Chapter 68: CASE 5. If You Light the Pumpkin’s Head (5)

Madame Moss led me to a room at the end of the hallway.

It was similar to the room Madame Moss had just come out of, but different. This room was locked with a key, and the design of the door was unusual.

No matter how one looked at it, it was a room specifically designed for secret meetings.

“Sit down.”

I sat on the sofa as instructed. Madame Moss, sitting opposite me, was smiling warmly with her eyes.

‘First…’

I tried to stay calm and organized my thoughts.

‘She has no shadow.’

Madame Moss had a bold, bare face, let alone a shadow or even a mask.

Honestly, this was the most unexpected thing for me.

I had been certain that Madame Moss was the culprit who made Detective Baron disappear.

“Really, how long has it been? Three years? Four years?”

Second. Madame Moss was friendly toward me.

She wore an innocent expression and was smiling brightly.

‘Why on earth…?’

Why is she pretending to be friendly now, after she’s been controlling my press coverage all this time?

If she were friendly toward me from the start, why did she suppress my news articles?

The premise that we would naturally be enemies was shattered. I couldn’t even guess what kind of relationship Madame Moss and I had.

“Oh, darling! We haven’t seen each other in so long, and you’re just going to stay silent?”

Madame Moss said, puffing out her cheeks like a young girl.

“Tell me this first. What would you like me to call you? Hayes, honey? Or Jaguar, honey? Surely you aren’t planning to use your real name at the Pharmakos Festival and be boring, right?”

“…How interesting,” I said, breathing out as calmly as possible while hiding my trembling. “And you, Madame, aren’t even wearing a mask despite it being the Pharmakos Festival?”

“I’ve covered my face enough.”

Madame smiled brightly and snapped her fan open.

It was an ornate black lace fan.

“Isn’t this enough?”

“You aren’t even trying to hide that the festival is just a formality.”

“We’re too old to believe in evil spirits, aren’t we? Besides — “

She trailed off, her eyes curving into a smile.

“I’m this beautiful. Unless I’m the last person left on earth, I won’t become a victim of an evil spirit, will I?”

‘What incredible confidence.’

But she did have the looks to back it up.

According to the description I heard from Chairman Peterson, she must be quite old, but she didn’t show it at all.

‘She also has quite a desire to show off.’

To hold a party where everyone wears masks and then show up alone with a bare face.

It seemed she wasn’t just overflowing with confidence in her appearance, but also had an immense desire to be the center of attention.

In other words, she was a total attention seeker.

“But honey, it’s strange,” Madame Moss asked, fluttering her fan. “Why are you asking such things now? It’s not like you’ve only been to my parties once or twice.”

“That’s…”

“And you’re even using formal speech. Since when did you start being so polite to me?”

Madame Moss’s eyes narrowed.

“Honey, you’re a bit strange today.”

My heart pounded, but I tried my best to look composed.

“Is it strange? Isn’t it only natural?”

I couldn’t give her an opening.

If I was cornered, I had to smile even more boldly.

I spoke while clasping my hands together, pretending to be relaxed.

“Today is the Pharmakos Festival, and I am Jaguar, not the man you know.”

“Oh my.”

Madame’s eyes sparkled with interest.

“Are you planning to play along with me today?”

“If it’s boring, shall I go back to how I usually act?”

Madame burst into a girlish laugh.

“Fine. Since Jaguar honey is coming out to play with me after all this time, how could I refuse?”

“I’m glad you find it fun.”

I, on the other hand, was playing this role while betting my life.

“Great, Jaguar honey! You already know why I called you, right?”

“Is it because of Chairman Peterson?”

“Exactly. Honey, what on earth did you do?”

Madame Moss let out a long sigh.

“That old man is completely head over heels for you. He thought you were a kind, pitiful detective I was unfairly picking on! Now I’m the only bad person here. It’s so unfair.”

“Your face doesn’t look that aggrieved, Madame.”

“Well… because I am a bad person? I’m just a bit hurt that you left me out.”

Madame Moss said with a bright smile.

“Don’t we both do the same dirty work?”

“……”

“And this time, it was purely out of goodwill. As you know.”

“Goodwill?”

The fact that she was blocking all my articles was out of goodwill?

“Of course! While there are jobs like singers, actors, or detectives where you need to be famous to make a living, there are also jobs where it’s more advantageous for your identity to remain hidden in the shadows. You especially were like that. Weren’t you obsessively avoiding media exposure until just a few years ago? I remembered that and helped you out of my own discretion.”

Madame Moss muttered as if she were sulking.

“But it seems Jaguar honey isn’t very grateful. You haven’t even said thank you once.”

“…I appreciate the goodwill.”

Even as I responded reflexively, my mind was in a mess.

‘A job that’s more advantageous the more you hide in the shadows…?’

Isn’t that the perfect description of a criminal?

Or, at the most optimistic, a secret agent?

‘I need to dig for more information about myself.’

“But I’m a rookie detective, Madame. Unlike the man you used to know.”

“Ahaha. Right. Jaguar honey was a real rookie detective who even set up a tiny detective agency, right? You even hired a naive college student as an assistant.”

‘She knows a lot.’

“Hmm, if you’re that serious about this game, my goodwill might have been unnecessary interference.”

Madame thought for a moment and then spoke readily.

“Fine! From now on, I’ll stop messing with articles related to you.”

“Thank you, Madame.”

“Should I even put out some praise articles?”

“That won’t be necessary.”

“Well, if you say so.”

Madame Moss nodded obediently, but she asked with eyes that couldn’t hide her curiosity.

“So, are you going to start as an unknown detective and naturally build up your reputation? To what extent? Until you’re a Great Detective? It wouldn’t be hard for someone like you, but what is it you want?”

“I wonder. Why don’t you guess?”

I said, crossing my legs and pretending to be relaxed.

“Madame, you know me. What do you think I’m doing this for?”

Please, I hoped I could learn something about myself before the possession through this question.

“Hmm, if it’s something you’d want…”

Madame closed her black fan with a snap and smiled brightly.

“Overthrowing the state?”

“……”

“Ahaha! I’m joking. You couldn’t overthrow the state with the status of a Great Detective.”

The joking part is the detective status?

Not the part about me wanting to overthrow the state?!

“Hmm… thinking seriously, do you want natural encounters with people in the light, like Grand Duke Kalan or Chairman Peterson? Searching for your next target?”

A word had come out that left no room for doubt.

‘A target? No matter how you look at it, that sounds suspicious.’

What kind of body did I end up in?

Please don’t tell me I was a real high-level criminal.

“If your goal really is target searching, tell me. I need to seriously consider whether I should cut ties with Chairman Peterson right now.”

“It’s not like that. The reason I’m working as a detective is… I’ll keep it a secret for now.”

“Ehh, how boring.”

Madame Moss grumbled and rested her chin on the end of her folded fan.

“You weren’t such a dull person, honey. Why are you being so evasive?”

“That’s…”

It’s because I’m not the person you know.

“Is it because of the mask and the change in tone? Somehow, you don’t feel like your usual self…”

‘I should leave soon.’

Madame Moss was looking at me with suspicious eyes. My mental strength was also flagging.

It seemed better to end the conversation quickly.

However, there was one thing I had to make sure of before finishing the conversation.

That was, of course, the whereabouts of Detective Baron.

“If this is boring, shall we talk about something that isn’t?”

“Ooh, is there something?”

When I changed my tone, Madame’s eyes sparkled.

As expected, this seemed to be closer to the “me” that Madame knew.

“It seems a rat has broken into your party.”

Based on the information I had so far, I spoke as ominously as possible, like a villain.

“A detective with a uselessly strong sense of justice is suspicious of you. It seems he sneaked into this party and has been loitering around you.”

The reason I said this was, of course, to test Madame Moss.

‘First of all, Madame Moss is not the culprit.’

Madame Moss wasn’t the one who made the detective disappear.

She had also been showing goodwill toward me the whole time.

If Madame Moss knew something, I might be able to dig up some information.

“Ah, that’s quite an interesting story. A detective.”

Madame Moss showed a displeased smile.

“I don’t know what the Police Chief is doing. After all the money he took from me, he can’t even manage his own subordinates properly.”

“You didn’t know at all?”

“No, I didn’t. I’ve been so busy lately that I left all matters regarding the party to my secretary.”

“Secretary?”

“Haven’t you seen her? There’s a girl I took in because I felt sorry for her.”

Madame Moss stood up and, with a lingering smile, pulled a bell cord in the room.

‘Didn’t she say she was a secretary?’

But that was something I had seen in the Grand Duke’s estate. A bell used to call servants.

Whether she pulled it correctly or not, a polite knock was heard from outside after a few minutes.

*knock knock*

“Did you call?”

“Come in.”

What entered next was…

‘The culprit…’

It was a silhouette covered in black shadows.

“Let me introduce her. This is my secretary, um… Miss Daisy. See? She’s wearing a daisy mask.”

Well. All I could see was a black silhouette.

“Miss Daisy. This is Jaguar, honey. He’s an important guest, so you must treat him with respect.”

“It is a pleasure to meet you.”

The black silhouette reached out a tentacle-like arm toward me.

Fortunately, I didn’t have to shake that unpleasant thing.

It was because Madame Moss couldn’t even wait that short moment before she started nagging.

“Listen, Daisy! I heard some detective with a sense of justice dared to sneak into my party.”

“Ah.”

“My, what’s with that reaction? Do you know something?”

Inwardly, I thought it was over.

‘The secretary must have been the one holding the detective.’

I don’t know why she hasn’t told Madame Moss until now, but now that she’s been asked, she’ll say it.

Madame Moss’s reaction will definitely not be good.

‘What if she tries to deal with the detective illegally?’

Is there a way to naturally take custody of Detective Baron?

“…No. A detective? I know nothing of it.”

What? What did she say?

“I’m sorry, Madame.”

The culprit bowed her head deeply.

“It’s all my fault for not noticing sooner.”

“Ugh! Why are you always like this? You can’t do anything right!”

Madame Moss frowned and tapped the culprit’s cheek with her folded fan.

“When will you stop being so incompetent?”

“I am sorry.”

Even with such insulting treatment, there wasn’t a hint of a tremor in the culprit’s voice.

“Ugh. It’s all my fault. Why did I pick up someone like you? I should have just let you starve to death in that filthy orphanage.”

“I am always grateful for your grace in saving me, Madame.”

“Then do a good job. Stop just talking and work better.”

Suddenly, Madame Moss turned back to me.

She called me in a soft voice.

“Jaguar honey? Could you catch that detective for me? Daisy is so lacking in work sense that I’m uneasy leaving it to her.”

It was an unexpected request, but still a good opportunity.

“If it’s your request, I’d be happy to.”

“Thank you, honey! If possible, can you finish it before 7:00 PM? There’s a very important event scheduled then. Of course, don’t feel too pressured. No matter what that detective saw, it won’t reach the top anyway.”

‘The police really are a hotbed of corruption.’

As I nodded and stood up reluctantly, Madame added.

“Oh, right! Feel free to use Miss Daisy if needed. She’s not very useful, but she’s quite obedient. Got it?”

“I’ll keep that in mind.”

Though there was no way she would be that obedient.

If she really were obedient, she wouldn’t be covered in shadows behind Madame’s back.

—

I quickly moved away from Madame Moss’s room.

The culprit followed right behind me.

‘Now then… what do I do?’

First, I had the culprit who made the detective disappear.

I had also somehow gained authority over her.

Now I just need to find Detective Baron…

“Um… Miss Daisy?”

“Yes.”

The culprit nodded bluntly.

“I heard you were in charge of this party. Can you tell me exactly what your duties were?”

“General management. I prepared the decor, stage layout, sequence, and various events.”

“What kind of events?”

“…Madame wouldn’t like it if I told you in advance. I’ll just say it’s related to fireworks. It’s a plan to make Madame the star of this party.”

“You must have been busy preparing such events. What are your working hours?”

“Usually, I leave around 7:00 PM, but during the party period, I do not leave at all.”

“What? You don’t leave? Then what about sleep?”

“I am resting briefly behind the party venue.”

Good grief, look at this exploitative company.

It seemed Madame Moss really was a villain.

‘Then Detective Baron is likely hidden somewhere in this venue.’

It would have been an unavoidable choice even for the culprit.

Even if it was risky, it would have been better to hide him near her.

‘Though it was likely a choice between two evils.’

I stared intently at the shimmering form of the culprit.

I wondered what kind of expression the culprit was wearing right now.

Someone who was looking for the person she had disappeared had appeared, after all.

Was she maintaining a blunt poker face?

Or… was she desperate to hide her anxiety?

‘Good. I have a plan.’

One. I ask the culprit if there’s a place she suspects the detective might be hiding.

The culprit will almost certainly try to name a place as far away as possible from where the detective is actually hidden.

Two. I’ll say I’ll start the search there and ask her to search the opposite side.

Finally. The culprit will likely rush to check the detective’s location or move him to a safer place.

I’ll follow her and catch her in the act.

‘Good.’

It seemed like a pretty decent plan for something I had thought up in a short moment.

I decided to put the plan into action immediately.

“Ahem, Miss Daisy?”

“Yes.”

“Where do you think the detective who sneaked in might be hiding?”

The culprit answered without hesitation.

“I am not sure. Perhaps the first-floor hall? It is the most crowded place, and since everyone is wearing masks, it would be easy for him to blend in while wearing one himself.”

It was a plausible answer.

‘But I’ve already searched there.’

Of course, on the outside, I nodded as if I agreed.

“Good. Then I’ll search the first-floor hall, so Miss Daisy—”

But of all things.

At that exact moment.

“Mr. Hayes!”

I heard a voice that shouldn’t have been heard.

‘Charlie?’

Charlie, whom I had parted with at the entrance, was waving at me and running straight toward us.

‘No, wait a minute.’

I had an ill omen.

I tried to give him some kind of sign, but he was one step faster.

“The detective wasn’t in the back! Did you find him, Mr. Hayes?”

I quickly shouted at him as if scolding him.

“It’s not a detective, it’s a rat that sneaked into the party!”

‘Please notice. Please notice.’

“Huh…?”

Did he notice something was strange?

Charlie slowed down with a puzzled expression.

What I had overlooked was that Charlie hadn’t sneaked into this party with a secret identity.

As Charlie stopped walking, his clothes, which had been fluttering with his movements, settled.

A police badge that had been hidden behind his collar peeked out.

“…Police?”

Miss Daisy whipped around to look at me.

The culprit muttered ominously.

“You weren’t an acquaintance of Madame Moss, but a policeman who came to find his colleague…?”

Damn it.

I think I’m screwed.