Detective Bennet [Comprehensive novel]

Lestrade pursed his lips, couldn't the two devils guess wrong once?

"You two guessed right, Baron Vittorio is dead. Last Thursday, two days before the death of Golden Rose, Baron Vittorio was killed by a wolf while hunting in the mountains."

Hunting is a common form of entertainment for nobles, but it is generally to enjoy the countryside scenery, rather than go deep into the mountains and forests to fight wild animals.

Baron Vittorio challenged a difficult time. A group of five people encountered a pack of hungry wolves in the Alps, and only one of them came back alive with a broken arm.

"This absurd tragedy has not yet spread, but Mrs. Vittorio claimed in the telegram that it was God's punishment."

Lestrade didn't know where to start, so he simply let Kelsey and Sherlock read the telegram by themselves.

What a long article!

Telegrams count money in words and are generally short.

Kelsey inevitably asked, "It really is the baroness, doesn't she care about the cost at all? The profit of tens of thousands of large trades is why she is willing to send such a long telegram."

"It is said not to be." Sherlock said a completely different situation, "The glamor of Vittorio's mansion will not last long, and I am afraid that there will be only one title left to support it soon. About five or six years ago, the baron's investment failed. And even sold the ancestral land.”

Kelsey looked sideways, and Sherlock went to find out about the net worth of an unknown baron. Could there be something wrong with Vittorio?

Sherlock shook his head slightly, and only whispered one word, "Watson."

What did Watson say?

Kelsey immediately realized that it was not Sherlock who investigated the baron in advance because he was suspicious, but the dark castle left some psychological shadows on Watson.

Unavoidable to step into the hell game of a certain noble again unsuspectingly, Watson collected information in advance, and did not hesitate to become the king of gossip to dig out the secret history of nobles in various countries.

"Castle?" Kelsey only reported one word, and saw Sherlock nodded affirmatively.

Lestrade wandered away, no longer trying to understand the devil language communication between the two.

Putting aside the financial situation of Vittorio's mansion, the two looked at the baroness's telegram.

In a nutshell, this is an undisclosed scandal.

In Italy, where divorce is not allowed, separate mistresses or lovers have become the norm when a couple loses interest in each other.Even that actually violated the promise made in the church when they got married, but how many vows humans make to God can be kept for a lifetime.

It's one thing to play each other's own way, but Vittorio wanted to give Jin Meigui a legal wife status, which touched the baroness's bottom line.

It should be said that it is related to the life and death of Baroness Phillorence.

Philorens said in a telegram that he had known for several months that the Golden Rose had become Vittorio's new lover.

At that time, she didn't care about when the two started dating and how long they had been in a relationship.Anyway, she and Vittorio had separated long ago.

Until last month, the loyal servants of the baron's mansion reported Vittorio's assassination plan to Philorens.

Vittorio made up his mind to take Stephanie as his wife, and wanted the new marriage to go smoothly. If divorce was not possible, the only way was to be widowed.

Of course, Philorens did not believe it subconsciously, how could there be an assassination plan to marry his mistress and kill his wife.

Even if at a certain moment after the ups and downs on the bed, Vittorio's desire for the golden rose came to the fore, like the only devotion to each other in the legend, but it is time to return to normal thinking at dawn.

Still, the seeds of doubt were planted.

Philosopher analyzed the possibility objectively, and in connection with Stephanie's popularity, she came up with a terrible guess.Vittorio may not necessarily marry another for love, but what if it is for a large dowry?

Ever since the investment failed in the Baron's Mansion, it has always maintained a glamorous ostentation.

Florence's natal family also has no successors. Before she got married, her natal family had gone downhill again, and now it has sold all the ancestral property that can be sold, barely maintaining a decent appearance.

Stephanie is an opera prima donna, and according to common sense, her marriage to the baron must be a high marriage.

The elders of the man's family are very likely to raise objections, but it will be different if he marries a widowed second baron.

From this point of view, the combination of Stephanie and Vittorio made one famous and the other rich.

Assuming that the relationship between the two is deep, it is simply a win-win story.The only person who made the sacrifice was the current baroness who got in the way.

Florence did not dare to bet on her own life, and immediately hired a private detective to thoroughly investigate the two.

It should be that Stephanie did not want to expose the fact that she was a mistress, and the two acted in secret.Apart from Vittorio's private residence, he keeps a distance in public.

If Florence hadn't arranged an eyeliner around her husband, if she had known about his extramarital affair with Jin Meigui, she might have thought that the two were just a simple relationship between an opera lover and an opera performer.

After the unremitting efforts of the private detective, he finally sneaked into the manor in the dark and took photos of the secret meeting between Stephanie and Vittorio.

Later, he disguised himself as a coachman several times and overheard the conversation between the two.Vittorio promised to marry Stephanie in July and August of this year.

There is still no recording equipment, but the photos are a solid proof of the relationship between the two.

Florence kept pondering whether Vittorio's promise was to deceive Stephanie, or was he sincerely preparing to take action?

After thinking about it, Stephanie has always declared that she is single.She did not want to reveal the identity of her mistress, whether she wanted to marry into the baron's mansion in one fell swoop, without leaving anything behind.

All doubts came to an abrupt end last Thursday.

Vittorio died at the mouth of wild wolves in the forest. Whether he wanted to marry another man or not, he couldn't do it in the world.

"You may suspect that I was the first to strike first, but I swear to God I have never been so vicious. This is the Lord's punishment, sending two people with evil intentions to hell to meet each other."

Philorence finally wrote, "Even if I am suspected, I will expose this scandal. The photo is the evidence, and the private relationship between the two is disclosed in the newspaper. Never let the world continue to be fooled by Stephanie Toby , she is not a pure and noble golden rose."

"What do you two think now?" Lestrade retracted the telegram, expressing his point of view first, "Although the Baroness spoke righteously, I suspect that she hired a murderer."

Lestrade is not without evidence, "After the show last Friday, fifteen Golden Rose supporters went to the backstage to wait for her. Fourteen of them have come to take notes. When you go to my office to see, you will agree with me idea."

Fourteen supporters, five women and nine men, all vaguely remember the person who sprinkled golden orange roses.

——Middle-aged woman, aged 50, in a beige dress that is customary for women from middle-class families.I don't remember her face, but I remember that she is slightly fat.

The middle-aged woman didn't actively squeeze into the front row, but took advantage of a gap to send flowers, and she turned and left.

Afterwards, Golden Rose invited two women and three men to the living room.

The six had been chatting in the living room, and at about 11:30 p.m., five supporters walked out of the theater doors.As soon as they left, they heard the sound of the iron door being locked behind them.

"According to the poisoned needles on the insteps of the two, I boldly speculate that the baroness knew about her husband's appointment with Golden Rose in London. She hired a professional killer to pretend to be a messenger to Golden Rose."

Lestrade related his speculation that Stephanie and Vittorio had been sprinkled with golden orange roses as a signal.There was a card with information about the tryst hidden in the bouquet, and of course Stephanie burned it when she saw it.

This time, when Stephanie saw golden orange roses, she naturally thought that her lover had come to London.

Last Friday, I was unsuspecting of the middle-aged woman who gave the flowers, and I took the bouquet easily, trying to determine the time and place to meet from it as usual.

Unexpectedly, the middle-aged woman was actually a professional killer, and she injected Stephanie with a shot of castor.

"It doesn't look like much, but it moves quickly and leaves when it's done."

Lestrade counted the three characteristics of the killer in detail, "The middle-aged woman is all in line. Until now, not only the 14 people who had close contact with her, but also the other audience members of the performance last Friday failed to make a more detailed statement. describe.

The audience next to her had been to Scotland Yard.Weber also only remembered seeing roses sprinkled with gold, but couldn't remember the appearance of the middle-aged woman. "

The middle-aged woman sat in the corner of the last row, and there was only Weber next to her on the left.

If it weren't for the inability to grab tickets, people who sincerely went to see the show would not like remote corners.But if you only go there to kill people, it is a good place to hide your eyes.

"Indeed, the seat that hides from the eyes, the unremarkable appearance, the quick way of acting, and the manner of taking immediate positions. The above four points are very similar to professional killers, and the baroness also has motives for hiring."

Sherlock still had reservations, "Then is the murder weapon identified? Did anyone see the middle-aged woman bending over?"

Lestrade shook his head. Regarding this point, he repeatedly asked the 14 people on the night scene. "It doesn't necessarily need to bend over, it can also be that the soles of the shoes have poisonous needles, which is more like the equipment of a professional killer."

"The feet are more difficult to control than the hands. If you are not careful, you will step on Ms. Toby. That night, she was wearing off-white cotton socks, and there were no gray stains on them."

Kelsey asked again, "If you stretch your legs, you will tend to approach Ms. Toby from the outside. Did the 14 people at the scene notice the movements of the middle-aged woman?"

Lestrade shook his head again, "There should be no approach. They just remembered the middle-aged woman handing out flowers, turned around and left."

Double check.

Kelsey and Sherlock looked at each other, and this time they didn't hit Lestrade on the spot.

After all, Lestrade had to be left to take notes for the person who provided the clues, and there might be valuable clues later.

What came first was a storm of public opinion.

The baroness published a report in which she published photos of the private meeting between the baron and the golden rose, and even told about their private relationship from beginning to end.

People's perception of golden roses changes again and again.From the death that shocked her at first, she vowed to find out the truth, to suspecting that the newcomers in the same group poisoned her, and then to looking for the mysterious flower lover, and finally she was tired of the fact that the so-called head of the single troupe was just a mistress of a nobleman.

Reminiscent of the successive deaths of the Baron and the Golden Rose, there are many conspiracy theorists who believe that the Baroness hired murderers to kill.

However, no one had substantive evidence, and the baroness denied it.

Florence didn't feel guilty at all, and straightened out that what he didn't do was what he didn't do.If she bought it, she could completely conceal the relationship between the baron and Jin Meigui, so why did she want to expose her for no reason to make herself suspicious.

Those who dare to speak out have a clear conscience, and the two who have a guilty conscience go to hell.

『Mrs. Vittorio bluntly said that instead of doubting her, it is better to dig into the past of Golden Rose.

The murderer is likely to be hiding among her past affairs or ex-boyfriends, or among the wives or girlfriends of those men. 』

Nishi-ward

Theater Street Café

Kelsey put down the newspaper, and the situation, like a foreboding, took the most complicated direction.

No one knows the love history of Jin Meigui, and some secrets will indeed be brought to the grave with a person's death.

"Look at the expression, you have nothing to gain, but I have good news."

Sherlock finished reviewing the last person, "The middle-aged woman sat next to Weber, and helped me determine the murder weapon."

Lestrade missed something, but Sherlock helped Webber remember it.

"I asked Webb to describe how he remembered everything and whether he noticed any discomfort while watching the show."

Sherlock asked Weber, including whether there were any strange sounds in the neighbor seat, the comfort of the seat, and so on.

"Wei Bo is really a little unwell. He was knocked twice on the foot by something carried by a middle-aged woman. Jerry, I will give you a hint. Londoners generally carry it when they travel. Guess what it is?"

Kelsey looked out the floor-to-ceiling windows, glanced at a circle of pedestrians, and blurted out, "The long-handled umbrella, the syringe is hidden in the tip of the umbrella!"

"Congratulations, you answered correctly."

Sherlock demonstrated with the long-handled umbrella he carried.

During the performance, the umbrella of the middle-aged woman is first placed on the left side, leaning against the armrest of the seat.

Weber accidentally kicked his shoe twice, which made him take a second look at the umbrella.Compared with ordinary ladies' umbrellas, the handle of this umbrella carried by middle-aged women is a bit longer.

Then, the middle-aged woman moved the umbrella to the right side where no one was there.

"It is longer than the handle of ordinary ladies' umbrellas. It is a specially made suitable length, which just controls the tip of the umbrella to pierce Ms. Toby's instep."

Kelsey couldn't help but raise his coffee cup. This kind of poisonous umbrella is not a whimsical hypothesis.

She had contact with the real thing once, and later the International Spy Museum also exhibited a replica of the poisonous umbrella used by the KGB.

Backstage at the Rose Theater last Friday.

No need to bend over, much less stick a foot forward.

While delivering flowers with one hand, the middle-aged woman pretended to touch her umbrella on the ground with the other.

When everyone's attention was on the flowers, she took advantage of the opportunity to press the mechanism of the handle of the umbrella. After a few seconds of touching, the tip of the umbrella pierced the skin of the instep.

The poisoner quickly turned around and left the scene as if nothing had happened.A perfect assassination was completed.

Kelsey thought of picking up the cup and took two sips of coffee, but she hadn't thought of the assassination method of the poisonous umbrella earlier.

Perhaps there was no immediate association, because the hidden secret weapon of secret agents who killed people was supposed to be far away, but it unexpectedly appeared in life again at close range.

Jerry wasn't happy about identifying the murder weapon.

Sherlock also saw that the person seated opposite drank his coffee a little faster.Didn't expect the poisonous umbrella to commit crimes, which would make Kelsey unhappy?

Sherlock felt a little unusual. Usually, Kelsey didn't have a strong desire to win or lose, and he was more concerned about whether he could solve the case.

For example, in the Dark Castle, Earl B's killing speed was so fast that he was able to catch up with them several times before they cracked the modus operandi.Kelsey was not unhappy either, she just calmly seized the time to find out the key.

So, what is so special about the poisonous umbrella?

Sherlock remembered this doubt, and asked about the death of Golden Rose, "Do you think a professional killer killed Ms. Toby?"

"Like, but not like." Kelsey put down the coffee cup, "Inspector Lestrade has said about the like. The difference, first, she put the weapon on the seat next to her." It was not prudent enough to move to the left of the uninhabited man's left."

Sherlock also pointed out some unusual details, "There are also those two packing letterheads. She shouldn't ignore the details and use paper made in Central Europe, which is very rare in London. I think this is the common sense of professional killers."

"But if you're talking about seeking revenge..."

Kelsey shook her head. In terms of revenge, the middle-aged woman did it too simply.

"It should be said that this kind of revenge process is too calm. The poison killer doesn't seem to have any hatred, but uses a method that is almost assassination."

In short, even if the cause of death, the murder weapon, and the perpetrator of Jin Meigui's death can all be matched one by one, there is always a hidden line in this case that cannot be clarified, and the contradiction cannot be explained.

"I'm going to Italy once in two days."

Sherlock decided to meet Baroness Phillorens face-to-face, and search for the place where Golden Rose lived for ten years, maybe there would be clues. "Jerry, are you going?"

"Of course." Kelsey said, glancing at his pocket watch, "but now I have something else to do."

Sherlock didn't stay in the coffee shop anymore. He was supposed to say goodbye at the door of the shop, but saw Kelsey walking directly to the flower shop next door. "You want to buy flowers? It seems that the so-called other thing is to send off a group of Italian opera troupes."

"Yes, let's see you off. At least we got to know each other."

Kelsey has the florist beautifully wrap a bouquet of dahlias for Adler.Just like Huayu, I thank her for her help and hope her career can reach new heights.

When Sherlock saw the dahlia, he knew who Kelsey was mainly saying goodbye to—Miss Adler, who provided key clues on the stationery.

Perhaps, he should be thankful that Kelsey did not choose the rose, otherwise he will regret the rare person who is in sync with him and chase Cupid's arrow.

Without Kelsey in London, Sherlock imagined, he might be a little lonely.Just a little bit, with more exciting cases, he will not care.

Kelsey noticed that Sherlock's gaze fell on the dahlia, and asked jokingly, "Mr. Holmes, your gaze has been lingering for a long time. Are you implying that you also want to be given flowers?"

"Judging from your tone, it seems to be mocking me for never being in a flower shop."

Looking back, Sherlock seemed to have only received wild flowers from the mountains picked by his mother.He didn't take it, and he should have given it away.It's like visiting the fat boss's house, well, he's giving you cigars.

At the moment, Kelsey simply carried the joke to the end.I bought two more orange roses, asked the boss to wrap them at will, and handed them to Sherlock.

"You don't need to thank me. Firstly, it satisfies the desire of your eyes, and secondly, you want to think about things. Remember to leave one for me, and pray to the orange rose elf sooner or later, and wish that we will soon find the killer who gave Ms. Toby the orange rose."

Kelsey turned and left sassyly, and waved her hand smartly to say goodbye to Sherlock.

Leave people and flowers facing each other.

Sherlock looked at the two orange roses silently, and after a few seconds, he smiled and shook his head.

"If you make a wish to the flower elf, you should find a professional counterpart. Only by making a wish to the four-leaf clover elf, which represents luck, can you wish Tom and Jerry good luck on their trip to Italy. The orange rose elf is not responsible for catching killers."

—It manages the unspeakable mystery of love.