Volume 7: Doing Business with the World Chapter 223: Sheriff Holmes
At this moment, Isaac felt what it meant to have a blank mind...
At this moment, Isaac felt the malice of the world...
Isaac took a few seconds to calm himself down after holding onto the wall. He said calmly, "I'll go to the second floor to accompany the Viscount and His Royal Highness. Edward, you keep an eye on the lobby on the first floor. Don't—"
"Prince Maurice is on the first floor." Edward interrupted him with a distorted face.
Isaac: “???”
"As soon as he entered the door, he went to the first floor." Edward said with a tone that seemed to be both crying and laughing.
Isaac: “…”
My heart is so tired and it feels like the ceiling is spinning. What’s going on…?
"Cheer up, Isaac!" Edward hurried forward to support him.
"Hurry up and... take a look!" Isaac held the wall with one hand and Edward's arm with the other, struggled to stand up, and walked forward firmly.
Well... Isaac just didn't want to die in obscurity. He wouldn't be willing to die without seeing the knife falling with his own eyes...
Walking out of the circular corridor and seeing Prince Maurice sitting on the first floor, Isaac almost couldn't help but spit out a mouthful of blood.
This guy actually dragged Viscount Pope to sit in the front row of the ordinary audience seats on the first floor! !
On his left was the straw mat where the centaurs were squatting, on his right sat Viscount Pope who looked constipated, and on Viscount Pope's right sat the bearded von Aldoni!
The most wanted criminal in the Osmond Kingdom, the one whose bounty from all countries is only one thousand gold coins less than that of Yaman J! !
In the back row sat the royal guards, the two nobles’ stewards, and their close butlers.
In the third row, a row of wanted criminals, big and small, sat neatly...
As for Isaac's subordinates, such as Alex, Wayne and others, they sat in the middle position several rows away, which did not even serve as a cover. It was obvious to others: We are not the same kind of people as those funny guys in the front row.
...Why are the seats so weird? The reason is that the stage of the Robbins Theater is too big (twice the size of a traditional theater stage). People who have been here once or twice know that if you sit in the front row, you can't even see the entire stage, and the viewing experience will be reduced.
The wanted criminals had never been to the Grand Theatre, and Prince Maurice and Viscount Pope, who always went to the VIP rooms of every theatre they went to, had never sat in the lobby.
Isaac saw Prince Maurice and Viscount Pope surrounded by a group of wanted criminals, and he couldn't help but spit out blood.
"...Cheer up, Isaac." Edward advised again, but his tone was particularly pale and weak.
Prince Maurice was talking in a low voice with Viscount Pope. When he saw Isaac coming out of the circular corridor next to the stage, he raised his hand and a royal guard immediately stood up and ran towards Isaac, saying politely, "Knight Robbins, His Highness has reserved a seat for you."
Then he made a gesture of invitation.
Isaac & Edward: "..."
Edward silently released Isaac's arm and patted him on the back.
Isaac turned his head and looked at his brother for two seconds, then looked away and ran to the battlefield tragically...
The Knight Lord's success today is not his own achievement. The Knight brothers, Alex, and other brothers and sisters have put in countless efforts and sweat - this place where everyone's dreams are gathered, whether it will continue to develop and move forward carrying everyone's dreams; or stop here and everyone will roll out of Valentine in disgrace and continue their wandering adventure life, it all depends on today!
Isaac cheered up and assumed a humble and polite fighting posture, greeted Prince Maurice and Viscount Pope, and with the "appreciation" of His Royal Highness the Prince, he sat in the second row, alongside the royal guards.
Isaac had just chatted with the guards casually for a few words when he felt frightened - Viscount Pope actually started chatting with the bearded Feng sitting next to him! !
Von Aldoni was still dressed as an adventurer. It was reasonable to say that a person of this status was not worthy of the Pope family's "condescension", but the bearded Von had such a good temperament - he was born into the Osmond noble family, was a spellcaster and a well-known scholar, how could his temperament not be good? !
Even a big beard can't hide the intellectual temperament that radiates from the inside out!
Isaac heard Viscount Pope casually asking about Big Bearded Feng's background, and Big Bearded Feng casually said that his father was an exiled noble who temporarily lived in the Principality of XX...
The nobles did not regard the commoners without surnames as human beings, and there was no warmth and affection between the nobles; it was not uncommon for the nobles who failed in political struggles and lost their power and territory (how could they expect to keep their territory without power?) to either live on farms and manors or go into exile abroad.
Viscount Pope did not doubt the nonsense of Bearded Feng, and talked to Bearded Feng with a smile about the Principality of XX... Bearded Feng really connected with it! Although he may not have been to that principality at all, he was very knowledgeable when talking about the local customs and political structure!
Isaac breathed a sigh of relief and his tense nerves relaxed a little.
A few seconds later, the relaxed spirit was almost broken again - Prince Maurice actually joined their conversation! !
Seeing the prince of Kroning, the great nobles of Kroning chatting and laughing with the federal wanted criminal, Isaac felt sick...
"...Let the show start soon!" Isaac, terrified, prayed madly in his heart.
On the surface, he was gentle and polite, but in reality, every second felt like an eternity for Robbins Knight. After a long, long time of suffering, the curtain on the stage finally slowly opened...
The prince, the noble, and the wanted criminal who were chatting happily all stopped talking and turned their eyes to the stage.
As the curtain opens, the first thing that appears is a scene that looks like a suburban village, with hills in the distance and farmlands nearby. A few children in ragged and dirty clothes are playing and fighting on a country dirt road.
Well... the local farmers' children played themselves in the roles. In order to pick out these kids who were not afraid of big scenes and were born actors, Ali ran to countless villages.
After playing in the field for more than ten seconds, the two girls pushed one of the little boys onto a haystack that was used as a real-life setting. A small part of the haystack collapsed, revealing a strangely curled, grayish-white arm.
"Hiss--" There were simultaneous gasps from the audience... The arm was shriveled and had black scratches (due to special makeup), it didn't look like that of a living person at all.
"How could there be someone hiding in here?" a child recited the lines curiously, and walked forward to push the collapsed haystack open a little more.
"Hey, hey, hey..." Prince Maurice's eyelids twitched and he twisted his buttocks nervously.
The "person" hiding in it showed half of his body, his eyes rolled back, his mouth wide open, a knife stuck in his neck, and his blood turned black and solidified into pieces!
"Ah——!!" The naughty kids were finally frightened and ran off the stage screaming.
On the stage, the only thing left was the "corpse" with most of its body buried in the haystack, its distorted face facing the audience...
The audience was silent.
People who have watched the drama are doubting life. Is this really a drama?!
The centaurs who had never seen a play didn't think too much about it and thought that this was indeed a form of drama performance...
The lonely "corpse" performed a "pantomime" for nearly ten seconds, and a group of farmers supported two sheriffs in uniform and wearing bowler hats on the stage.
"Sir, our children are frightened to death."
"Yeah, I was wondering who piled the hay here, but I didn't expect there was a body hidden there."
"It's horrible. Who on earth could have done such a cruel thing?"
The farmers were talking among themselves and standing at a distance anxiously watching. The two sheriffs opened the wooden boxes they were carrying, took out various tools and began to survey the scene...
That's right, the performance style of this drama is the style of modern criminal investigation dramas, and it is a more "sophisticated" one. In order to write this script well, Xiao Yun specially found Sean and Evelyn to study how to professionally survey the scene without using the magician's "time travel" magic, and what tools to prepare...
The actor playing the sheriff took off his black cloak and put it aside, put on gloves, picked up metal clamps, a cloth ruler, a magnifying glass and other tools, walked to the haystack, pulled aside the grass, and buried his head in examining the body.
The actor who played the assistant also wore gloves and stood beside with a pen in one hand and a black leather notebook in the other.
The sheriff was checking and reciting the lines: "Record, Watson, victim codename A, male, thin, wearing a white cotton mid-sleeved shirt, blue silk trousers, a brown deerskin belt, and black knee-high leather boots. There are two black moles on the face and chin, the skin on the hands is thin, and there is a black mole on the right wrist... Height XXX, shoe size XX, the stabbed part of the neck is five centimeters below the chin, and the knife was stabbed diagonally downward into the neck. Judging from the direction of the handle and the depth of the knife, it is estimated that it was stabbed from the front by a left-handed person..."
He picked up the victim's "stiff" arm: "No defense, no resistance marks, the victim did not resist when being stabbed... Hmm? There are marks of strangulation on the wrist, and marks of being tied on the arm. So that's it, the victim was killed while being controlled."
The victim's knees and shoes were checked again: "There is a slight amount of mud and sand on the knees, which is consistent with the mud and sand on the soles of the shoes. The victim should have been killed when his arms and wrists were tied and he was forced to kneel down... The mud and sand does not seem to be the soil of the farmland, nor the soil around here. The knees are still bent, and the shape of the arms is also like they are tied up-"
The sheriff turned to the farmers who had reported the crime and asked seriously, "When did this haystack appear?"
"Uh... should be these two days?"
"I remember I didn't see it when I went to the fields the morning before yesterday."
"Oh, yeah, I didn't notice it when I passed by here the night before last."
"I saw a haystack here early yesterday morning, and I asked XXX whose family piled the haystack here."
The sheriff nodded, turned to the assistant who was recording, and rattled off a string of lines: "Record, Watson. Rigor mortis begins within two hours after death, and is completely rigid within twelve hours. After thirty hours, it softens, and returns to its original state after three days. The victim's strange lying position should be the state at the time of death. The body was abandoned here two to twelve hours after death, and his body was completely rigid at this time."
"At this point, the body has entered secondary rigor mortis, which means the person has been dead for more than three days."
"The livor mortis is concentrated on the left side. This person must have been left lying face down for more than twelve hours after death to have such a concentration of livor mortis. In other words, he was moved here twelve hours after his death and abandoned."
"Although the deceased was thin, an adult male with this physique would weigh at least 120 pounds. To move the deceased, we must have a carriage or other auxiliary tools."
The farmers watching were all surprised.
Below the stage, the audience, who had been waiting until now for the opening song, showed no impatience at all and watched the actors' performances in wonder.
The sheriff took out a small transparent bottle and scraped the mud off the victim's knees and soles. He then sniffed the victim's collar and examined the details more carefully:
"Records: There is a very light scent of perfume on the collar. Although the clothes have scratches, marks of damage and stains, they are not frayed. The nails are neatly trimmed and there is hair oil in the hair. The deceased was financially well-off, but none of his clothes and accessories were custom-made. They were all ready-made items that could be bought in stores. They must have come from a middle-class family, or a marginal child of an aristocratic family."
Prince Maurice and Viscount Pope couldn't help but nod their heads at the same time... How could people of their status go out without a few specially customized clothes and accessories?
After the "autopsy", the sheriff, who had been on stage for more than ten minutes but had not sung a single line, had undoubtedly established his status as the protagonist... All the audience's eyes followed him, curious about what he would say and do next.
Isaac stole a few glances at the front row, where people were concentrating on the plot and no longer chatting away, and he felt a little relieved... It was worth it that he went everywhere to find an actor who could remember such a long list of lines!
The actor who played the sheriff was still not a serious opera singer, but a doctor's apprentice that Isaac had found with great difficulty.
In areas outside the Federation, doctors are treated as black magicians, sorcerers, and cultists. Naturally, people in the Southern Continent who are dedicated to "saving lives and healing the wounded" can only go to the Federation. The Lower Town of Valentine is home to many people who pursue their medical ideals.
But not all doctor apprentices can successfully become a teacher and make money... The one Isaac found was a poor guy from a far western country (the area occupied by the Holy See), who had no connections or talent and was even abandoned by his teacher. He was so poor that he had to come to the Knight's Territory to do odd jobs to make a living.
This young man had average talent in medicine, nor did he possess the so-called talent as an actor. He was not even very good at dealing with people, and he looked like a stepfather all day long. He couldn't make friends even by doing odd jobs.
But this thief is good at memorizing things, is bold and not afraid of the stage, so he is very suitable for the role of sheriff!
On the stage, the sheriff, who had just finished the "autopsy", pulled out a white cloth to cover the body, rolled up his sleeves, picked up a magnifying glass, squatted on the ground and searched the scene for physical evidence bit by bit.
"Holmes, there are children's footprints everywhere. The scene has been destroyed." The actor playing the sheriff's deputy walked around the haystack and said.
"Be patient, Watson. This place is not close to the main road, there is no water source, and it is hundreds of meters away from the nearest wheat field. Apart from children playing, there are few adults coming here, and children's footprints may not completely cover up adults' footprints." The sheriff squatted and turned around, then pointed to a piece of floor and said, "Look, there are carriage tracks here."
Well... the character name was given by Ayun. Isaac didn't know why the teacher insisted on calling this pair of security team partners these two names.
Soon after discovering the wheel tracks, Sheriff Holmes found two sets of adult footprints that were not too badly damaged, and took a delicate vernier caliper to measure them:
"Footprint No. 1 is 26 centimeters long, with a deeper heel and a shallower forefoot. The second toe is the starting point for the force to expand outwards, the stride is large and even, and the walking route is relatively straight."
After reporting the information obtained from the investigation, Sheriff Holmes raised his head and looked at his assistant seriously: "Record, Watson, suspect number one is a middle-aged male, between 175 and 180 cm tall, between 35 and 45 years old, strong and healthy, weighing more than 80 kilograms."
A farmer who was watching the scene asked a question that concerned the audience: "Mr. Sheriff, have you seen the criminal? Otherwise, how would you know how tall, strong, and old he is?"
The sheriff nodded and explained, "A person's height is about 6.87 times the length of the sole of the foot. The length of the footprint can be used to infer the criminal's height. As for age, young people are more frivolous. When they walk, their steps are short and their footprints are thin. The distance between their footprints fluctuates greatly and the distance is uneven. They also have difficulty walking in a straight line and tend to turn frequently."
The farmers were surprised: "Oh——"
The audience in the audience was also amazed: "Oh oh——"
"Young criminals have large footprints and long strides. The distance between footprints is even and they walk in a straight line. Middle-aged criminals walk steadily and slowly, with shorter distances between footprints. The heels are stressed and the footprints at the base are deeper than the footprints at the forefoot. This set of footprints fits the characteristics of middle-aged criminals, and because the soil is relatively moist, the footprints left behind are quite clear. It can be seen that the big toe and index finger at the forefoot are shallower and the force points are spread outward."
"As you get older, your toes lose weight when you walk, starting with the big toe. Every time a toe becomes loose, your age increases by 20 years. So I judge that this suspect is a strong middle-aged man around 40 years old."
The farmers
The audience didn't make a sound to disturb the performance, but judging by their expressions, their feelings were no different from those of the actors on stage who were playing the role of the spectators...
"This sheriff is so awesome!" A royal guard sitting next to Isaac couldn't help but sigh in a low voice, following the actors on the stage with shining eyes, as if he had become a little fan.
Isaac was very calm. When the teacher suggested that the legendary illusionist take time out of his busy schedule to study footprints in order to create the role of Holmes, he knew that a play created with such care would never lose...
On the stage, the sheriff's partner performed a scene investigation, on-site autopsy, and footprint research, and then the twenty-minute first act officially came to an end.
Still no one performed singing, and even the regular singing parts at the end of the curtain and the change of scenes were skipped, but no one in the audience complained... Even the picky Prince Maurice did not point out that such a performance style was not in line with the rules of the drama. Instead, he took advantage of the break between the scenes to ask Viscount Pope if Valentine had such a powerful sheriff, which made Viscount Pope laugh and cry.
In the second act, the stage setting changes to a small town. The sheriff's partner visits and investigates the town based on the intelligence obtained from the on-site investigation, looking for the source of the unidentified male corpse.
There is no touching love story, nor any stunningly handsome men and beautiful women; the two leading actors, one has a stepfather's face, and the other is a slightly plump middle-aged man; the background is not luxurious or gorgeous at all, but all dark and dirty street scenes; but the audience just can't take their eyes away and are unwilling to be distracted, and they pay close attention to the development of the plot.
The lowly sheriff's investigation in the town did not go smoothly, because Holmes was just a child of a poor noble family, and several noble families in the town were unwilling to pay attention to him. Every time he went to their homes, he was either turned away or sent away by the butler or even the servants.
When Holmes, who has a very stubborn personality and plays a traditional "official detective", asked the old butler of the noble family with a stern face whether someone had died or been missing in the family, the scene in which he was kicked out by the furious old butler made the whole audience laugh.
"Holmes, since only a few farmers have reported the case and no one has come to claim the body, we might as well just ignore it." In the small and cramped small town police department, assistant Watson, who had repeatedly run into obstacles, had the idea of giving up.
"Watson, we are investigating this case not to be responsible for anyone, but for the deceased." The poor sheriff, sitting on the tattered sofa, smoked his pipe, expressionless, "No matter whether the victim A is from a good family or not, or whether he has done bad things and deserved the retribution, as a human being, he should not have encountered such a miserable thing - being tied up and kneeling, being killed, and then abandoned in the wilderness."
"Before he died, he opened his eyes wide to see hope, hoping that someone would redress his injustice and bring the person who killed him to justice."
Blowing out a puff of smoke, this unprofessional actor uttered a very shocking line: "We don't need the applause and welcome of the living. What we want is for the dead to rest in peace."
"Well said!" Viscount Pope couldn't help but cheer in a low voice.
This son of a truly good family had never thought of becoming a sheriff or a criminal investigator in his life, but just like Chinese people who have watched martial arts movies would yearn to break the law with force, the elderly Viscount Pope now also had a similar mentality to Ye Gonghaolong towards the profession of walking in the dim city to redress the dead...
Even an old hand like Viscount Pope was moved, not to mention the others. Isaac heard the guy named Aisha in the back row muttering several times, "Why not find a spellcaster to help?", "The spellcaster can just be a sheriff" and so on...
On the stage, Watson said: "Why don't we just investigate the farmers around here? Maybe the travelers from other places didn't get into the town in time, and were killed by some country folk who were greedy for money."
Holmes looked at his assistant like an idiot and said coldly: "If it was a farmer who killed him, would the body be dressed so decently when we saw it?"
Watson: “…”
"...Wait!" Holmes suddenly stood up. "He was wearing a half-sleeved shirt, silk trousers, a deerskin belt and riding boots. He sprayed perfume on his body and put on hair oil when he went out. Watson, do you think of anything?"
Watson frowned and thought for a moment: "He's going horseback riding? Going on an outing? Going on a date?"
"Yes, gentlemen would wear hats when they go hunting, and they would not wear hair oil, nor would they wear silk trousers that would easily get torn. Victim A's outfit was for traveling, as respectable as possible..."
Holmes threw his fist vigorously. Although he still had an expressionless stepfather face, the audience could clearly feel his excitement and were subconsciously excited as well.
"He is on a date. A woman of equal or higher status has invited this gentleman to a picnic or a visit to a manor house, a place that can only be reached on horseback!"
