Detective Bennet [Comprehensive novel]

13, this number is a bit unlucky, but it cannot be judged by numbers alone.

The thirteenth arrondissement may hide some of Paris' past.

The Romans once conquered Paris, and the [-]th arrondissement has the Italian Avenue that must pass through in the direction of Italy.

Kelsey walked around for four days. Many old buildings here have been demolished to open up new roads.

Or due to the wars in recent years, there are not a few civil engineering projects that are halfway through, but there are no remains of the ancient Roman period that have been excavated.

Not only were there no remains, but even a single strange thing did not happen.

In four days, the two visited nearly nine-tenths of the thirteenth district, which can be described as smooth sailing.

At 06:30 in the evening, street restaurants.

Kelsey and Sherlock finished their dinner quickly, looking at the map, they rarely hesitated.

"In general, the renovation project in the [-]th district is in line with the efficiency of France's work, and it continues slowly and generally."

Kelsey not only drew a sketch of the street scene, but also visited some construction teams, and the demolition workers expressed that the project was going well.

Sherlock is hesitating for everything to go well, should he take advantage of the good luck and go all out to check the last sections of the road tonight?

It's better to wait until tomorrow's day to act, and you don't have to walk through those potholed alleys in the case of insufficient light.

"It's better to flip a coin to decide. Continue with the head and go back to the hotel with the number. What do you think?"

Sherlock decided to try his luck and got Kelsey's approval.

The two each took out a coin and threw it three times.Six tosses always tell whether to go on or go.

"Numbers, numbers."

"Numbers, numbers."

The two tossed one last time respectively, and saw two coins falling back and forth on the table.

The silver coins rotated on the table for a while, and finally stopped with two "dong" and "dong". Under the illumination of the candlelight, the numbers on the coins could be clearly seen.

It's actually six times the number!

Kelsey and Sherlock looked at each other, for a moment, they didn't know where to start.

"I didn't use any tricks."

Kelsey broke the silence first, "I'm sure I didn't favor a certain choice beforehand."

Sherlock nodded. "I don't believe you have a predisposition. To be precise, there is no predisposition this time. And that's just the oddity."

Kelsey blinked, "Why emphasize this time?"

Sherlock raised his jaw slightly, motioning Kelsey to look at the flowers in the vase on the table.

"Counting rose petals to determine the identity of teachers and students. I still remember very clearly how you made a fortune."

Kelsey looked away, skipping some of the deceitful topics, "Now that we got the 'number' six times, does that mean we should hurry back to the hotel? "

"Only on the face of it, it seems that this should be the choice."

Sherlock decided not to go back, "Such a unified "number" seems to be trying to stop us, but it makes me wonder what will happen in the thirteenth district tonight. "

"Very well, then don't hesitate."

Kelsey picked up the briefcase and stood up, "I'm also curious about what can happen here."

The two decided to check it out and see how six tosses turned out to be the number side.

The afterglow of the setting sun dissipated.

Compared with the places where theaters are distributed, the night in District [-] is quieter.

After four days of investigation, the two found that there are many visitors from the East living here, and the law and order are relatively stable.

But the last area that we will go tonight is rarely visited by Orientals, because there are some special clubs there.

Approaching, the dim kerosene street lamps reflected on the young woman standing by the street.

The women wore gorgeous dresses or some jewelry, but they lifted up the hem of their skirts from time to time so that people could see their ankles without socks.

Do not doubt.

This is the red light district of the thirteenth district.

Kelsey was thrown a series of winks along the way, so she could only silently recite that the night in Paris is much more charming than London.

Nowadays, it is said that the night in Paris is romantic, but in fact it is telling the beauty of the night.

Under Queen Victoria, prostitution was severely restricted in London.

Paris, however, began to legalize prostitutes during the Napoleon period.It is necessary to register the list of practitioners, and in principle, conduct a medical examination every year.

Most British men will not be surprised if they meet London acquaintances in the night in Paris, and many people come here to experience the banned industries in the country.

The thirteenth district is not where brothels are concentrated, only a small area has street girls and brothels in the name of clubs.

"It seems that the service here is a bit special."

Sherlock glanced at the posters along the street. Different promotional advertisements were posted on the outside wall of the club.At night, the photos of the girls are enlarged and posted.

In other places, dresses of various colors often compete for splendor.

Here, various animals are imitated, such as leopard-print clothing, wearing cat ears, centaurs and other shapes.

"Humanity's preference for animalization may be able to find one or two roots in nature worship."

Sherlock was thinking about which sect had related theories, and found that Kelsey's eyes stopped on a poster. "Jerry, you don't want to tell me I'm interested in this?"

Above is the back of a young woman wearing scantily clad clothes and rabbit ears.Because of the back view, there is also a fluffy rabbit tail.

Kelsey shook her head helplessly. She took a few more glances, just lamenting that the prototype of the bunny girl appeared in the nineteenth century.

"Although such a comparison is very inappropriate, please rest assured that where Tom is present, the charm of other people or things is not worth mentioning."

Sherlock paused, and Kelsey remained calm.

The man seemed to say something joking casually, but he didn't pay attention to anything after he finished speaking.

Before the two could say anything more, a person walked out of the bunny girl shop.

This will meet face to face, and you cannot pretend not to see each other.The man greeted Kelsey with some embarrassment, "Good evening, Mr. Bennet."

"Good evening, Mr. Bingley."

Kelsey was a little surprised, and quickly looked at Bentley, not seeing that he would be in and out of sensual places.

Bingli said first, "I'm here to find someone."

This rhetoric is a bit funny, who doesn't come to the red light district to find someone?

If you don't go home at night, how many people will be full to eat, how weird can it be to challenge luck?

Kelsey nodded slightly, not intending to ask further questions.She doesn't have any female friends who want or have married Bentley, so she doesn't need to pay attention to the other's private life style.

Bingley knew that he didn't express clearly, so he quickly added, "I mean, I'm here to find a man."

"Oh!"

Sherlock blinked, Jerry's acquaintance really dared to say it.

Fourteen years ago, the punishment for homosexuality in Britain changed from hanging to jail, but that was not pleasant.Some things can only be done, and must not be said publicly.

"No, I didn't mean that."

Bingley couldn't help straightening his hat, and said a little frantically, "I mean, a male friend has disappeared here, and I'm just looking for him!"

Someone is missing?

Both Kelsey and Sherlock put away their jokes.

"Who is missing?"

Kelsey secretly thought it couldn't be Darcy, could it?Darcy was associated with Bentley, but when he heard the name of the street, he was likely to turn around and walk away.

"Bailey Blanqui, a business partner."

Bentley said with some annoyance that when he came to Paris to discuss business this time, Blanki insisted on going to the Nightclub to experience it.

"Yesterday, I failed to convince Blanqui, he expressed his desire to stay here for one night."

Bentley pointed to the intersection, where yesterday and two days separated. "I went back to the hotel. I haven't seen Blanqui all day today. I was supposed to be back in London at four o'clock in the afternoon, but he didn't bring a single message."

For this reason, Bentley had no choice but to find someone in person.

I vaguely remembered that Blanche said that he was going to the bunny girl's shop, but he just asked the proprietress of this shop, and he didn't see such an Englishman at all last night.

"Maybe, it's just that Blanky is too happy to leave."

Bentley comforted himself, "He is a man with a strong physique, and I don't need to worry too much."

"With all due respect. Has your partner ever been a punctual man?"

Kelsey does not believe that men are not at risk of being victimized. Men in red light districts tend to relax their vigilance and encounter accidents.

Bingley nodded helplessly. It was because Blanky was always punctual that he felt it was inappropriate to come looking for someone.

Not long after, two of his attendants also came out from other clubs.He asked this street again, and they all said that they did not find Blanky's whereabouts.

"Ask if there are any witnesses on the street?"

Sherlock was referring, of course, to those street girls.A man is missing here, and since he didn't go to the club, he most likely left with a woman on the street.

"I asked, but they all said they didn't see it."

Bentley was a little discouraged. If he had been tougher, perhaps he could have stopped Blanqui from being attached to this place yesterday.

Sherlock glanced at Bingley and his attendants. The three so-called asked questions, but they probably got a perfunctory answer.

Sherlock asked Kelsey with his eyes, "Do you want to help your acquaintance find someone together?"

Kelsey nodded slightly, "Throwing the number six times may be fulfilled here."

The two exchanged a look. In the past four days, there was no case of disappearance.

If something happened to Blanqui, it would most likely be in danger around the red-light district.

Immediately, Kelsey and Sherlock quickly split up and asked.

From the street to the end of the street, only half an hour, and finally locked a witness Leia.

Leia straightened her skirt uncomfortably, and initially refused to admit that she had seen Blanqui.Unexpectedly, two Britons exposed her recent experience one by one, and she was short of revealing the color of her underwear.

"Okay, I said, I said. I saw the sturdy Englishman you described yesterday. I wanted to chat with him, but he went straight into the alley."

Leia pointed to the alley diagonally opposite.

It was very dark there, and there were no fixed kerosene street lamps.

"The sisters on the main street all know each other, and everyone is registered. After attracting customers, they will go to a fixed place to spend the night."

Leia was referring to being registered with the government. "All the alleys are illegal wandering warblers. That Mr. Blanky entered the alley, and I haven't seen him since."

Kelsey pressed, "Are there any undocumented ladies who hang around here from time to time?"

"I don't know, and no one will know. Those women don't want their true identities to be found out. They all stand at the entrance of the dark alley with kerosene lamps and never come into contact with us."

Leia said that people here don't meddle in their own business, and no one wants to be spying on their privacy.

"In the past few years, there were more wandering warblers, and they would take guests to the surrounding old houses to spend the night. But you also saw that many nearby houses have been demolished. In recent months, there are fewer and fewer wandering warblers haunting dark alleys."

"Besides your fixed overnight spot, are there any more exciting places nearby?"

Sherlock added, "Half of the demolition, a half-covered house that can sleep overnight, or some ancient ruins were dug up?"

It is very likely that Blanqui was looking for excitement, either in the sky or on the ground, or at a newly discovered relic.

Leia wasn't too sure, she just said that walking along the dark alley to the end, there was a row of old houses after going out, and the people there had all moved out.

"The pace of construction is very slow. Some houses have been demolished, while others have not been demolished. I haven't heard of any relics, but almost all houses are half-covered."

Blanky was last seen in the dark alley.

At the other end of the dark alley, there are demolished old houses.

The two are connected, of course, is to demolish the old house to find out.

Bentley watched as the two asked for key information, which was several times faster than his speed just now.

"Thank you both very much. I didn't expect Blanqui to walk into a dark alley. Now that I understand this situation, I should be able to find his trace."

Don't be too optimistic.

Both Kelsey and Sherlock secretly felt bad.

Walking all the way inward along the dark alley, according to Bingley's description of the shoes Blanche wore, he could vaguely distinguish the shoe prints left by him last night.

Few people come and go in this dark alley. Next to Blankie's shoe prints, there is a row of simultaneous high-heeled shoe prints.

It's just that the traces are broken as soon as they leave the alley.

This cross road was excavated by the demolition team and was covered with gravel, and it was covered with the footprints of workers going back and forth during the day, so it was completely impossible to distinguish between Blanche and the other high-heeled shoes.

"Let's find each family."

Kelsey was holding a kerosene lamp. Most of the houses in front of her had half-destroyed gates.

Looking in through the half-open door, I saw a black hole.

In case there was an ambush here, the five did not check separately.

Search together building by building, especially in the basement of the dilapidated building.

Tread-tap-

For more than two hours, I heard the footsteps of five people coming and going in and out of the dim dilapidated house.

Seeing the last kerosene lamp can only last another 15 minutes.

Bingley was about to say that he had to find a place to fill up some lamp oil, when Sherlock suddenly spoke.

"The smell of blood, there is a smell of blood down here."

Sherlock stood at the stairway leading to the basement, keenly smelled the smell coming from below, judging by the distance, the amount of bleeding would not be too small.

"What! The smell of blood?"

Bentley sniffed it vigorously, and he also noticed a trace of fishy smell.Immediately a little nervous, "Could it be..."

Bentley didn't finish his sentence, but he had some ominous premonitions. Could it be that Blanky was killed?

"What it is, you will know it after seeing it. You stay on it first."

Without jumping to judgment, Kelsey went downstairs with Sherlock.

The two cautiously pushed open the unlocked wooden door, and the lantern shone inward.

The basement is not big, at most five square meters, and it can be seen at a glance that there are no Blanqui or other human corpses.

However, there were piles of dead rabbits on the ground.

It is preliminarily judged that the death took three or four days, but the low temperature in the basement is bound to affect the rate of decay of the corpse.

"A total of 37 wooden shelves, each with [-] dead rabbits."

Sherlock reported the total, "Unfortunately, 660 and six."

666!

Kelsey frowned, "It's such an ominous number, I'm afraid it's not a coincidence."