The Fox of France

Martin found the fur trader named Pedur, who only purchased furs from fully-furred animals, showing no interest in leather products from mostly bare-skinned animals. This disinterest left many American fur traders quite disappointed. Despite being selective, Pedur was known for straightforward transactions.

Martin approached Pedur and handed him a letter, then plainly stated his purpose.

"Oh, this is tricky," Pedur remarked, "You say I'm a fur trader, a legitimate businessman, how come..."

"A legitimate businessman? Please, there isn't a single fur trader who's genuinely in legal business," Martin retorted.

"Let's assume that's true," Pedur conceded, "But I am a businessman, I'm all about the money, not about taking lives."

"Dyson mentioned you have a few lives on your hands."

"That's incidental damage in the process of making money. I never aim for their lives; they just unfortunately get in the way of me getting paid. So, indeed, I'm all about the money, not harming anyone," Pedur responded calmly.

"Fine, but the killing is on me, not related to you. I just need a bit of your help, and it’s also good for future business, right?"

Pedur thought for a moment and then said, "I can’t get involved in anything directly related to this matter. I can offer some help since Dyson is my friend. But I don't know what you're here for, you just asked me some business questions, and I told you out of friendship. Moreover, the people you’re targeting are influential, and if this gets out, it could seriously implicate me. Hmm, Dyson will have to offer me much more compensation next time."

After this conversation, Pedur continued, "About that Professor Fafniel and Grede, they're both influential figures from Harvard. Not many here are unaware of them. Well, let’s first discuss your general plan."

Martin’s plan was straightforward: to learn Fafniel or Grede’s routine and wait for them along their usual routes, then take them down with two revolvers, and flee on horseback.

"Your plan is too crude," Pedur shook his head. "What about after it's done? How will you escape? This is important; you don't know how precious life is. You're unfamiliar with this place, your accent doesn't match, it won’t be easy to escape. Before doing this, you must plan your escape route thoroughly, whether you succeed or fail. Imagine if you were caught in Massachusetts. What would the court there do? They’d hang you out to dry without hesitation.

"You have family, right? Would they like to read in the papers that you were hanged? So, the most important thing is to have a good escape plan. Hmm, don’t do anything else these days, just work as a salesman for me. This job requires moving around streets, which will help you get familiar with the layout of Boston — especially from Harvard to the port area. As for their movements, I'll keep you informed."

The next morning, Pedur gave Martin a small box hanging around his neck filled with French cigarettes and various small items for women, encouraging him to go out and sell them.

"This box is too heavy," Martin complained. "Can’t it be lighter? I’m just supposed to learn the layout, not really..."

"You are really doing this, do it well, I'll pay you," Pedur tapped him on the shoulder.

For the next few days, Martin roamed the streets in the potential operation area by day and returned at night to exchange information and strategize with Pedur.

"Your original plan won’t work; you can’t kill both at the same time. They work at the same university but not in the same faculty, so it's rare for them to appear together. You can only target one. Recently, due to the southern states' anger over their statements, and many have openly vowed to kill them, they’ve been very cautious. Besides classes, they hardly appear in public, making assassination difficult."

"So what do we do? Can you find out where they live?" Martin asked.

"You still want to commit a crime indoors? That won’t be easy. Both are wealthy, so they live in upscale areas. Hmm, you’ve been to Newton area, right? What did you feel?"

"There are lots of police everywhere. Just looking around, you could see at least one or two police officers. I tried selling cigarettes there and got questioned by several officers," Martin said.

"At night, there are even more police. Plus, you can't prepare by entering their homes beforehand, but your target might be prepared. In his home, he knows the layout better than you and is ready. With a shotgun and a dog, not just one person, but even two or three couldn’t break in easily. Plus, any slight noise would bring a swarm of police. So, if you plan

to commit the crime indoors, I'd rather you just buy a rope in the market and hang yourself, saving everyone the trouble," Pedur clearly disapproved of the plan.

Martin was disappointed, but he knew Pedur made sense. Newton area being recognized as Boston’s safest wasn’t without reason.

"So what do we do now?" Martin asked.

"We just have to wait and see if another opportunity arises. This might take some time. Now you see why I wanted you to be a salesman? Otherwise, the money you brought might not even be enough."

Martin continued to work as a salesman to earn his wages; otherwise, as Pedur said, he really would run out of money.

However, a turnaround came quickly. That afternoon, as Martin returned, he saw Pedur waving a newspaper: "Martin, come here, look at this news."

"What happened?" Martin asked.

"Your waiting opportunity has arrived," Pedur said. "Look, Mr. Bobbron, a literature professor from the University of Paris, has been invited to visit Harvard University. Do you know what this means?"

"I know," Martin replied. "Such a scholar’s visit would surely prompt a welcome ceremony at Harvard. Given that the auditorium isn’t large enough and considering the sunny weather these days, the ceremony is likely to be held outdoors."

...

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