Chapter 53: The Mystery of the Reigate Squire (2)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 53: The Mystery of the Reigate Squire (2)
The clash between Detective Charlotte Holmes and Professor Jane Moriarty came to a temporary halt the following day, thanks to the intervention of Colonel Hayter, who had returned to the mansion belatedly.
“So… you’re saying that you’re acquainted with me?”
“Well, strictly speaking, it was my sister—Colonel Julia Moriarty—who was acquainted with you. Which, by extension, makes us acquaintances as well.”
Colonel Hayter had visited the mansion he’d lent to Charlotte early that morning to settle the dispute between the two women. He scratched his head in silence as he listened to the explanation from Professor Moriarty, who had arrived at a similarly ungodly hour.
“I don’t recall such a person…?” the Colonel asked, his eyes clouded with suspicion.
“But you do know Colonel Sebastian, right?”
“Ah, you mean the one who served in Afghanistan?”
At Professor Moriarty’s follow-up question, the Colonel’s eyes widened in surprise, and his tone shifted to one of familiarity.
“He was once my superior.”
“From what I heard, he was more than just a boss to you, wasn’t he? As I recall, the two of you shared a very special bond.”
“Well, until I was promoted, we were like brothers…”
As he murmured and scratched his head, Jane Moriarty offered a slight smile and pulled a letter from her pocket.
“My late sister was actually quite close to him.”
“Ah…”
“Close enough that she spoke of him frequently in the letters she sent me.”
She continued her explanation, handing the letter to the Colonel.
“As you can see, this is a letter my sister and Colonel Sebastian exchanged. I found it among her belongings.”
“……..”
“According to that letter, around the time of the armistice, they both dreamed of taking a vacation near your hometown—Reigate.”
“I see…”
“From what I can gather, your old friend and my sister shared a very special relationship, don’t you think?”
She added a slightly sorrowful note to her voice, not missing the faint tremor in the Colonel’s hand as he read the letter.
“Well, now that both of them have passed away, it has become a promise they can never fulfill.”
“……….”
“So, as her younger sister, shouldn’t I fulfill that dream on their behalf?”
“That’s… certainly a fair point…”
Just as the Colonel was about to nod in agreement—
“My, that’s quite a contrived justification, isn’t it?”
Charlotte, who had been standing still with her arms folded in silence, interjected with a sharp voice.
“Or perhaps it’s simply fabricated…”
“Are you insulting my lineage?”
“Compared to such a vague reason, I have a very solid justification.”
Ignoring Professor Moriarty’s unexpectedly sharp retort, Charlotte looked directly at Colonel Hayter.
“Rachel Watson saved your life, didn’t she?”
“…That’s right. She was a military doctor; she saved me when I was in critical condition.”
“And she is one of my very few friends.”
Charlotte, giving a sidelong glance to Moriarty—who had previously teased her for her lack of friends—concluded quietly.
“Whose request should you honor? That of your life-saver, or the presumptuous demand of a guest whose true intentions are entirely unclear?”
A heavy silence descended upon the room.
“I’m also considering paying.”
“Excuse me?”
Caught off guard by Moriarty’s sudden comment, Colonel Hayter looked flustered.
“I noticed that this mansion is up for sale. Isn’t it bothersome to have an uninvited guest over? If you let me stay here for a few weeks, I’ll pay the monthly rent.”
“I can pay as well.”
“I’ll pay double whatever that young lady offers.”
“…I’ll pay double that double.”
Just as another heated argument was about to erupt—
“Excuse me…”
Suddenly, the mansion’s front door swung open.
“I’ve heard that Miss Charlotte Holmes of Baker Street is here…”
“…What is it?”
Seeing the uniform, it was clear the newcomer was a Police Inspector. Charlotte’s eyes immediately sharpened as she deduced their identity.
“It’s a murder case.”
The Inspector’s voice echoed through the mansion.
—Zing!
At that very moment, as if waiting for this exact event, golden letters appeared on the palms of the two women.
｢Time for a new riddle!｣
“If it’s not too much trouble, could you assist us?”
Both Charlotte and Professor Moriarty rose from their seats, their eyes shining with a dark, intense hue.
*
“…Mr. Adler.”
“Mr. Adler?”
The two women soon arrived at the crime scene under the Inspector’s guidance—one as an investigative advisor and the other as a teacher from the August Detective Academy.
“Hello there.”
For some reason, they both found themselves staring blankly at Isaac Adler. He was inside the Cunningham Mansion, arrested and handcuffed at the center of the crime scene.
“Well, they say I’m a suspect in the murder that took place here.”
“…A suspect?”
“It’s quite a troublesome situation. An upstanding citizen like me being accused of murder… it’s simply outrageous.”
Instead of answering the question directly, Adler winked at the ladies and continued speaking nonchalantly.
“”……….””
The Cunningham sisters stood behind him, exchanging anxious glances.
“The summary of the incident is as follows…”
The Inspector cleared her throat and began the briefing.
“Last night, the two sisters, who were sleeping in the mansion, heard a strange noise coming from the garden.”
“A strange noise?”
“Yes. The sisters recently lost their parents and had no choice but to check the disturbance themselves. They took a lamp and went outside because the butler—the only other adult in the house—had been unresponsive no matter how much they called for him.”
Charlotte and Moriarty’s gazes gleamed subtly as the Inspector continued.
“They saw a shadowy figure hastily jumping over the fence. They pursued him, only to find the body of the butler lying in the garden.”
“”……….””
“The cause of death was a gunshot wound. He was shot directly in the center of the head and died instantly.”
Their gaze shifted to the younger Cunningham sister, whose complexion paled at the mention of the butler’s condition.
“In a panic, the two sisters locked themselves in the mansion, trembling in fear. It wasn’t until early this morning that they ventured out to report the incident.”
“After so long…?”
“They likely had no other choice. There were no other adults in the mansion, and they didn’t know when the perpetrator might return.”
The atmosphere turned tense, but the Inspector, seemingly oblivious, pressed on.
“I was dispatched after the report and rushed to the scene. I found this suspicious young man lurking around the mansion and arrested him on the spot. He is currently under temporary detainment.”
“Well, I’m not a suspicious person,” Adler murmured in a low voice as the Inspector poked at his head. “I was merely conducting a personal investigation…”
“Quiet down, boy.”
Watching the scene silently, Charlotte finally asked in a soft voice, “Was there anything else out of the ordinary?”
“The living room was slightly disheveled.”
The Inspector, reporting with a salute, took a torn piece of paper from her pocket and showed it to them.
“Also, this note was found clenched in the butler’s hand.”
1:45... Will teach... Perhaps...
A sudden silence filled the room as everyone focused on the note.
“…Hmm?”
Unlike Charlotte, who was quietly observing the paper, Professor Moriarty furrowed her brows and turned her head slightly to the side.
“Based on our investigation so far, we suspect this might be related to the recent theft at the Axton Mansion,” the Inspector offered tentatively, sensing the stretching silence. “It’s possible the thief from the other day thought the Cunningham Mansion would be an easier target, broke in, got caught by the butler, and killed him before fleeing…”
“…Excuse me, then why was I arrested?”
“Aren’t you that thief?” the Inspector snapped, looking accusingly at Isaac Adler, who was grimacing in his handcuffs.
“Do you really think I would stoop to such petty thievery?”
“…Who are you, exactly?”
In response to her question, Adler just smirked and shook his head. “You seem quite unaware of the world outside your jurisdiction.”
“…….?”
“…Inspector Forrester.”
At the moment when the Inspector looked puzzled—unaware of who Isaac Adler was, a rarity among the British populace—Professor Moriarty stepped forward with a smile.
“We’ll take it from here.”
“Ah, right!”
Hearing those words, the Inspector straightened her posture and saluted them both.
“Can you focus on finding any evidence that might have been missed in the preliminary investigation?”
“Understood!”
As the Inspector energetically acknowledged the order and left the room, Professor Moriarty’s gaze briefly landed on Adler.
“You all…”
A moment later, her gaze shifted to the Cunningham sisters, who were fidgeting in the background.
“Come here. I need to speak with you.”
“Yes?”
“Wh-why…?”
“It will only take a moment.”
The eldest sister wore a slightly defiant expression, while the youngest looked timid, but both closed their mouths and followed, cowed by the Professor’s cool demeanor.
“I’ll be back shortly.”
As Moriarty led them out of the living room, a heavy silence remained.
“…Miss Holmes.”
Amidst the quiet, Isaac Adler began to whisper to Charlotte in a velvety voice.
“I’m truly disappointed.”
*
“I never imagined you would do such a thing to me.”
“……..”
“You really are a beast.”
As Adler’s cold criticism left his lips, Charlotte’s eyes flickered ever so slightly.
“But if I had let you go, you would have disappeared to commit more misdeeds, wouldn’t you?”
Charlotte clenched her fist and continued her explanation.
“I couldn’t help it. I was worried that Professor Moriarty might come looking for you.”
“………”
“And she did.”
With that, she headed toward the room where Moriarty had taken the Cunningham sisters. Given the suspicious circumstances, she wanted to check on things herself.
“Regardless, that doesn’t concern me,” Isaac Adler’s voice rang out from behind her. “Miss Perverted Detective.”
“……….”
“The wrong you’ve done to me this time will come back to haunt you.”
For some reason, his voice, colder than usual, echoed in her ears.
“The curse placed upon me is no joke…”
‘…I had no choice.’
Hearing his words, Charlotte halted and closed her eyes, lost in thought.
‘Just seeing you with another woman now…’
—Zzzzz…
‘…My eyes can’t help but be dyed with your color…’
She had tried for hours to revert them, but now her eyes were helplessly turning golden once more.
‘…No.’
Charlotte, now accustomed to this sensation, silently accepted it and shook her head, muttering to herself.
‘It’s not love, after all.’
An empty voice echoed in her heart.
‘It’s impossible for me to fall victim to such an inefficient emotion…’
As that voice began to lose its strength inside her—
‘It’s just…’
“Miss Holmes.”
‘…Just…’
“Still, it’s okay…”
Once again, a gentle voice came from behind her.
“…Be quiet,” Charlotte murmured with a stern expression, continuing to walk forward.
“No matter how disappointed I am in you…”
It was just the soulless flirting Isaac Adler did all the time.
“No matter how many mistakes you make…”
He would undoubtedly whisper the same insincere words to other women. She had repeatedly vowed to herself that she would reconsider her feelings toward him from now on.
“I still love Miss Holmes, until the very end…”
‘I won’t fall for it anymore, Adler.’
He was an enemy who had to be defeated.
‘That’s why…’
As a detective, she shouldn’t have been swayed by him in the first place.
‘With my own hands, I will…’
This had been Charlotte’s final conclusion after tying Adler to a chair and conversing with him for several hours.
“Do you know something…?”
However, the conclusion she had reached…
“That… if you truly love someone…”
—Crash!
…shattered into pieces with the deafening sound of something breaking.
“…You can even sacrifice your life.”
“……..!”
Charlotte turned her head, eyes wide, and saw—
“…I love you.”
Isaac Adler murmured those words and collapsed onto the floor, vomiting blood, his face deathly pale.
“……..”
It was just like that day at the racetrack.
“…You.”
Only then did Charlotte Holmes realize.
“You told me… you wouldn’t…”
A month ago, Isaac Adler’s lifespan had been shortened because of her.
“…You said you wouldn’t die.”
She realized he didn’t have much time left.
“You said you’d devour me.”
Charlotte’s eyes began to quiver.
“…Of course.”
She was finally certain of the nature of the curse he had mentioned.
*
‘So, that’s how it was.’
The moment the mug on the table shattered and my body started to sway, I had a clear understanding of the case’s conclusion.
‘Charlotte could’ve died if I hadn’t been careful.’
However, I couldn’t let Charlotte Holmes or Professor Moriarty know that right now. So, pretending to have unintentionally fallen and broken the mug, I continued to act weak and collapsed onto the floor, maintaining my feigned frailty.
“Would you really confine a sick person?”
This was the so-called Feigning Illness strategy. At the very least, while playing the patient, I could avoid being thrown into a cell. It was a simple thought that led to this performance.
“Ugh….”
As I sat on the floor, blood—as expected—began to flow from my mouth. Of course, this body doesn’t feel pain very well, so it didn’t matter much. If anything, being optimized for feigning illness was a massive advantage.
“Is it because of me?”
While I was coughing up blood with a triumphant smile hidden inside, Charlotte approached with a dazed look on her face.
“Did this happen because of me?”
“……..?”
As she uttered words I couldn’t comprehend, I tilted my head in confusion. She knelt in front of me and whispered her question.
“Was that your curse?”
“…What are you saying?”
Although I didn’t understand, I had to commit to the bit. Feigning a dying voice with a slight smile on my lips, I noticed the light fading from her eyes.
—Drip.
“…Huh?”
The next moment, something unbelievable happened.
“Miss Holmes?”
Tears streamed from her golden eyes.
[Warning!]
[Game Over Alert!]
Simultaneously, a dreadful message appeared before me.
‘…I didn’t intend to break her.’
[Charlotte Holmes is in Despair!]
“Oh no.”
This was a disaster.