Echoes in the Shadows

28

At the same time in England

Returning from their mission in the Netherlands, Lieutenant Blayd began to use a heavy, contemplative silence to disrupt the exuberant division of spoils among his subordinates. Each additional furrow in the lieutenant's resolute brow caused the hearts of his bandit crew to tremble, fearing that at any moment their workaholic lieutenant might whimsically drag them back into the Dutch skies, swarming with German anti-aircraft guns - the fiercest and most terrifying anti-aircraft fire they had faced in their missions.

Since their return, the lieutenant had developed an unfounded suspicion. He continually felt that the Dutch resistance leader who had assisted them bore a striking resemblance to a German military officer he had once encountered during a military exchange between West Point and a German military academy before the war. Subsequently, this imaginatively rich intelligence officer began to speculate wildly that their recent mission might have been a trap deliberately set by the Germans. Before long, in his mind, the entire Dutch resistance had fallen victim to his theories.

"Boss, don't overthink it! It's impossible," Howard, the young pickpocket, said while fidgeting with the gold cufflinks he had stolen from the German officer's office, one hand buried in his pocket. "If he really was the German officer you met during your military academy exchange, he should have recognized you too. Then how could we have possibly returned to England unscathed?

"That's right! The submarine we came back on was coordinated with the British through their radio," Julian chipped in hastily, inadvertently steering the conversation towards an even more frightening direction.

"Exactly, this makes my conjecture even more terrifying..." Lieutenant Blayd's eyes sparkled intensely, sending shivers down the spines of all the crooks present. Julian, realizing his blunder, became anxious. It was clear now — Lieutenant Blayd was beginning to doubt even the security of the intelligence system of their ally, the British Empire. If this line of thinking continued, the consequences could be unimaginable.

"Actually, it's common for people to feel a sense of familiarity with strangers in certain situations. There's nothing strange about that."

Patray finally stepped away from the window, where he had been standing aloof from the world's chaos, puffing on his pipe. Of all the group, he was the least eager to return to the Netherlands. It wasn't so much the fear of dense and terrifying German anti-aircraft fire that deterred him, but rather the vivid imagination of what a German officer, who had even lost his curtains, might do to him if caught. Especially if Lieutenant Blayd's conjectures turned out to be correct...

"Just like this," he said, pulling out a delicate silver box from his pocket. He opened it to reveal a portrait of a young German officer.

"Like you, I also feel a sense of familiarity when I see this German fellow..."

The great con artist intently gazed at the portrait, as if he truly recognized the young German officer with dark hair. He then removed the photograph from the box, and under the curling smoke of his pipe, the photo quickly caught fire, turning the paper and the image it bore into ashes that drifted away.

"In reality... it's nothing more than this." Patray gave the lieutenant a smile, his genteel demeanor masking a multitude of unspoken thoughts.

"Patray! You probably swindled money from this guy before the war! But you didn't bring this box out when we were dividing the loot!" muttered Howard, the young thief, unable to contain himself from a distance.