The crime scene, bloodstains, Mr. Alvin's pipe.
He Xi instinctively thought of what he had seen at Old Hall that afternoon.
That commission to investigate the murder case and gather clues.
Could Mr. Alvin's disappearance be connected to that murder?
"Mrs. Royce, come inside. Tell me slowly."
He Xi helped her into the house.
"Alvin, he..." Mrs. Royce sat on the sofa, covering her face with both hands, but tears still seeped continuously through her fingers. "Last night... last night, he never came home."
"I... I thought the newspaper had suddenly added some new section and made him work overtime through the night... sob... How could this happen..."
"Tata, make a pot of hot tea."
After instructing Tata, He Xi handed Mrs. Royce a handkerchief. "Take a deep breath and calm down first. Tell me everything from beginning to end as best you can. What exactly did the Watchers tell you?"
Mrs. Royce trembled as she wiped at the corners of her eyes.
It was not until she held the hot tea Tata brought over that the trembling of her shoulders eased slightly.
"It... it began eight days ago."
"Councilman Krund of City Hall was murdered."
"The killer... the killer was an insanely arrogant madman. He actually hung the councilman's corpse... right in front of City Hall's gates!"
"But before the Watchers could find any useful clues..."
"That... that killer actually wrote to the Watchers of his own accord."
"It was a letter written in blood..." She swallowed, her eyes filled with terror. "It said: 'Seven days hence, Etlock shall become the second offering when the night bell tolls.'"
"He's the captain of the Watchers."
"All of this... all of this was what Alvin told me after he came home..."
Hearing this, Tata, who stood to one side holding a