Chapter 1018: Chapter 65: The Big Fly on the Spider Web_2
The more Jusco values , the more uncomfortable they are. The better my office does, the more it highlights the incompetence of the current Paris Police Departnt. I am a thorn in their side. When it cos to eliminating undercover cri organizations, they have no clue, but when it cos to getting rid of , they can co up with thousands of wicked sches.”
“So…” Arthur put down the teacup, having already anticipated Victor’s next move: “You plan to bypass the police and go it alone?”
Victor didn’t answer directly, but instead asked with a smile: “Let’s switch perspectives for a mont. Old friend, if you were in their position, how would you bring down?”
Arthur replied without thinking: “First, cooperate with your work and find soone to defraud a bank while conducting business. Then, when you’ve discovered the assassin, have the witness recant, accusing you of fraud. This way, not only is the assassin found, but you also end up in jail, which is simply ideal.”
Victor nodded with a smile: “You’ve grasped the essence of it. I can guarantee that Alar and the others must be thinking the sa. So, instead of making wedding clothes for them, we might as well forge a new path ourselves.”
“What do you plan to do?”
Victor crossed his legs and said: “To be frank, when I was in the Security Departnt, I was always chasing a cri group nad ‘Dua’. This group specializes in bank fraud, and their footprints are all over France. So ti ago, while investigating a case, I caught a senior mber of ‘Dua’. I promised him that if he cooperated with our work honestly, I wouldn’t turn him over to the Great Paris Police Hall.”
“So you’re planning to stage a real performance.” Arthur raised an eyebrow: “You plan to go through with a genuine sche?”
“What’s wrong with that?” Victor laughed heartily: “Once the assassin’s traces are thoroughly uncovered, we can take out a fraud group and put the bla on Gervais. If a victim of the bank fraud cos to our office for help, we might even earn a few more service fees.”
“I have to admit, you Paris Police play on a grander scale compared to London.”
After saying this, Arthur casually pulled a checkbook from his coat pocket, signed a line on it, then tore it off and pushed it in front of Victor.
Victor picked up the check and glanced at it: “But you didn’t refuse, did you? Sir Arthur Hastings deposits 300 pounds in the bank. With your reputation as a banner, if we include Mr. Zhongma, Mr. Heine, I dare say we would attract quite a few clients.”
Arthur pocketed the checkbook: “I hope that ‘Dua’ senior mber you ntioned is skilled enough. Mr. Victor, if I lose this 300 pounds, you must reimburse it in full.”
“Of course.” Victor stood up, wrapping his coat around himself: “Not only will it be full compensation, but a 10% interest is absolutely indispensable. For your deposit slip, I, Francois Vidocq, will bear unlimited joint liability.”
The loss of 300 pounds isn’t catastrophic for Arthur at this stage, though it’s definitely painful. He stated as much because he hoped Victor would focus entirely on this case.
After all, for a British diplomatic agent, if he could indeed uncover the true mastermind behind the assassination plot, the information alone would be enough to make him prominent in the Foreign Office.
However, from what channel he obtained such information still needed to be artistically crafted, which was also his reason for paying Victor a 300-pound check.
After all, being involved in a fraud case isn’t a good reputation, and the best way to clear oneself in a case is to disguise oneself as a victim. Though so might know it’s a charade, as Miss Clara had previously advised, as long as no one dares point it out, it suffices.
An English diplomat involved in a bank fraud case, the ones truly troubled by this would never be Arthur Hastings but the July Monarchy Governnt, which desperately maintained friendly relations with Britain.
Arthur put on his silk top hat, took up his walking stick, and headed out.
Sumr air always held quite a bit of moisture, but such humidity struggled to cling to Sir Hastings’ robust physique. High-end clothing was always superior in quality to a Scotland Yard patrolman’s uniform, and though the street’s mud splatters might still get on him, his inner shirt remained spotless.
…
Not far from the café, there stood a two-door neoclassical mansion.
As one of Paris’s wealthy districts, the Saint-Germain district was not lacking in such architecture.
And the owners of these houses were nothing more than the limited few identities, either bankers, large mine owners, real estate developers, or newly rich mbers of the National Assembly.
And the owner of this mansion had the na DelaSalle.
The atmosphere in the DelaSalle residence today was obviously busier than usual, not because old Mr. DelaSalle was hosting yet another matchmaking ball for his beloved youngest daughter, but rather due to the arrival of a rare guest seldom seen in the household.
Like many banker families with footprints across Europe, the business of the DelaSalle Family was not limited to Paris alone.
Their footprints extended across France, Germany, Italy, Switzerland, and Britain, but the DelaSalle Family was not as fortunate as the Rothschild Family. Aside from thriving in the main branch in Paris, their business developnt in other areas was unsatisfactory.
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