Chapter 54: Fei Jin’s Information

Chapter 54 – Fagin’s Intelligence

Almost at the same moment that the door to the room opened, Tom and Tony rushed forward with one strong step.

Tony pulled the edge of the room door with a death grip, trying to keep it from closing.

Tom, on the other hand, was the first to pick up Adam, who had stayed in the doorway, and backed away.

The head of the thieves inside the door, old Fei Jin, saw the situation, his face changed violently, this sixty-something year old man almost did not even think about it, and immediately pulled out his right hand that had been behind his back, which was a bright and shiny meat cutter.

Just when he was planning to ruthlessly give the Tony in front of him a stab, a palm as strong as an iron clamp choked his wrist.

Old Fei Jin was momentarily in pain, and the knife in his hand fell to the ground with a ‘dang’ sound.

Arthur, who was wearing a bowler hat, raised the brim of his hat, and with his other hand, he lifted up his coat and showed him the flintlock pistol that was tucked into his waist.

Arthur spoke, “Don’t bother, Mr. Fagin. We mean no harm, just a brief chat with you.”

No sooner had Arthur said this than Tony and Tom, who were standing behind him, also lifted their coats, and they likewise carried pistols in their arms.

Seeing this, Old Fagin could only slightly raise his hands to show that he had no intention of resisting.

This bald old man opened his eyes wide and sucked in his breath: ”Well, it looks like I’m planted today, you guys are here to ask for money, right? A few of you please come inside, do you need me to make you guys a cup of tea?”

Arthur raised an eyebrow, “Demanding payment? Do you owe someone a lot of money?”

“I can’t believe you guys aren’t here to demand money!”

Old Fei Jin looked up and down at the several people with a surprised face, “Then you are Fred’s people? Could it be that he has a clear conscience and is finally planning to settle the payment for the goods he owed me for months?”

Tom and Tony exchanged glances, and Dickens was just about to answer, but they were both pulled back as well.

Arthur pondered slightly, sticking out his tongue and licking the corners of his mouth as he leaned against the door and smiled crookedly.

“Mr. Fagin, I don’t suppose there’s anything else important you’ve forgotten?”

“What else?”

Old Fei Jin’s eyes rolled, he scanned Arthur back and forth a few times, and suddenly narrowed his eyes, “What’s the matter, just tell me straight. There’s no need to dish the road with me here, if you’re really a brother in the road, you should know the rules.”

Arthur sniffed and didn’t say much, just drew the pistol in his waist and put it on Fei Jin’s head.

“Old thing, sorry, I’m new here, I don’t know the rules of your place.”

The gun was just placed on Fei Jin’s head, and it scared the old man so much that the hand he had just put down was raised again.

He cracked, “Damn! I’m sick of fledglings like you guys who are just starting out! Nothing but violence!”

Seeing this, Adam spoke up with a heart of gold, “Mr. Hastings, you, you promised me.”

Fagin took a look at Adam, who was being held in Tom’s arms, “Adam, I can’t believe you would believe their bullshit. What favors did they give you that you actually sold me out like that?

I’m usually pretty good to you, right, who took you in when you were kicked out by your parents? Who taught you all that delicate work?
The most I can do is take a small percentage of what you steal. Don’t think I’m taking 40%, that’s risking my head, I’m just trying to earn some retirement money!

Ask around St. Giles, who’s the middleman that doesn’t give you a discount?”

Adam felt a little hard at heart when he heard this, “Mr. Fagin, they don’t mean you any harm.”

“No malice would put a gun to my head?!”

Arthur could only sigh helplessly when he heard this, he turned the gun upside down and pointed it at his head and pulled the trigger.

Only a snap was heard and nothing happened.

Arthur slipped the pistol back into his waist, and rushed at old Feigin with his hands spread out, “Mr. Feigin, as you can see, it’s just a little joke.”

Old Fagin fished his handkerchief out of his jacket pocket, wiped the sweat from his jaw, and glared reproachfully, “Is there such a thing as a joke? The old man’s life is about to be scared out of you! What the hell do you guys do?”

Sergeant Tony removed the Scotland Yard armband from his jacket pocket and displayed it in front of Fagin.

“As you can see, we’re police officers.”

“Police?” Old Fagin covered his aching heart and cringed, arching his back, “Mr. Officer, I, I think there must be some kind of misunderstanding here.”

He fumbled in his arms for a while, shivering, and pulled out an eighty percent new gold pocket watch and shoved it into Arthur’s coat pocket.

“Seeing as we both know Adam, a small token of appreciation, please accept it.” Arthur looked at the old man’s back and forth metamorphosis, just helplessly sent the gold watch back again.

“Mr. Fagin, you know I’m a cop, how can you still get into all this?”

Before old Eugene could reply, Adam, who was being held in Tom’s arms, spoke up weakly, “That’s right, Mr. Fagin, you’ll have to give it in private.”

Tom glared at him as he lectured, “Adam! Who did you learn all this from? You can’t give it in private either, Arthur wouldn’t take it if you did, he’s not short of money right now.”

Adam nodded thoughtfully, he blinked his watery eyes and rushed to Fei Jin and spoke, “Then …… Mr. Fei Jin, you give it to my father, our family lacks.”

Dickens on the side froze as he listened, he rushed at Tony beside him and asked, “Are all the police at Scotland Yard like this?”

Tony bristled and shrugged his shoulders, “They’re like that everywhere, but at least we’re not.”

Old Fagin was at a loss as to what to do with them, and just as he was at a loss as to how to respond, it was Arthur who opened his mouth.

“Never mind, Mr. Fagin, let’s talk inside.”

Fei Jin, who had learned of the other party’s identity, didn’t dare to be slow, and he hurriedly led the several people inside the door.

“Officers, please go inside, I’ll go make you some tea.”

“There’s no need to make tea.”

Arthur entered the house and he surveyed the living room with its newspaper-glued windows and water seeping through the floor.

The walls blackened by firewood, the table with half a leg missing and covered in chalk doodles, and the half-chewed rye bread on the table with its battered white wax cups and teapot without a lid.

And in a small hole deep in the corner, filled with thatch, a lean black rat was snoozing.

Arthur couldn’t work up an appetite in any case.

Old Fei Jin also saw that several police officers seemed to be a bit uncomfortable, the old thief head embarrassedly said with a red face: ”Mr. Officer, this house of mine is considered a good one in the neighborhood.

The landlord told me that this was originally a nobleman’s house, the Baron and Baroness could have lived here, every wall is full of classical and elegant taste.

Every wall is full of classical and elegant taste. Only because of the lack of maintenance for a long time, you may not be able to see it now. Don’t you believe it, take a look here ……”

Old Fei Jin said while stretching out his greasy sleeves to rub vigorously against the handrail of the stairs leading to the second floor.

“Look at the carvings on this handrail, it’s definitely a master’s taste.”

Arthur raised his hand to interrupt his movements, “Mr. Fei Jin, we can talk about the issue of taste next time.

I heard from Adam that you are a titled figure in this area, holding a lot of information that the onlookers don’t know. That’s why I came here today, mainly to ask you some questions.

I have received reliable information which says that there have been many disappearances in St. Giles Parish recently, do you have any knowledge of this matter?”

“Disappearances?”

Old Fei Jin’s eyes wandered as he pursed his dried lips, “Actually, well, this kind of thing is never in short supply in St. Giles. After all, you should be aware of our situation here. People come and go here every day, it’s normal to have a few people missing.”

“But I’ve heard that the ones missing this time can be familiar faces from the streets. There are adults, there are children, there are men, there are women, with your network of connections in St. Giles, you wouldn’t have gotten no wind of it at all, would you?”

At the end of his sentence, Arthur also threw out a list of names from his arms and threw it on the table, “Do you know how to read? If not, I can read it to you.”

Old Fei Jin sweated profusely, “This …… has things that I can t say too clearly, or I will be in trouble. Everyone is doing this, I’m cutting them off.”

Hearing this, Arthur threw out another document, “Mr. Fei Jin, this one now, is a criminal charge against you. With the amount of stolen goods you have sold and the abetting of the crime, the punishment for all the crimes, I’m afraid it’s not enough for hanging but also enough for exile, you should know that at your age, there’s no difference between exile and hanging.

However, if you are willing to cooperate with us in our investigation, I can immediately drop these charges; after all, the parish of St. Giles is not my jurisdiction, and there is no need for me to meddle in this idle business.”

When Fei Jin heard this, he hesitated, but when he saw the handcuffs Officer Tony held out, he finally gritted his teeth.

He spoke, “I’m not afraid to say I know all. But I am willing to tell you all I know.”

Arthur sniffed and immediately threw the charging documents into the dirty fireplace fire next to him.

“Go ahead.”

Fagin took a deep breath and opened his mouth to ask, “Mr. Officer, do you know about the Funeral Mutual Aid Society? It’s the kind of association where a family pays a few pennies a week, and afterward, if a family member shows up dead, they can get a funeral grant from the mutual aid society.”

(End of chapter)