should lose his temper again that he had no thought of running away.It was better than suffering again, the butcher in front of him could strike at any time, maybe he would do it quietly, but he would never show mercy.He took the banknotes and put them in his pocket, and immediately began to narrate the ins and outs of the matter. He talked endlessly, just wanting to get rid of all the bad things that made him feel uncomfortable as soon as possible. Alan Rock had to listen Organize.

"Don't talk nonsense. Talk about Mr. Manoelson." "Of course, of course," the Greek responded eagerly. "It's the good gentleman. I think, as you do, that he ought to be cleared up. Boniface deserves his luck. As for me, I've always had a stone in my heart, and I'm glad, I am really glad that you gave me the opportunity to tell this secret. The day has come at last! Well, it happened like this..." He breathed a sigh of relief, and said more calmly: "Well, it's like this... One day, this damned Boniface... why didn't he let my wife live in peace? ... This damned Boniface I'm still stuck with him, and he's making up a reason for me to follow this Mr. Manoelson. Adjutant Boniface's friend, you know, is the gentleman who kidnapped Letitchia Tulsi, Well, he wears a talisman with him from morning to night, and regards it as much as his life. Why? I don't know. But, that's the way it is... Boniface said so, he couldn't do without Open this talisman. A worthless necklace, but if you give ten or twenty million, he won't let it go! You heard me, Chafellows, twenty million. But he got it He stole it, he must have done it by someone around him. Therefore, my gentleman friend paid a very high price."

"What's the gentleman's name?" Alan Rock asked. "I really do not know." "You lied. His name is Jericho, the pirate Jericho." Chafellow froze for a moment.Hell, how could this man be so clear about everything that concerns him?Suddenly, his eyes lit up, and he shouted angrily: "Anita betrayed me! Ah! This stinky bitch! If she is still alive, I will make her regret it forever!" "She's dead. Go on, what happened next?" "Later?" Chafellows continued submissively, "Now that he and his gang of scoundrels are known, well, Jericho promised to give a big reward to whoever helps him catch this thief. As a result , Boniface came forward to testify against one of the new men, a heinous robber, a Turk named Ahmed. Ahmed, unable to bear the beating, finally admitted that a week earlier he had been in Naples Met Mr. Manoelson and sold the pendant to him. So Boniface received a new mission to retrieve the pendant at any cost. Boniface and I, we started tracking. We are in Ma Missed two chances at Mr. Knowlson's overnight hotel. Jericho was very dissatisfied. Finally one day, Mr. Manuelson, whom we were secretly chasing, came here by train. On the evening of this day, Boney Fars was with Jericho, he told me, and he offered to be Mr. Manoelson's guide, but was turned down. The next morning, Boniface and I, we wandered around the temple again , ready to strike at the opportunity, or go to the hotel to sneak into his room that night."

"An opportunity?" Natalie asked anxiously. "Yes," Chafferos said. "About eleven o'clock, Mr. Manoelson came. He wandered about by himself for an hour, with a copy of Batkell's guidebook in his hand. We lay there, and lo and behold, among those rocks In the middle. The sun was shining. It was hot. Mr. Manoelson drank a bottle of wine and a cup of coffee that he had brought with him. We could see it clearly. It was a rather fat, ruddy man. His head was shaking from side to side. Look He could see that he wanted to sleep very much. Then he found a place to sit down, and there, between the two pillars, he put up a parasol to block the sun; he took off his hat and inflated a rubber bag to cover it. head, and fell asleep." Natalie was so nervous that she couldn't breathe, and asked in a low voice: "Did you take advantage of this opportunity to do something?"..." "No," replied the Greek. "I wanted to do that. I'm sure if we did, he wouldn't notice, we'd get the pendant, and everything would be fine. But then a farmer passed by... and then there was a procession of foreigners circling the temple One lap...then Boniface quit..." "Why?" Allen Rock asked. "Why?" Chafferos hesitated, but under Alan Rock's gaze, he didn't dare to evade the question. "Why? Mmm... Mmm... Boniface went all the way to the temple steps, gently pushed down the parasol, and returned to where it was. Mr. Manoelson had nothing to cover... so that..." "So how?" "The sun was shining directly on top of his head." "Oh! It's terrible..." Natalie stammered. "It's disgusting!" "Isn't it?" said Chafellow, looking annoyed. "Isn't it? I couldn't understand Boniface's intentions at first. I said I couldn't do it, I really wanted to rush to save the poor gentleman. But Boniface wouldn't let me move. I'm not very strong... ...I can't move...Besides, I wish this gentleman would wake up by himself...I saw him move a few times, as if he was struggling, as if he was in pain. I wanted to shout, but Boniface grabbed my throat ...he said to me, keep quiet, you idiot ... Jericho's order was very clear. It would be better if he could be dealt with ... So, since there is an opportunity, and it's easy Get rid of him and you give us a little silence. What can I say? Nothing to say, can I? Boniface is the master... I can't move at all... I can't scream at all. I close my eyes. Ten minutes Later, Boniface grunted, it should be all right." Natalie wept quietly.The terrible scene unfolded before her, as if her father had died again.She now knew how her father died, that he was murdered.With a guilty conscience, Chafellow argued hesitantly: "This matter has nothing to do with me...it is obvious...it has absolutely nothing to do with it...if I could act freely, I would definitely stop it...but, Bonifer Strangled me half to death...he's a robber of robbers. His heart is worth nothing...not worth a penny...I'll say it again..." Alan Rock interrupted him and said. "Stop wasting time trying to excuse yourself, Chafellows. Go on." "Continue to say?" "Where's the pendant? Did you get it?" "No." "How not?" "Hey! Nothing is nothing, so Boniface is a brute. That pendant is not on Mr. Manoelson." "Could it be that he never got such a thing at all?" "Won't." "how do you know?" "We found a post office receipt in his wallet. Two days ago, Mr. Manoelson sent a package to his daughter, the Hôtel de Paris, Nathalie Manoelson. The quotation for the package was: Twelve thousand francs. It must be the pendant, no doubt." A long silence followed.Then, Alan Rock pointed to Natalie and said to Chafellow: "Do you know who this lady is?" Chafellow became very submissive and honest, and immediately replied, "Yes, she is Miss Natalie Manoelson." "I did get a package," she said, "with a note attached to it, and I remember every word of it: I am sending you an ancient reliquary. What, don't know what's in it. But, I reckon, if I'm not mistaken, it's a priceless gem. So, I bought it. I'll do some research, and with that In the meantime, you carry it with you and don't mention it to anyone. "Two days later, I got the news that my poor father had passed away. Since then, I have never taken off this jewelry." "You went to the hotel that night and stole this pendant, didn't you?" Alan Rock asked Chafellows. You can't let go of such a good opportunity, can you?" The Greek no longer denied it.He nodded without making a sound. "Where did you take it?" "I sold it." Alan Rock's hand inadvertently touched his twisted wrist, and Chafferos immediately changed his words: "No, it should be said, I once wanted to sell it." "It's a good thing you fixed it quickly. Where did you hide it?" "At the back of the house, under an empty oil tank covered with tiles." "Are you sure you're telling the truth?" "On my honor." "Go get it." Chafferos snapped to his feet, as if on a spring, and ran quickly down the hill to the dry creek.Afterwards, he was seen climbing up towards the hut and going around to the back of the hut. It never occurred to Alan Rock or the girls for a moment that he might escape.His reaction was as if he was happily carrying out an order from a superior.It was his only way out.Any other move will bring him disaster. Seeing him coming back, and walking faster than when he went, and obviously more relaxed, Alan Rock whispered to himself: "Obviously, possession of this reliquary is the core of the whole thing." Knowing from the post office receipt that Mr. Manoelson had sent it to Nathalie Manoelson, Jericho and his associates launched a raid on Villa Mirador in order to recapture it. Also Because of this, there will be new actions in the future.” He thought over and over along this line of thought, and when Chafferos returned to him, he asked, "Can you keep a secret?" "Yes." The other party agreed confidently. "I also advise you to keep it a secret. If those people know what happened between us and are on guard, there will be no one else to tell except you. The prison is waiting for you." "I don't know anything about Boniface's whereabouts," Chaffelos said with certainty. "He comes when he says he wants to. He never says hello." "Great. Did you bring the jewelry?" "Here." Alan Rock took it and checked it carefully.It was a round, dull, aged, worn piece of metal, what appeared to be gold, slightly raised in the center like a watch, interlaced with precious stones such as amethysts, agates, and topaz.It is completely the production style of ancient Byzantium. On the other side of the metal was a large piece of opaque, damaged crystal, scratched on the surface, and had a crack like a broken mirror, through which something movable could be seen inside.When you shake it by hand, you can hear a low chug, like a solidified wax, or a piece of wood that has been eaten away by moths. Alan Rock touched it in his hand, turned it over, and weighed it with both hands in turn. Suddenly, there seemed to be a strange feeling in his heart, and then flowed all over his body, just like you found it. A thing that has been lost and forgotten for a long time, you touch it again, hold it in your hand and play with it, and many feelings that have disappeared reappear in your heart.Distant life is released from the item.Something indescribable arises in my heart. Sometimes memories are such unexpected things.We don't know where they come from.We don't know if they are part of reality, or just dreams trying to recreate, just images of people or things you've seen before, passing through your mind again. He looked at it repeatedly, touched it repeatedly, and Natalie had observed and paid attention to this pendant as repeatedly as he had. The movement of thinking, the box clicked lightly, the crystal glass on it moved, and then opened like a cover, and a small piece of wood eaten by moths, or a piece of solidified wax fell out of it. What is this thing that has been carefully preserved for centuries? amulet?Sacred bone?Alan Rock asked this question in his heart. Chafellows said he knew nothing.Not even Boniface knew.Ok.But why did Jericho cherish it so much?Why would anyone want to steal it?Why did Mr. Manoelson take it with him all the time after he bought it and sent it to his daughter?Why attack Villa Mirador? Alan Rock thought about it for a long time. These mysterious questions, perhaps even more because of this bizarre mystery that he speculated more and more intensely, made him feel up and down.His fingers trembled slightly as they touched the rough surface of the pendant.His eyes always felt inseparable from it. The "Water Lily" departed for the port of Toulon. Pascaela was reluctant to leave her mother and sister for the time being, rejoining them when she saw fit, and acting alone.Natalie spent the night and ate her meals in her cabin, and did not come out until the evening of the next day.Alan Rock, either lying on the pile of cables or walking back and forth on the ship, never left the deck. It was slowly getting dark.The coastline of France looms in the distance.Natalie's eyes were firmly fixed on the tall figure of Alan Rock.She watched him act, watched him live honestly and without hypocrisy, learned more and more deeply about the secrets of his heart, and knew that he had nothing to do with anything other than a wholehearted, painful and persistent search for his past. not interested.He remained with her only because she, Natalie, had been part of this elusive past for a brief time, which he hoped would unravel the mystery that had left him like a ghost. So did Pascaela.Italian women had not been and were not his mistresses.Natalie is very conscious of this.As with her, he controls Pascaela only to make her do his own thing.Both of them are just tools in his hands.They are implicated in his past history, so they are obliged to help him complete the task, and never break the shackles like slaves.Regarding this point, Natalie felt it clearly when Pascaela proposed to stay with her mother the day before in the village of Castellslano. "Okay," Aaron Rock replied at the time. "But you're coming to us, you hear me, Pascaela. We're still far from our goal. I've learned only a fraction of what I want to know here. Everything is going to Paris, and in the next few weeks You'll find out in here. Come, Pascaela." Natalie was amazed at the vague feeling she had, a feeling you wouldn't normally admit to, but which befuddled you, surprised you, and possibly unsettled you.Is it love?Or is it afraid of love?No, absolutely not, she never loved Alan Rock.Alan Rock is not a man to love.We love life and love the people in those lives.But he, he seemed to be a human being; this man who was always asking questions in vain, always avoided people, at least he didn't let people get close.You are controlled by him, or you are not controlled by him, and he forces you to obey him instinctively and even pathologically.But what overwhelms you, what makes you irresistible, is his mystery.If Natalie's will was shaken, her heart still resisted love, even any friendship or affection. "All right," she said, pulling herself together. "The struggle is not over. We are fated to fight side by side, and to fight each other. But now that I know this man, his magic has been lifted. I am free."