“Around nine o’clock this morning, did you pick up a passenger from Taigu Street and take them to Gujiang?” Matthew Brooks asked. This matter involved the underground party, so he had to get things clear. And no one else could know about it—not even Watson Harris.

“Yes, I did pass by Taigu Street at nine this morning, and the passenger was Shopkeeper Clark from Wenhua Bookstore. I ran into him at the entrance of Huichun Pharmacy on the south side of Changtang Street. He was heading south at the time.” Third Young Master understood what Matthew Brooks wanted to know and explained the situation in detail.

Chapter 5: Conclusion

Howard Clark’s situation was something he had naturally heard about. With so many police officers going to the bookstore to arrest someone, as a rickshaw puller running all over the streets, it would be strange if he didn’t know. Besides, Howard Clark was the one he personally took out of the city.

“Was he flustered or calm? What time did he get in the rickshaw?” Matthew Brooks followed up.

Howard Clark’s Wenhua Bookstore was north of Huichun Pharmacy, and morning was when the bookstore opened for business. Howard Clark shouldn’t have been heading south.

“He was walking pretty fast, but I didn’t really notice his expression. As for the time, I can only say it was before nine.” Third Young Master scratched the back of his head awkwardly.

After all, he was an amateur. If it weren’t for Matthew Brooks’s frequent reminders, he wouldn’t even pay attention to anything besides picking up passengers.

“Changtang Street and Taigu Street were blocked off this morning. Weren’t you checked when you passed through?” Matthew Brooks asked again.

“It was raining so hard, no one was stopping people for checks.” Third Young Master recalled. Although there were quite a few police officers on Changtang and Taigu Streets today, most were patrolmen, and with the heavy rain, everyone was just looking for shelter. No one was doing inspections.

“Where did Howard Clark get off?” Matthew Brooks’s heart skipped a beat, and he asked again.

“Almost at Heilicun.” Third Young Master thought for a moment and replied.

“Heilicun? Did he go into the village?” Matthew Brooks asked.

“I didn’t notice. Brother Yun, I know the police station was after Shopkeeper Clark today, but he’s a good man.” Third Young Master hesitated, opened his mouth, and finally spoke. In his eyes, anyone who dared to stand up to the Japanese was a good person.

“Go on up, I have to get to school.” Matthew Brooks said no more. He felt that Caleb Bennett made a lot of sense—Shawn Benson was definitely up to something today, and the key figure in this scheme was the very Howard Clark who had managed to escape! He was increasingly convinced that Howard Clark’s smooth escape might not be a good thing.

“I’ll give you a ride.” Third Young Master said hurriedly.

“All right.” Matthew Brooks hesitated for a moment, then replied slowly.

Matthew Brooks had to go to the Japanese Language School for evening classes. His Japanese was already quite good; even in conversation with Japanese people, it was hard to tell from his accent that he was Chinese.

The main reason Matthew Brooks was able to get into the police station was because he had enrolled in this Japanese Language School. The school was established by the Japanese when they first occupied Guxing, and Matthew Brooks was among the first batch of students. After six months of full-time study, he was assigned to work at the police station. But he still had to study part-time for another year before he could officially graduate.

He owed this to teacher Mark Hudson from Yuping Middle School. If it hadn’t been for his suggestion that Matthew Brooks apply to the Japanese Language School, Matthew Brooks might not have survived under the Japanese iron heel. Now, every holiday, Matthew Brooks would bring gifts to visit Mark Hudson. Just last night, he had dinner at Mark Hudson’s house.

Matthew Brooks returned from the basement to his own room, while Third Young Master retraced his steps. When Matthew Brooks left his house, he brushed the dust off his clothes. After stepping out, he had only walked 66 steps when Third Young Master happened to pull his rickshaw by from next door. Although he and Third Young Master were separated by just one wall, their doors faced opposite directions. Matthew Brooks’s backyard wall was right next to Third Young Master’s front door.

After getting in the rickshaw, Matthew Brooks leaned back and closed his eyes in thought. Shawn Benson’s behavior today, as well as the failed roundup, were both full of suspicion. When things are abnormal, there’s something wrong, and today’s events were certainly abnormal.

Suddenly, a strange thought popped into Matthew Brooks’s mind: could Shawn Benson and Howard Clark be in cahoots? The idea seemed absurd, and even Matthew Brooks didn’t dare think too deeply about it. But if it were true, everything would make sense.

Shawn Benson personally went to Old Hale’s noodle shop, and when Matthew Brooks noticed something was off, he suddenly scolded him—wasn’t that just to cover for Howard Clark?

No wonder he wanted the Security Office people involved in the operation, no wonder he only gave Leonard Hale three men, no wonder Howard Clark managed to leave just in time, no wonder Shawn Benson came to patrol Changtang Street. Shawn Benson wasn’t patrolling at all—he was paving the way for Howard Clark!

Once he figured this out, Matthew Brooks suddenly saw everything clearly!

In fact, this thought had been circling in his mind all along; he just hadn’t dared, or wanted, to believe it.

“To Changtang Street—the place where you picked up Howard Clark this morning,” Matthew Brooks suddenly said. Since he had deduced this conclusion, he had to verify it himself.

Matthew Brooks was a policeman, and Howard Clark was a suspected Communist. Arresting Howard Clark was his duty. After today’s failed operation, the bureau had even issued a reward notice: fifty yuan for information on Howard Clark. If captured alive, it was still two hundred. Even if someone saw what he was doing now, he could justify it.