As dusk approaches, Iron Cross Street is bustling with people, and the noisy atmosphere of the market rushes towards us. The vendors selling fresh and cooked food on the street are shouting at the top of their lungs, causing pedestrians passing by to slow down involuntarily and lean towards them.
In this chaotic street, it would be difficult for the carriage to move forward. Nighthawks had no choice but to let the hired carriage stop at the street corner, get off the car and walk to the target location.
Klein had recovered some strength in the car and now looked warily at the pedestrians passing by. He lived in a nearby apartment before moving to Daffodil Street. Even now that his housing conditions have improved, he often comes here to buy some cheap cooked food, remaining wary of the poor and chaotic Iron Cross Street.
"Beware of thieves."
He quietly reminded his companions Angel and Leonard.
"Don't worry."
Leonard didn't take it seriously. He pulled one side of his windbreaker open, revealing the gun holster at his waist. The brass receiver and delicate handguard of the revolver were exposed. The Police Badge on it was highly recognizable.
In an instant, the eyes full of greed, doubt and vigilance all turned away from him, and the number of eyes staring at the three well-dressed outsiders around him was reduced by half.
"You should also pay attention..."
Klein looked at Angel, who was still unaware, until she suddenly realized it and buttoned up the hood of her windbreaker, blocking out the rest of her sight.
But soon those eyes moved towards Klein, making him worried whether any of them recognized him as "the boy from Moretti's family".
You don't know me, you don't know me...
He thought silently in his mind, lowered his head, followed Leonard in the lead and Angel behind him, passing between street vendors and pedestrians, praying not to be seen by anyone he knew.
Fortunately, the lively street was not long, and they soon came to a three-story house.
"This is the building, 2nd floor, left side."
Leonard stopped and checked the information in his hand again before entering the apartment through the open corridor door.
Klein Finally entered the corridor. He looked around and found that this apartment was worse than the one he rented before. There was no gas light in the corridor and was only illuminated by the sunlight from the entrance. The walls were mottled, revealing the cracked bricks underneath. The wooden stairs creaked and seemed to break at any time, causing people to fall to the next floor.
Walking up the rickety stairs to the second floor, bypassing the unwashed public bathroom, the three of them stood by the door of the room on the left.
"Dong dong——"
Angel knocked on the door.
"No one?"
Klein asked after not seeing anyone respond for a long time.
As if he did not expect this to happen, Leonard frowned and knocked on the closed wooden door again.
This time the door was opened from the inside.
"Are you guys?"
Behind the door was a short woman. She was wearing a simple linen dress with an apron on the outside. Her brown curly hair was tied back by a hairband. Her hands were wet with some soap suds, as if she had been washing clothes just now.
Seeing three well-dressed men and women with serious faces outside the door, surprise and a hint of uneasiness appeared on her face.
"I am Inspector Mitchell from Tingen City Police Headquarters. We are here to investigate the death case of Val Ellison. The police chief of this street is late, so the three of us can only investigate first."
Leonard took out the Inspector Badge that he had taken off before entering Iron Cross Street, hung it again on the outside of his windbreaker, and said with a serious face.
"Sheriff Bich Montbatten, do you know him?"
Klein added on the side.
"Yes... yes, this is Allison's home. Sirs, please come in. I am...Miss Granger, why is it you?"
When the brown-haired woman heard the name of the notorious police chief in this neighborhood who liked to punch and kick suspects whenever they disagreed, her expression became visibly panicked. She hurriedly moved Door Opening's mouth to allow Leonard at the front to enter the room.
But then she saw Angel following behind her and exclaimed.
"You know her?"
Klein looked at Angel curiously and asked.
"Her name is Tromi, Cole... The female handyman my cousin hired before also cleaned clothes. I didn't expect that she lives here and I know her..."
Angel's eyes widened halfway through speaking.
"Val Ellison is your father?"
Her eyes turned to the brown-haired woman named Tromi.
"... Yes, I live with my father and brother. He was buried ten days ago."
Tromi showed a trace of sadness on her face, but it was quickly replaced by confusion and uneasiness. It seemed that she was more worried about the intentions of the police officers in front of her and her future life than the death of her relatives.
"Buried..." Leonard muttered, turning to look at Klein behind him. Seeing that the other party nodded indiscernibly, he continued, "It doesn't matter. Let's take a look at the location where he died. Could you please lead the way."
Wiping the soapy water on his hands on his apron, Tromi nodded silently and walked through the living room with old furniture and messy tables and chairs, but full of life, to the outer one of the two bedrooms.
There are two single beds placed on both sides of the bedroom, one of which is covered with bedding, and the other bed is empty.
Without Tromi's introduction, three Nighthawks gathered around the empty bed.
The deceased has been buried, and the interval is more than ten days, so the divination effect may be very poor...
Klein frowned and looked at the empty bed board, thinking about how to obtain useful information.
"My brother would go to the bar every afternoon to work as a guard and wouldn't come back until dawn. As soon as he got home that day, he found his father lying on the bed holding his chest... He often had chest pains in the past, but last month we saved some money and asked him to buy some medicine. He has gotten better. Unexpectedly..."
Tromi whispered from the side.
"Did he leave anything behind? Things he used frequently, clothes, or bedding?"
Leonard suddenly interrupted Tromi.
"What? Ah... Sorry, his sheets and quilt are still there, but his clothes are not."
"Please bring them here and re-pave them as they were then. We need to... well, review the scene again."
Tromi opened his mouth, as if he wanted to say something, but when he saw Inspector Badge on Leonard's chest, he pursed his lips, went to the closet in the corner of the room, dug out the folded bedding, and put them on Val's bed again.
He brought Tromi back to the living room, and after whispering a few words, Angel returned to the bedroom alone, closed the door, and looked towards Klein.
"Are these items enough?"
"It's been too long and the bedding has been washed. I'll try my best."
If you go to Grey Fog Space for divination, the effect will definitely be better, but it is impossible to do it in front of the two of them, especially "Empress" of Angel, Tarot Club...
Klein hesitated for a moment, but decided to try it with Dream Divination.
Angel took out the dagger, consecrated it with a simplified ceremony and built Wall of Spirituality in the closed bedroom. Klein sat on another bed that should belong to Tromi's brother, half-leaned on the head of the bed, outlined the ball of light, and quickly entered the dreamland.
In the blurry fog, images surrounding middle-aged men appeared one after another.
He gritted his teeth while carrying the goods, holding his chest and gasping for air from time to time.
He was bargaining with the fishmonger in front of the fish vendor.
He looked at his daughter who went out early and came home late, and his son who went out late and came back early with a sad face.
While he was standing in line to receive his wages, he was patted by a slender hand stretched out from behind.
He Affliction covered his chest under the crimson moonlight, trying to open his mouth to call for help, but finally closed his eyes.