The detention cells of the Paris Prefecture of Police reeked of a damp, moldy smell that lingered for years, the tar of cheap tobacco, and body odor.
The cold gas lamps hissed overhead, casting the distorted and massive silhouettes of the two "Lionel Sorels" onto the mottled stone walls of adjacent cells.
One of the "Lionel Sorels" sat on a hard wooden bench, his back still straight.
Though a little anxious, he was not afraid.
Before he was taken out of Baroness Alekseyevna's castle, Monsieur Turgenev had already gotten into a carriage, rushing towards the center of Paris at top speed.
In the other interrogation room, the imposter, the "poor Lionel," appeared much more dejected.
His meticulously imitated aloofness and sarcasm had long since vanished, leaving only fear and remorse.
He cursed in a low voice, cursing the purple idiot who had ruined his good fortune, cursing the damned "Lamarque," and even more, cursing his own bad luck—
Just one step away! After tonight, he would have been able to take the one million francs promised by the Baroness for the purchase of "Lavender Manor" and escape far away!
He knew appearing in public was risky, but after careful calculation and understanding of human nature, he decided to take this "dangerous leap"—
Only by fully satisfying and completely releasing Baroness Alekseyevna's vanity would she thoroughly drop her guard, and the one million francs could be successfully obtained!
For these one million francs, he had even reluctantly given up the earlier three hundred thousand francs, letting those glittering "Louis d'or" be donated to the Sorbonne.
He was convinced that even if someone recognized him, as long as they weren't too close to the Baroness, they would surely wait to watch the spectacle and enjoy the joke, rather than alert her immediately.
But who could have imagined that the real "Lionel Sorel" would also be at the ball!
Didn't he pride himself on being aloof and never attending ladies' salons? Why would he attend this boring masquerade ball—and even attract the damned police...
Outside the gate of the detention area, Inspector Claude, dressed in an 18th-century general's uniform, and Lefebvre, wearing noble attire of purple velvet, sat grim-faced at a table near the entrance, neither wanting to look at the other.
The chaos, screams, the Baroness's咆哮, and that unexpected gunshot at the masquerade ball had cast a dark cloud over them both.
Originally, whether catching a "love cheat" or the "author of an immoral book," it would have been a credit to them, but now the situation was far too complicated...
Just then, the outermost iron door was roughly pushed open, and Chief Gigo walked in, his face dark.
His sharp gaze first lingered on Lefebvre for a moment, filled with undisguised disgust and irritation—
This fool not only acted on his own but also fired a gun at the Baroness's ball, disgracing the police department across all of Europe!
Claude was no better.
Although he caught a swindler, he had embarrassed the Baroness.
While noblewomen might socially disregard Baroness Alekseyevna's anger, how could the Baroness not have connections in high places?
Who would bear the pressure then? It would still be him, the Chief!
Moreover, these two men they brought back, one was useless, the other a hot potato!
He had been aware of this swindler for a long time; the provincial case files piled up like mountains, but those cases were far from Paris, and most victims were provincial middle-class, unable to cause a big stir.
Although Baroness Alekseyevna had also been swindled by him, for the sake of aristocratic dignity, she would most likely "handle it discreetly."
There weren't a million, but at least eight thousand such swindlers in Paris—the only difference being whether they were caught.
Parisians were long accustomed to it, and only some sensational tabloids would treat it as a novelty.
So, catching this swindler was no great achievement for him as Chief.
Then there was the real Lionel, who was much more trouble.
He was a rising star in the literary world, the darling of the Sorbonne, a junior publicly praised by Victor Hugo...
It was said he was with Turgenev when arrested.
Although Chief Gigo knew nothing about literature, this name was like thunder to his ears.
He didn't quite believe Lionel Sorel was the author of The Decadent City, for a simple reason:
Firstly, he was too young.
The erotic descriptions in the novel, which pushed the limits of imagination and broke all moral boundaries, could only have been penned by a middle-aged philanderer.
Chief Gigo, as a seasoned reader and practitioner of The Decadent City, was quite certain of this.
Secondly, according to the timeline, when The Decadent City was published, Lionel had already written The Old Guard—in France, a promising young writer, no matter how foolish, wouldn't do something so self-destructive.
Garibuel's line in his letter, "Find Lionel, and you'll find 'an honest Parisian'," probably meant that this Lionel had clues about "an honest Parisian," or even knew him.
For instance, what if "an honest Parisian" was a notoriously promiscuous Sorbonne professor who couldn't restrain his urge to express himself?
He had been contemplating how to use this phrase to maximize his own benefit, but he never expected the foolish Lefebvre to arrest someone directly behind his back, and in plain sight.
Although Chief Gigo was not a "man of action," being well-versed in office politics, he immediately sensed Lefebvre's true intentions hidden within.
Only by publicly arresting "an honest Parisian" could he become a police star, thereby winning Bishop Gibert's favor, and even attracting the attention of His Excellency the Minister of Interior.
If Lionel Sorel truly was "an honest Parisian," then the credit would indeed go to Lefebvre...
And to move against this Sorel? Gigo could almost see the sharp editorials in Le Figaro and the angry joint letters from the Sorbonne professors!
"Chief!"
Lefebvre, seeing Gigo, was like seeing a savior, pointing to the detention cell inside the gate:
"It's him!
I've caught 'an honest Parisian'!
The author of that vulgar book, The Decadent City!"
Chief Gigo offered a sarcastic smile:
"Oh? How can you be so certain?"
Lefebvre was instantly speechless.
After a long while, he stammered,
"My informant said so... If you just let me search his home, I'm sure I'll find evidence!"
Gigo sharply cut off his subordinate, who was still trying to yell:
"Enough!
Lefebvre!
Look at you now, do you still resemble a police officer?
You're a disgrace to all of us!
Now, you, get out!"
Lefebvre's face changed several times, but he could only lower his head and say,
"Apologies, Your Excellency..."
Then he left the detention area dejectedly.
Chief Gigo waited until Lefebvre's footsteps were completely inaudible before looking at Claude with a complicated expression—at this moment, the Inspector, dressed in a general's uniform, looked equally ridiculous, but at least not ugly.
His actions tonight had certainly caused some trouble for him, the Chief, but at least it wasn't intentionally targeted.
In that light, he was far more pleasing to the eye than the fat, cunning Lefebvre.
With that thought, Chief Gigo walked up to Claude and said to him solemnly:
"Congratulations, Claude, not only have you caught a fraudster who has committed crimes across the country, but you've also caught 'an honest Parisian'!"
Claude: "Huh!?"
(End of Chapter)
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