Ch.150One Step Forward, Three Steps Back! (2)

#150

“Chief of Staff?”

As Dexter’s face turned serious at those words, Anna also looked at him with a matching serious expression.

“Do you know this person?”

“Of course I do. I didn’t know the name until just now… Wait, did you say Olivia?”

“Yes, Olivia.”

It was more than just a name he’d heard before; it was similar to someone he had been quite close with.

‘Was it someone I knew when I was young?’

But as far as Dexter knew, he was an only child.

The family photos he had only showed Dexter and his parents, with no one else in them.

Yet there was this deep sense of déjà vu whenever he thought of the name ‘Olivia.’

Dexter shook his head vigorously once and decided to refocus on the current matter.

Himena found Dexter’s strange reaction a bit puzzling, but she opened the notepad app on her phone, jotted down important points, and asked Anna again while focusing on her.

“Chief of Staff… named Olivia… You said you didn’t catch her last name, right?”

“That’s right. The middle-aged man who seemed to be her attendant also just called her Lady Olivia.”

“Hmm… If we were to create a composite sketch later, would that be possible?”

Stefan and Anna both nodded simultaneously.

“Then, going back to our original conversation… Stefan, could you tell us what kind of conversation you had with Olivia?”

At Himena’s question, Stefan fell into deep thought before slowly beginning to speak.

“At first, she made insignificant requests and… gave me large sums of money or alcohol as thanks, saying she was grateful.”

“What do you mean by insignificant requests?”

“Things like information about our country’s political situation, or asking me to send urgent items to someone in the Republic on her behalf—just trivial matters like that.”

“Send items on her behalf? By any chance, through diplomatic pouches?”

“Pardon? Ah, yes. That’s correct.”

A diplomatic pouch refers to a bag or container used by governments and foreign missions to transport documents or items, containing mail, documents, or objects that cannot be opened arbitrarily.

According to the Vienna Convention, the contents of these bags cannot be inspected freely, which has led some countries to abuse this system by sending counterfeit money or gold bullion.

Like the example mentioned, Himena also suspected that the Chief of Staff might be misusing diplomatic pouches.

“Did she ever send anything from the Republic of Yekaterina?”

“She would sometimes send or receive things like a few boxes of wine, saying they were for someone she knew in our republic.”

“Wine…?”

“Yes, nothing particularly expensive—just cheap wine. Probably less than 100 dollars per bottle.”

Despite asking several more questions, everything the Chief of Staff had requested seemed ordinary.

‘Wait, the items might appear ordinary, but there’s no way they actually are, right?’

“Stefan, did you ever examine these items separately?”

“They went through all the standard inspections, but there was nothing unusual.”

The Chief of Staff’s actions were suspicious, but there was no evidence.

“I see… for now.”

Himena saved her notes, sent them separately to OSA via email, and organized the file folders she had taken out, putting them back into her briefcase.

“Thank you for your cooperation.”

“I hope you’ll also find out who did that to Bitlass—no, to Encyclopedia.”

“…Yes, we will.”

Himena patted Dexter’s shoulder as he remained lost in thought, and they both left the room.

“……”

Dexter glanced at Stefan and Anna’s expressions before following Himena out of the consulate.

As soon as they exited the consulate, Dexter spoke quietly.

“Those two are hiding something.”

“Huh? What did you say?”

“I said they’re hiding something. They didn’t tell us everything.”

Seeing Dexter still frowning and lost in thought, Himena wondered about his unusual behavior as they got into the car.

“What’s wrong with you today? You’re acting really strange.”

“Hmm? Oh. I’ve heard the name Olivia somewhere, but I just can’t remember where.”

“Olivia? That’s a common name.”

“No, it’s beyond just being a common name… Ah, it’s on the tip of my tongue.”

As Dexter openly struggled in the passenger seat, Himena made a face of disgust and said:

“Ugh, focus on the case. There’s even someone named Olivia in the department next to ours. The name isn’t what’s important.”

“Ah… I really can’t figure it out.”

Dexter tried to think about it a few more times but decided to follow Himena’s advice.

“Anyway, those two are definitely hiding something. I don’t know much about diplomatic pouches, but they’re obviously not something you just hand over like a package delivery.”

“Right?”

“No matter how much money or alcohol they’re given, it seems odd to do that just because they know each other.”

“What do you think?”

“Me?”

Dexter crossed his arms and thought deeply before answering concisely in one sentence.

“If I were the Chief of Staff, I’d have blackmailed them.”

“How?”

“The Chief of Staff surely has money and connections. Using those resources, there must be countless ways to pressure a diplomat from a small country.”

“So you’re saying they found some weakness and used it for blackmail.”

“Otherwise, their expressions don’t make sense. They were hiding something from us, and it wasn’t just some minor embarrassment.”

“Then?”

It was an expression painfully familiar to Dexter.

“Fear. Fear and dread of someone.”

At Dexter’s words, Himena silently focused on driving.

Because Dexter’s own expression was emotionless as he answered as if he knew that look all too well.

* * *

The next day, after finishing the morning meal distribution and taking a short break, Dexter was sitting in a chair drinking coffee.

“Tired?”

With a familiar female voice and hands massaging his shoulders, Dexter turned around slightly with a pleased smile.

“Judy.”

“When did you prepare that photo?”

“You seemed to be enjoying yourself so much, I took it then.”

The photo Judy was referring to was one taken when Id-ya, Aisha, Judy, and Dexter went to an amusement park together.

Specifically, it was a photo of Aisha and Judy smiling brightly together, which Dexter had sent to Judy last night.

“That was really fun, wasn’t it?”

“You make it sound like it was ages ago.”

“It was fun. Like a dream day. But you know, I never took a photo with Aisha before. The one you sent me is the first and last.”

For Judy, who loved children, it was truly a dream-like time.

Since childhood, she had always preferred playing with younger children rather than her peers.

“Maybe you should have been a kindergarten teacher after all.”

“That would be work. I prefer having a child of my own.”

“Hmm, I wonder if we should be talking about this at work.”

Dexter glanced around nervously.

No matter how thick-skinned Dexter was, it was a bit embarrassing to have such a conversation in the morning with other colleagues around.

Judy’s face also turned red, having momentarily forgotten they were at work while being alone with Dexter.

“Y-yes, right. This is our workplace…”

Seeing Judy flustered, Dexter chuckled and stood up.

“Did you do anything special yesterday?”

“Oh, you know Kate at the detention facility? Apparently, there’s a women’s group at our prison too. So yesterday we all got together, had a light beer, and then went our separate ways.”

“Oh, really? Was it fun?”

“It was… not bad. We talked about work a bit, and also discussed which of the unmarried guards is handsome.”

“Sounds interesting.”

When Dexter gave a sly smile, Judy chuckled.

“You’re thinking, ‘I must be the most handsome among the unmarried guards,’ right?”

“Well. I don’t think that’s an incorrect assessment.”

“Dexter, you always seem to have that confidence.”

“In this society, you can’t survive without confidence.”

“What kind of logic is that?”

Judy laughed lightly at Dexter’s confident nonsense.

-Officer Goswell, Officer Goswell. Please report to the Chief Correctional Officer’s office.

“Ah, why now of all times!”

Seeing Judy looking at the radio on her shoulder with a sulky voice, Dexter smiled like a father and said:

“I’ll be waiting, so hurry back.”

“I’ll be right back, okay?”

As Judy headed toward the Chief Correctional Officer’s office in the center, Dexter heard not the hard sound of an officer’s duty shoes, but the soft sound of footsteps.

‘Those are footsteps from inmate shoes.’

Judging by how it seemed like someone had been waiting for Judy to leave, it was a person Dexter could easily anticipate.

“You’re having fun.”

This emotionless voice.

“You’re here?”

“It’s my first shift this week, and that’s quite a bleak greeting.”

As Emily’s cold hand gently brushed his cheek, Dexter wrapped his hand around hers and said:

“Your hands are so cold in this weather.”

“Mm, probably poor circulation.”

“Meaning?”

“It means they need to be warmed by someone else’s heat.”

Emily entrusted her hand to Dexter.

“You’re bold.”

“I checked to make sure no one was around before coming.”

“Then I have nothing to say.”

Dexter gently kissed the back of Emily’s hand.

“I heard from Jesse. You were chased by a strange car?”

“Hmm, why do all the women around me love talking about work so much?”

“Work?”

Emily, who had heard about being chased by a car but didn’t know it was related to Dexter’s work, asked again.

“Being chased by cars is part of your job?”

“No, that’s not it. I got chased while doing my job. Are you a bit slow? What kind of job involves getting chased by cars?”

Emily stared blankly at Dexter’s words before nodding.

“Jesse and Himena didn’t explain in detail, so I don’t know.”

“It’ll be resolved by the end of this sentence. I’ll tell you when you’re released.”

“That’s something to look forward to.”

Emily’s expression was bleak, but Dexter was glad that he couldn’t detect any signs of lying.

‘Well, it’s easier to just say you don’t like something if you don’t, and that you like it if you do.’

While Dexter was briefly lost in thought, Emily was staring blankly at one spot.

“She’s coming.”

“Huh? Who?”

“Oh, I was asked if my shift could be adjusted… Ah.”

Judy, who had been ready to share every detail of what happened in the Chief Correctional Officer’s office, stopped in her tracks when she saw Emily next to Dexter.

“Um… ahem. Officer Hughes, is, is everything alright over there?”

“Suddenly using my last name.”

When Judy called Dexter by his surname in an awkward voice, Dexter smiled playfully as if wondering why she was suddenly acting that way.

“Officer Goswell.”

“Yes? Oh, yes. Bell… inmate.”

“Looks like we’ll be seeing each other often.”

As Emily extended her hand and said something incomprehensible, Dexter rolled his eyes in disbelief.

“Hey, you…”

“I’m not sure what you mean, but…”

As Judy shook Emily’s hand, Emily very slightly raised the corner of her mouth, gave both of them a nod, and headed elsewhere.

“Dexter seems to be friendly with unusual inmates too…”

“Just… um… it’s easier to think of her as a natural disaster.”

“A natural disaster?”

To Judy, it looked like an older brother trying to cover up for an embarrassing younger sister.

As even Dexter behaved that way and said something incomprehensible, Judy became confused.