A mysterious figure

Li Wei only skimmed the earlier entries in Edwards's diary, focusing on his relationship with Amelia and a few academic matters. Naturally, it also recorded what Edwards had confessed during the Courtesan Killer case, and the details largely matched his account.

For a long time afterward, Edwards had suffered nightmares. He wasn't afraid Amelia would crawl out of her grave to take revenge on him, though. Instead, he worried that Doctor Dolittle would come after him, perhaps even sue him-strictly speaking, the device wasn't authorized, so providing it to Amelia had been illegal.

Although Doctor Dolittle had told him not to tell anyone about it, Edwards still feared the doctor would turn on him once he had outlived his usefulness. For a while, he even had nightmares about police turning up at his door and throwing him in prison.

Well, that was quite typical of a young man his age, especially since Edwards was a top student at the Royal Academy of Medicine. If this came to light, even if he escaped prison, it would certainly affect his placement after graduation.

He might end up assigned to some remote rural backwater.

Only after the Courtesan Killer case was solved did he finally relax a little. Clearly, a dead man couldn't file a complaint. The fact that the police had never come looking for him also suggested he had escaped trouble. Edwards then shifted his attention and devoted most of his energy to his graduation thesis.

Yet only a few days later, the diary turned from academic research into a romance novel.

[...I never imagined I could meet her under such circumstances. She is so beautiful, so gentle, so intelligent. She is like an angel the Holy Lord prepared for me. Even with Amelia, I never felt my heart stir like this. I could give up everything and give it all to her, even my life-!]

[...I confessed everything to her, all the sins I had committed, but she accepted me. God, I never imagined my soul could one day be redeemed. This is the greatest blessing of my life. Her heart is as beautiful as her appearance. What have I done to deserve such a partner...]

Most of the entries that followed were much the same, essentially declarations of Edwards's love for his lover. Yet whether it was because Edwards was a hopelessly unartistic straight man or for some other reason, Li Wei found no descriptions of her distinguishing features in the diary. Her hair color, her eye color, where she came from-none of these were mentioned.

Essentially, the impression pieced together from Edwards's diary was of a beautiful, gentle, kind woman, the ideal partner for a man. At the end of the diary, Edwards had even written about the life he hoped to lead after graduation.

[I have never been so full of hope for life. I have made up my mind: I will work hard to get a good job and earn money. Then I will buy that ring, propose to her, and start a family of our own. She really likes that ring...]

It was a fine dream. Unfortunately, it could no longer come true.

After finishing the diary in his hands, Li Wei sighed, then opened it again.

Although Edwards's diary seemed to offer no clues, Li Wei had still picked out one.

"That ring." "She really likes it"!

That meant Edwards had gone shopping with that woman, and they had visited a jewelry shop!

There were only so many jewelry shops in Fog City, and Edwards certainly wouldn't have visited any that were too expensive or too far away. Once those were ruled out, things would become much easier.

I'll ask at the jewelry shops and see if I can find any clues.

With that thought, Li Wei made his decision. He carefully checked the room once more, confirmed there were no further clues, then opened the door and left.

Leaving Edwards's room, Li Wei headed toward the stairs. Just then, footsteps sounded from below.

A girl with curly brown hair and freckles on her face came up the stairs. She walked to the door by the landing, took out her key, and unlocked it.

It was none other than Maggie.

Maggie opened the door and saw a note lying on the floor in front of her. She reached down, picked it up, and read it.

[I came over to have tea with you, but you weren't home. Did you go out on an errand? You haven't been doing very well lately, and I'm a little worried-Betty]

After reading the note, Maggie looked somewhat dejected. She put it away and sighed.

"I'm sorry, Betty..."

As she spoke, Maggie closed the door.

Click.

The rather shabby wooden door gave a harsh creak, then shut. Only then did Li Wei come down the stairs from the third floor, gazing thoughtfully at the door.

He had already grown suspicious when he met Betty here earlier. Now Maggie's reaction only confirmed his guess.

She had lied!

Betty might not have known Edwards, but Maggie certainly did! They lived in the same apartment building-they were even neighbors!

This wasn't the later age of concrete jungles, when people didn't even know who lived across the hall. In this era, people in the same building were generally acquainted, and neighbors often visited one another.

Maggie's claim that she didn't know Edwards was definitely a lie!

Likewise, Edwards's body falling just as she entered the school probably hadn't been a coincidence!

If Maggie hadn't failed to match the description of that "beautiful woman," Li Wei would have suspected she was the mysterious woman herself.

It wasn't that Maggie was ugly, just that she was average. To put it in Li Wei's terms, on a scale of one hundred, Katie, dressed up for the gathering at the Glorious Club that day, would have scored around eighty. Betty, a likable blonde, blue-eyed girl with a touch of baby fat, would have fallen somewhere between sixty and seventy. Maggie would probably have scored fifty.

Not especially beautiful, not especially cute, with an average figure-an utterly ordinary girl.

Whatever the case, she didn't seem like a woman who could leave everyone so utterly enthralled that "beautiful" was the only feature they remembered.

Even with Katie, Li Wei could at least describe her features: hair color, eye color, height, build, and so on.

So Li Wei felt that the woman probably wasn't Maggie, and quite possibly-wasn't human at all.

Should I talk to Maggie now?

Li Wei stared at the door, thought for a moment, and decided not to disturb her for now. After all, what had happened to Lady Claytie had put him on his guard. If Maggie was somehow involved in these events, he might question her only to find her corpse the next day...

In any case, I'll follow the original plan for now.

Li Wei left the apartment building and, following his reasoning, found the only jewelry shop in the neighborhood. He chose it because he knew Edwards lacked the means to visit particularly expensive establishments and could only afford the relatively cheap ones.

Jewelry shops were still very rare at present, a "luxury" found only in middle-class neighborhoods or better.

That was only natural. A jewelry shop opened in the Lower City would probably be smashed beyond recognition by the very next day.

Li Wei reached out, pushed open the door, and entered the shop.

Ding.

"Welcome."

At the sound of the doorbell, the saleswoman behind the counter quickly straightened and smiled at her visitor. Then she saw a tall, handsome gentleman walk in. Smiling, he removed his top hat and nodded to her.

"Hello."

"H-hello, sir. Welcome to Moonlight Splendor Jewelers."

The saleswoman behind the counter was nearly thirty and a mother of two. Even so, under the handsome gentleman's gaze, her heart raced and her cheeks flushed, as though she were falling in love for the first time.

Forcing down her excitement, she eagerly approached him.

"How may I help you? Are you looking to buy a token of lifelong devotion for your partner?"

As she said that, she even felt a faint pang of disappointment, almost regret.

"No, ma'am."

Li Wei shook his head, then took out his credentials and opened them in front of her.

"I have a few questions. Could I take a little of your time?"

"Oh?"

Seeing the credentials Li Wei held before her, the saleswoman froze for a moment, then recovered and hurriedly nodded.

"Of course. Please sit down... I'll prepare some refreshments and tea right away..."

"There's no need to go to all that trouble. I only want to ask a few questions."

Seeing her bustle about, Li Wei hastily stopped her. Then he took Edwards's photograph from his wallet and handed it over.

"Has this man ever visited your shop?"

At Li Wei's question, the saleswoman took the photograph and studied it carefully.

"Oh, I remember this gentleman. He came here several times and seemed particularly interested in one of our rings. However, he appeared to be short of money. He even asked whether we accepted installment payments..."

"Did he come alone?"

"Of course."

The saleswoman nodded.

"No gentleman would let the lady he loved see him in such embarrassing circumstances. I imagine he was no exception."

"What about the first time? Do you remember his first visit?"

"Hmm..."

Had anyone else asked, the saleswoman would probably have brushed them off with, "I can't remember anymore." Facing Li Wei, however, she closed her eyes and made a serious effort to recall. A moment later, she opened them.

"Oh, yes, I remember now. The first time he came, there was indeed a young lady with him. They seemed to have been passing by and decided to come in for a look. The gentleman looked so happy. You could tell at a glance that he was deeply in love. It really was enviable..."

"And then? What did they do?"

Li Wei watched the saleswoman and continued questioning her, as though guiding her recollections.

"Hmm... They looked at the rings, and the young lady seemed very interested in 'Crimson Temptation.'"

"Crimson Temptation?"

"Yes."

The saleswoman nodded, then went to the counter and took out a box containing a ring-ordinarily, she wouldn't casually show these to anyone.

Ordinarily.

"This is the one. Please take a look."

As she spoke, the saleswoman respectfully offered Li Wei a magnifying glass.

"Hmm..."

Li Wei took the magnifying glass and examined the ring closely. It was set with a ruby, and under the light, the entire gemstone seemed less like a solid object than flowing blood trapped within one. It reminded Li Wei of certain similar works of art from his own era.

Clearly, though, this era shouldn't have possessed that sort of craftsmanship.

Yet as Li Wei stared at the ring, something suddenly flashed before his eyes.

The saleswoman standing right before him vanished, and everything around him changed. Cold, moisture-laden air struck his face. Li Wei stood on a cobblestone street. A crimson full moon, deserted streets, a pitch-black night sky... He raised his head and looked ahead, where a tall clock tower stood starkly beneath the moonlight.

Then the bell rang.

Dong-dong-dong-

The next instant, everything before Li Wei vanished, and reality returned.

Li Wei lowered the magnifying glass and looked at the saleswoman.

"Do you know anything about this ring's history?"

"I'm not really sure. It's been in the shop for a long time, but it's never sold."

At this, the saleswoman looked somewhat puzzled herself.

"That's precisely why those two customers left such a strong impression on me. Our usual customers never pay any attention to this ring."

"Do you remember what the young lady looked like?"

"Well..."

The saleswoman fell silent for a moment, then shook her head.

"I'm sorry. I only remember that she was very beautiful and had a very elegant air. I really can't remember exactly what she looked like."

Li Wei stared at the ring in silence for a moment, then returned it to its box.

"Thank you for your help."