Chapter 15 Chapter Fourteen

With the weapon on his body, Quesetti felt as if his trousers were unzipped. It was unnatural and a little stupid, wondering how his father had endured this feeling during his police career.Maybe it doesn't feel the same way to the police, or maybe it doesn't feel the same way to the criminals.When he went to work, he didn't know whether he should put the gun in his briefcase, but he was afraid that it would be stolen or discovered, so he wanted to take it with him.Two options left him struggling.At first, he put the guy in the briefcase, but found that once he did, he didn't want to let the briefcase out of his sight.After fidgeting for a while, he took out the gun and clipped it to his belt.He was wearing a dusty cotton overcoat that just covered him.

Quesetti's job was made easy when Mr. Glaser was out on a long shopping trip.But he had to go upstairs to change shifts with Pamela, so that the girl who replaced Lori could have a break, and although this upscale rare book store was on Madison Avenue, few people walked in, so Pamela took most of the time. She spends most of her time on the phone chatting with friends, laughing out of joy enough to shake the basement stairs, it can be seen that her friends are first-line comedians.The rest of the time she was just browsing the company's job advertisements on the Internet, looking for a better job.Quesetti had a problem with her, and while he said it wouldn't kill him to be nice, he couldn't excite an iota of interest in a young girl breaking into publishing.

That day she asked him to take a book from above the bookcase.He did as she said, only to hear her let out a small exclamation, her eyes wide open and she asked: Is there a gun in your belt?I saw it when you took the book Yes, the rare book business can be dangerous, and you can't be careless, someone will do anything and everything for a valuable first edition. How is it possible, are you serious? seriously?I am a world-renowned mysterious figure.This line sucks.His mind was racing, he could tell her it was a pleasure to meet her and see if she recognized the line as coming from the movie "Long Ben's Love"; he could then ask her if she had seen it Movie, that's May.West's only film nominated for an Oscar, and so on, and so on.But why bother yourself?He shrugged, smiled awkwardly, handed her the book, and stepped behind the counter.

When she came back from lunch, she seemed less amiable than before.In fact, she seemed a little afraid of him, which Quesetti thought was fine.He spent the afternoon calling friends he knew and asking if anyone could take him in, and checking websites to see if there were places to stay.After get off work, he headed to the most likely location: an apartment near the Brooklyn Navy Yard that was owned by a college classmate, a freelance sound engineer. His girlfriend is a singer.The resident list is full of big names who appear in the media.Friends told him that the area of ​​the Naval Shipyard is destined to be developed in the future.The building stinks of poison; the light from the huge greasy factory windows is a pale ocher light that reminds him painfully of Lori's former residence.Now he can't protect himself, so this place already makes him very satisfied.When Quesetti left, he stepped on the cracked stairs, eight hundred dollars short of his pocket, and a contract to move in after Thanksgiving.He then walked back to the A subway along a complicated bus route and boarded a train to 104th Street in Ozon Park.

When he returned to Liberty Avenue and turned onto 106th Street where he lived, he passed a black SUV with darkened windows.The car looked new and shiny, and at $40,000, it wasn't a common sight around here.Quesetti knew all the cars on the street, and Klimt had warned him the night before, and Queseetti made a quick decision in his mind to observe this car.Although he wasn't ready yet, what happened next didn't catch him off guard.As he quickened his pace past the vehicle, he heard two doors snap open and the sound of footsteps crackling on the sidewalk. He turned around and saw two men in black leather coats coming towards him. Everyone was stronger than him, and one of them was several times stronger than him.They were wearing hooded sweatshirts and hats with ties tightly tied to their chins, and their eyes were obscured by large black sunglasses, which he took to mean they were malevolent.Without thinking, he immediately pulled out his father's . 38 pistol and fired in the direction of the big man. The bullet grazed the man's leather jacket and shattered the windshield of the sport utility vehicle. The two stopped. Seti raised his pistol and pointed it at the big man's head. The two turned around slowly, got back into the vehicle, and left the scene quickly.

Quesetti sat on the curb with her head between her knees until she was no longer groggy and sick.He stared at the pistol like it was the product of an alien civilization before dropping it into his briefcase. Albert, what's going on? Quesetti turned to see a petite, gray-haired woman in a pink tracksuit and heavy white and blue cardigan standing at the front door of her cottage. It's all right, Mrs. Conti, a few guys tried to kidnap me, I shot one of them, and they left, and it was over. Mrs. Condy was silent for a while.Do you want me to help call the police? No, thanks, Mrs. Condy, I'll do it myself.

God!This neighborhood used to be a great place.Mrs. Conti said as she went back to her kitchen. Quesetti tidied herself up and returned home on unsteady legs. Outside the house, there is a gleaming hearse parked.It should be the hearse that Klimt is driving.He felt a little sour as he walked up the drive to the back door.He wanted to sneak in from the kitchen, drink red wine, and go back to his room to sleep comfortably, but he couldn't, he had just closed the door twenty seconds before Mary Page appeared. Xiao Ai!Finally found you, I've been calling you all day and you're not calling back now?

Sorry Mom, I'm in the studio most of the time.He took a breath.I'm actually looking for a place to live, I think I'll find a place in Brooklyn with Baker, you know, my classmate. Mary Peg blinked, nodded, and said, "Oh, you have a life, honey.But what I want to tell you is that Boothrow's lawyer called. Booth is dead.he answered awkwardly. Yes, but the dead can still hire a lawyer, it's a matter of inheritance.She took a closer look at him, Albert, are you okay? Quesetti thought for a while, trying to hide what happened outside the door just now, and then thought, Mrs. Kandy delivered the news so fast that even the telecommunications engineer couldn't catch up, and all the details of the matter would be added soon. Phone lines spread out.So he said, "Mom, sit down."

They sat in the kitchen and Quesetti drank a glass of wine and told what had happened to him.After listening carefully, Mary Pegg thought she could accept the facts. To be honest, since she wanted to have a good chat with her son now, which would be more beneficial to her, she quickly pulled out the gun from her son. Mom, what are you doing?Quesetti screamed, oh my god, I hate it when you pull things from my back like this. Like when you stole your father's gun and turned my house into a battle camp? It's different!That was an emergency.Quesetti said coldly that he really wanted to lie down.

Well, I also think that something should be done, since you are not available, and you are too busy to stay away from home, or simply don't reply to any messages. The sound of a car stopping in front of the door interrupted her briefly. Oh, dare I say Donna.Saying so, Mary Pegg went to open the door.Quesetti poured another glass of wine and drank it down just as Klimt entered the room, freshly shaved, wearing a hearse driver's black uniform and tie, holding a shiny black visor. cap. Klimt, would you like a drink? Thanks, but no, I'll have to drive away right away. It's too late now, and they don't hold funerals at night.

Not a real funeral, it's for vampires. What? That's right, it's very popular now, those rich young people dress up as vampires, ride a hearse, and hold a banquet in the basement of the old church.Uh, your mother is here.This must be my sister, how are you? Donna.Quesetti was a thin, red-haired version of her mother.She is now the face of the New York City Legal Aid Society.Depending on whether you asked her mother or her second sister Patty, she could be the friend of the underdog, or someone so soft-hearted that hardened criminals were still running around the streets.She is the youngest daughter, only one year older than Quesetti, and she is more fragile than the average middle child.Their sister and brother are Irish twins, that is, they were born less than a year apart. This younger brother is the target of her hostility and hatred, but when he is threatened, she will stand up regardless.Quesetti does the same to her, just not expressing the perfectly balanced sibling-sibling emotional deadlock. Klimt and the surprised Donna.Quesetti shook hands and gave Mary Pegg a formal kiss on both cheeks. Who is that? That's Mom's current live-in boyfriend.Quesetti said. What?Donna screamed, she didn't know it yet. certainly not.Mary Pegg said. He was, Quesetti said, the hearse driver. in the evening? Yes, he said it was for vampires.Are you all right, Don? He is not my current cohabiting boyfriend, said Mary Pegg, Albert, how can you say that! He was, Quesetti pushed back, feeling like time was passing by, feeling like he was crazy, and yet satisfied at the same time.As if time would turn back in the next second, Donna would be yelling and chasing him around the kitchen table, cooking utensils in her little hands, and their mother would be yelling, trying to stop them, doing something special , threatened them that they would sue their father when he came home. Donna.Quesetti stares at her mother and brother, no, seriously The truth is, Mary Pegg said, he is Aunt Fanny's friend, helping us decipher the seventeenth century manuscript letter that Xiao Ai found, and he works late, so I let him sleep in Patty's room at night. That was three days ago, Quesetti said, wrapping his arms around himself and making kissing noises. Oh, grow up!said his sister.Quesetti stuck out his tongue at her, and she rolled her eyes at him, sitting on the dining table and chairs.She took out a leather folder from the big bag, opened the folder with the attitude of a business person, and said: If this guy comes over at eight o'clock, we don't have much time left, so we start from scratch.Quesetti looks at his mother, do we have to do this?he complained. Because you've been lied to, we're going to see if you can sue for that property and make them pay you back the real value of it, or get it back. I don't need them to pay me back.Quesetti said sullenly, the smell of wine rising from his empty stomach to the top of his head.I hope none of this happens, that's what I want. Well, boy, said Mary Peg, it's too late to say this, this matter must be settled by a lawyer, and Donna is our family lawyer.I think you should thank her for volunteering to help, especially since you just shot some guys outside our house What!The family lawyer yelled, did you shoot someone?do you have No, I wouldn't call the police either.How many people want to kidnap me What!who? Donna, calm down, he said, do you want to listen? Donna took a few deep breaths, as if trying to drive out her professional personality.The incident was narrated for nearly an hour, occasionally interspersed with her questions, backtracking, and her younger brother’s faltering lies. It was quite typical and crazy, and the password part was explained in extreme detail; it was also mentioned that Klimt was in The role played by the family, and Caroline.Lori's Strange Story.Finally Donna was satisfied when the kitchenette was uncomfortably warm and the wine bottle had dropped about two inches from its height. Donna glanced at her notes and, by the way, at her watch. Well, let's review before that guy comes over.First of all, you can't claim that Boothrow deliberately defrauded you to get the manuscript, because you don't have the right to sell it, and neither does your companion Lori.The two of you conspired to steal and embezzle property that belonged to your employer, so the main thing I'll do is convince Mishkin to forget about the damn thing and go home.You really should have told me sooner. Nobody steals, Donna.Her brother said, I explained to you that Mr. Glaser told us to destroy those books, so we destroyed them.He got all the money from the sale of the maps and illustrations, and the rest of the items were insured.It's like a scrap car, and the junker pays ten dollars and doesn't have to return it even if he finds a CD in the front seat. Thank you for your clarification, barrister, you probably went to a different law school than mine.Whoever finds it belongs to him. This rule only applies to the game field. If you, a scrap collector, find a diamond ring in that scrap car, do you still think he can give it to his girlfriend? Why not?Quesetti said. Because having a diamond ring in the car does not meet his reasonable expectations, if the rightful owner happens to see the ring on his girlfriend's hand, he can sue him, and he will surely win.When Glaser gave you those books, he didn't expect that there was a manuscript involving a large sum of money in them. When you found out, it was your duty to tell him how much his property increased in value, not to take it. for your own use. So even if I find a painting at a garage sale that I know is by Rembrandt but the seller doesn't, I have to tell the seller?Can't I just give her ten dollars and sell that painting for ten million? This is a completely different situation.For you to profit legally from superior knowledge, you must own the painting before you sell it.By the way, that's exactly what Bootstrapping did to you, kinda dodgy but perfectly legal.Also, you never owned the book with the manuscript in it, Glaser was and is the owner, in fact I would suggest you contact him now and tell him what's going on. Oh no. You idiot, listen carefully!You steal something worth between $50,000 and $100,000, and a few minutes later, some guy is going to show up, and he thinks the value of that item is part of his trust.As a legal person, what do you think he would do?Especially when we have to tell him that the priceless item actually belongs to someone else and that when you sold it to his client it wasn't yours at all? Listen to her, Albert.Mary Peg's voice was rather stern. Queseti got up and strode out of the room, feeling agitated.The sane part of him convinced himself that the manuscript incident was some kind of hoax, and that he had been adequately punished in Bootstrapp's deception; from a moral standpoint, he convinced himself to atone.He wants three women to impress him most in this world. Except for Luo Li, now he is sitting with the other two, and they agree that he is a rare jerk and a fraudster.The weight of the family weighed on him.Despite their love for him, they were disappointed in him. He was not the hero his father played. graduate.He was a little tipsy from drinking too much, and he figured he'd better go upstairs and shoot himself, and maybe save everyone the trouble. But he doesn't because he's really an educated young man from a loving family, it's just that he occasionally, like now, imagines himself a tortured neurotic artist, so what he does is pulls out his phone , call Sidney in Los Angeles.Glaser.Of course he already saved Glaser's cell phone number in his cell phone.Glaser answered on the third ring. Although the old man is a stickler for tradition, the cell phone is his exception. albert!What happened? It's all right, the shop is fine.Mr. Ge, I have something to disturb you, and I need an answer now. which thing? Well, uh, it may take a long time to talk, is it convenient for you to talk now? No problem, I was going to buy dinner but it's okay to talk, what the hell is going on? Well, it has something to do with that set of The Churchill Brothers' Voyages, you know those books, the ones that got burned in the fire and you ordered Caroline to destroy? yes i rememberWhat's wrong? I was wondering what happened to the rest, I mean the books that got ripped out The other end of the phone paused.Did the Greater New York insurance company call you? no it has nothing to do with insurance Because, ah, what they're paying is way off compared to what we're going to get at the auction, so, uh listen, Albert, if they call you, if they do Here it is, please forward it directly to me, understand?Don't tell them anything about mutilating books, or what Lori did, don't tell them anything, I mean the illustrations, the maps, the spine work, it's pretty trivial stuff, you know the insurance personnel Sorry for the spine processing? Yes, Lori said she had a customer who wanted to buy the spines, she could polish the books, dehumidify them and all, and sell them, so I moved them all over to her, there should be a check in the file, but the point is Sorry to interrupt you, Mr. Ge, when did this happen? Oh, it was the day after the fire, and she came down from upstairs and asked me if I could play with the damaged scrap books, leather, etc. You know she's an amateur bookbinder? Mary Peg yells: Albert?Come back and discuss!Quesetti covered the microphone with his thumb and shouted: Wait a minute, Mom, I'm talking on the phone with Mr. Ge. The phone conversation continued and he said: Yes, yes, I know, did you really sell her those books? That's right, those old books and prints, I remember she bought them for 30 yuan a volume, I really don't want to worry about those things, she has been doing this small business for several years, Worth of books were neatly rebound and sold to decorators who would then sell them, I guess to illiterates, to hide storage cabinets full of booze.Well, what the hell are you going to tell me? Quesetti broke out a question about how he should record the amount of fire damage in his accounting books, and he got a short answer immediately, and the call ended.He immediately relaxed, and at the same time he was surprised by what he just knew: the relaxation was because the legal issues of the original manuscript owner had been clarified; the surprise was because Luo Li had made him think that there were suspicious shadows lurking behind those transactions, but actually no.So why did she allow him to take the manuscripts?Why was she acting like someone was going to blackmail her into getting the manuscript?Why did she use this fictitious crime as a means to get him to sell his hand to Bustrow?None of this made sense, how the hell was he going to tell his sister all this? He went back to the kitchen, mentioned the conversation, and then, as he thought, Donna raised as many objections as he had just thought of, but he cut her off because now he was on his feet.Donna, none of this matters, I'm the owner of Brace Godo's manuscript anyway, and Rollie isn't here, and Glaser isn't going to mess with it, because I think he's trying to defraud insurance companies with damaged manuscripts, and he's probably proposing Total loss, but forgot to say that he had sold the maps and pictures.So this part of the problem has been solved. I don't know.Donna said the insurance company might state that they own the artifacts and that they paid for them. Then let them bring it up.Quesetti said suddenly, at the same time, is it possible for us to get the manuscript back? You can also mention it.Donna replied equally excitedly. Children, said Mary Peg in a familiar tone, calm down.If no one was stealing, our situation would be completely different, thank God, why don't we wait and see what Mr. Mishkin has to say.I'm more worried about the kidnapping that just happened, I'm going to call Patty, I think the police have to get involved. So she went to the kitchen phone, but before she could make a call, the doorbell rang and Mary Peg went to the door and saw a huge man in a black leather coat with short hair and a shaved face. A dark and tough expression.In this moment of terror, Quesetti thought he was probably one of the ones who had just attacked him, but just as he was about to step up to deal with it, Quesetti realized that the man was not a villain, despite all those rigid features, there was a gleam in his eyes. Looking sad, Quesetti thought of his father, who was also a man with a tough and sad expression. Mary Page thinks they'll be more comfortable in the living room, but what she really means is: stay away from those ugly jelly glasses on the dining table and the smell of red wine.So they went together to the living room, which was shabby and full of trinkets and portraits on the walls.She said she wanted to make coffee, and asked if she could help hang Mr. Mishkin's coat? Once they were all seated, Donna was quick to reveal that she was in charge.She told the big man her identity, and she would speak on behalf of the family for the time being, and state the basic facts of the case: that is, her brother visited Professor Booth Zhuo out of goodwill and asked him to identify the seventeen century manuscript, Professor Buschrow breached his professional responsibility by failing to provide an honest appraisal; in fact, he lied about the contents of the manuscript, which actually contained valuable additional material of considerable value to Shakespeare scholarship , So Buszrow learned from Albert.Quesetti bought the document, but the price he paid was far lower than the real value of the document. No court would judge that this was a fair transaction, so how does Mishkin want to deal with it? Mishkin said: Mr. Quesetti, there is nothing I can do.That's right, actually I'm here for another purpose, the reason why I'm personally involved in this matter is that Professor Buscher came to see me before he died, and bought him from Mr. Quesetti The incoming manuscripts are in our office.He came for some intellectual property advice, and that's all I could offer.Then a woman showed up, claiming to be his heir, and we put her in a safe house.I personally have not dealt with the manuscript business. Then why are you here?Donna asked, and then noticing the meaning of his language, she asked again: Also, what does claiming to be his heir mean? Oh, that's right, we seem to have encountered a scam group.I thought the lady was the deceased's niece Miranda.Kellogg, she then left with the manuscript, whereabouts are currently unknown. Are you kidding me!Donna was very surprised. Miss Quesetti, I also hope I'm joking, but I admit it's all because of my mistakes.The woman impressed me with her rhetoric, so I gave her the manuscript. Mishkin turned to Quesetti with sad eyes, and you asked me why I came to see you.Please tell me, have you or anyone else close to you been threatened? Quesetti and the third sister Donna quickly exchanged glances, and then replied: That's right, in fact, a few guys wanted to kidnap me not long ago. Was it two men, one very muscular and one smaller, using a black van as a means of transportation? That's right, that's it, how do you know? They attacked me last week too, and I managed to fight them off that time.But not long after, they broke into my house, beat my assistant, took the manuscript and the man who was said to be Miranda.Kellogg's women disappeared together.I thought she had been kidnapped, but now it looks like she's one of them.I can only assume that the first attack was intended to reassure me that I and the woman were on the same page, but otherwise we were dealing with two different enemies.Speaking of which, Mr. Quisetti, I think you know a Caroline Caroline listed on Bustrow's calendar.Lori. Yeah, that's right, I know Caroline.Lori, she's the one who discovered the manuscript hidden in the book.Do you know where she is? I don't know, but Miranda.Miss Kellogg called me after she disappeared to tell me that another one named Lori was involved.I don't know yet if she's a victim, or part of the mob, but she's clearly aware that you haven't sold all the manuscripts, and there are a few pages that are apparently encrypted and still in your possession.Those guys behind the scenes know you have the manuscripts and they want them too. But the papers were useless, and Quesetti protested: those were undecipherable literal purgatory, and anyone who wanted them could take them now.Do you want to?you can take away the stupid paper I don't want you to hand over your property under threat of violence.Donna told her brother. do not wish?Then why don't you take it away? What to take?Mary Pegg said she walked in with a tray full of coffee mugs and a plate of biscotti. Albert wanted to show the thugs the encrypted manuscript.Donna said. Bullshit, said Mary Peg, handing everyone the coffee mat, we will not give in to violence.She sat down beside her son. Well, it looks like we are all involved in this event in some way, why don't we all tell our stories from the beginning, just like in the novel, and then decide together what action to take. Mom, you are crazy!Donna yelled that we should call the police and give them all the trouble. My dear, the police have other things to worry about besides encrypted letters and deliberate kidnapping.I'll let Patty know what's going on, but I'm not sure about her reaction, the police can't have guards on everyone's house 24/7.We have to figure out the whole situation ourselves, which is exactly what we can do.Beyond that, my Irish heritage calls me, I don't like people who bully me with violence, and if that happens, I'll get tough. At these words, Mary Peg's children all stared at her.For the first time in years, they were reminded of the frightening events of their childhood.Every child in the family attended the nearby Catholic Holy Family School, and they could be considered the last generation of American Catholic children to be educated by nuns.As a mother, Mary Peg is different from other parents. She never listens to the nonsense of the nuns. As long as she feels that there is any injustice, disregard, or dereliction of duty between the nuns and their children, she will appear in the In the pale corridors of the school, words of confrontation and unremitting efforts were made.Even if the nuns asked her not to come to the school to make trouble again, she didn't care.In a way, the Quesetti kids still believed that since their mother could take on a fire-breathing nun as tall as a giant, a few gangsters would be no problem. Why don't you start, Mr. Mishkin?she says. Jack.Mishkin replied. Like Jack in "Chinatown".Nixon's Jack.Mary Pegg said. Of course I don't want that, said Mishkin, taking a small notebook from his breast pocket.Look, on October 11th, Boothrow came to my office for intellectual property advice. He told the full story, and with Osip.Shavnov's dialogue ended with mention of Shavnov's refusal to admit to any brutality involved. Do you trust him?Mary Peg asked him. Not entirely convinced.He did ask me about the encrypted letters, the people who wanted to kidnap you because they wanted something you had, which must be the encrypted letters, but you said you couldn't break them. The three of Quesetti's family quickly looked at each other, and after contemplating for a while, Quesetti said they couldn't crack it and explained why.Then Mary Pegg said: Albert, do you know what that stands for? Quesetti said: I don't know.He told a little lie because he didn't want to face the horrible truth. For me, then, things are clear.His mother said that now only two living people know that there are coded letters in the book, and that is you and Luo Li, who are the only people you said you can trust completely Ah, yes!What about Klimt? Believe it completely, that means that this woman named Luo Li has been hiding behind the scenes of all events since the first day. certainly not. No, it's true, Albert, let's face it!Who told you to sell the manuscript to Boothrow?It's Lori.Who disappeared to England after you sold to Boothrow?Also Lori.Bustrow must have discovered something in England, they might have been together, and then he came back to New York, and then someone tried to force him to tell the truth, even to kill him.How would the killer know what he found?It's Lori! Mom, this is so fantastic.You have no evidence at all to say that Luo Li is a bad person, she may be just another victim, and she may have been tortured, so the person behind the mirror knew about the password letter. Mom, he was right, Donna said, the defense lawyer personality in her came out, and we don't know enough to say for sure that Caroline.Whether Lori is guilty.Unless Xiao Ai leaked it indirectly, the knowledge of the code letter still depends on her.Also, this is clearly a criminal case. boom! It was coming from the street, and the three Quesettis knew right away what that meant, they wouldn't say I thought it was just fireworks or a car engine backfiring or something stupid in their house.Within a few seconds, there was continuous gunfire, and everyone panicked. Mary Pegg reached out to grab the wireless phone, glass shattered all over the floor, and heavy footsteps sounded. Three burly men broke into the room, and everyone panicked. With a large 9mm semi-automatic pistol.One of them yelled at Mary Pegg to put down the phone. She ignored him and continued to dial 119. When the operator answered the phone, she gave the address twice and said: Someone shot, Home invasion incidents.Before the phone was ripped off from her hand, a man grabbed her by the neck and pointed a gun at her temple. fifth encrypted letter My lord, in the past five months, I have not received any letter from you, what should I do?Shakespeare said that he would not put his Queen Mary play into the hands of anyone but Lord Rochester or his men.Shall I steal it from him and send it to you?Mr Wells died this week, stabbed to death in Minsing Lane. London, 2nd December, 1610 Your most loyal servant Richard.Brace Godou respectfully