"This person..." The detective pointed to the name Nier in the register, then asked the innkeeper, "What did the person who checked in—and the people staying with him—look like? What were they wearing?"
The innkeeper glanced at the name in the register, thought for a moment, then gave them a general description.
When they heard that the group's clothing and features were about eighty percent similar to the thief's account, the two detectives decided there was a good chance it was the same trio.
One of the detectives continued, "Are the three of them still staying in a room on the fourth floor?"
The innkeeper wiped the cold sweat from his forehead with a handkerchief. "No, sir. The three of them paid for a long-term stay, but they never spend the night here."
"They don't stay here at night?"
"That's right. They only come back during the day, usually around eight in the morning. Then, at five in the evening, all three leave again." The innkeeper thought for a moment, then added, "They paid plenty in advance, so they probably aren't short of money.
"And even when they leave temporarily during the day, at least one of them always stays in the room."
The owner's description immediately put the two detectives on alert.
They had paid plenty in advance, yet only showed up during the day—and made sure someone remained in the room whenever they went out. That was entirely consistent with a fixed surveillance assignment.
"So the room they rented is empty right now?" one of the detectives asked the innkeeper again.
"Yes," the innkeeper said firmly. "I saw all three of them leave again at five this evening. I remember clearly because they don't stay here at night."
The two detectives exchanged a glance and nodded. After confirming with the innkeeper that the trio never returned at night, they told him to use the spare key and inspect the fourth-floor room immediately.
Nervously, the innkeeper took the spare key for Room 103 on the fourth floor from the key rack on the wall behind him, then led the two Clovin men up the stairs.
As they climbed, the slightly overweight innkeeper kept wiping his sweat with his handkerchief. He felt as if he were walking alongside two grim reapers. He prayed to the gods over and over that the Clovin detectives would find nothing in the room and leave.
Then he silently cursed the three guests renting the room. How dare they pick a fight with Clovin!
They reached the fourth floor and used the spare key to open the door to Room 103. The innkeeper immediately stepped aside and ushered the two detectives in first.
When the innkeeper reached to switch on the room's incandescent lamp, the two Clovin detectives stopped him. They had to consider the possibility that the trio might be somewhere nearby. If the room suddenly lit up at night, it could alert them.
After all, the three never came back at night. Anyone entering the room and turning on the light would make the reason obvious.
In the dim light from the hallway, the two Clovin detectives searched the room carefully.
The room was simply furnished, but the area by the window had been carefully arranged. A narrow gap had been left in the heavy curtains, positioned to give an excellent view of the eastern end of Lubo Lane.
A chair had been placed there, too. It looked as if someone had been sitting there to watch a particular spot outside through the gap in the curtains.
One detective sat down and peered out through the gap. He could see the Moonlight Cafe.
Several empty coffee cups sat on the table by the window, and the ashtray was piled high with cigarette butts. There was even a monocular for observing things at a distance.
"Looks like we've caught a pack of rats," one detective said with a cold laugh, looking at the monocular without touching it, so as not to move it and alert the group.
"These people know what they're doing, and they have a clear target... They're watching someone or somewhere on this street.
"And they're carrying our fake credentials, too. Foreign spies? Or some vermin hiding in the sewers?"
They left the room and had the innkeeper lock the door again. After frightening him and reminding him to act as usual—and not to give anything away if he saw the group the next day—they left once he assured them he understood.
They quickly compiled their findings from the room, along with the innkeeper's testimony, and submitted a report.
Late that night, after the Clovin Third Bureau's duty supervisor reviewed it, he gave a direct order: "Dig deeper.
"Send more people. Tomorrow, focus on finding out exactly what they're watching.
"Stay hidden. Don't expose yourselves."
The next day, Gallo arrived at the Moonlight Cafe a few minutes before the Clock Tower bell rang, just as he always did.
But as soon as he sat down in his usual spot, his Inspiration stirred faintly.
He sensed something was off about the atmosphere around him. Ordinary people might not have noticed, but the change was too obvious to him.
Malcolm and his two companions were still watching him. That familiar gaze reached out from the direction of the Youth Hostel like a strand of sticky spider silk.
But today, there were several more watchers, even better concealed and colder in their focus. They were scanning the area from other corners of the street, and even from farther away.
They clearly weren't Malcolm's accomplices. It seemed Malcolm was watching him, while another group was secretly observing the Youth Hostel from several angles.
Then they followed the limits of Malcolm's surveillance and began watching Gallo, too.
The arrangement formed a triangle.
Gallo felt a chill in his heart, but kept his expression calm. First, he skimmed through the incoming and outgoing stock lists and shelf catalogs that all the bookstores on Lubo Lane had sent over early that morning.
When the Clock Tower struck eight, he began handling the needs of the customers who had been waiting nearby with the precision of a machine.
He could feel an invisible net quietly tightening around him, but he wasn't its target. Malcolm and the others were.
That pleased Gallo somewhat. His Inspiration told him that the coin he had sent out the day before had done the trick.
Halfway through the morning shift, it was time for Gallo's regular break.
Just then, Malcolm and his two companions unexpectedly left their room at the Youth Hostel and came straight to the Moonlight Cafe. They took an empty table nearby and ordered coffee. They looked relaxed, but their eyes kept drifting toward Gallo.
The shift from "undercover" to "in plain sight" made Gallo's sense of alarm grow stronger.
Almost at the same time, the Clovin detectives concealed nearby noticed the trio's unusual behavior. They confirmed that the group was watching a boy named Gallo.
The attention of everyone observing from the shadows focused even more intently on the scene.
In the midst of that delicate, tense atmosphere, Sacia Taylor appeared.
She was as neatly dressed as ever, and walked over to Gallo's table with an easy stride. It was Gallo's break, and there were no customers waiting in line.
Only people quietly drinking coffee and chatting were nearby.
"Mr. Gallo, I hope I'm not disturbing your break," Sacia said calmly.
"Of course not, Miss Taylor. Please, have a seat." Gallo gestured for her to sit, then took an envelope he had specially bought for one Fenso the day before from the deep inner pocket of his coat, along with the Human Skin Notebook, which had turned completely blank.
"Here's the translation you asked for. I've put it inside." Gallo pushed the envelope and notebook toward her together.
"As for this notebook... something happened that I can't explain.
"After I finished the translation, all the writing on it disappeared on its own."
Before you continue