Footsteps were heard from the side door of the church. The man who smoked was startled. He hurriedly opened the door interior panel and hid his pipe and cigarette lamp inside.
The door interior panel was originally fixed with screws, but this man unscrewed the screws in advance to facilitate disassembly, which greatly saved time.
Every time Kobayashi Hikoro comes to the church, he has to stay there for at least an hour. It is said that the time it takes to smoke a cigarette is enough. Who would have thought that he would come out so quickly today.
As soon as the side door opened, Kobayashi Hikoro came out. His hands seemed to be stained with something dirty, and he wiped them with a handkerchief as he walked.
When he was almost approaching the truck, he threw the handkerchief into the trash can nearby, glanced at the rolled-down window, and said to the people in the car: "Translator Liu, open the window, aren't you cold?"
Translator Liu said with a smile: "I was smoking just now, for a change of air, for a change of air..."
Kobayashi Hikoro looked down, with an imperceptible sneer on his face. He said nothing, opened the car door, sat in, and said: "Drive!"
Translator Liu asked cautiously: "Executive Xiao Lin, didn't you say that there are goods that need to be shipped away?"
Kobayashi Hikoro glanced at him and said firmly: "Just drive your car and don't ask about other things!"
Translator Liu shut up, started the car and drove away from the church.
After a while, Xu Siqi came out from behind the bushes and stood where the truck parked for a while. There was not even a cigarette butt on the ground.
He knew very well that translator Liu's lies probably couldn't be concealed from Hikobayashi Hikoro.
Moreover, tobacco ointment has a unique smell that cannot be dissipated in a short period of time as long as it is in a closed environment.
The strange thing is that Kobayashi Hikoro seems to be happy to see the matter of Interpreter Liu smoking, and has no intention of exposing the other person's lies.
Translator Liu just said: Didn’t you say there are goods to be shipped today?
It seems that there are indeed products from Ito Trading Company in the church...
Thinking of Kobayashi Hikoro's action of wiping his hands, Xu Siqi walked to the trash can and took out the discarded handkerchief.
There were some black stains on the handkerchief. When I brought it up to my nose and smelled it, I could easily tell it was an oily smell.
Xu Siqi threw the handkerchief back into the trash can and walked along the small road to the main entrance of the church.
When he arrived at the main entrance and saw the white, orange and black bell tower, he realized that this was an Orthodox church.
White, orange, and black are the representative colors of the Romanov family. If the church uses these three colors, it is paying tribute to the Tsar.
Above the main entrance is a line of Russian text: Protection of sinners - Sophie's Cathedral.
The architectural styles of the churches are basically the same. The spaces appear tall and spacious, and the walls are decorated with various murals and mosaics.
The lighting tower at the highest point of the roof is the only place where sunlight can shine in. The light inside the church is dim, giving people a solemn and solemn feeling.
At this time, a nun was playing the piano, and a group of Belarusian children aged 16 or 17 sang an adapted version of "amazing grace" loudly.
Seeing Xu Siqi walking in, another nun came forward and said in blunt Chinese: "Mr. Police Officer, what can I do for you?"
Xu Siqi asked in English: "Miss Sister, do you speak English?"
"Will do."
"A robbery occurred nearby. Witnesses claimed that they saw suspicious people hiding in the church, so..."
"Mr. Police Officer, only the choir children are here today, no outsiders have come in."
"The robbers won't say hello to you before they come in." Xu Siqi walked towards the back of the church.
He knew very well that these White Russians were all refugees who had narrowly escaped from the Soviet Union's gunfire. Now they were frightened and they would never dare to openly resist patrol law enforcement.
The nun had no choice but to follow Xu Siqi step by step.
In order to facilitate the entry and exit of internal personnel, in addition to the main entrance, the church also has a side door, which is the door through which Kobayashi Hikoro entered.
Soon, Xu Siqi saw the side door.
If you enter the church from the side door, turn right to the direction Xu Siqi came from, and turn left to the residence of the priests and sisters, including the dining room, kitchen, warehouse, bathroom, etc.
There was a faint smell of oil in the dark corridor.
Xu Siqi walked a few steps following the smell, stopped at the door of a locked room, turned around and said to the nun: "Why is this place locked?"
"Mr. Police Officer, this is the warehouse." the nun replied.
"Open the door!"
"I don't have the key."
"Where's the key?"
"The keys to the warehouse are always in the hands of Father Boris."
"Get him!"
Seeing Xu Siqi's tough attitude, the nun had no choice but to go to the door of the innermost room, reach out and knock on the door gently.
The door creaked open, and a middle-aged Belarusian man wearing a black robe with a cross hanging on his chest came out. He looked at Xu Siqi at the door of the warehouse and said to the nun: "Eliza, what happened?
?”
Sister Eliza bowed and said: "Father Boris, the police officer said that there are robbers who may have hidden in the church, and he wants to search the warehouse."
Boris frowned and said: "The security in the concession has always been good. How could there be robbers in broad daylight?"
Ariza said: "I heard from the church members that a robbery did occur nearby, it seems to be in the area of Mercy Road." They spoke in Russian, and Xu Siqi could not understand a word.
Boris walked over, and he could actually speak fluent Chinese: "Hello, Mr. Police Officer, I am Father Boris of Sophie Cathedral. I don't understand something. The warehouse is locked, why do you still search it?
?”
Xu Siqi said: "Mr. Father, before I answer your question, I want to confirm one thing first. Have you opened the warehouse today?" Boris hesitated and said, "Yes."
"What time?"
"About an hour ago."
"You opened the door alone?"
"Yes."
"Last question, Mr. Father, what size shoes do you wear?"
Boris was stunned for a moment. Although he didn't understand Xu Siqi's intention, he still answered truthfully: "Nine and a half yards."
Xu Siqi nodded, pointed to the footprints at the door of the warehouse, and said: "Mr. Father, look, there are two new pairs of footprints here. The larger pair is 9 and a half yards long. It should be the footprints you left. The other pair is the same as mine."
Almost, probably between 8 and 8 and a half yards. Since you opened the warehouse door alone, who is the other person?"
Boris was stunned for a while and said: "You mean, the robber hid in the warehouse?"
Xu Siqi smiled and nodded.
"But, the warehouse is locked..."
"The robber is very cunning. He probably sneaked in while you were not paying attention. He will sneak out again when the door is opened next time. In this way, he can avoid our search!"