CASE 1. The Blundering Detective (4)
“Phew.”
The man in the flat cap let out a long sigh.
“In the end, I’m just glad it was resolved well.”
For a moment, he really thought he was finished. He didn’t even want to imagine what would have happened if he had lost that money.
Still, he had recovered it thanks to that detective, so all was well. There would be no issues with today’s schedule.
He looked out the window; it was already pitch black.
‘It’s almost time to head out.’
The man gathered the gold coins and put them into his backpack.
He put on his coat and tied his bootlaces. After finishing all those trivial tasks, he took one last look at the closed bedroom door.
His wife was behind it.
Tonight, she had sought sleep in their child’s room.
‘Evelyn….’
The man’s eyes distorted with a complex mix of emotions.
His wife hadn’t come out of that room all evening. She had returned home exhausted from “playing,” and had done nothing but cry while clutching their bewildered child. Eventually, she had fallen asleep from sheer exhaustion.
The man had sat in the living room, listening endlessly to the sound of her weeping through the thin door.
“Evelyn, I’m sorry.”
The man whispered quietly. They were shameless words he couldn’t bring himself to utter while she was awake.
Rather than feeling betrayed by the wife who had chosen to steal, he felt pathetic for being the one who had driven her to that point.
However. Even so. The man could not ultimately grant his wife’s wish.
“…Let’s go.”
Creeeeeak—.
The front door let out an unpleasant groan as if pleading with him not to leave, but the man stepped out of the house anyway.
There weren’t even streetlights in this tiny, secluded village. Relying solely on the moonlight, the man walked down the dark, eerie path.
The meeting place wasn’t that far from his house. It was a small, vacant lot on the outskirts of the village.
There was only one type of person who would seek out such a place at this hour.
“You’re here. You’re late.”
It was someone involved in dirty and dangerous work.
“You were here first,” the man said, his voice trembling.
True to his nature as a filthy swindler, the opponent remained shrouded in a black hood even in the middle of the night, but the oil lamp resting on a rock clearly illuminated his despicable mouth.
“I assume you brought the money?”
“Yeah. I brought every single cent.”
The husband replied, thinking of the detective he had seen earlier that day.
Because he couldn’t touch the money inside the safe, he hadn’t even been able to offer a retainer fee properly. He couldn’t describe how humiliating it felt to act so pathetically toward his life’s savior.
‘It was a relief the detective was such a gentleman.’
In contrast, the man before his eyes was a creature less than a beast.
“Let me count it. Hand it over.”
“W-Wait…, before that.”
The man spoke in a trembling voice, clutching his backpack tightly.
“Swear that you’ll keep your promise. Once you take this money, never show your face in my life again. You must never appear before me, or my family, ever again.”
The opponent answered instantly.
“Yeah, yeah. I promised, didn’t I? Now shut up and hand it over. Stop being a pain.”
It was obvious he was just giving a half-hearted answer, making him entirely untrustworthy, but there was no other choice anyway.
The opponent ruthlessly snatched the backpack held out by the man’s shaking hands. He lifted the bag a few times and let out a whistle.
“The weight seems about right. I knew I had a good eye for people.”
Just as the opponent was excitedly about to check inside the backpack.
Tap—.
A sound came from somewhere.
“!”
Tap, tap.
A rhythmic, echoing sound.
“What was that? A wild animal?”
The opponent muttered as if it were nothing, but the man in the flat cap froze. He remembered this sound. This sound was definitely—.
“We meet again.”
“Good evening, Client.”
It was him.
The detective had appeared there.
—Whoooooosh.
A cold wind swirled, letting out a ghostly wail.
“It’s a chilling night, isn’t it?”
The detective wrapped his arms around himself with exaggerated movements.
“Doesn’t the atmosphere feel exactly like the beginning of a crime novel?”
“…Sir.”
The man in the flat cap, finally snapping out of his daze, spoke.
“Why on earth have you come to a place like this at this hour?”
“For a walk.”
It was a lie even a dog wouldn’t believe.
“And you, Client, what brings you here? A secret midnight rendezvous. I wonder, is this something your wife is aware of?”
Haha. The detective let out a laugh.
No one joined him.
“By the way, you over there. You look somewhat familiar. That pitch-black silhouette, I feel like I’ve seen it somewhere before.”
A pitch-black silhouette.
Was he referring to the black hood the man was wearing?
The man in the flat cap felt like that wasn’t quite what he meant, but there was no way for him to be sure.
“Are you saying you’ve seen me before?” the man in the black hood asked back.
“No, it’s likely my first time meeting you, but that silhouette is just so familiar. It looks exactly like something I saw this morning, doesn’t it?”
“Well, if a fine detective says so, I suppose there’s nothing I can do.”
The man let out a sigh and slowly stood up from his seat, and then—
—Clang!
“!”
He smashed the lamp beside him and roared fiercely.
“Get that bastard!”
G-Get him? Me?
The man in the flat cap froze right where he stood.
The detective was the benefactor who had recovered his money. But now that the detective had caught him in the act, what would happen to his life if he just let him be?
While he was paralyzed by indecision, a flash of light glinted in the pitch-black darkness. That beast-like man had drawn a knife and lunged at the detective.
“S-Sir!”
The man in the flat cap cried out.
He didn’t even know if the emotion behind his shout was worry or relief, but the future he predicted for the detective in that moment was clear.
The detective would die at the hands of that horrible man.
Torn apart by the blade, a gruesome end.
Clang!
‘…Clang?’
The man doubted his own ears for a second. It was far too clear a sound to be a blade slicing through flesh.
“Aaargh!”
A scream echoed.
Not from the detective, but from the man he had been talking to.
Clang! Clang!
The sound rang out again.
“It was a good idea to attack under the cover of darkness—.”
With the detective’s relaxed voice, another Clang!
“But too bad for you. I can see everything.”
He muttered to himself that the man shouldn’t have been a criminal in the first place—words the client couldn’t understand. Gradually, the man’s eyes began to adjust to the darkness.
What he saw next was the detective gripping his cane with both hands and ruthlessly thumping his opponent.
“Argh! Ack! Gwaaaargh!”
The one he had thought was like a beast was now rolling on the ground pathetically, squealing like a stuck pig.
“H-How….”
“Oh, this? It’s nothing special.”
The detective spoke as if it were trivial.
“The culprit is quite visible even when it’s dark. I suppose a ‘black shadow’ is a bit different from just regular darkness.”
The man in the flat cap hadn’t been able to understand a single word the detective had said for a while now.
He had heard that it’s hard for ordinary people to understand the words of those with great minds; was this one of those cases? Did he mean that a detective sees things entirely differently from a normal person?
As if to organize the man’s confused thoughts.
Clang!
Once more, a clear sound rang out—one that was hard to believe came from a human head.
“Ah, he fainted.”
The detective said nonchalantly as he pulled back his cane. The opponent’s body was clearly visible, slumped and motionless on the ground.
“Just how….”
The man hesitated, unsure of what to ask first, before finally speaking.
“How does a cane make a metallic sound like that?”
“It’s not metal; I just filled the inside with some lead.”
“Pardon?”
“I heard many people do that for self-defense.”
The man in the flat cap had read something similar in the newspapers. He heard that lead-filled canes were quite a trend among the gentlemen in the capital.
‘But wasn’t that supposed to be about ten ounces inserted into the tip of the cane?’
Judging by the sound of the impact and the opponent’s reaction, this was not at that level. At that point, wasn’t it less of a lead-filled cane and more of a piece of lead shaped like a cane?
‘Do all those city slickers in the capital carry things like that?’
Unaware that the country man was developing a skewed prejudice, the detective grumbled.
“I still haven’t adjusted to the cane, so I stumble sometimes, but in this dangerous world, one must carry at least some self-defense equipment to protect oneself.”
“Then, you mean you carry that thing around all the time…?”
“What are you talking about?”
“Ah, surely that wouldn’t be the case, right?”
“Didn’t you see me carrying this cane during the day? You even laughed at me when you saw me stumbling.”
The man’s skin crawled at the detective’s grumbling.
‘I didn’t know it was such a monstrous cane back then!’
Do you know how heavy lead is? He’s saying he carries a solid lead cane around?
The cane in the detective’s hand felt excessively threatening. It looked a bit mottled, as if it were stained with blood.
‘Wait a minute. Am I going to get thrashed with that too?’
Now that he thought about it, the man was in a situation no different from being caught red-handed. Hadn’t that slumped piece of trash shouted for him to catch the detective?
‘He’ll definitely think I’m an accomplice…!’
In reality, he was an accomplice to some extent. Perhaps the next blood to stain that lead cane would be his own.
“Now then. It seems the situation is mostly settled, so shall we talk?”
“Ah….”
The man in the flat cap stammered.
“That is…, I….”
He knew he had to confess the whole story. If only to avoid being hit by that cane, and to stop being such a shameful head of the household.
But he simply couldn’t find the courage.
“…I’m sorry, Detective.”
In the end, all that came out of his mouth was a weak apology.
‘Is that brutal cane going to fly at me now?’
Just as the man squeezed his eyes shut and swallowed hard.
“It’s quite alright,” the detective said.
“If it’s difficult for you to say, I’ll speak for you.”
“Pardon?”
“I think I have a general idea of how things went. Let’s see, shall we start from the beginning?”
“The beginning….”
“From the moment you were tricked by that criminal lying over there and started working under him.”
The man’s eyes went wide.
“H-How on earth did you…!”
How on earth did that detective know that?
The man recalled that cursed, unlucky Friday evening. That is to say, the start wasn’t so bad. If anything, it felt like a stroke of good luck.
Work had ended successfully, and he had been paid properly. It was only a few coins, but they felt heavy and good against his waist.
Perhaps because he was in a good mood, the alcohol went down well. Or maybe he felt good because the alcohol went down well. Either way, the order didn’t matter.
The important thing was that while enjoying a pleasant drink, he had even made a decent drinking buddy.
“See, that’s why you have to get married! I live for the joy of seeing my wife and daughter. A bachelor like you wouldn’t understand that feeling, no sir! Not at all!”
“So your daughter is six years old now. You must be very happy.”
The man had a smooth, smiling face.
He looked like someone who had never done a day of hard labor in his life, and it felt great that he was being so polite and respectful while listening to him.
“Since you’ve received your wages, why don’t you buy a gift for your daughter and wife on your way home? I heard muslin dresses are in fashion these days.”
“…Well, I mean. That sounds nice, but kids grow up so fast.”
The man spoke, his voice trailing off.
To be honest, he hadn’t received enough pay to buy such things. The comment, made without knowing his circumstances, suddenly ruined the taste of the alcohol.
“Oh dear. Still, the memory of wearing a beautiful dress like a princess at that age would last a lifetime. And even putting your daughter aside, wouldn’t your wife be able to wear a nice dress for a long time if you gifted her one? I’m sure she’d love it.”
“Look, I don’t have the money! Happy now? If I had the money, I would’ve bought it long ago!”
He hated the man for pricking his conscience and forcing him to say such a thing.
“Oh dear. Then, shall I buy one for you?”
“What?”
It was a statement that made him doubt his ears.
“Haha. It’s not that expensive to me.”
The drinking buddy who had been saying annoying things suddenly started looking like a wonderful person. After all, isn’t unsolicited advice on someone’s life considered “life lessons” if it comes with money?
“I’d appreciate it, but…, can you really give me something like that for free?”
The man’s speech naturally became more polite.
“Oh, it’s not exactly for free. Since things turned out this way, why don’t you help me out with a little work?”
The drinking buddy said this while pointing to the bag beside him. It was large and bulky, looking heavy just by its appearance.
“I need to load this onto the train, but because this village is so quiet, it’s hard to find someone to move luggage. Could you load this onto the train for me?”
When he tried lifting it, it was certainly heavy, but not so heavy that he couldn’t carry it.
“This much is no trouble at all.”
“Then I’ll leave it to you. My name is, well, Jerry.”
The name sounded more like a rat’s name than a person’s, so the man thought it made sense that he’d hesitated to reveal it. He didn’t suspect for a second that it might be a pseudonym.
“Please load the items into the freight car under that name. I’ll stay here and have another drink in the meantime.”
“Well, that’s easy enough. You must give me the reward as promised.”
The man followed the drinking buddy’s instructions. He went to the village’s small train station, loaded the goods into the freight car, and even signed the railroad freight manifest on his behalf.
‘Dammit, should I have asked for some kind of collateral? What if he’s gone when I get back?’
He worried about that on his way back from the station, but the man was still waiting for him in the same spot.
“Thank you so much! Please take this.”
He was a strange man in many ways.
As soon as the man returned, the opponent handed over the reward without even checking how the work had been handled.
“To give me this much money for just moving some luggage….”
“It’s nothing. More importantly, do you know much about women’s clothing? If you’re not sure what to buy, I can help you a little.”
This mysterious drinking buddy’s kindness was endless.
He took the man to a high-end boutique in the city and helped him buy clothes for his daughter and wife.
“Oh, why not buy a hat as well? If you wear it like this…, it suits you! A proper gentleman should have at least one decent hat.”
“D-Do you think so?”
The man smiled bashfully at his reflection in the mirror. Indeed, just as that shrewd fellow said, it didn’t look too bad.
“Wear it wherever you go. It’ll change people’s impression of you.”
“I’ll do that. Thank you truly.”
The man hummed as he walked home. With a heavy bag of gifts in his hand and a stylish new hat on his head, his steps couldn’t have been lighter.
All the money he had received from his drinking buddy was gone, but he didn’t mind. Since it was easily earned money, why not spend it easily once in a while?
The man was grateful for the luck bestowed upon him and soon forgot about the incident. That is, until he met his drinking buddy again three weeks later.
“W-What did you say? So…, who are you?”
“What’s wrong? I’m your drinking buddy, Jerry. Don’t you recognize my face?”
No, he could recognize that smooth face at a glance. Even when he spoke informally out of nowhere and wore a despicable smirk.
“Ah, my real name is Tom Chapman. I have three prior convictions, and currently, I’m in the business of drug smuggling. Well, that’s a minor detail compared to our friendship, isn’t it?”
To the man who was speechless and lost, the opponent delivered the final blow with a grin.
“Come to think of it, I’m late with my thanks. Thanks for last time. Thanks to you, I was able to easily smuggle enough drugs to spread across the entire capital.”
It was the moment the man’s life jumped the tracks and began to derail.