༺ The Blue Carbuncle (2) ༻
“Salute, Ma’am!”
“… Hmm?”
Lestrade, who had been wandering around the living room of her house with her back turned toward the door while wearing a perplexed expression, shifted her gaze toward the strong voice coming from the entrance.
“I’ve handled it as you have instructed!”
“Baynes?”
“The investigators from the London Metropolitan Police Force have started searching the scene; I have witnessed it with my own eyes, so you can be rest assured!”
“Good job… but what brings you to my house?”
Lestrade tilted her head in curiosity and asked Baynes, the Inspector Candidate, whom she had been patrolling the London streets with mere moments ago
“That’s the thing. If there’s an expert that senior acknowledges, then only one person comes to mind.”
After speaking those words, her face flushed red as she began to fidget nervously.
“That famous genius girl of London. The one who fights off London’s darkness alongside Dr. Rachel Watson…”
“… Right, you were a fan of Charlotte Holmes—”
“I’m not just a mere fan, I’m a fanatic. Don’t you know that my only hobby is collecting Charlotte Holmes’ case files published in the Strand Magazine?”
Chattering away, Baynes leaned over, peeking over Lestrade’s shoulder.
“So, where’s Miss Holmes? Has she started analyzing the evidence?”
“Ah…”
Lestrade sighed quietly, then stepped aside.
“Oh…”
Soon, Baynes caught sight of a scene she hadn’t expected.
“That must be the famous Charlotte Holmes I’ve heard about…”
Charlotte Holmes was intently examining a hat placed on a desk, resting her chin on her hand.
“… Who are you?”
“Oh, my apologies! I am Linya Baynes, Miss Lestrade’s assistant, and an Inspector Candidate…”
As Baynes was startled by the unexpected question posed by Charlotte, who had been quite engrossed in observing the hat till then, she quickly saluted her.
“… Hmm?”
Then, her eyes widened in surprise.
“That is…”
“What a cute little girl.”
Next to Charlotte Holmes sat Isaac Adler, who waved his hand at her with a mischievous grin on his face.
“Senior.”
“Huh?”
“Was the person you mentioned Isaac Adler by any chance?”
Baynes, after gazing at him quietly for a moment, turned her head and posed the question to Lestrade.
“No, no! How could it be?”
“… Not the romance novel one, I’m referring to the expert.”
“Oh, that.”
Gia Lestrade, whose face had turned beet red for a moment, quickly cleared her throat and reverted to her usual composed demeanor.
“You’re saying Isaac Adler is an expert on par with Miss Charlotte Holmes?”
“As hard as it might be to believe, it is the truth.”
Then, she looked over with a slightly serious expression at the two, who were examining the hat.
“Based on my logical deduction, Isaac Adler was behind the cases that Charlotte Holmes has been solving recently.”
“… Senior, if I may be honest about it… it’s a bit hard to believe if it’s based on your deduction.”
Baynes, whose voice was filled with skepticism, was gently nudged by a slightly irritated Lestrade.
“If you can’t believe me, then try experiencing it for yourself.”
“… Uh.”
Of course, it was gently by Lestrade’s standards only. Thus, her gentle nudge led to Baynes losing her balance and banging her head on the hat that was placed on the table.
“I’ll handle the duck that keeps quacking over there. You learn a thing or two from them.”
“I’m, I’m sorry.”
Baynes lifted her head and dumbfoundedly watched Lestrade heading to the kitchen with the duck in her hand. In the next moment, noticing the now deformed hat, she hastily apologized to Charlotte and Adler.
“I’ve ruined the evidence…”
“No, it’s fine.”
Isaac Adler, with a sly smile, spoke up.
“The deduction is already complete.”
“… Same for me.”
Charlotte, who had been glaring displeasedly at the smiling Adler, chimed in simultaneously.
“What, what are you two talking about?”
“”…………””
“The deduction has ended? What deduction?”
When Baynes asked a question while looking at them with piercing eyes, both Charlotte and Adler, who had been quietly observing her, began their explanation, taking turns.
“The owner of this hat is highly intellectual. For at least the past three years, they were affluent and enjoyed great fame, but recently, they’ve fallen on hard times.”
“In the past, the owner, a woman, was cautious, but she’s become reckless now. It seems that the reason might be a recent descent into alcoholism.”
“And the cause seems to be none other than you, Isaac Adler.”
“Hold on, me?”
“Another fact we know is that the owner of the hat is in her early to mid-30s and has a keen interest in adornments. Well, if she caught the interest of Isaac Adler, that would definitely make sense.”
Total silence ensued with that remark.
“… Excuse me?”
Hearing Charlotte and Adler’s deductions, a stunned voice escaped from Baynes’ lips.
“From just this worn-out hat, how can you know all that?”
“There is one mistake in Miss Holmes’ deduction.”
“Is there?”
But ignoring her comment, Adler and Charlotte began conversing amongst themselves.
“Want to make a bet?”
“Sure.”
“Uhm…”
Baynes looked at them with a blank look, tilted her head, and interjected.
“Could you please explain?”
Only then did both Charlotte and Adler simultaneously turn to face Baynes and speak.
“I apologize, but if you could not interrupt…”
“Of course, cute little girl.”
“… Isaac.”
Charlotte Holmes, who had an annoyed expression and was about to shoo Baynes away, whispered coldly into Adler’s ear with a chilling smile on her face.
“Why do you keep flirting when you’re already dyed in my colors, huh?”
At those words, Adler began to quietly break into a cold sweat.
“It’s not that, think of it as a lesson for the sprouts of the future…”
– QUAAAAACK!!!
“… Do you want me to snip it off?”
However, overlapped with the scream of the duck from the kitchen and Charlotte’s whisper, he stopped talking and quietly crossed his legs, covering his crotch.
“Hmm.”
Suddenly, Charlotte murmured with a gleam in her eyes.
“… Are babies really made there, I wonder?”
“Then, let’s start the explanation, shall we?”
Trying his best to ignore the spine-chilling comment, Adler began the explanation with a slightly light-hearted tone— a tone that feigned his fear and discomfort.
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.
.
“Firstly, shall we start with Miss Holmes’ deduction?”
“… Well, if that’s what you want, so be it; look at this…”
Charlotte, who had been quietly glancing down at Adler’s lower half, picked up the previously crumpled hat and tried it on.
– Shwoo…
The hat covered her forehead entirely, reaching down between her eyes.
“As you can see, the hat has a considerable volume. This means the owner’s head is large and, of course, its contents would be substantial as well.”
“Ah, I see…”
“Also, the brim of the hat is flat and the ends are curled up. It’s a style that was trendy about 3 years ago. If you look at the lining and the ribbon, you can tell at a glance that it’s a rather luxurious item.”
“Wow…”
“However, the recent holes in the hat have been patched up with cheap clothing. Unless the owner faced abrupt financial difficulties, why would they use such cheap material on an expensive hat?”
Charlotte, who initially seemed uninterested, continued her explanation with a somewhat relaxed expression after noticing Baynes’ shining eyes.
“Furthermore…”
“Also, by observing the stitching on the added cloth, you can infer the owner’s current situation. Why don’t you see for yourself?”
But Adler interrupted Charlotte’s explanation midway.
“Certainly, from what I see, the stitching is a mess.”
“Isn’t it strange? A woman in her early to mid-30s, and her sewing is this clumsy?”
Ignoring Charlotte, who was alternating her gaze between herself and Baynes with a sulky pout on her lips, Adler continued with his explanation.
“… Isn’t it possible she gave it to a tailor for repair?”
“What tailor would do such shoddy work? Especially with such cheap fabric on an expensive hat. It’s more likely the owner did the stitching herself.”
“But if that’s the case… why is the sewing so messy?”
Sensing the curiosity in Baynes’ voice, Adler replied quietly, his eyes gleaming.
“Tremors are one of the common symptoms of alcoholics.”
“Oh…”
“Moreover, the stitching of the ribbons and the decorations she attached when she bought the hat is impressively neat. Only alcohol or drugs could ruin such a cautious person so quickly.”
Adler, who wore a mysterious smile as he watched Baynes nodding in agreement, quietly shifted his gaze to Charlotte and posed a question.
“Why do you think I’m the cause exactly?”
“If you look closely at the hat, you can see that there are marks where small decorations have been forcibly removed.”
At that, Charlotte Holmes replied with a slightly sullen voice.
“Considering their shape and size, they seem to be jewels. If they were ripped off like this, it probably wasn’t originally hers. That means it must have been a gift. And who else would gift such expensive jewels other than a lover who had pledged their undying love to them, or, in short, a spouse?”
“… That seems… plausible.”
“And the only reason to remove all the jewels gifted by a spouse is most likely due to a fallout in their relationship. Perhaps she was unfaithful and that led to her impoverishment after having the jewels taken from her.”
“So, why is that my fault?”
“That’s quite obvious, isn’t it?”
As she spoke, she glanced at the bewildered Isaac Adler with a glint in her eyes.
“If there’s a case of adultery or scandal in London, more often than not, you’re the cause.”
“Miss Holmes, even if that’s the case…”
“This isn’t a simple assumption; it’s based on actual statistics. So, please, be quiet.”
Adler opened his mouth to argue, however, after sensing the sternness in her voice he chose to quickly close his mouth.
“If you observe the length, shine, elasticity, split ends, and thickness of the hair attached to the hat, you can guess the approximate age and gender of the person this hat belongs to.”
“……….”
“The presence of makeup, even on the inside of the hat, shows that she applies it quite heavily. To every nook and cranny, in fact.”
Abruptly, Charlotte began stroking Adler’s hair with a smile, and then, she glanced over at Baynes, whose eyes had widened considerably after seeing the sudden display of action, and asked— her smile turning into a lopsided smirk.
“Do you understand now?”
“Ah, yes… I feel like I’ve learned a lot.”
Saying so, Baynes stood up and bowed her head in gratitude.
“I’ll start my investigation based on this information now.”
Charlotte, who had been observing her quietly, stood up and began putting on her coat, which was hanging on the rack, and started speaking in a low tone.
“I’d like to bring Lestrade along if I could…”
She paused and gazed silently toward the quiet kitchen without a hint of a sound.
“If you need a bodyguard, I can take care of that!”
“… What?”
“I’m confident in my ability to guard someone!”
Baynes, noticing her concerned expression, confidently exclaimed with a smile. Charlotte looked at Baynes with a skeptical gaze.
“An Inspector Candidate without any official status…?”
“If that’s your point of concern, then I assure you, it’s not a problem.”
As she tilted her head to ask another question, a voice rang out from the kitchen.
“I will vouch for Candidate Baynes’ skills.”
“Is it that significant?”
“To be honest, if it’s not combat but protection alone, Candidate Baynes might be even more exceptional me.”
Upon hearing the confident remarks coming from Lestrade, who was covered in feathers from handling the goose till now, Charlotte seemed momentarily lost in thought.
“… Given that Professor Crybaby has been quieter than I anticipated, I thought of testing her out for once.”
“Pardon?”
“This might just work out.”
Then, Charlotte smiled silently and produced a pair of black handcuffs from her hands.
“I’ll be back soon.”
“……..”
“If you switch sides in my absence, I promise that I’ll chase you down to the end of the world and annihilate you.”
After cuffing Adler’s legs to the sofa, she gently stroked Adler’s head and whispered those spooky words in his ear, ignoring the chilling look that Lestrade was showing from the side.
“… By the way.”
As she was heading toward the entrance with a light gait, she suddenly turned her head and posed a question.
“Do you still think there’s a mistake in my deduction?”
“There’s clearly one glaring mistake.”
Adler looked down at himself, seemingly given the status of the house puppy, with a slightly sad expression before responding with a mischievous smile.
“… Miss Holmes still has a long way to go.”
“Hmph.”
At his words, she swiftly turned her head and started heading out with Lestrade, who couldn’t help but tilt her head to the side.
“We’ll see.”
“……….”
“Either you’ll earn a wish, or my wishes will double.”
After she finished her sentence and closed the front door, an eerie silence enveloped the living room.
“Si, sis… How do we handle this? It hasn’t been prepared at all…”
“… Hand me that knife.”
“Hu, huh?”
“We’re going to feed Big Brother Isaac some meat, so, give me the knife already.”
Only the intense conversation between the second and third siblings echoed in the now-silent household.
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“Miss Baynes.”
“Yes?”
Isaac Adler, who had been sitting calmly like a tamed puppy, suddenly smiled gently and spoke to Baynes, who was sitting in front of him.
“Would you come here for a moment and stand in front of me, please?”
“……..?”
Baynes, showing genuine curiosity on her face, stepped forward in response to her client’s polite request.
“Is this okay?”
“Can you possibly lean forward in that position?”
“I don’t see why I can’t… but why but why the sudden request?”
“Just bear with me for a moment.”
She slightly tilted her head, and soon leaned forward, asking with a bright expression.
“Is this what you wanted…”
But Baynes couldn’t finish her sentence.
– Thud…!
“… Uh?”
Before she could, Adler suddenly jumped to his feet and punched her with all his might.
“Geuk… Cough…?”
Her whole body convulsed, and her waist bent at a 90-degree angle as soon as the punch hit her square on the torso. Her legs gave out, and she began to drool as she slumped to the floor.
“Why… why would you do that?”
“Even though it was not enough to deceive Miss Holmes, it was a flawless act that even managed to fool your partner, Miss Lestrade.”
As the terrified Baynes looked up at him with a fearful gaze, asking that question, Adler responded with a cold smile.
“But Inspector Baynes… no, I should say Inspector Candidate instead. You’re originally a competent officer, one that even the arrogant Holmes would come to acknowledge.”
“……..”
“For such a competent officer to make such a foolish face in front of surefire evidence; that could only be called a plot hole.”
The terror in the young girl’s eyes swiftly shifted to an intrigued look.
“So… Who are you, really?”
“… Heh.”
Holding her stomach and still drooling, the corner of her mouth quivered ever so slightly.
Probability of Imprisonment if you DO RATE this novel: 100%
