Tuesday morning, the weather remained as cold as it usually was this season.
Klein tightened the collar of his tweed coat, put on his hat, and pulled open the door.
He was heading to the end of the street, where the mailbox was, to post a letter to Detective Stuart. Since it wasnât that far, there was no need to dress neatly or heavily, but Klein had just recovered from his cold, so he had wrapped himself up thickly just in case.
Perhaps it was because of the strong wind last night, but the air in Backlund was surprisingly good. Klein subconsciously slowed down his pace and enjoyed this rare morning.
As he passed Jurgenâs house, he heard the oriel window creak open and instinctively turned to look.
Standing at the window was Mrs. Doris, wearing a black plush hat and a thick grayish-blue scarf. She looked even worse than before, and her body was even more hunched.
âGood morning, Detective Moriarty. Thank you for taking care of Brody. He said you were a good man, didnât you, Brody?â Old Granny Doris bent down and picked up the black cat with green eyes.
Brody used all four of his limbs and struggled in her embrace. Finally, he jumped down and lightly landed on the windowsill.
But instead of leaving, he circled around and around, nuzzling Mrs. Doris with its head on one side, without even looking at Klein.
Was he being friend-zoned by a cat? Klein gave a self-deprecating laugh and smiled sincerely.
âItâs a happy deed, and even more delightful news is that youâve recovered and have been discharged from the hospital.â
After exchanging a few pleasantries, he said goodbye and continued to walk down the street with a smile on his face.
He had only taken a few steps when he heard Mrs. Doris call after him.
âWhen Jurgen comes back, Iâll have him pay you!â
⊠Do I look like I took this mission for the money? The smile on Kleinâs face suddenly froze. He could only half turn around and wave his hand, indicating that he understood.
When he was far away from Jurgenâs house, his expression gradually turned serious, and he sighed faintly.
He had just activated his Spirit Vision to look at Mrs. Dorisâs aura and found that her situation wasnât too good. It wasnât only because of her old age but also because of the cold weather and bad air in Backlund. All of these had a very bad effect on her lung disease.
Mrs. Doris should be able to make it through this late autumn and winter, but it will be hard to say for the next one, or the next, next one⊠If she wants to live for a few more years, she would have to move to the south, to the area around Desi Bay⊠Itâs a pity that itâs likely that Lawyer Jurgen canât afford to do so now⊠Even I havenât been to Desi Bay⊠Klein mumbled, came to the mailbox, and stuffed the letter in.
This was the prelude to his performance.
And this evening, he would head to the Harvest Church as a detective and do the rest of the preparations.
After buying a Desi pie for breakfast, Klein returned via his original path and was quite at ease.
Before he got close to the house, he saw an elegantly-decorated carriage parked outside. Two ladies in black hats and a ribbon were anxiously pulling on his doorbell, while the maids and bodyguards were scattered around, as though they were on guard against something.
Mrs. Stelyn⊠Maâam Mary⊠Do they have something to entrust me with? They look very anxious⊠With the paper bag containing the Desi pie in hand, Klein approached and said with a laugh, âLadies, it should be time for breakfast.â
When they turned back to see Detective Sherlock Moriarty, Maâam Mary was visibly relieved.
âMister Detective, you have to help me.â
In Kleinâs Spirit Vision, there was nothing fake about her anxiety, nervousness, and fear. Therefore, he nodded his head, pointed at the door and said, âLetâs talk inside.â
As he spoke, he glanced at his landlady, Stelyn, and he noticed that her condition was entirely different from the past two days. She had become very low and dejected, as though she wasnât interested in anything at all.
What happened to her? Although his landlady liked to show off a little, sheâs someone who loves life a lot⊠Klein took out his key and opened the door.
After entering, before she could sit still, Maâam Mary impatiently said, âDetective Moriarty, I received a threatening letter!â
Threatening letter? Klein put down the Desi pie, clasped his hands and asked, âWhat does the letter say?â
Maâam Mary glanced sideways at Mrs. Stelyn, and seeing that she wasnât quite as active as usual, she said after some deliberation, âThat letter asked me to handle the smoke of the factory impartially when I carry out the atmospheric pollution investigation and to acknowledge their contributions, or else I would end up like the doll that came with the letterâŠ
âThe dollâs head was ripped off, and its arms and legs were broken.â
Maâam Mary seemed to recall the feeling when she opened the letter, and she said with a trembling voice, âThis is the first time Iâve encountered something like this. I donât know if it will become a reality or not. I didnât know that I would have to experience such cases when I became a member of the investigation council. I didnât knowâŠâ
Maâam, perhaps Emperor Roselle once said that there are only two ultimate forms of hatred between people. One is to murder the other personâs parents, and the other is to destroy another personâs means of earning money⊠Klein solemnly nodded his head and said, âMy suggestion is to report it to the police.â
From his point of view, Maâam Mary was now a member of the National Atmospheric Pollution Council. Her status was completely different from before, and the police would certainly not take the threats she received lightly.
Moreover, this involved important the development of a governmental policy and wasnât an ordinary matter, so there was a high probability that the police department would hand the case over to the Churchâs Beyonder organization in order to solve this case as soon as possible.
Based on Maâam Maryâs status as a follower of the Goddess, the Nighthawks was an inevitable choice.
This way, even if Klein wanted a share of the reward, he didnât want to involve himself in it.
âIâve already done so, but it doesnât reassure me.â Maâam Mary pursed her lips and said, âDo you know what they said? They said that threatening letters were formed by cutting the words from newspapers, and the doll could be bought from anywhere. It would be very difficult to find the sender in a short period of time! And they only sent one policeman to protect me! Goddess, is this how they treat a helpless citizenâs cry for help?â
Maâam Mary paused, looked earnestly at Klein and said, âDetective Moriarty, I believe you can help me, not only because of your performance from that matter but also because of Mikeâs approval, Aaronâs praise, and Talimâs extolment. And I know you made a great contribution in that serial murder case. Donât worry, I will pay you well enough.â
Your words make me happy, but something doesnât seem rightâŠ
Unless the police have already been bribed, they would probably transfer the case to the Nighthawks, and with Beyonder means such as divination available, it would be impossible for a letter made up of words from a newspaper to avoid detection. The sender would have either been caught already, or they would have means to interfere with divination⊠The latter would only lead to a formal and large-scale intervention by the NighthawksâŠ
No matter what the situation is, it will be different from how the situation is handled nowâŠ
Klein didnât answer Maâam Mary right away, but he carefully analyzed the abnormality of this matter.
The living room suddenly became unusually quiet. The feeling of silence made Maâam Mary and Mrs. Stelyn somewhat uneasy for some unknown reason.
At some point in time, Klein had fished out a coin and made it bounce and roll between his fingers, as though it were a habit of his to focus his thoughts.
Suddenly, the coin flew up and then fell down steadily onto the palm of his hand, its back facing up.
Klein was surprised. He was divining whether this matter involved danger, but it turned out to have none.
If such a threat really exists, even if the sender doesnât have considerable abilities, it would still result in a certain degree of danger. Itâs impossible to have none⊠Is it just a simple threat? Or⊠Klein suddenly thought of another possibility as he smiled and said, âMaâam Mary, donât worry. You can go back home in peace. If someone comes to you in the next two days to discuss this issue so as to make it public, allowing the citizens to know the true intentions of those factory owners in order to incite anger among the public, then you will be fine.â
The possibility which Klein had just thought of was that the threat was a trap set up by the council so as to incite the public to use their anger, allowing the atmospheric pollution investigation to be carried out smoothly and lead to the subsequent bill which could benefit them.
This would explain why the police are responding in this manner.
â⊠Why do you say that?â Maâam Mary asked, frowning.
Klein smiled and replied, âThatâs what Iâve deduced.â
âAnd if what you claim doesnât happen in two days?â Maâam Mary pressed.
Klein said sincerely, âThen I will provide protection.â
In any case, thereâs no danger⊠he added inwardly.
After comforting and sending off Maâam Mary, he went above the gray fog to confirm the matter and received the same result as before.
By then, his Desi pie had turned coldâŠ
âŠ
Maâam Mary returned home with some apprehension and uneasiness, wondering if she should invite Stelyn to stay with her for a few days.
At that moment, her housekeeper informed her that the eldest son of Count Hall, the chief secretary of the National Atmospheric Pollution Council, Mr. Hibbert Hall, had come.
After both of them entered the living room, before Maâam Mary could even open her mouth to speak, the handsome, blond gentleman spoke first.
âMaâam Mary, Iâve heard of what has happened to you. Itâs a disgrace to Backlund, and even to the whole kingdom, and Iâm deeply sorry for it.
âDonât worry, everyone in the committee will stand with you!â
âThank you for your concern,â Maâam Mary responded gratefully.
After a moment of consideration, Hibbert Hall said, âMaâam, I wish to get a reporter to interview you regarding this incident. I want to tell everyone about what happened to you and how despicable this act is. I want to let everyone see how outrageous those people who have contaminated Backlundâs air are! Thereâs no sign of repentance!
âPlease agree to my request.â
This⊠Itâs exactly as Detective Moriarty described⊠Maâam Mary was momentarily at a loss for words.
âŠ
After breakfast, Klein rested for a while. Since he had nothing better to do, he went above the gray fog in preparation to divine the origin of the Biological Poison Bottle.