"How do you know?"
Klein asked instinctively.
Lynch sighed.
There weren't many places to hide things in this house. He'd glanced over Klein and noticed he had no gun, so he'd quietly checked the drawer.
Of course, he couldn't say that.
"You were a little obvious when you hid something just now. I guessed you'd run into trouble. That's one of the reasons I haven't left yet."
That was a lie, of course.
The main reason he'd stayed was that he'd given all his money to Melissa. He had only ten soli left, and didn't dare spend it on the trip home.
He'd taken three days off and was worried that ten soli wouldn't be enough to keep him fed.
Besides, he wasn't much of a cook.
Oh, and he could absorb energy when Klein entered Sefirah Castle.
At the very least, until Klein could pull him into Sefirah Castle, he figured he'd have to hang around and feed off that energy.
Fortunately, he knew when the Tarot Club meetings took place. He could just wait for his chance.
"All right, be careful. I'll follow behind you with a stick. If you get shot at, I'll rush in and help!"
Lynch banished those thoughts and found a stick in Klein's room.
He'd read Lord of the Mysteries a long time ago and had forgotten much of the story. He could recall a few things for now, like how the police had come to the door and made Klein a little nervous.
But he couldn't be sure the plot hadn't changed and that the visitors weren't attackers instead.
The person who'd tried to steal the Antigonus Notebook earlier had disappeared after Lynch elbowed him. That had left Lynch rather worried.
Fortunately, as soon as Klein opened the door, they saw that the visitors were four police officers.
Without waiting for Klein to remind him, Lynch immediately tossed the stick aside and warmly invited the four officers in.
"Come on in. Don't be shy—make yourselves at home!"
Klein stood by the door, speechless. Watching Lynch act like he owned the place, he wanted to say, This is my house. How can this guy say that with such confidence?
Lynch didn't notice Klein's exasperation. He stepped back to clear a path for the four officers.
"May I ask what brings you here, officers?"
Lynch felt around in his pocket. There were still a few cigarettes inside, so he immediately offered one to each of them.
He skipped Klein, of course. Something valuable like this wasn't going to waste on him just yet.
"Hey, didn't expect to get a little bonus like this."
One of the officers, who looked particularly intimidating, eagerly accepted a cigarette. He borrowed a light from Lynch and took a deep drag.
Another officer, a gray-eyed man, accepted a cigarette and put it in his pocket. The green-eyed officer behind him shook his head and turned down Lynch's offer.
"Sorry, I don't smoke."
Lynch immediately took back the cigarette he'd offered. He didn't smoke either, but the original owner had been a heavy smoker, spending his wages on cigarettes and food.
Oh, and rent was another major expense.
"What were you doing just now? You both seemed nervous."
The gray-eyed officer turned and asked gently.
Before Klein could say anything, Lynch put on a bitter smile.
"Don't ask. It happened yesterday. I got back from work and saw that Klein didn't look too good, so I stopped him. He ended up beating me up.
"I staggered off to find him and settle the score, but on the way I ran into a robber. If I hadn't run fast, I might've lost my life. When I heard the knock, I thought something else had come looking for me. Thank goodness it was the police.
"Oh, I don't remember calling the police last night. How did you find out what happened so quickly?"
Lynch looked at the officers expectantly, making several of them turn away awkwardly.
The officer who'd been enjoying his cigarette cleared his throat. Under the other three's reproachful looks, he hesitated before saying, "I'll make sure to give you an explanation as soon as I can. If you need compensation, I..."
He was asking himself whether he'd have to pay the medical bills.
Lynch nodded vigorously.
"I really do need it. That robber beat me up yesterday too. Klein and I paid five pounds for medical treatment. If you don't believe me, ask Klein!"
Lynch looked at Klein.
Klein hadn't understood why Lynch was saying all this, but as soon as he heard about money, he hurriedly nodded.
"That's right. Lynch told me he'd been hit by me, but he was fine. Then he ran into a robber on the way, who gave him internal injuries. He collapsed outside my house. It was terrible. My sister Melissa and I had to get a doctor for him in the middle of the night—the one on the corner, Dr. Skiko."
Klein brazenly shifted the blame off himself. He didn't flinch under the officers' scrutiny, though his lips trembled when he caught Lynch's eye.
Just a little white lie. Hopefully, Mr. Trance wouldn't expose him.
After all, it was five pounds!
"Five pounds? What a rip-off! Skiko's fees are too high. He must've seen that you went to him at night and that you were two kids who didn't know any better, so he charged you extra. I'll go warn him. It should be no more than three pounds. If I can't get the price down to three, I'll pay the rest myself!"
The officer was clearly shocked by the five-pound bill. He didn't seem keen on paying it himself, but he'd help get the price lowered. That was enough to satisfy both Lynch and Klein.
"Really? That's wonderful! Thank you, officer. If you can really do that, I'll bring you a banner—not in private, but at work. I'll deliver it to the police station, and it'll say: 'Officer Beech Mountbatten, Fair and Selfless.'"
Lynch spoke loudly.
Beech Mountbatten immediately smiled.
He burst into hearty laughter, his intimidating face taking on a cheerful expression.
"Good lad. I'll be waiting for it. By the way, how did you know my name?"
Officer Mountbatten looked at Lynch curiously.
Lynch had only just thought of it himself, but naturally he couldn't say that.
He puffed out his chest.
"Even though I don't live here, I remember Klein telling me that Officer Beech Mountbatten, the one responsible for keeping this area safe, is a very kind man. Everyone under his care is happy. I didn't recognize you just now, but your generosity and kindness made me certain it had to be you!"
Beech Mountbatten could barely contain his smile.
He glanced at Klein, then at Lynch, and suddenly felt that being insulted by those fools hadn't mattered at all. Wasn't it obvious that the people who really counted adored him?
"Mr. Smith, I'll vouch for these two gentlemen. They absolutely didn't kill anyone!"
Beech Mountbatten slapped his chest, brimming with confidence.
The gray-eyed officer said nothing. Instead, the green-eyed officer behind him laughed.
"If all it took to solve a case was someone vouching for you, we'd hear nothing but assurances all day."
Beech Mountbatten's expression turned awkward after that retort.
Lynch quickly stepped beside him and looked at the other three officers with righteous indignation.
"Don't blame Officer Mountbatten. He's just too kind. He sees how much we admire him and knows what kind of people we are. But we won't let him fall out with his colleagues. If you have any questions, ask away. Klein and I absolutely won't lie to you!"
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