Chapter 269 Criminal Den (5K)

London, Kensington, in a coffee shop on the corner of Oxford Street.

The drizzle was falling, covering the windows of the cafe with a thin layer of mist. Arthur stirred the spoon in the white porcelain cup. As he stirred, the milky white milk seeped into the pure black coffee bit by bit and blended with it. As a whole, the taste is tempered with the melted sugar cubes.

Sitting on the chair opposite him was a blond lady wearing a light green pleated skirt and a wide-brimmed fashionable sunhat as dark as night.

Needless to say, she is none other than Miss Fiona Ivan, one of the most capable ladies in London.

Fiona looked at Arthur stirring his coffee cup leisurely. After a long time, he still didn't speak. She picked up the tea cup with some dissatisfaction and said: "When I met you before, I could still get a few words of comfort." It's not a compliment, but the longer we know each other, the less I get? Mr. Hastings, is there something about me that dissatisfies you?"

Arthur put down his spoon after hearing this, raised his head and smiled: "Fiona, it's not that I don't want to praise your beauty. But after you taught me a lesson last time, I reflected a lot. I think I must apologize to you for praising you before. Pretty, it’s my fault, sorry, Fiona.”

Fiona adjusted her sunhat and asked curiously: "Huh? What do you want to understand?"

The Red Devil, who was sitting at the next table eating candy bars, heard this and just laughed twice: "It's starting, it's starting again, Arthur, you are really getting more and more skilled at this trick."

Arthur glanced at the red devil, smiled and replied: "I think, I can use the beauty of appearance to describe a butterfly or a flower, but it is inappropriate to use the beauty of appearance to describe a person. As it is Joseph Joubert said: Beauty can only be observed with the eyes of the mind. But my mind has been deceived for a long time, so I feel that I am not qualified to judge you."

Agares held his head with one hand and muttered while chewing candy: "You don't even want to say a flattering word, Arthur, you are really getting lazy. But it's not a big deal. As long as a woman has a good impression of you, even if you kill people and set fires, she will think that you must have some reason that is difficult to talk about. This little girl doesn't hate you yet, so you can just lie to her, but be careful not to let it slip. .

What does Plato mean by that sentence? The pain of being a woman is that when she has a physical relationship with the man she loves, she will naturally regard this relationship as forever, but men can be different. They may only think that it is a way of survival. Another interpretation of. As the book says: Before there is a commitment to marriage, it is better to maintain a simple relationship between men and women. Otherwise, there is really no time to look back.

Oh, it’s hard to believe that this sentence was actually said by an old bachelor who has been single all his life. "

Arthur flashed his middle finger under the table to the red devil, who was transformed into a master of emotions, but the smile on his face did not diminish at all.

Fiona looked at him suspiciously. She hesitated for a while, and her slender eyelashes trembled: "It's unlikely that you can say this, but if you think about it carefully, there seems to be nothing wrong with you saying it. . After all, your hands are holding a knife from Monday to Saturday, and they can dance on the keys of the theater on Sunday. I have to say, Mr. Hastings, you are indeed the most complicated and difficult person I have ever seen in my life. ”

Arthur took a sip of coffee: "Have you ever gone to my show?"

Fiona looked at the traffic outside the window, picked up the tea cup and took a sip: "It would be better if you could play a few more songs."

Seeing that the atmosphere was almost settled, Arthur immediately continued the conversation: "Of course I am willing to spend more time studying the music, but Fiona, you know, I have other things to be busy with recently."

When Fiona heard this, she held her cheeks in her hands and sighed: "I knew that after all the detours, I have to get back to work. Bernie Harrison, right? Didn't I tell you all this? ? That fool has taken the bait a long time ago. It is quite easy for the girl under my command to arrange for a lustful man. Don’t worry, you can go to 57-B Oxford Street to get him on time. "

Arthur took out his pocket watch and opened the cover with his fingertips: "Well... this time is just right. When Mr. Harrison arrives, the reporter friends I made an appointment with should be here soon."

Pink nails tapped on the table, Fiona put a hand to her lips and winked at Arthur: "Then during this period, should we discuss the price? I have a special day today. I pretended to come here to arrange things for you, and you also brought reporters over. Although that bad guy Harrison deserves it, my little sisters are innocent, even if I leave aside my part. Sir, you must provide some mental compensation to that poor and helpless young girl, right?”

When Arthur heard this, he pursed his lips and put down the tea cup with a smile: "Fiona, I thought that with our friendship, this kind of small job would be dismissed. Besides, didn't I already advance to I gave you a sum of six hundred pounds? And it's all a cashier's note from the Bank of England. You can redeem it for more than four thousand grams of gold at any time if you like."

Fiona teased the blond hair hanging on her temples and bargained: "Mr. Hastings, I don't expect you to be as generous as before, but you can't do it without bleeding at all. Although you can use my little sister It's not as expensive as calling me, but you have to pay something to call girls around. You may not know that the sisters in the East End always regard you as the sun hanging high in the sky of London. Don’t you want to ruin your majestic image in our hearts?”

Arthur put sugar into the cup and replied calmly: "Really? Since I came to London five years ago, this is the first time I know that the sun can still be seen in this damn place."

Seeing that the bargaining failed, Fiona raised her eyebrows to the corners of her eyes. She threw herself down on the table in frustration, waved her hands and said, "Okay, okay, who told you to be..."

As soon as Fiona said this, she heard Arthur's voice.

"I didn't say I wouldn't promise you."

"You agreed?"

Fiona jumped up from the table in surprise. Perhaps she stood up too violently, and her chest shook.

Seeing this, Arthur just frowned slightly, shook his head slightly and said: "It's okay, just put something in it. I remember that when we first met, it was obviously not so big. You always make me dangle around. Can’t help but think of a few French guys.”

Fiona's face was so red that she rapped the table with her knuckles and said, "What do you mean by less stuffing? I'm so rich! When you saw me that time, the bra I wore was too tight. !”

"Wait a minute, what's going on with the French?" As soon as she said this, Fiona was suddenly stunned again. She was suspicious at first, and then said angrily: "Arthur Hastings! Are you going to Chelsea?" Is that bitch Eugénie taking care of their business?”

Arthur said calmly: "Are you so divided? French girls, Russian girls, are there also Mediterranean styles from Iberia and Apennines?"

Fiona glared and said: "This business is not as easy as you think, Mr. Hastings, although I can't interfere in your personal life. After all, you are a young and strong young man. If you can do such a thing, so can I." Understood. But I must emphasize that the girls in Eugenie are not clean, so be careful of getting sick! If you really want to play, I can arrange the best for you."

Arthur shook his head when he heard this and said: "Forget it about the French girl. You may not know that I feel psychological shadow now when I hear the girl speak French."

Fiona was immediately relieved when she heard this. While drinking tea, she did not forget to talk to herself about damaging her opponent's goodwill.

"Yes, it seems that you have already experienced Eugenie's service. Although she claims to be a high-end customer, in fact it is not an exaggeration to say that they are engaging in fraud. Her girl only needs to take off her bra. , the fat on the waist can be piled up for two or three miles. We don’t have this problem here.

Think about it, if we weren't all real people and the girls knew how to chat, how could I have caught this stupid donkey like Bernie Harrison for you so easily? Hmm... No, although Bernie Harrison is stupid, he still has a good eye for girls. He didn't even take a look at Eugenie's money-losing goods! "

At this point, Fiona suddenly changed her words and said, "Mr. Hastings, you think otherwise. I won't talk about whether to charge or not for this order, but..."

Arthur noticed something was wrong from her words: "You want to cause trouble?"

"Oh, dear, how can you say something so hurtful?" Fiona put her hands on her chest and pretended to be pitiful: "Look, I am just a petite and weak girl, what can I do?"

Having said this, Fiona did not forget to reach out and take out a bill from her chest, put it on the table and slowly pushed it towards Arthur: "I just ask you to make it convenient for me. Do you think the Chelsea area Can we remove the fixed security posts in the south? It won’t take long, just give me three or two days.”

When Arthur heard this, he just took a bite of the fried brown bagel: "Fiona, you will kill someone."

Fiona put her hand to her mouth, pretending to be surprised and said: "Mr. Hastings, look at what you said, isn't it normal for girls in our profession to kill people?"

Arthur shook his head and said: "I can't control how many extra lives you take, because that's the responsibility of the hospital. But if there are a few fewer lives, that's within the scope of Scotland Yard's authority. So your request has been rejected, Feo Na, I'm sorry, but I can't promise you."

Fiona stood up angrily after hearing this and said: "Hastings! You are still protecting that bitch! Are you having an affair with her? When you asked me to do something, did I ever refuse? How far did Eugenie climb? She deserves to sit on my head and shit on your bed!"

At this point, she still wasn't relieved. Fiona suddenly lifted her skirt, revealing the flintlock pistol tied to her calf: "Damn it, I'm going to shoot that makeup can through her head tonight!"

Agares on the side laughed so much that he rolled on the ground: "Arthur, I told you to pay attention, are you kidding now?"

Arthur didn't care about this. He just held his chin and nodded at Fiona's calf: "You can't tell, it's quite white."

Fiona blushed at what he said, and the anger she had just raised was suppressed by half: "Stop being so glib. I'm going to fuck that bitch Eugenie now. Do you agree?"

Arthur neither agreed nor denied directly, but instead said: "Fiona, I can't protect you from such a serious crime as murder. Even if I get lucky and save you, you You have to be exiled to South Africa or Australia. If you leave, the money from the fencing competition will have to be earned by others."

"Fencing competition? Handicap?" Fiona was stunned for a moment, then sat back down: "What is going on?"

Arthur leaned on the chair: "Didn't you say before that you would let me go to the boxing ring you set up in the East District for a boxing match? I looked back and thought about it, boxing is not my area of ​​expertise, but when it comes to fencing, I still have a certain probability of winning. So I discussed it with the young master of the Rothschild family a while ago and planned to let him arrange a swordsmanship match between me and Mr. Francois Bertrand.”

"François Bertrand? That foil Napoleon?"

When Fiona heard this, her anger was immediately thrown away: "Oh! My dear, why didn't you tell me about such an important thing earlier? My dear, are you not angry?"

Arthur raised his head and thought for a moment: "Maybe a little bit."

When Fiona heard this, she leaned close to Arthur and squeezed his shoulders quite sensibly: "My dear, it was my fault just now. I won't trouble Eugenie anymore. How can that bitch's life and death compare to your competition? Don’t worry, I will definitely bring all my sisters to cheer for you on the day of the game.”

Arthur gently shook his finger: "Whether you cause trouble for Eugenie or not is none of my business. As long as no one is killed, you can do anything. You should know that Scotland Yard's Criminal Investigation Department is under my control. . And I’m the same as you, everyone doesn’t like going to work, so try not to get into trouble for me.”

"Of course, dear, I will listen to you."

As soon as Fiona finished speaking, the wind chimes in the coffee shop rang, and Sergeant Jones led a young police officer to open the door.

When Fiona saw this, she winked at Arthur and took it as a farewell.

She calmly picked up her handbag, nodded to Jones and the police officer with a smile, and left the cafe immediately.

The young police officer was stunned when he saw this, and then asked in a low voice: "Sir, is that Mr. Hastings's or something?"

When Jones heard this, he turned back and glared at him angrily, lowering his voice and said: "You bastard! Superintendent Hastings is single now! That was Miss Fiona, little brother Cambridge If Superintendent Hastings gives Whitechapel District to you in the future, you should pat her more! For the Criminal Investigation Department and Superintendent Hastings, she may be worse than us! Be important.”

The young police officer nodded thoughtfully after hearing this, but before he could think clearly, he was brought to Arthur by Jones.

Jones introduced Arthur with a smile on his face: "Sir, the person next to me is Ridley King, a progressive young man from the Whitechapel Police Department. You may not know that that arrest... er, our police secretary Louis Mr. Bonaparte's actions were successfully completed due to his courage. This guy's courage and execution ability are the strongest in the Whitechapel Police District, so I think it is appropriate to give him the lead in this mission. Can’t be wrong.”

Ledley stood at attention and saluted: "Sir, Ledley King salutes you."

Arthur looked him up and down, smiled and nodded: "Ledley, come on, sit down and have a drink. We will take action in a moment, so warm up first. Jones has mentioned you to me before, saying that you are a bit A very capable young police officer. But you also know that Scotland Yard has to have some basis for promoting people, and it would be better if there are media reports as support for merit.

You made meritorious service that time at the Regent Crescent, but that was just a personal action after all. It would be enough to give you a special commendation in accordance with Scotland Yard's regulations. But this time, Sergeant Jones strongly recommended to me that you take the lead in leading the Scotland Yard police officers to conduct a unified sweep of various crime dens on Oxford Street.

I have also contacted reporters from major newspapers. Director Rowan also attaches great importance to this action, saying that he must use this action to reverse the negative influence Scotland Yard has had on public opinion in recent times. Since there are reporters watching, you must remember to be decent and civilized when enforcing the law. Do you understand? "

Ridley took the coffee from Arthur and drank it in one gulp: "Sir, please don't worry! You will never find a more suitable candidate than me!"

Arthur nodded slightly, stood up and put on his hat. Jones also quickly took the uniform coat from the coat rack and put it on him.

Arthur raised his civilized flag and touched the brim of his hat. He pointed at several black cloth umbrellas that appeared outside the coffee shop: "The reporters are already here. So, Ledley, it's up to you now."

…

At 57-B Oxford Street, Harrison was lying on the white sheets, with the beauty in his arms and a wine bottle in his hand, looking at the drizzle outside the window with a dejected look.

The blonde beauty rested her head on Harrison's chest: "Dear, why are you so melancholy?"

Harrison replied a little irritably: "It's nothing, it's just stained with something dirty. Those sons of bitches are just targeting me."

As soon as he said this, he suddenly heard heavy footsteps outside the door.

Immediately afterwards, an enthusiastic introduction was heard: "Gentlemen and ladies, please focus your attention here."

Harrison frowned and said, "What the hell are you doing outside?"

"I don't know, maybe he's a house-sitter."

The two were whispering to each other when suddenly, there was a bang and the door was kicked open.

Ledley King used his magnetic voice to make a sound that could be heard across two streets.

"Oh! My God! Look, who is this? It turns out to be Mr. Bernie Harrison, a member of the House of Commons!"