The Shadow of Great Britain-Chapter 675 - 329: A New Turnaround_2

Arthur, having listened to this, rested his hand on his chin and pondered for a moment before saying, "It seems Miss Defina has indeed kept quite a few things from us." freeweɓnovēl.coɱ

Harrison said helplessly, "Mr. Hasting, although there is a series of conflicts between us, our first conflict caused me to lose my seat in Parliament. After the second case was adjudicated, you had someone teach me a harsh lesson. Even though I wanted to retaliate against you after being beaten, I wasn’t bold enough to directly hire an assassin to kill you. And even if I did consider assassinating you, I would never choose the time when you were visiting Liverpool. If you insist that I was behind this, then you are questioning my intelligence."

Arthur, hearing this, suddenly stiffened with his hand on the teacup. He looked up and asked, "Mr. Harrison, the misfortune of losing your parliamentary seat may have something to do with Scotland Yard, but are you questioning my intelligence with the beating incident?"

"So it wasn’t you who did that?" Harrison was also stunned, "No, impossible! Those people had guns, and when they knocked me to the ground with the butt of a gun, they explicitly warned me not to think about going to the police, saying that if I fell into the hands of Scotland Yard again, it wouldn’t be just a gunstock next time."

Louis, upon hearing this, couldn’t help but look toward Arthur and asked in a lowered voice, "Could it be that Miss Fiona acted on her own in doing these things?"

"Threatening a member of Parliament? Even a former member, they wouldn’t have the guts for that. However..."

Arthur thought for a moment before replying, "Just in case, you should have someone check on it afterwards."

Louis took a deep breath, "If it really was them..."

Arthur took off his hat and placed it on the table, "Then unfortunately, Scotland Yard has always been unwilling to retain capable employees; she can choose to return to society and continue to earn money with her own wit."

Great Dumas, suddenly recalling the scene he had witnessed in Liverpool, the French fat man joked, "Or, she could also choose to lift her skirt for an audience."

Harrison sternly declared, "If this was not your doing, then it most likely was your subordinates acting on their own initiative. Just like I said earlier, such dirty work is always eagerly done by the underlings. Although you don’t rank very high in all of Britain, you still have some status in this small part of London."

If it wasn’t the subordinates who did it, could it still be that bitch Defina who ordered it herself? A destitute Pole who hasn’t been in London for long, how could she suddenly call so many brawny men with guns?"

Arthur responded, "Regarding the internal possibilities, we will investigate further afterwards. However, I believe that my subordinates aren’t as spiritually attuned as you. Moreover, we have gathered some details you don’t know, which make me even more doubtful of the incidents that have occurred to Miss Defina in recent months."

"What details?"

Louis casually threw a file towards Harrison, "According to our investigation, one of the assassins in the Liverpool assassination case was Miss Defina’s husband. Mr. Harrison, if you don’t explain the specifics, we have every reason to take you to Scotland Yard for further questioning."

"Ah?"

With a bang, Harrison, shocked, dropped his teacup onto the table.

Tea splashed everywhere, but at that moment, he couldn’t care less about cleaning his expensive clothes.

Harrison stood up and said, "Mr. Hasting, I assure you, I really have nothing to do with this case."

Arthur pulled out a handkerchief and wiped the water droplets off his face, "I know, and I also do not wish to wrong an innocent person. But, as you understand, the higher-ups need an explanation. If you can’t clarify the details, given your current status, you are quite suitable to serve as that explanation."

Upon hearing this, Harrison’s shirt was soaked with sweat; he picked up a napkin and kept wiping the sweat off, his eyes darting around.

He pondered left and right, knowing that Arthur wasn’t deceiving him.

A traitor of the Tory Party, detested by the Whig Party as a die-hard faction, and at the same time, a former member of Parliament regarded as a thorn in Scotland Yard’s side.

He was indeed the greatest common denominator among all the conflicting powers.

But as a legislator who had talked about sacrifice and dedication for many years, when the pen was about to fall on himself, deciding to write him off, Mr. Harrison still decided to resist stubbornly.

He slammed the table and protested, "Mr. Hastings, this is a conspiracy, you have been fooled, and I have been framed! I thought Defina had people beat me up to vent her anger, but now it seems, it was just a preamble to your assassination!"

Louis nodded and echoed, "Indeed, everything is too ingenious. When all coincidences come together, it is not a coincidence, but a conspiracy."

Harrison racked his brain, thinking, "That bitch Defina, I thought she came back to me for money. Now, it looks like there are others behind her. Mr. Hastings, while she has not yet fled, we must capture her quickly!"

"Unfortunately, Mr. Harrison," Arthur spoke up, "Defina had already disappeared when the Liverpool assassination happened. And not only her, but her several children are also missing. Therefore, I came to ask you when the last time you saw her was."

"The last time..."

Harrison reminisced, "I... I can’t quite remember, it should have been a few days after I was beaten. I went to Regent Street for the opening ceremony of a friend’s new store and happened to see her with several men. At that time, she was dressed in glittering luxury; if it hadn’t been for the two small red moles on her mouth and shoulder, I would have hardly recognized her."

"Dressed in glittering luxury?" Great Dumas mused while chewing the end of his pen, "It seems she indeed made a large sum."

"Not just that..." Harrison said sarcastically, "Although I was afraid of getting beaten up again, walking away seemed too cowardly. So, I got the idea to get back at her. I deliberately approached, planning to wait until they split up, then tell her new lovers about the romantic tales I had with her."

"And then?"

"I followed them in a carriage for a good while, and finally, when Defina went into a store to try on clothes, I approached them. I casually chatted with them, only to learn that these men were military attachés from the Russian Embassy..."

Upon hearing this, Arthur suddenly asked, "What month was this? Do you still remember clearly?"

Harrison replied, "It should have been in October."

Hearing this, Louis quickly flipped through the files in front of him, pulling out a document and handing it to Arthur, "According to Ms. Fiona’s statement, Defina started working at the Embassy on November 25th. If she had already been in touch with the Russians in October..."

Arthur held the document, reading it over and over, suddenly also sensing the thorny magnitude of the situation.

The Russians indeed had reason and motivation to assassinate him, and using a Polish assassin with a pro-France background could indeed garner the greatest benefit for the Russians, which even matched the current policy of the Foreign Office.

Now the only question was whether Viscount Palmeston and the other members of the Cabinet were aware of the Russian plans.

If everyone was pretending to be oblivious while being aware, then this case would not be as simple as uncovering the truth.

Moreover, the Russians even thoughtfully prepared an alternative truth for the investigation committee.

Arthur stared at Harrison for a long time, his nose already sensing an ominous air.

"Louis."

Louis looked up and asked, "What is it?"

"If the investigation committee later issues an arrest warrant for Mr. Harrison, remember to arrange him in a solitary cell in the Criminal Investigation Department."