Chapter 1.25.

 

Captain Anderson stayed late at work, undecided as to what he should do. Colonel Tirel's arrival surprised him greatly. But he was even more surprised when Colonel Timothy de Rogan told him that Mike really was from the Clan de Graaf and worked for Foreign Intelligence. But he had no idea why the colonel had demanded that he not add that to the file just yet. He also demanded that the inquiries and responses to them, which Colonel Tirel had written, not be added to the file. 

Anderson looked at his desk clock. It was a quarter to eight. He had to finally decide what he was going to do next. He didn't like this whole thing very much. He didn't want to end up on the receiving end. He didn't feel sorry for Miller. He disliked him for his overindulgence in pleasing his superiors, even to the point of servility. Miller, with the colonel's consent, sometimes falsified evidence and even covered up cases. They have constantly turned a blind eye to this. Anderson couldn't do that. He tried to get to the truth, whatever it was. He got in trouble several times because of that. Otherwise, he had been a colonel a long time ago.

Anderson took a small silver coin out of his wallet, tossed it in the air, and then caught it in his palm. When he opened his palm, the side of the coin with the imperial hawk was looking at him. Anderson sighed heavily, and it meant he had to go. Mike's file was on his desk, along with two requests and answers.

There was no one in the department for a long time. Everyone had gone home before dawn. Anderson was going to take Mike's file with him. This was highly unrecommended. If anyone found out about it, he'd be in big trouble. Closing the file, he put it in his leather briefcase. Getting dressed, he headed outside. Quickly he caught a carriage and set off for a possible turning point in his life.

 

 

An hour later he was already outside the estate of Catherine de Graaf. A pair of guards were on duty near the entrance gate. Anderson approached them.

"The estate is already closed to visitors," one of the guards said. "Come back tomorrow."

"I have an important message," Anderson told him.

"Look, it doesn't matter with what message you came," another guard told him. "We haven't received any instructions about you, and we don't intend to disturb the estate. Even though you are the captain of the capital guard."

"You don't understand. I have a really important message about Major Michael de Graaf."

"Michael de Graaf?" The guard asked.

"Yes!"

The guards looked at each other and shrugged.

"Come back tomorrow morning, and we'll be happy to let you through."

"No!" Anderson raised his voice.

Both guards looked at him hostilely.

"I'm sorry," Captain Anderson hurriedly apologized. "I don't have much time. I have to get the documents back in the morning. It's really important."

The guards looked at each other again.

"Why don't you go ask Teo what we should do about this visitor," one asked the other.

"Okay, I will," agreed the other with a sigh. "Wait here."

"Thanks," Anderson said.

 

Catherine de Graaf was already asleep when there was a persistent knock on her bedroom door. She awoke, and the knock on the door repeated.

"Yes, come in," she said loudly. Nearby, on the night table, she lit a lamp.

A maid entered her bedroom.

"Mistress," the maid said with a bow. "I'm sorry I woke you," she apologized.

"Is something wrong?" Catherine asked her.

"I don't know, Mistress. Teo asked me to wake you up and tell you to come downstairs quickly."

"All right," said Catherine with a yawn. "I'll be right down."

After bowing, the maid left. Catherine got out of bed and looked at her clock. It was a quarter to twelve. She took her housecoat from the chair, put on her slippers, and went downstairs.

Down the hall, Teo was waiting for her, along with the maid and the guard on front gate duty.

"I'm sorry to wake you, madam," Teo told her with a bow.

After looking around at everyone present, she asked: "Is something wrong?"

"Yes, Madam," Teo said and turned to the guard. "Tell her."

The guard looked at Teo, gulped nervously, took a deep breath, and turned to Catherine.

"Madam," he began. "A man is waiting outside the entrance gate. He introduced himself as Captain Anderson Folly of the Capital Guard of the Southeastern District. He says he has important information about Michael de Graaf."

"Couldn't it wait until morning? Or let him leave his important information and then get out," Catherine sighed.

"He says that he can't Madam. He needs to return the documents in the morning."

"Documents?" Catherine said.

"That's what he said, Madam."

"All right," said Catherine, after thinking for a moment. "Invite this captain to the eastern small guest room."

"Yes, Madam," the guard said and bowed.

Catherine turned to the maid.

"Prepare us some hot tea."

"Yes, Mistress."

Ten minutes later, Catherine was sitting in the guest room at a small table in a soft, comfortable armchair. A maid stood beside her. On the table was a cup of hot tea, which Catherine had already tasted.

There was a knock at the door, and an elderly man of medium height in the uniform of the captain of the capital guard entered the guest room. When he saw Catherine, he bowed and said.

"Captain Anderson Folly of the Capital Guard Southeastern District," he introduced himself. "I apologize for such a late visit Madam."

Catherine looked at him with an appraising look.

"So, what did you want Captain, and yet so urgent that it couldn't wait until morning," she asked.

Teo followed the captain in and stood on the other side of Catherine. Anderson hesitated for a moment, pondering his answer. His life may have depended on it, he thought.

"Major Michael de Graaf is in our custody in the southeast department."

"That's it?" Said Catherine and looked at him angrily. "And why couldn't this information have waited until morning? You could have written a request to the Ministry of Foreign Intelligence or the Clan de Graaf."

"We... We did, Madam," Anderson replied, with a stammer. "And... We've already received an answer."

"Then what do you want from me?"

"You see, Madam, it's not all that simple," Anderson said, drops of sweat forming on his face. "I think you'd better take a look at his files yourself. I brought it with me… It's in my briefcase. And... If you'll let me show it to you. There are too many oddities in this case and too many powerful people involved."

After listening to Captain Anderson, Catherine sighed and then pointed to a vacant chair near her table with her hand.

"Have a seat Captain," she told him.

The captain immediately obeyed her order and sat down in the chair.

"Let's see your documents," Catherine hurried him.

"Yes, yes, of course," Anderson came out of his stupor.

The captain opened his briefcase and pulled out a file folder. He placed the folder on the table and moved it to Catherine. Catherine took the folder, opened it, and began to examine the papers, at first rather carelessly, but then more and more carefully. Everyone presents remained silent, trying not to disturb her. This went on for a long time until at last Catherine stopped studying the documents. She looked at the captain.

"Of the seven charges, he admitted only the most serious one: murder?" She asked him.

"Yes, Madam," he replied.

"The court is in three days?" She wondered. "Why so soon?"

"Apparently someone put a lot of pressure on Colonel Timothy de Rogan, my direct superior."

"I don't see in the records of the inspection of Michael's house and the questioning of his servants. Why?"

"Because he was not believed to be Michael de Graaf."

"But you're here, so you believed him," said Catherine.

"I have another partner and a superior. So, my opinion doesn't weigh as heavily here," Captain Anderson answered her. "But it's all changed by these requests, which is why I'm here."

Catherine took out two lists of requests and two lists of responses to them.

"Why are the responses to the requests written on ordinary paper?"

"That's a question you'd better ask Colonel Tirel. He wrote them."

"I can see that. There are his signatures here."

"You misunderstand, Madam," Anderson corrected her. "Colonel Tirel personally wrote them when he was in Colonel Timothy's cabinet."

"What?" Catherine didn't understand.

"Colonel Tirel was in our department and personally wrote the responses to our requests."

"When?"

"About eleven o'clock, today," the captain answered her.

"Did Colonel Tirel look at Michael's case?" Catherine asked the captain.

"I think so. The case was in Colonel Timothy's cabinet at the time."

"I see, apparently he decided to fire him backdated. Well, we'll deal with that tomorrow," Catherine said with a sigh. "I hope you'll complete your investigation in the next two days since you already have the responses to your requests. Although, as far as I'm concerned, the court may not accept them."

"I'm afraid there's a problem, Madam," Anderson told her.

"What is it? I don't see a problem," she wondered.

"The investigation is over, not officially of course. Also, the responses to the requests won't be added to the case in the next few days. Probably not until the court itself."

"What? Are you out of your mind? Whose decision is this," Catherine got angry and lightly slapped the table with her palm. The cup clinked and bounced. Fortunately, Catherine had already finished her tea, and the cup was empty, or she would have poured the tea over the papers. The maid hurriedly removed it from the table.

"Madam, I am told this was Colonel Tirel's personal request, and my superior has agreed to it."

"Tirel's personal request? Why would he want it?" Catherine wondered.

"Madam, if I may," Theo interjected.

"Yes, speak Teo."

"I heard that they were bound by the debt of Mike's parents."

"Everyone knows about it," Catherine said. "Mike agreed to pay his parents' debt long ago."

"That's not all, Madam."

"I know. Mike paid a large sum when he returned a couple of days ago. Tirel, of course, tried to hide it. But something like that doesn't escape me. They both had to have thought of what they were doing, carrying such a sum of money into the ministry building with them."

"Madam, Mike has paid the rest of what he owes."

"And? Ten thousand in gold is a lot of money, but if you try hard enough, it can be collected."

"Ten thousand in gold," Teo wondered. "Madam, I think there's been a mistake somewhere. According to my information, Mike's remaining debt was at least sixty thousand gold."

Catherine looked at Teo. She questioningly, raising an eyebrow, silently demanding details. Teo sighed.

"Tirel made a payment to the bank of eighty-five thousand gold the day after Mike arrived. You know he's all in debt. The bank is demanding 250,000 from him. Well, it's less now."

"Where did Mike get that amount of money?" Catherine wondered.

"I don't know Madam," answered Teo.

All the while, Anderson sat quietly, unmoving. He didn't want to hear their conversation at all. Other people's secrets were of no use to him.

"Surely Tirel knows where he got his money," thought Catherine. "Or wants to know where the money comes from. That's right!"

Catherine turned her head toward Anderson, who immediately went pale.

"Are you all right, Captain?" She asked him.

"N... No... I mean, yes, I'm fine. You don't have to worry," the captain hesitated to answer.

"Has Tirel seen Mike?" She asked him.

"Yes, he visited his cell," replied the captain. "And afterward he wrote these responses to requests."

"That!" Catherine brightened up. "Tirel should have been dealt with long ago. There's too much piling up behind him. Has anyone else visited Mike?"

"Not that I know of," Anderson replied. "But Colonel Timothy had another unusual visitor before Colonel Tirel. He called himself Louie de Wolfe."

"Louie de Wolfe?" Catherine interrogated him.

"Yes, Madam."

"Has he seen Mike's case, too?"

"I don't know, probably," replied the captain. "But Colonel Timothy was very courteous to his guest and even walked him out personally."

"We can't deal with this anymore," she sighed. "What a headache this is. Tomorrow the entire capital will be reading the hot news about our clan."

"Madam, I have my doubts about the very circumstances of the case," Anderson said. "But I am powerless to change anything. Your Major Michael de Graaf never told his side of the story. I suspect it's very different from what's written in the reports."

"Will it be possible to see Michael?" Catherine asked.

"Yes, of course, that can be arranged."

"Then I think we can work that out tomorrow."

"Thank you, Madam," said Anderson, tilting his head. "But you can just write a signed letter and I'll give it to him."

"Good. Anything else captain?" Catherine asked him.

"I have a small request, Madam," said Anderson hesitantly.

"Yes, I'm listening."

"I would like to keep my job."

Catherine looked him in the face and then burst into laughter. It made Anderson shiver a little.

"Ha-ha, I like you, Captain," she said with a laugh. "I think we can work that out, too."

"Thank you, Madam."

"Teo, have them prepare a carriage for the captain. It's late at night and it will be quite difficult for him to get home."

"Yes Madam," Teo said with a bow.

"Oh, and while they're getting the carriage ready, make a copy of Mike's file. You don't mind, do you Captain."

"No, I don't mind."

"That's good. And Teo you will also write a little letter for Mike."