Mon, May 24, 1954
Countess Von Idall waits in a teahouse one night for a man who is knifed in a nearby alley. Not long after, she sends Smith to burglarize a refugee camp and find out what happened to one of its detainees. Inside, Smith gets directions from a boy who doesn't speak and finds his way to the records office. When the commander of the camp surprises him, Smith is unimpressed. He knows the captain released a certain inmate who has since disappeared, and there was kumshaw (bribe money) in the mix. The commander admits that he released the detainee to a prominent local businessman named Bergdahl. This Bergdahl is planning to emigrate and Steffi Von Idall wants to stop him because he owes her family a fortune. The missing man knew Bergdahl in earlier days, under his real name. With an affidavit from the man, Steffi could have forced Bergdahl to pay up if he wanted to enter the U.S. using his new false identity. Bergdahl solved his problem with murder. But the little refugee boy was a silent witness, and Smith has won games with smaller hole cards.