Chapter 6: A Suspicious Passport
On Wednesday morning, a British detective named Fix was waiting at the port in Suez, Egypt. He was a small, nervous man who could not stand still. He was watching for the Mongolia, a fast steamship coming from Europe.
Fix had a very important job. He had received a message from London to look for the bank robber. If he caught the criminal, he would receive a massive reward. Because of this, Fix was incredibly impatient. He paced back and forth, watching the sea.
"Are you sure the ship will not be late?" Fix asked the British consul for the twentieth time.
"It is never late," the consul replied calmly. "But even if the thief is on the ship, how will you recognize him? You only have a written description."
"A good detective does not just look with his eyes," Fix said proudly. "He uses his feelings. I have caught many thieves in my life. And let me tell you, the worst criminals always look exactly like honest men. If they looked evil, they would be arrested immediately! My job is to see through their friendly faces."
At eleven o'clock, the loud whistle of the ship interrupted their conversation. The massive Mongolia had arrived perfectly on time. The consul went back to his office, and Fix moved closer to the arriving boats.
Dozens of people stepped off the ship and walked onto the crowded port. Fix stared at every single face, looking for anything suspicious.
Suddenly, a young man pushed through the crowd and walked directly up to Fix. It was Passepartout. He held out a small official document.
"Excuse me, sir," Passepartout said politely. "Can you tell me where the British consulate is? I need to get this passport stamped."
Fix took the document. As he quickly read the description of the traveler, he almost jumped in surprise. The physical details on the paper perfectly matched the description of the London bank robber!
"Is this your document?" Fix asked, trying to hide his excitement.
"No," the young man replied. "It belongs to my master."
"And where is your master?"
"He stayed on the ship."
"Well, he must go to the consulate himself," Fix said strictly. "He has to prove his identity in person."
"Is that really necessary?"
"Absolutely."
"Fine," the young man sighed. "I will go get him. But he will not be happy about this delay." He bowed to Fix and walked back toward the ship.