Chapter 20 Chapter Nineteen

The prison people were waiting for us, and Mrs. Coldwell, the deputy warden, even welcomed us herself.She was of Mrs Thatcher's build, of Polish descent, and spoke with an accent.I was wondering how long ago Paul had been planning this trip to the prison?Could it be that he expected to visit Basco, the prisoner, when he first knew that I was involved with Buschau and the mysterious manuscript?Unlikely, but I'm not too surprised, Paul is very smart.Historically, his predecessors in the Jesuits had governed an entire country, so for these priests, defeating Russian gangsters and Jewish villains may not be much of a challenge.

The prison is a Class D institution, what the Queen of England calls an Unsecured Prison, or we could call Her Majesty's Country Club.In fact, Spring Hill Gaol had once been a private residence, and according to Mrs. Coldwell, the people who lived in it were criminals and reforming themselves.Of course we can see Mr. Basco, he's a model prisoner, and we can stay as long as we like. Basko was a small, unattractive man with a scrupulous look in his blue silk shirt, ecru wool, tweed trousers, and polished loafers.His tiny monkey eyes drifted under heavy, polished glasses, and his hair was dyed a disgusting yellow and combed back from his collar.He spoke with an upper-class English accent, and the original sin of pride was tormenting him.As a clergyman, it was Paul's duty to wake him up and give him a chance to repent, but unfortunately, I have to tell you that he didn't.

We met in Basco's room, which was a comfortable place, like a hotel room, one of those cozy shabby hotels the English love.The furniture is standard in the dormitory, but Basco is decorated with picture frames and manuscript reproductions; the bed is decorated with art deco bedspreads, pillows of various colors, and old oriental rugs, which may be genuine.He reclined on a pile of throw pillows, while we sat upright in our chairs, and he made us a serious tea. We begin with old Bustrow, who Busch has heard of his death but is hungry for more.So we broke the news to him, but we didn't deny the police theory that he might have been the victim of intense sex.Then Paul talked about a deal with Basco, and I didn't quite understand it at the time.Is the money paid off?Paul replied that he had paid, and handed Basco a note, which he checked and put away.After that, he leaned on his cushion like a big official, folded his long and slender hands, and looked up at the soundproof tiles with misty eyes.

Then he proceeded to tell us how he had pulled off the deception; that is, he told us that the Bracegordo manuscript was a forgery.He provides minute details, including the origin of the paper, the raw materials of the ink, how to forge or cheat the dating technology and so on.Someone contacted him. He didn't say who it was, but said that the other party gave him what he should write and provided him with suitable materials.in prison?I asked him.He said it was easy, even if I printed ten-pound banknotes in this nursing home, no one would pay attention. He had already finished the work, then smuggled the pages out, and got paid.He also advises his mystery clients on how to run a scam, the important thing is to delay as long as possible and let the target work for himself, so he will think he found it himself.So make your first hint as evidence from an ancient book, trick it in front of naive witnesses, and then introduce Boothrow as an expert.

Why are you looking for Bustrow?Basco laughed meanly. He said: Young people, once bitten by a snake, are afraid of grass ropes for ten years.The best target is someone who wants to recover his previous losses. The poor guy never learns to behave.In response to Paul's question, he began to describe how he created the so-called coded letter. There is nothing more fascinating than a code. Gentlemen, as I said, you have to let the victim have something to do.Including letting the other party discover the indispensable Katange, after which he smacked his lips and showed how to arrange the search for the long-lost treasure.He was very detailed, very eloquent, and surprisingly intricate.It is also necessary to place a counterfeiter's spy among the target's associates, preferably a chick, and if the deceived target starts to hesitate, it is best to give a little sexy sweetness. Shakespeare's manuscripts are delivered to the target of the scam, who then sells the manuscript to the real target, a rich moron.Needless to say, because this ruse will only work against the illiterate, there is no way to actually forge a Shakespeare play, all it takes is a junior researcher to catch you, so you have to find a rich People with brains, get it.Then there must be a mysterious handover procedure, the manuscript is exchanged for money, and then they leave.In the last scene, the woman took away the money for the dead ghost, without anyone noticing, and then you succeeded.

After Basco paused, Paul said, "Okay, let's see how good you are."Then he took from his briefcase what looked to be a folio of ancient paper, a small glass jar of mahogany ink, and three quills.When Basco saw these things, his face lit up, like a mother seeing her own baby, he quickly got up and picked up the materials, sat down at his small table, carefully examined the paper, held it up in front of the lamp , making a sound of admiration.Then he opened the inkpot and smelled it, rubbing a little ink between his thumb and forefinger. best.He finally said that the paper is authentic from the seventeenth century, and the ink is also a mixture of tallow, soot and ox gall. I deduce that the ink is extracted from ancient documents?

certainly.Paul said. so amazing!Where did you get it? The Vatican Library, Paul said, is selling its holdings. Basco grinned, and you're right to say so.After he answered, he didn't say anything more, and immediately started trimming the goose feathers with the cutting tool knife provided by Paul.While he was at work, Paul pulled out a photocopied sheet of paper that I recognized as part of our Bracecracker manuscript.Buskow got his quill ready, tested it a few times on scrap paper, and set to work.We sat and waited while Paul pulled out his daily prayer book and murmured as if we were in a Catholic Benedictine, except for the bells.

alright!Basco said, hand over the paper, what do you think? We took a look, and he copied the first ten lines of Bracegard's manuscript a total of three times. Pretty cool, at least that's how it looks to me. Paul seemed satisfied too, so he started to pack up what we had brought, including the practice forgery paper, and put it back in his briefcase.Basco reluctantly watched the paper and ink disappear. I waited until I got back in the car and asked: Can you tell me what that was about? It was a forged document, I told you before, the whole thing was an elaborate hoax. Seems like so, what did you mention paying for when you first started?

Basco has a boyfriend, and he wants to keep him, and that's why he's in the forgery business, and that's why he's agreed to talk to us.I've arranged for his boyfriend to receive a big check. Are you sponsoring illegal activities? Not at all, Mr. Basco is safe in prison, unable to engage in any illegal activities.He's worried about his close lover being forced to sell himself on the street, which is commendable, and he wants to support his boyfriend, and I believe it's pure charity to help him. You're the perfect hypocrite, aren't you? Paul smiled, far from perfect, Jack.Interestingly, this young man who enjoyed Basco's generous support was also the one who provided a confession in the Hamlet case and made Basco go to jail.

So how on earth do you figure this out? Oh, I have some tricks.The Jesuits are a global organization, and I sent someone to speak to Basco, and then I asked the story, in total secrecy, of course, and I called Basco before we left. So what do we do now? What would we do if that document was real?Do that now.Paul said.Go through all the steps to get the fake play and give it to the gangsters so you and your family can stay out of trouble. What about the gangster?What should we do with Buscher?Or what about the gang that was sent to kill me and I shot?Get them out of the way? That's up to you, Jack, you're from the legal system, I'm not, and my only interest is getting this trouble out of the way.

The car is now heading in the direction of Oxford.Mr. Brown, the driver, said that when we just went to the prison, someone followed us and is still following us.Paul was pleased with this, because it would convince the gangsters that we had gone to Basco to add important details to our forgery theory.What was I thinking after the fact was revealed?I'm plotting how to use them to get me to see Miranda again.Kellogg, whoever she is, I want to see her.I always say my son Nico has OCD, and he does, poor little guy, but you know, like a son, like a father. I pulled out my phone and dialed, not because I wanted to talk to Quesetti, but as the psychiatrist said, it was a vicarious behavior, like animals licking their genitals in anxious situations; higher animals pull out their cigarettes instead , or take out your mobile phone which has become popular recently.I was annoyed to hear the voicemail saying that the number I dialed is currently unavailable, is that person really stupid enough to turn off his phone?I hung up the phone and called again to book a suite at the Dorchester, which is a surrogate for someone like me paying big bucks.During the drive, we uploaded tapes of our conversations with Basco to my laptop and burned them to CD.Paul took the CD, but I refrained from asking why. A few hours later, I got off at the hotel.The atmosphere in the car was rather nonchalant, there was no dramatic confrontation to break the awkward situation, we discussed safety measures and Mr. Brown assured us that his people would take care of me in town. These must cost a lot of money.I said. Yes, Paul said, but you don't have to pay for it yourself. What?My law firm will never pay. No, Emma will pay. Whose idea is this? Her idea, she insisted on doing it, she wanted us to be safe. And of course get a detailed report of what I was doing.I replied, in a tone of uncharacteristic malice, and Paul ignored me, as he often does when I speak in this tone.We shook hands, or I should say I wanted to shake his hand, but he hugged me, and I don't really like that kind of thing.It's going to be all right, he's talking so nicely and with a smile on his face that I have to soften my expression.I hate him for being like this. My room was blue, carefully furnished in the Dorchester style, cluster after cluster, without missing a single point of show.I called Quisetti again, same result.I called Quesetti at odd hours the next day, but no luck.At breakfast the next morning, I got a call from Quesetti. When he said he was at Emmarie's house in Zurich, I felt a surge of anger and jealousy, so excited that I almost knocked over the glass of orange juice.Some will project their guilt onto the wounded wife, either accusing her of infidelity or subtly encouraging her to have an affair in order to justify their actions.Everyone does it.This sentence can get you out of a moral dilemma, and then we can all continue to fall.Did I really encourage Quesetti?Did he take it seriously?Emily really? My moral universe trembles at the thought, my face is sweating, and I have to undo the first button on my collar to get enough air into my lungs.In this disgusting moment, I understood that Emmarie was the gold standard of honesty and chastity, and that if she too were corrupt, all virtue would disappear from the world, and all pleasure would be reduced to rubbish. After a few long seconds, I snapped into the microphone: Have you slept with my wife yet?You son of a bitch!The booming voice echoed in Dorchester's elegant dining room, and the heads of several neighboring tables turned. He replied in a very surprised tone: What?Of course not, me and Caroline.Lori together. Lori?when did she show up While at Oxford, she was fleeing Shavnoff's gang. And you decided to use me and my baby to protect her?You bastard! Calm down, Jack, I think that's a good move, how could they think of coming to Zurich to find her or me?Or look for that thing?And I have some progress here I hate this!Get the hell out of there and find another place!I know this sounds very stupid, but Quesetti and Emmarie were making me sick all over. OK, we'll go to a hotel, but it's important if you listen to me. I told him to fart quickly, and his tone was very grumpy.Great story, long story short Lori stole a copy of Kadange from the gangsters and they managed to crack the coded letter.I try to recall now how I felt when I heard the news, but the truth is I felt nothing because I knew the whole thing was a hoax.I told him to email me the deciphered file and asked him: So does that indicate where the script is hidden? It said he had buried the things and then waited for instructions.He had betrayed Lord Dumbarton, and wanted to use the play as proof of his scheme.He may have waited for the instructions he wanted and dug out the play.What happened to the script after that, no one knows. Wait a minute, one of the encrypted letters was for someone else? Yes, to the Earl of Rochester, who rivals Lord Dumbarton.Apparently Dumbarton's plot was discovered, so he wanted to get rid of Bracegrave and Shakespeare at the same time to annihilate the evidence.Bryce Grace panicked, so he went to the theater safe to search for some money on the run, but he was caught and told Shakespeare everything, so they decided to call it a day.There are a few pages missing from the letter, but it's still pretty clear that Shakespeare knew people in high places who could vouch for the whole thing, and that they wrote in the same cipher. Are they not afraid that Dumbarton might get the letter and decode it? Fear not, it's the ingenuity of the code, all you need is the Katange, which is easy to reproduce, and a reference sheet to compare to a page in the Geneva Bible, and you're all set.However, unless you really know which page of the Bible it is, you can't answer it.He must have been the one who handed Rochester the Kadange, the cipher letter, and the reference sheet himself, and I told him I wasn't interested in those details, just: So we still don't know what happened to the play? have no idea.He wrote that he knew the bearings, things were in safe places, not sure what that meant, apparently we still need the range finder he invented. Oh well, I'll check out the Portobello market, which specializes in second-hand clothing and antiques.That's all?A dead end? It seems so, boss, unless someone keeps Bracecracker's treasure.But it's still the biggest Shakespeare discovery ever made and should be worth a fortune to the Fogg Shakespeare Library. Yes, so what are you going to do now? Back in New York, I thought, Lori had the code, so she'd want to sell it.Emma said you know the big names in Shakespeare studies. I know, Mitch.How about Haas? Hmm, maybe you could ask him to handle the deal on the condition that he get priority seeing the work or something. I am glad to.If you want to go back with me, we're leaving on Thursday night, the day after tomorrow.Also, Quesetti, please forget what I said about Emmarie and telling you to leave her house, I've been a little crazy lately. Why didn't I tell him the whole thing was a hoax?I can't think of it, it must be my fear of airing the finale of the hoax early and never seeing Miranda again.Maybe I'm not just a little crazy. The next day, when Paul and I met for breakfast in Dorchester, I printed out Quesetti's e-mail and handed it to him.He sat reading his emails while I sipped my coffee, and after he had finished I asked him what he thought. So clever, he said, that even I wish it was all true. Afterwards, we discussed Mickey and the dead Boothrow, the life of a scholar, Mary Queen of Scots, and why no one can pinpoint exactly what she did.Did she really plot to kill her husband?What the hell had she got to marry Bushwell who was acting like a madman?Did she write the letter plotting to assassinate Elizabeth?Why had she never stopped to think in her life? I said I don't know, to me it's all a story on PBS "Master Theater" and I'm not interested.But this is not the first time that the fate of the country rests on one person, and this person is always delusional about someone. Yes, but what did Shakespeare think of her?I mean, he has absolutely nothing to do with Cleopatra or Lady Macbeth or women in historical dramas.But now he has a wealth of material, all from the time of his grandparents, which he must have heard people talk about as a child, especially in the predominantly Catholic area of ​​Warwickshire. Oh, we'll never know, will we?Speaking of treason, have you heard from the Russians? Not even a shadow, I don't believe you are not interested in these at all, you should be the romantic one in the family. I?I'm the boring one, is intellectual property law interesting?You're a war hero and a priest. The least romantic profession. please!There is nothing more romantic than being a priest, and remoteness is the very essence of romance, which is more than half the reason for attracting fools, the obsession with celibacy.Plus, you guys can dress like women without looking ridiculous. It's not too ridiculous, Paul said with a smile, although I remember that you were the one who stole Mom's clothes. Oh, are you trying to drive me crazy, I never wear Yes, you have, you and Mi Rui are always looking through her wardrobe, if you don't believe me, you can ask her.Oh yes, she asked me to say hello to you. Where is she? Still on the road, she called last night to find out what we were up to, but didn't want to appear inquisitive.you knowShe often asks you vaguely, but in fact, if she asked directly, you would be more than happy to tell her. Yes, and asking something out of her mouth is like digging out crab meat.Does the trip mean she is in Europe? I think so, Paul replied vaguely, and I got the impression she was going to see Dad. how about you?Are you going to join them? Maybe, now that I'm all here.he said, still with his annoying smile. You forgive him all? My job responsibilities. And he's deeply sorry for everything he's done? Not at all, he didn't say anything to Mi Rui or me about the situation at that time, and he didn't mention his mother.He thinks I'm a jerk and a clown, and treats Miri like a servant.As far as I know, he hasn't changed at all, except he's older, richer, more corrupt, keeps getting younger women for sex, oh of course politically he's a total fascist, worse than the Israeli right party Want to be rightists, think that Arabs should die, long live the Israeli rightist Prime Minister Sharon, and the like. Well, Paul, you're out of your mind, why waste your time on him? This time it's his shrugging, filial duty, maybe this way Mi Rui doesn't have to bear the burden alone, or maybe I still hope he can find a suitable position so that I can give him what he needs. What is it? I'm not sure either, confession and reconciliation?Besides, he's my father, and though he's a dirty bastard, he's still a part of me; and besides, it does me good to see him once in a while, and you should try it sometime. I said don't count me in, but he didn't force me.He never pushed me, and I can't remember the rest of the conversation, but I distinctly remember the next time I saw my brother, around ten o'clock that night, he burst into my room and told me, my kid disappeared. Of course, Emma called my cell phone first, but I absolutely hate cell phones and always turn them off during meetings.And that evening I forgot to turn it back on, and I also remembered that I forgot to tell her I was staying at the Dorchester instead of my usual Knightsbridge, so she couldn't find me and had to call Paul. Of course I called her right away, and she told me in a dead voice.Emmale took the children to ice-skate around their house, and skating was Nicole's only physical activity, so his mother always took him to the rink.His skating pattern was obsessively circling in circles, staring at the ice; Imogen was an excellent figure skater, fond of any kind of showmanship.They went out with Quesetti and his girlfriend, and then they went to drink hot chocolate, and the kid finished first and then ran outside to wait, and that's what kids do.By the time the adults had finished their coffee and pastries and went out to check, the child had disappeared.A passer-by told her that a car pulled over, a blonde woman poked her head out the window, struck up a conversation with them, and the two children voluntarily jumped into the car.She thought they knew the woman in the car, or she would have sounded the warning.Of course my first thought was that it was Miranda, and I have to admit, I was glad in that moment that even though she was a criminal who kidnapped my child, in a way she was back in my life. In life, I must see her again! I'll be there right away, and I tell my wife I can be there before seven o'clock. But she said she didn't want me to go because it happened because I wasn't there, because I ruined the family and let dirty things invade the home that was supposed to be a safe haven.And now you're pretending to offer me comfort?I don't want your comfort, you have no comfort to give.Now that your kid is kidnapped by a gang, you are freer to do what you want.Do you want to know how I feel?I think how stupid I am to want to raise a child with a man like you, I think I can make up for everything with love, I can spread a blanket of love to wrap us all up, so that in this terrible In the world, there is a corner exclusive to us.But no, you don't want these, you tore up my poor little blanket, now what are you going to do?Jack, where do you stand to grieve for your children?Will you miss them terribly?I don't even know that, so how can you come and sit with me and comfort me? And she said a bunch of stuff like that, and I apologized and defended myself and said, For God's sake, what the hell are you doing, Emma?Did you call the police?She has a lot of things to do and I want her to focus on them, not to mention I want her to pay attention to my thoughts, which I'm not ready to share with her: The sole purpose of these people taking my child , hoping to exchange them for that item.But I haven't got the thing yet, and if Quesetti is right, there's not much hope of getting it.We kept talking like people in a postmodernist drama, and finally she said she didn't want to talk to me anymore and asked to speak to Paul, and I handed him the phone and sat on the bed, feeling sluggish and unable to move.I stared at the desk directly in front of my eyes, covered with neatly stacked papers and colorful folders containing my latest legal business, my laptop glowing alluringly, and The devil put a thought in my head, oh well, I still have my job; it's a pity not to have a family, but it's okay and then I realized, what the hell was my old job doing, in that At the time, I completely lost my mind. I roared like Donkey Kong and started tearing down the room.I knocked over the desk, smashed the mirror with the chair, crackled the laptop in the bathroom, threw a rather heavy Regency armchair out the window, and then tried to get all the papers and business The bag was thrown away.Paul overpowered me with difficulty.Of course I was stronger than him, but he held me and it hurt.After a few seconds of agonizing futility, my rage collapsed into a sob and I believe I cried and screamed for a while before the police came because the window was broken.But Paul took care of the situation, because people always think that if the priest is there, everything is innocent. After I calmed down with anti-anxiety medication, the expected phone call came.Paul answered the hotel room phone and handed it to me in an accented voice, Russian maybe, but not Shavnov.The guy wasn't threatening at all, he explained he wasn't a savage, your kid was safe and comfortable, not strapped to a chair in an abandoned warehouse or anything, and neither you nor your wife should be Stupid enough to call the police.I assure him we won't.He said it could all be sorted out in a very civilized way, because I must know what they want, and as soon as I get it I'm going to put an ad on so-and-so's website and they'll contact me.I told him I had absolutely no idea what the hell he was talking about, but he said he was patient and had faith in me and hung up.As soon as I hung up the phone, the phone beeped with a new message, so I went to voicemail, and there was a picture of two kids smiling, and Imogen's message: Hi Daddy, we're fine and healthy , and not tortured like in the movie, don't worry, okay?They call it Proof of Meatball's survival, very professional approach, and she does sound good. Okay, fast forward, Paul left. He wanted to stay and talk to me, but I kicked him out, mainly because he was afraid of this kind of kidnapping.I was alone in my dilapidated suite, the hotel had covered the windows with thick plastic sheets, but I told them I would pack it up myself so I could get back my important confidential papers.When I carefully sorted the papers and stuffed them into my briefcase, my eyes fell on a stack of printed documents. I couldn't recognize them at once. After a closer look, it was the Bracelet that Nico had prepared for me. The family tree, I almost threw them in the trash before I realized it was a family tree of female descendants, I never saw the diagram.I was sitting by the bed looking through the pile of papers and found Richard.There is a living direct female descendant of Brace Godou named Mary.Evans was born in Newtown, Maryland, in 1921, and still lives there. It's 9:30 p.m. EST, and I jotted down the number and called.It was a woman who answered the phone, but not herself, she told me sadly Mary.Evans has passed away, recently passed away, and the person who spoke to me was Sheila.McCork, she attended the same Catholic church as Miss Evans.Mary, who has just passed away, is the pillar of the parish, and Mrs. McCork is helping to clean the house, my God!There are so many antiques!I said I was calling from London, England, which impressed her.I asked her if she had lost anything from Miss Evans?No, not yet, why ask?I told him that I was the attorney for the Bracegowdo family and I wanted to look at Miss Evans's house and see if there was anything of significant monumental value, would that be possible?She thinks it should be fine.I wrote down her home number and made an appointment to meet the next day. Well, I guess I'm a little crazy to believe such an all-or-nothing gamble, but one has to be crazy to survive in such a miserable situation.I called Quesetti and told him to come to London at once and be at my command, because I had an American lead to follow, and if it was any good, I needed someone in London.There was a moment of silence on the phone line, and he said shouldn't he stay with Emily?I said this might be our only chance of finding that thing.Once arranged, I started contacting private jets. I had already flown across the Atlantic before 6:00 the next morning, and due to the favorable wind, I arrived at Baltimore-Washington Airport in a little more than seven hours.Three hours after landing, I arrived in Newtown, Maryland, in my rented Lincoln, and pulled up in front of a plain white wooden house nestled among dead oaks and dogwoods.Mrs. McCork was a stout woman in her fifties, with a cheerful, homely face, in country overalls, an apron, and gloves.There was a heavy atmosphere in the room, as if the long-lived life had been deprived of life by the god of death. Cardboard boxes were lined up, and Mrs. McCork distinguished which ones were worth selling and which ones were garbage, and her movements were very neat.She told me that Miss Evans was an old girl (she used an ancient vocabulary that is now very strange), and it was a sad story, that she had a fiancé who died in the war, and that her father lived too long, that she Having to take care of him, she never married.Poor thing, and yes, she's a descendant of Brace Godou, mother's side, Catholic of course.She comes from an old family that came to America in 1679.Well, looking at her remains, it looks like they haven't lost anything since 1680!I first looked at the box containing the books. There was an old Dua Bible, broken leather.Brace Godou, the most primitive immigrant.Apparently Margaret was married in America, and her children were all married, and the surnames are lost in the written records, but the memory remains, because quite a few people in the genealogy retain their ancestors' names : Richard, Clermont, Ann, Kyle, etc. Putting the old Bible aside, I rummaged through the bottom of the cardboard box. I found a quarto Bible, the red bound calfskin almost black with time, and the blank pages of the front and back covers browned and bloated with moisture, but all the pages were still there, The binding is also complete.Signed in faded mahogany ink on the blank page is Richard.Brace Godou, the handwriting is very familiar. When I flipped through the preface of the catalog, I noticed that this is the edition of 1598. There are many small pinhole marks in the Genesis part, and the same handwriting is used on the blank page on the back cover. A series of letters are written, arranged in fourteen lines of varying lengths. I snapped the book shut and Mrs. McCork looked up from her sorting and asked if I had found anything I liked. Yes, I found it, do you know what it is? Looks like a bible. Yes, it is a Geneva Bible of 1598, belonging to Richard.Brace Godou owns, he is your friend's ancestor. real?Is it worth it? Oh yes.I guess, because of the state of damage, the retail price came to about 2,500 dollars, but this is not a perfect version; Ten years, so that's a lot. OMG!Two thousand five hundred dollars!Like the TV show Antique Treasure Hunt. That's almost it, I'm going to write you a check for $2,500, which is better than what you got from the dealer. You are very generous, Mr. Mishkin.Are you interested in holiday supplies?We both laughed then. Not really interested, but I'm looking for something else, old family papers mention what looks like an old measuring tool, maybe made of brass? Measuring tools?No, I think not.You mean a tripod, plus a telescope? It doesn't necessarily look like this, it should be portable, about a foot long and a few inches wide, like a big ruler Is this what you mean?She pointed out to me that hanging over the fireplace was something Brace Godo had invented, giving off soft reflections, well preserved by his female descendants, ready to use. Or should I say props from con masters, I was once again fascinated by the intricacies of the plot.Was Miss Evans involved?They did find a Richard.A descendant of Bryce Gradou?Or did they find the old lady first and build the whole hoax out of the old prop and the old bible?And then invent an ancestor to match?Even the master liars involved, like me, have to admire the intricate details of the clockwork. At Baltimore-Washington Airport, I entered an airport lounge that seemed reserved for the rich.Here I called someone in Quesetti in Zurich, told him what I had just bought, and then scanned the password on the back cover of the Bryce Godou Bible with the computer equipment in the VIP room, and emailed it to him, and he said He'll test it out with his decryption program and get back to me.我喝了咖啡吃了點零食，過了約一個小時，他回電了，也沒啥好消息，密碼跟聖經不合，也跟先前能破解密碼信的卡丹格不合。 Why did he do this?我問奎塞提：他有個牢不可破的密碼，幹嘛要改？ 不知道，也許他慌了？他跟兩派敵營交手，鄧巴頓跟羅契斯特兩幫人都要他手上的東西，而且兩方都有聖經密碼。也許他想要留一手，或許他當時已經腦筋不清楚了。 喔，是吧，這點我很同情他，所以有別的卡丹格？ 也不一定，我想還有一個使用一般書籍做的密碼，我是說應該是根據一個文本所製作的流動解碼表。 什麼文本？聖經？ 我想應該不是，你記得上封加密信件中寫的，他跟莎士比亞討論要把劇作藏到何處去，然後他解釋解碼表如何運作，他是不是好像還說什麼莎士比亞提過要用自己的話語隱藏他的劇作？ 我記得，但很模糊。我回答：所以我們必須把莎士比亞所有的作品全拿來找一遍？這樣永遠都弄不完。 也不是這樣說，你記得嗎？莎士比亞的劇作一直到一六二三年才有全集的出版，如果要拿來當解密的線索，布瑞斯葛斗不會想用一齣市面上版本不一，有些還是亂編的劇作，我是說，他可是專業人士，他應該知道。 所以現在怎麼辦？ 好，有十四行加密的文本，也許是首十四行詩，十四行詩是一六〇九年出版的。 那就拿來試試。 yes boss.順便告訴你，如果這也不成功，你要去找我媽媽家的克林姆先生。 Why? 因為他是我認識唯一一個真正的密碼員。如果真是個流動解碼表，而且來自我們還不知道的內容，那就必須採用更複雜的分析方法。不是不可能成功，也並非要用到克林姆整合起來的電腦效能，但也不是小事一樁。也許少到只需要打兩個按鍵，或多到要打四十個按鍵。但我絕對辦不到，而他辦得到，而且我媽也能幫你忙。 她也是個解碼員？ 不是，她只是個非常聰明的女士，可以在二十分鐘之內完成星期天版紐約時報的填字遊戲。我會打電話告訴她你會去找她。 之後我就啟程飛往紐約拉瓜地亞機場，在飛行途中提醒歐馬來接我。我告訴他小孩子被綁架的事情時，他傷心到不行，眼裡流出真誠的眼淚，而我這個做爸爸的人都還沒流下眼淚呢。我們行駛在永遠塞車的凡威高速公路上，我腦中卻有卑鄙的想法，認為連我的傭人都企圖羞辱我。從機場到奎塞提家的路途很短，也許這是住在皇后區的唯一好處。到這個小小的房子後，我馬上注意到所有的事情都不大對勁。屋前停了一輛骯髒的小貨車，一個車輪壓到人行道上，雖然那天有寒意，屋子的前門卻敞開著，我吩咐歐馬繼續往街上開一點，手機準備好，我則下車去察看房子附近狀況。歐馬認為這樣不好，他說我們兩個都應該一起去檢查，讓他帶著武器，但是我拒絕了。我雖然沒有說出口，但是我忽然想到，因為我這段可悲的外遇，他已經冒了好幾次的生命危險，如果這次真有危險的話，我不忍心再讓他面對。我思考著，如果真有危險，應該讓比較次等的人承受，如果我身上發生了最糟的情況，我也不介意，我倒是挺期待有機會把痛苦帶給壞人。 所以我從房屋旁的小巷子悄悄前進，身體放低，從窗戶偷看進去。客廳裡沒事，浴室的窗戶是毛玻璃，前方是小小的後院，有兩棵包著麻布的無花果樹、一小片黃褐色草坪、冬眠中的花床，中間還有一座聖母瑪莉亞的水泥雕像。從後院我可以看見屋裡廚房的情況，這下場面可精采了：奎塞提太太與克林姆坐在桌邊的椅子上，嘴巴被膠布封住，有個身形魁梧的短髮男人在他們旁邊，背對著窗戶。他似乎正對著他們大聲咆哮，手中則握著一把大型的鍍鎳左輪手槍。 我想也沒想就把聖母雕像從土裡面拔出來。雕像大概有五十磅重，我把雕像高舉過頭，小跑步衝向房子。那個男人應該是聽到聲響了，要不然就是看見奎塞提太太因為驚嚇而瞪大的眼睛，所以他轉過身來面對窗戶，因此他的口鼻正好受到聖母瑪莉亞從窗外飛進來的正面衝擊，還加上玻璃碎片。 警察當然來了，之後是漫長的警察問案程序跟採證過程。在這種情況下，奎塞提太太仍然能夠保持優雅的風度，並且對我有點小不爽，因為我已經兩度在她家裡面施展暴力。她這種看法，我覺得有點不公平，不過我也很高興，因為被我扁的那個男的沒死，可是他的臉已經毀了。他的名字是哈藍．奧如德，從賓州某個地方來的，職業是保全人員。他以為艾伯特．奎塞提帶著他的老婆卡洛琳．羅莉跑了，於是來討回他太太。顯然他是按照一張電腦地圖找到這個位於皇后區的地方，這張地圖是奎塞提去找謎樣的卡洛琳．羅莉時，不小心掉在他家附近的。警方在奧如德的小貨車上找到地圖，也在車上找到兩個被嚇壞的小孩。按照慣例，小孩子必須交給紐約專職照顧孤兒的兒福單位，但是既然有位警察遺孀瑪莉佩格．奎塞提太太涉案，事情就不會按照慣例，她想要照顧小孩子，直到我們搞清楚這位謎樣的卡洛琳．羅莉到底是怎麼回事為止。我想，她的空巢期症狀真的比一整個大陸還要巨大吧。我跟人在倫敦的保羅神父連絡上，詢問了有關紐約兒福當局的事，保羅無所不知，他打了幾通電話，為瑪莉佩格擔保，講了些有的沒的：就是這裡發生了些異常情況、警方調查、潛在危險、兒童最佳福利等等，然後事情就搞定了。瑪莉佩格從閣樓上拿來棋盤遊戲給小孩，用基本材料烤成披薩給大家吃，大家都非常開心，只是克林姆玩拼字遊戲時贏了我五十分，我覺得有點過分，畢竟英語是我的母語。 瑪莉佩格哄小孩上床後走進客廳裡，看起來極度快樂，然後坐在克林姆身邊的沙發上，我們現在才第一次有機會靜下來談話。我跟他們報告了事情的進度，我家人被綁的情況，並把我買到的聖經給他們看，還有從馬里蘭州買來的布瑞斯葛斗測距器，當然完全沒提整件事是個騙局。我還發給他們破解密碼的信件列印本，趁他們在讀文件的時候，我打電話叫醒人在蘇黎世的奎塞提，問他是否有進展。他說昨天保羅告訴他有人電郵給艾瑪麗一張相片，兩個小孩拿著一份當天的紐約時報，兩人都在微笑，看起來一切都很好，沒有帶著面罩的嚇人歹徒，我說這樣有點奇怪，他也同意，他們好像是去校外教學，聽起來一點也不像我們所認識的夏夫諾夫。 我承認這很怪異，可是無論如何都是好消息。之後我告訴他哈藍．奧如德跟兩個小孩子的事情，他說他會讓羅莉知道，然後我說我會安排小孩子打電話給他們，而且如果新的密碼有用我也會通知他。他想要跟他母親說話，所以我把電話交給她。 克林姆正在把玩測距器，精巧的發明，超越當時的工藝水準，應該要換個新的鏡子，在這邊，然後我相信就能如當初設計的那樣發揮功能了。我可以看看從聖經上取來的密碼嗎？ 我交出來，他檢視了一會兒，然後說他會將密碼文字輸入奎塞提的桌上型電腦，看看能得到什麼，莎士比亞全部的作品當然都數位化了，所以如果解碼表是從他的知名作品中出來的，我們應該很容易找到。 除非他用了遺失著作裡的句子，瑪莉佩格說，這樣就需要布瑞斯葛斗的東西來操作了。 若真如此，我們得採取進一步的方式。克林姆說，他舉起聖經微笑，然後離開。 瑪莉佩格跟他兒子說再見，然後對我說：你小孩的事情真可怕，你太太一定痛不欲生，你不是應該在那邊陪她嗎？ 我是應該，可是她不要我去，整件事她都怪我，況且她是對的。但這件綁架案，我感覺不像表面上看起來這麼簡單。 you mean? 我現在最好還是先別說什麼，我正努力把一些事情兜在一起。我想他們現在沒有立即的危險，未來的話還說不準，但現在不會，前提是我們可以找到這項東西。 喔，藏匿地點非常明顯。 我表現出很震驚的樣子。對啊，她說，信裡面提過他們把東西丟到井裡面，你知道那封信，上面說布瑞斯葛斗跟蹤莎士比亞和他的一些笨蛋，然後他們看到天主教儀式、荒廢的小修道院她翻閱列印出來的文件之後找到那頁：聖柏莎之井，不然還會在哪裡？他說他們去史特拉福，那口井離那邊只有半天的路程。 也許是那邊，我說，可是井在哪裡？布瑞斯葛斗說，即使在莎士比亞在世時，那都是個祕密。井可能被埋在工廠或是住宅計畫底下了。 沒錯，若果真如此，我們必須發表公開聲明，將整團混亂交給有關當局去處理了。有時候我想我們從一開始就該如此做的，但是我可是非常想找到那劇作，所以呢，我們只好祈禱那口被遺忘了數世紀的井，裡頭仍然湧出泉水。 之後她煮了更多咖啡，我們摻著威士忌喝下去。我記得我們聊家人還有小孩，他們的歡樂跟不滿，我相當後悔沒喜歡他兒子，而且心想我一定是瘋了才這樣，於是下定決心未來要對奎塞提那個人好一點。過了一陣子，克林姆悶悶不樂地出現。 我很遺憾必須告訴你，這些解密文無法翻譯歷史記錄裡任何莎士比亞的作品。這對我們而言不算是致命傷，因為如同我先前所說的，我們可以運用其他可能的作品測試解密文，看看能不能得到有意義的結果。其實我已經開始進行了，不過我想要嚐嚐愛爾蘭咖啡。 咖啡上場，我問他有沒有發現什麼高明的線索。 當然有，我們用英文語言裡面最普遍的字，看看解密文可以告訴我們什麼，例如說，變位表當中會不會顯現ｔｈｅ，當然布瑞斯葛斗也可能使用了非典型的變位表，不過他先前沒用過，所以我們假設他很匆忙，想要一切保持簡單。於是我們使用電腦查詢解密文裡面的任何部分，看能不能得出ｔｈｅ三個字母連在一起的結果，好成為我們解碼器的一部分。你看看這邊，我們發現ＴＫＭ跟ＷＬＫ都能得到ｔｈｅ，然後用ｔｈｅ測試解密文可以得到ＡＤＩ與ＤＥＧ，幸好這也是英文裡很普遍會一起出現的三個字母。以此類推，測試ａｎｄ可以得到一個結果，產生譯文ＦＡＤ，也是英文裡面經常一起使用的三個字母；測試ｂｅ可以獲得兩個結果，所以我們得到譯文裡面的ＥＮＤＦ，還加上一些額外好處，因為第一個ｂｅ剛好出現在我們發現ｔｈｅ的前面，所以我們知道ｂｅ ｔｈｅ就是解密文的一部分。接著我們由此繼續進行，每個小小的進度都可以帶給我們更多的譯文與解密文，兩種破解狀況可以互相鞏固支持。所以這就是為什麼使用一本書當作流動解碼器如此不中用，也因為如此，俄國情報局只使用穿插很多數字表的年曆或是貿易報告，這樣無序性才會高一點。現在我相信我們下一個應該試的字是ｉｓ或ｏｆ 不對，瑪莉佩格說，試試Ｊｅｓｕｓ。 親愛的，這是宗教上的建議嗎？ 不，是針對那個字，你說你用全部的作品測試解密器都沒有得到任何答案？ 是的，除了隨機跑出來的錯誤訊息。 可是他還寫了一份東西沒有出版，就是他自己的墓誌銘。 她跑到架子前抽出山謬．修恩堡所寫的《莎士比亞的一生》，第一頁上寫著： 看在耶穌份上，好友啊，請不要 挖掘這裡四周的塵土。 吾願祝福未翻動土石者 詛咒驚擾吾遺骨者。 再想想，她說，我們應該用古體拼法，我想應該在伍德那本書裡。 確實沒錯。克林姆將古體拼法鍵入維吉尼亞解碼程式，真的有用，結果出來是： Ｆｒｏｍ ｇｕｙｓ ｔｏｗｒ ｈｅａｄｉｎｇ ｅｄｕｅｓｏｕｔ Ｈｓｅｔｅｉｇｈｔｙｓｅｖｅｎ ｄｅｇｒｅｅｓ ｅａｃｈｓｙｄ Ｅｓｈｅｌｉｅｔｈ ｆｏｕｒ ｆａｄｏｍｓ ａｎｄ ｆｏｏｔ Ｂｅｌｏｗ ｃｏｐｙｎｇｅｉｎｔｈｅｅａｓｔｗａｌｌ 這看起來夠白話了，站在一個叫做蓋氏塔的地方，將布瑞斯葛斗儀器的中間指標零度對準內建羅盤的正南方，然後將指針指向八十七度角，我想應該請人拿著旗子走出去，然後一個人由接目鏡看出去，等到儀器上的旗子跟外面的旗子影像重疊之後，就得到你想要的距離與方向。等找到這口井，把人用繩子垂降下去，頭上頂根熱油的蠟燭，降到深度什麼是尋？ 計量單位，現在講是一噚，瑪莉佩格說，等於六呎。 對，克林姆說，所以謎題指向這口井的東邊牆，大約七點六公尺深的地方，我們應該就可以找到你要的劇作。我們現在就只差不知道這個蓋氏塔在什麼地方了。 一定就是華威克城堡，她充滿自信的說，布瑞斯葛斗寫說從聖柏莎的遺跡看過去可以看到城堡。 在網路上找一陣子之後，確定在華威克城堡的確有一個蓋氏塔，也真的在城堡南邊。我說：應該是很有趣的經驗，一邊遊覽熱門觀光據點，一邊叫一個帶著旗子的人穿過郊外。 不過克林姆的手指已經飛快在鍵盤上舞動，過了幾分鐘後，螢幕上出現由城堡的塔樓城垛上眺望的景觀，看起來清楚無比，簡直就像是現場親眼看見的。 非常厲害，我說，這是商業衛星的照片？ 不是，是美國軍方衛星，我從匿名的連結上進入系統的，但是我們無法停留太久。 how did you do itI asked him. 他是個間諜。瑪莉佩格帶點驕傲的語氣說。 我是個退休的波蘭間諜，完全沒有殺傷力，但學過這類事情的知識。間諜圈都知道美國的安全系統是所有國家中最差的，是個笑話。現在我們要使用一些工具，準確追蹤鎖定莎士比亞的劇作。敲了幾個按鍵之後，相片上出現一個紅色框框，螢幕邊緣出現一個繪畫用調色盤，他對瑪莉佩格說：親愛的，請妳量一下這件器具。 正好三英尺。她拿出量尺量了一下之後回答。 所以呢我們來看看，那就是九十一點四四公分，拿來對齊塔樓南北方向的直徑所以然後我們以八十七度從兩頭各畫條線，這兩條線會交叉然後就如同你所說，Ｘ標出了地點，我們不需要跑到塔樓上去打擾觀光客，感謝美國空軍的星戰計畫。他按下一個鍵然後列表機開始運作。我看著印出來的東西，城堡的正南方朝向西邊的地方，看起來是一片由矮灌木叢分界的耕地，從塔樓畫出的紅線在當中的一個深色小樹林交會。 你認為這圖有多精確？我問克林姆。 他聳聳肩，無論如何都跟一六一一年時一樣精確，那邊似乎沒有停車場，所以也許你的井仍舊沒人知道。 我又打電話給奎塞提，告訴他我希望他去做的事情，這花了一段相當長的時間，這騙局耗費了多少聰明與心機，有多少好人會感到失望啊！真是我生命的絕佳寫照。