A few days later, the newspaper published news that the smuggling case had been solved.

"Looks like Officer Christopher should have something to gain." Bella said.

"In other words, the lost files have been recovered?" Elena said.

"Maybe. I don't know how they handled it, but the media clearly cooperated with the official narrative."

Even if the newspaper knew the inside story, I am afraid that it would not dare to say anything about leaking secrets.

"In any case, the security on the streets has been much looser in the past two days. It's not like some time ago, when you had to check even crossing a bridge."

"Actually, it shouldn't matter so much whether you can get the documents back."

"Why do you say that?"

"According to Mr. Frida, the research was mainly carried out by Mr. Dresser. Even if he doesn't have a report, he can write another one at any time, right? Research can also be continued. And the reason why the government cares so much is only to prevent the research results from being stolen by other countries. From this point of view, the strengthening of security is to a greater extent a deterrent. As long as we ensure that the research results are not leaked, even if they are destroyed, it will not matter."

Unlike kidnappings and the like, there is no such thing as a "hostage" or a "substance".

"If that's the case, Officer Christopher can be a little more relaxed, right?"

While the two were chatting, an uninvited guest came to the salon.

"Is Miss Carlos here?" Officer Christopher hurried over and asked with an anxious expression.

"What's wrong? Officer?" Elena asked curiously, "We were just talking about you when you suddenly appeared. Isn't it hiding somewhere to eavesdrop?"

"Ah, Miss Medici, don't be joking." Officer Christopher panted and said, "How can I feel like this right now?"

"What the hell is going on?" Bella asked, putting down the newspaper.

"Do you remember that smuggling case the other day?" Officer Christopher asked.

"yes, yes." Bella nodded, "What's wrong?"

"I'll tell you the truth, we caught the prisoner yesterday." Christopher said.

"I know, it's still in the newspapers." Bella held up the newspaper she had just shaken and shook it.

"Yes, the prisoner was caught, but I didn't see any smuggled contraband. And guess what? What is missing is a research report."

"We've also heard from Mr. Frida of the University of Paris that it seems to be research on firearms."

"Now that you know, it's easy to do." Officer Christopher seemed to breathe a sigh of relief, but he didn't dare to let go, "We set up an ambush on the island of Citi, and we spotted a suspicious ship approaching - as you guessed, they were taking the waterway. So, we intercepted that stuff in one fell swoop."

"Isn't that great?" Elena asked, puzzled, "What's there to worry about?"

"It looks so." Officer Christopher frowned, "But, how? Based on my years of experience, I guess it's a bit ......."

"It went so well, didn't it?" Bella asked.

"Yes, yes, that's it." The officer nodded repeatedly, "Later, I didn't feel at ease, and I went to find out what happened. They had stolen documents from the research laboratories of the University of Paris. I don't think that's something that ordinary people can do. How could such a well-thought-out action be carried out with such fanfare when our police are in a tight lockdown? It's too unreasonable."

"You mean, they did it on purpose?" Bella asked.

"I'm not sure." Officer Christopher replied, "Last night, I was so distraught that I went through the whole thing several times, but I couldn't find any flaws. However, I always felt a sense of foreboding. It seems that some detail has been overlooked."

"So, you're here?"

"Ah, because Miss Carlos has helped us solve a lot of problems." Officer Christopher smiled awkwardly, "Although the matter has nothing to do with you, with your superior intelligence, it should be solved soon, right?"

"You're saying it too easily." Bella said, "It's nothing like excellence, I'm just lucky."

"In any case, I hope you can help this time." Officer Christopher bowed deeply.

This made Bella reluctant to refuse.

"Even if you ask for it, there are no clues yet." Bella expressed regret and said, "Solving the puzzle is like a puzzle, only by getting enough pieces can we restore the original appearance of the picture to a certain extent."

"You're saying that there aren't enough clues right now?" Officer Christopher asked.

"Yes." Bella nodded.

"What else do you need?"

"Hmm...... Let me think about ......."

Bella thought for a moment.

Elena asks Vanessa to move a chair for Officer Christopher.

"What kind of prisoner did you catch?" Bella asked.

"A man in his thirties, looking a little grumpy, carrying the missing report in his arms. And the person who came to pick him up was just a middle-aged boatman, who seemed to have come to pick up people after receiving money, and he didn't know much about things. The man quickly confessed to his crimes." Officer Christopher described.

"Both of them have been arrested?" Bella asked.

"Yes." Christopher replied, "Although the boatman seems to be a little innocent, just in case, we decided to detain him for a while."

"Has that report been checked?"

"Well...... Because in his desperation, he threw things into the Seine, and he could no longer read the handwriting. But judging from the material of the paper, it is the kind that is reserved for the laboratory."

"In other words, you don't see the whole thing, do you?"

"This ...... That's true."

"That man, has he said anything other than admitting his crimes." Bella continued.

"He insisted he did it himself," Officer Christopher replied, "and told me how he stole the documents."

"Oh?"

"According to his description, he used to sell coffee in the university, and over time, he got to know the people in the research room. Some time ago, someone paid him to steal that information, so he quietly stole it out while everyone wasn't paying attention."

"That's right......" Bella pondered.

"Do you think that man is not a prisoner?" Elena asked.

"Ugh...... I can't say that, I think he stole it." "But for some reason, I always feel that this is not over yet."

It may seem like a happy ending, but if things go too well, it often doesn't come naturally.

"Is that man you caught a Catholic?" Bella asked suddenly.

"He probably had a cross with him." Officer Christopher replied.

"Officer, please confirm something." Bella continued.

"Please do what you command." The officer immediately stood up from his chair.

"Let's see if there are any new guests in the Notre-Dame Cathedral lately."

"Huh?" The officer looked stunned.

"Hmm." Bella nodded earnestly.

"Okay, I'll go." The officer turned around and was about to do it immediately.

"Wait," Bella stopped him suddenly, "and, let the boatman go, and send someone to follow him quietly."

"No problem." The officer replied, "What else do you want?"

"Hmm...... Not for a while."

"Alright, I'll do it right away."

After saying that, Officer Christopher left the salon in a hurry, not even having time to drink the black tea.

"Bella, I don't understand." Elena asked.

"Don't understand what?" Bella said.

"I can understand that your officer is following the boatman, probably to find their accomplices, right?"

"That's right, if the boatman was in the same league as them, he would have been in touch. On the other hand, if it were not for their people, they would probably be killed. So, as long as he is let out, the other party will always show up."

"But why go to the Notre-Dame Cathedral?" What Elena didn't understand was, "Even if that person is a Catholic, it doesn't have to be an accomplice hiding in the cathedral, right?"

"It's not because of the Catholics." Bella said, "First of all, the officers heard the news and rushed to cordon off the island of Citi, no matter where they got the news, from what happened later, it can be inferred that the stolen documents should be on the island. In this way, the other party may also be a little impatient to wait before making a desperate bet, which is generally the case. However, as we have talked about before, this document may be important for other countries, but it is not so necessary for the French authorities. In other words, as long as the content is not leaked, it doesn't really matter whether the file itself is intact or not. And the other party actually destroyed the thing, and it was completely destroyed, even to the point of being unrecognizable. Most people think that this may be due to the fact that the offender is angry and corrupt. However, combined with that kind of self-throwing net, it seems so unreasonable. Perhaps, that's what happened to Officer Christopher."

"You mean to say that the prisoner deliberately made an illusion?"

"Yes, they deliberately destroyed the documents in front of the police, to be precise, so that the police could see that the 'documents' were destroyed and think that the matter was over." Bella continued, "Aren't there a lot fewer guards on the street now?"

"I see, that means they're going to transfer the real 'files' next?"

"Since they can accurately steal documents from the University of Paris, they must have been well prepared, at least planned from the beginning, and they will not be unexpected, once the matter is revealed, they will not be able to get out."

"So, why is it Notre Dame Cathedral?"

"Think about it, what is the day of two days?"

"In two days...... Feast of the Assumption?"

"That's right, when the time comes, almost everyone in Paris will be on vacation, and the police will not go to work, except for a few who remain on duty. This means that that day is the time when the defense is at its most lax. On the other hand, Notre-Dame Cathedral will have events and there will be more people."

"That's right......" Elena realized.

Around the end of the evening, Officer Christopher came with the news that he had followed the boatman to destroy an intelligence outpost. And in the luggage of an alien priest in the Cathedral of Notre-Dame, a study report on the actual theft of firearms was found.