Chapter 21 Chapter Twenty

Quesetti told Caroline.What happened to Lori at her mother's house in Queens, including her children and Harlan.Orrud, etc., she seemed to cry for a long time, and then she insisted on talking to the child on the phone, until Quisetti convinced her that it was late at night in New York, not in the morning like Zurich, and she gave up.Afterwards, Quesetti's mobile phone received a call from Osborne Security, informing him that a plane was on standby at the local airport.So they said good-bye to Emma.The special and warm friendship established between Luo Li and Emma is really surprising, because they not only have different backgrounds, but also have very different ways of dealing with life. Quesetti believes that it may be the commonality of motherhood.Quesetti looked at the two women embracing with his usual curiosity. They were not really similar in body shape, but they both exuded a firm and unique aura.He couldn't imagine anything that would really change them both, you saw them for who they were, except that Emma was honesty personified and Lori was as deceitful as a snake.He concluded that if Lori had been blond they would probably be two sisters, a good one and a bad one.

The flight was a short one aboard a small but powerful Lear business jet.The pilot is not good at communicating but is very efficient. The elevation angle of the takeoff is quite thrilling, and the captain of a gentle commercial airliner would not fly in such a way.The plane landed at an airport in central England, but Quesetti didn't see the name of the airport.Mr. Brown from Osborne Security came to pick them up. He was wearing a yellow overalls and work boots. Mr. Brown led them into a white SUV with the Severant Water Board badge on the body.On the highway he explained the plan: Get in, be bold, find something; if you don't find it, drive away.Another plane was parked at an airport near London, waiting to take them back to New York.Quese asked him if he knew what they were looking for.

I didn't ask, Brown said, I didn't have to know, I was just helping.We had a rental van behind us with all the equipment and a couple of young guys who did the operations, the ground penetrating radar, the resistivity unit, everything.If there's a well there, they'll find it, and I think we'll all dig it together. These devices must be quite expensive.Quesetti noticed. Oh yeah. And don't you feel curious? Sir, if I were one of the curious kind, I'd be dead long ago.Mr Brown said.Warwickshire is ahead, and the castle can be seen in a short while. The white castle rises above a row of trees, only floating above it for a moment, and disappearing as the road descends, like something out of a fairy tale.After driving through the unknown countryside, the huge castle reappeared to their left, looming in silhouette by the river.

Not like the castle at Disneyland. No, this is a real castle. Mr. Brown said that every stone in the castle has blood seeping into it. Of course, it was a terrible time at that time, and military technology had also developed to a certain extent, but still So would you want to go back in time? Occasionally.It used to be simpler times.For example, if someone pissed you off, you put on your armor and cut them down.Hold on, I think we've arrived.He pulled over to the side of the narrow road, consulted a large-scale map, then folded up and drove the RV to the right, following the trail through oak and beech groves.Then stop.

There are tools in the van for you to use, he told Lori and Quesetti, the point is to look realistic, people think you are the official people. Quesetti and Lori walked to the back door of the van and opened it to find a steel table, tool rack, long steel pipes, ladders, rigging, electronics, and two men who introduced themselves as Nage and Rob.Niggy had a serious face and glasses, and Rob had broad shoulders, large gaps in his teeth, and a tanned crew cut.They handed out yellow overalls and work boots, and yellow helmets with headlights attached to them.He wasn't surprised that Quesetti's overalls and boots fit perfectly; Lori said hers did, too.

The Osborn company seems to be a very efficient group. They know the size of our shoes. Will you be nervous after knowing it? I've seen it all.She said, what are they doing? I have no idea.Quesetti replied. They watched the two men push out a small trolley made of four-wheeled steel pipes from the truck. Quesetti was also assigned to unload various heavy electronic instrument parts and car batteries from the truck and load them into the truck. Go to the little trolley. By the way, what are these all?he asked Rob. It's ground-penetrating radar, definitely the highest class, that can analyze floor plans; depending on the type of soil, it can sometimes penetrate the ground to a depth of a hundred feet.The formation here is Triassic sandstone and should get good penetration.

"Unless there's a soil intrusion condition," Najib said. What happens if there is a soil intrusion condition?Queser asked. We're screwed, man.Rob replied, then there would be an resistance test, which would take a whole week. Both of you are Osborn employees? we are not.We are students in the Department of Geology at Hall University.We've been bought by corporate financiers, right Ronaldinho? Exactly, what exactly are you looking for?Viking treasure? Similarly, Quesetti replied, if we find it, we must kill it.They both laughed, but a little nervously, and looked around to see if Mr. Brown was there, but he seemed to be gone.

Lori poked the ground a little further away, and Quesetti walked over to see what she was doing. You don't have to rake the dirt with your fingers, he said, we have all the high-tech equipment. Check out what I found.After she finished speaking, she opened her palm, and inside was a flat, roughly triangular white stone with two straight parallel lines printed on it, and it looked like a pattern of rose petals underneath. This is the priory, she said, this is the place, and I get goosebumps. Me too, you look stunning in your overalls and helmet, do you whistle when I walk by your side?

The quip drew a stern look from her.Then Nage and Rob called him over to help pull the cart, and they held the implement through logs, potholes, grass roots, Nage leading the way, staring at the GPS receiver, Lori following, shoulders Carrying several hoes and shovels. Guys, let's stop here and turn on the radar. If the satellite images you provided are correct, then this is the correct location according to this GPS receiver.They were in a shallow pit with a thick layer of golden beech leaves and three old gray trees all around them, their branches spreading out in a haphazard way against the milky sky above.Nage made some adjustments, turned on the machine to hum, and spit out long strips of wide paper from the slits in the metal box.Nage pushed the glasses back on the bridge of his nose, inspected the colors printed on the paper, and exclaimed: oh, hit the jackpot, hit it once, and here's a hole filled with what looks like cut stones, crystal clear , Rob, take a look.

Rob took a look and confirmed the discovery. They removed the leaves and the surface soil and started digging. Soon they dug something like the top stone of the well, and there was an irregular light-colored mass in the middle. Stone. is dry.Quesetti said. Yes, that's right, Rob said that the hydrology has changed a lot in the past four hundred years, because of the digging of canals, the construction of ornamental ponds by the upper class, and public water projects.But there's still work to be done, here.He looked at the hole and frowned and said, some bastard filled the well with rocks, how deep do you need to dig?

Quesetti said: About eight meters. Oh, do it!Rob yelled that it was going to drag on all day. It was a nasty menial job.Only one person can be stuffed into the hole at a time. This person has to lift the stone to support the hook on the chain. The hook is connected to the steel pipe tripod and pulley set up by two geologists on the ground. If the stone is too heavy, it cannot be lifted. , the man would have to drill a hole in the rock, attach the eyebolt to it and secure it to the hook.After they'd been working for about an hour, it started to rain, pouring down from the low clouds, just hard enough to slip the pulleys and create small, often painful wounds, and cold-induced numb feeling.Quesetti went into a trance while working, he forgot about Shakespeare and his goddamn plays, and the world shrunk down to what to do with the next stone.The three men worked in shifts for half an hour before climbing the aluminum ladder and collapsing exhausted on the van bed.Lori found a paraffin oil stove to keep the teapots warm, and helped them make strong, sweet tea; when not making tea, she stood at the top of the well with a steel ruler, which she lifted every time a layer of stone was removed. Stretch down, report the depth: 5 meters 20, 6 meters 18. About half an hour after noon, they took a lunch break for lunch. Mr. Brown, who is always efficient, has already filled the van with a lot of daily necessities.Lori made soup, made sandwiches, and made more tea, this time with rum.They were eating lunch in the van, sheltered from the rain, and from this angle they could see Mr. Brown standing on the side of the road in the distance, talking to a man in a waterproof jacket and woolen hat who pointed with a cane. Go, seemed annoyed, then got back into his SUV and drove off.Mr. Brown walked back to the van through the mud. That's from the National Trust, Mr Brown said, he was quite annoyed, this land is a registered area, absolutely no disturbance, he left to report to the relevant authorities, they will go to the water department, and then they will find us Fake identity.How far are we from our goal? Six eight two.Rollie said. In this way, we still have to dig about one meter more. If the thing is inside, we have to get it and clean up the aftermath within about half an hour.Gentlemen, lunch break is over. They returned to the well and dug furiously for ten minutes before finally resting, for the next layer of rubble was made up of irregularly shaped pebbles just big enough to fit in a slingshot ready to fire.The Quesetti man was in the cave, and the measuring stick passed in front of him and stopped on the rubble, and Lori yelled: Eight six. He knelt down to adjust the overhead light to shine on the west wall.At first he saw nothing but a pile of roughly rectangular stones on the wall of the well. He grabbed the short crowbar and hit each stone in turn. After hitting the fifth time, a stone seemed to move. The straight blade squeezed into a crack in the nearby stone, lifted up, and the stone lined up more loosely.After two minutes of tugging, he had pried the stone out of its place, his eyes on a hollow that smelled of ancient damp earth, and the overhead light was shining on a round shape, probably a size ten tin can the size of. Quesetti, now almost out of breath, reached into the hole with the bent end of the crowbar as far as he could, rocked it around until he felt something stuck, and then he slowly pulled out what appeared to be a lead pipe, about It was more than a foot long, about the size of the palm of your hand in diameter, and the ends were soldered with lead.Quesetti climbed up the stairs with the tube and hugged her gently, as if rescuing a baby. Is this the thing?Rob asked. Rob, this shows your ignorance, Niggi said, that is King Arthur's second child, stored in brandy, and now Britain can be strong again. Quesetti ignored them and walked into the van, with Luo Li following closely behind.Rob was about to follow to see what it was, but Mr. Brown took his arm.Time to go, gentlemen.His tone made it impossible to protest, I suggest you grab your gear and drive away before the police arrive. We can't even look?Rob asked. I'm afraid so, and you better not know.Brown pulls a thick envelope from the inside pocket of his hooded jacket. It's been a pleasure working with you.With that said, he handed the envelope to Neji, and the two geologists meekly walked away to pack their equipment. Inside the van, Quesetti found a pair of heavy pliers, a hammer, and an ice pick. He fastened the cylinder to a steel table and cut off the lead seal at one end. Inside he found a thick roll of The paper, bound with a dark ribbon, was almost white and seemed new.In his imagination, four-hundred-year-old paper should turn brown or become brittle, but this thing doesn't look like it.He froze suddenly, thinking that the person who touched the papers before him was Richard.Brace fights, and earlier it was Shakespeare.He told Lori this idea. Well, you're now on par with the greats, for heaven's sake!Untie the ribbon!He untied it, and spread the paper on the table. The ink was black, almost unoxidized, and the handwriting was not Bryce God's. All the pages were drawn with neat lines, divided into vertical three-frame writing, including the character's name , lines, stage direction, Shakespeare is very frugal, every piece of paper is written on both sides.He counted involuntarily, and there were twenty-one folios in all.In large letters across the top of the first page, which he could recognize even if he was not familiar with Jacobean script, it read: The Tragedy of the Queen of Scots. His hands were shaking as he gripped the pages.What did Aunt Fanny say?The most valuable movable property on the planet.He rolled the paper up again, put it back in the ribbon-bound roll, and stuffed the seal in the pocket of his waterproof jacket, and then he grabbed Lori and hugged her hard, spinning her in circles, big as a madman. Yelling and finally pressing a kiss on her mouth. They were on the road again in the minivan, and on the way Mr Brown said: "I guess everything went very well?Is your voice a cry of victory, not a cry of defeat? Yes, our dreams have come true.I think you guys are going to lose this car. Yes, go a little further.Mr. Brown said we also had extra vehicle escorts in case there was a breach in security. They turned into an alley where the Mercedes they had been in was parked, or another car of the same model, and an unknown black Ford van with two men in the front seat.There was obviously no loophole in the security, because they arrived at Bijinqiu safely all the way.The car was very comfortable, and Quesetti, who was sitting in the right back seat, was dozing off constantly, with the lead sealing roll on his lap. Mr. Brown didn't ask what it was at all, and didn't ask to see what was inside. Individually delivered to a Ms. Parr.She looked kind, motherly, in a blue uniform, and was the broker in charge of their case.Then Mr. Brown, with his high efficiency, went away without a sound. Ms. Parr led them to the airport lounge, where she looked at Quesetti and asked him if he wanted to freshen up, and he replied that he wanted to take a shower and change if it was easier to arrange.Needless to say, of course arrangements can be made, what arrangements can't be made for passengers traveling by private airliner?Get a large padded envelope and some packing tape!The things were brought, and Quesetti carried them into the bathroom with the carry-on luggage and the most valuable movable property on the planet in lead cylinders.Alone in the blue-tiled room, take out the play, seal it inside a large envelope, tape it to the back of the lining of my corduroy sport coat, hang it on the hook outside the plastic shower curtain, and take it off Clothes start the shower.He was surprised to see the huge amount of sand washed off his body and flowed into the drain hole.Why didn't he give the damn thing to Lori, he wondered in the shower?Why do I hide this thing from her now? The rational Albert said, because you don't trust her; the love Xiao Ai said, but I love her and she loves me, she said so.But Quesetti understood that part of this woman's charm came from her sheer weirdness, the fact that she was capable of anything, and even now he wasn't sure if she'd left or not when he came out of the bathroom. It was possible that he would never see her again. Thinking of this, he speeded up his dressing.Five minutes later, though still damp, he was neatly dressed in his coat, black jeans, and flannel shirt.He went into the VIP room, carrying his carry-on (which contained Bracelet's lead cylinder), and a large padded envelope into which he stuffed travel leaflets and taped the seal.Luo Li was still sitting in the VIP room. She also took a shower and changed her clothes. Her hair was wet, and her hair color seemed to be darker. He sat down beside her and flew one more time, he said, and the adventure was over. I hope so, she said, I hate taking risks, I want to wake up every morning and see the same people doing the same things every day. Binding books. Yeah, maybe you think that's boring.I know you'd love to make movies, but bookbinding is like I don't know, probably like knitting woolen blankets in your eyes.I do not care.My life is like this, I reunite with my children, then go to Germany to study book binding, and do nothing else.That's the life I want to live. Then what, I go to see you every summer? She turned her head and made a gesture of pushing people away with her hands.Don't talk about this now, Quesetti, I'm full of ideas, can we not work on some long-term plans for now? Of course, Lori, you can tell me anything.He replied, and then thought to himself, if the relationship between me and her is a product, then the outer packaging of this product must have words such as highly toxic or highly flammable contents printed on it. He walked some distance away from her and called Mishkin in New York, who congratulated him on receiving the news and said he would send someone to meet them at the airport. This time their plane was a Cessna business jet, smaller and sleeker than a Gulfstream, with two recliners that looked like beds at the end of the cabin.Seeing these facilities, Quesetti wanted to suggest that this place is really great, and whether the two of them should have high-altitude sex.But this sentence was not said after all, because it didn't feel right, Caroline.Everything around Lori never felt right.He sighed, buckled up and drank champagne.The roar of the engine gave him the perfect back and jet into the sky at such an aggressive angle that he felt the most valuable movable property on the planet crumpling against his spine, the envelope containing the fake manuscript lying in the seat next to him.He flipped through a magazine, then pulled the blanket over his body and head.This kind of blanket is different from the stingy towels provided by ordinary airlines, but is like the thick and large-sized goods used in high-end hotels.He adjusted the seat almost horizontally and fell asleep wearily. With the clang of cutlery and the pleasant aroma of cooking, Quese reminded him that the stewardess was about to serve the meal.He sat up straight and adjusted his seat, then looked across the aisle.Luo Li was in the toilet. He checked the envelope left in the seat next to him. The tape hadn't been touched, but after careful inspection, he could find that the lower corner of the envelope had been carefully dug out, and then skillfully resealed. The glue is masterful.He sniffed the edge, and there was a faint smell of acetone. She used deglazing water and resealed it afterward. Apparently she found that the envelope was just bait.He wondered what she would do if it was genuine inside.Also, how did she feel when she found out that he had made a bait and kept it within easy reach?Besides her, who else would he want to deceive?Oh Lori! But when she returned to his seat, he still pretended to be very natural.The two had a small, raw, heartbreaking meal together, and then she went back to her seat, and he watched the old movie, Blood on the Owl's Nest, and memorized more scripts. At John F. Kennedy Airport in New York, they went through customs and immigration together.When she was about to leave the terminal building, she saw a dark-skinned man standing in the departure hall holding a sign with Quesetti's name on it. As soon as Luo Li saw it, she touched his arm and said: Oh, my God, I I forgot to take something at customs. What did you forget?Lori, you only carry that little bag all over your body. No, it's something I bought. I'll be right back. She ran quickly out of sight, and Quesetti approached the person holding the sign.The man said that his name was Omar, he worked for Mr. Mishkin, and he was going to pick up Mr. Quesetti and Ms. Lori to Mr. Mishkin's residence.They waited for Luo Li for half an hour, and Quesetti went back to the terminal and looked around helplessly. Finally, he drove away sadly, and drove slowly through the morning traffic congestion, back to Manhattan.Quesetti wasn't thinking clearly, jet lag combined with physical and emotional exhaustion had thrown his head into a tangle, so it took a full forty-five minutes before he thought of calling his mother. Albert, you found it! Mom, how are you? Your friend just came here and told us the whole process. just? Yes, she came in a taxi, hugged her baby for ten minutes, then left in the same taxi. What?She didn't take the child? No, she said she had something to do first, but promised to send someone to pick them up in a few days.Seriously, Albert, I mean, they're really good kids, but I hope you don't make it a habit Have you written down the license plate of the taxi?Queser asked. Of course not, why?Do you want Patty to investigate the taxi's route? no.Quesetti lied shamelessly. You are, and you should be ashamed, it's stalking, honey.I would say she is a really attractive woman, but she seems to want to pursue her own life and you are not included in her life. Exactly, but a man never wants to hear that from his mother, and Quesetti cuts off the conversation in a rage.On the way to Mishkin's house, he tried not to think about Caroline.Lori, but without success. Quesetti had a friend who made a lot of money doing commercials, and he had a swanky Soho loft, but it was nothing like Jack.Mishkin owns this one.He looked around and said: I guess I should have gone to law. Perhaps, said Mishkin, but I don't think you have a good tongue.Very unfortunately, I believe you are a creator, destined to raise a lot of people like me.Speaking of creators, where is the stuff? Quesetti took off his jacket and took out the envelope. Mishkin walked to a rectangular table and carefully unfolded the pages in two columns of eleven sheets each. The two of them stared at the paper for a while without speaking, and then Mishkin broke the silence: It's a big deal, it looks like it was written just last week. Things are sealed inside.Quesetti said, and removed the roll from his bag.It is watertight and airtight, with little to no decay and oxidation, and Bracegarden has handled it very well. Yes, does anyone know if you found the script? Oh, there's three people in the UK who know we've found something, and then there's me and Lori, my mum, and Klimt I guess. Where is Lori? I don't know, she ran away at the airport, first ran to my mother's house to see her children, and then left. Oh My God!Why is she doing this? Quesetti took a deep breath, and now he had to actually say it, he felt his throat constrict, and I think she went to Shavnov, to tell him what we found. Shavnov?What the hell does she have to do with Shavnov? Quesetti gave a brief account of what had happened at the Oxford Hotel, the night when Lori had knocked on his window, and what she had said to him.Mishkin seemed horrified by this new discovery. You mean, she's been on Shavnov's team all along? It can be said that although I feel that Luo Li only works for herself, I judge that the two of them are also related. I presume the two of you are related too. Yes, I would have thought we were pretty close, but who knew?Have you heard from your little one? No, I have a phone number that I can call when I get what they want. Now that you have it, are you going to call them?If Shavnov doesn't know now, he will soon. Yeah, but I'm not sure it was Shavnov who took my baby. Who else could it be? Like I said, I'm not sure, I always felt like there were other people involved.Mishkin picked up the title page and stared at it, as if the ability to read this strange handwriting would instill in his head. Quesetti said: You don't seem too worried. Oh, I'm worried, just not crazy yet.He turned to Quesetti, and maybe you think I'm not a good father, and of course I wasn't, because my dad didn't teach me how to be a good father, and I know it's a necessary process.What about you, Quesetti?do you have a good father Yes, I had a great dad, and I thought he was the greatest man in the world. Luckily for you, I know he has passed away. Yes, he was driving home from the office when he saw the cops chasing some jerk, got out of his car to join the chase, and burst an aorta.I died before arriving at the hospital when I was twelve years old. Ok, so it looks like our deal is done, we haven't discussed how much you should pay for your hours, how much do you think is reasonable? Quesetti suddenly wanted to stay away from this person and the entanglement and schemes he represented. He couldn't help but think of Luo Li's desire to return to the original, and he thought it was very reasonable.The correct line in the movie should have been that you didn’t owe me anything, and then slammed the door and left, but in real life, Quesetti said: Now give me 10,000 yuan first, and if it is authentic, I will give another 40,000 yuan? Mishkin nodded, and I'll send you a check.