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Chapter 73: A Small Lead
🕑 Added 2024-03-03 20:10:55 +0000 UTC“Why did we have to put on these clothes?” asked Richard as he adjusted his coat.
The day after the two of us met Gladwin, we were out on the streets again.
If I was going to play detective, then the get-up was necessary. I didn’t own a deerstalker, but an Inverness coat was easy to grab. The idea that, being the soldier myself, I should let Richard handle the detective-ing came to mind.
But it was far too fun an opportunity to miss out on.
“It is elementary, my dear Watson.”
“Who is Watson? Also, is that a pipe!?”
“It’s a showpiece,” I said, taking the pipe out of my mouth and blowing out playfully.
We had nothing to really base our suspicions on except Richard’s gut feelings and his want to keep his fiancee safe.
There was very little we could do before Mrs. Frock’s son truly came here. In fact, there was going to be nothing more efficient than letting him get here and stopping him before he could do anything.
But that was also risky.
Well, that wasn’t going to deter us detectives. We had to be on the lookout starting now.
“Since there is a lack of information… Let's pick some information out.” I pulled out a pocket diary and handed it to Richard. He pulled a pen from his pockets and held it open.
“Information,” Richard repeated. “I’ll break it into categories. We need an intent, we need background? We might need to see what all is going on here, what would a civilian, or someone posing as a civilian, have to do at this city.”
Oh? He was pretty much on top of it.
“We can add more fields as we go on. For now, I think it is best to get some information.”
I nodded, my arms crossed. This was awkward, wasn’t I playing Sherlock? Should I tell him how to act?
That was just rubbing salt on the wound.
I had to work in some other way.
“Come with me, we will get to a good information source.”
***
I guided Richard to the outer grounds of the Glorenstein Railway Station.
The place where the most number of carriages gathered. There, at the back of the line of carriages, I noticed a familiar face.
Two familiar faces.
“Professor!” Jackie, the young coachman, waved me over with a bright smile. Behind him stood his old father looking over at us.
“Carriage driver?” Richard asked. “Do you think one person can give us information?”
I smirked and gestured at him to follow.
Jackie bowed as I stopped in front of him, and his old father did the same.
“Professor, it has been a while.”
“It truly has. I see your father is doing well.”
Jackie’s father scratched his head and stepped forward. “It’s all thanks to you, professor. The treatment you got us helped a lot.”
“Don’t mention it. You should thank you son for most of it.”
Jackie had truly played a big role. If not for him, I might have never connected the dots.
“So, where do you want to go today?” Jackie slapped his carriage.
“I needed your help,” I said, leaning closer. Jackie had already helped me with something like this once.
Jackie nodded. “Sit inside. Father, can you drive us today?”
Richard and I stepped into the carriage and Jackie followed us while his father went to the driver’s seat. The carriage separated from the line and we went off to nowhere in particular.
In the rattling carriage, I gave Jackie a simple request.
“I want you to look out for something for me. If there are any new people coming into the city and they do something suspicious, give me a heads-up.”
Richard seemed reprehensive at my words.
“Just one person…?” He asked.
“Oh, no sir,” said Jackie. “I alone won’t be telling you all this. If you ask something from me, every coachman in the city will be on your case.”
Richard looked at me and I rubbed my fingers and thumb together. For a very small fee that they had already received from me a few weeks ago, most of the coachmen would help without questions. Money solved all, after all.
Of course, asking them for information and ordering them upfront was stupidity. They would be suspicious. That’s why I had Jackie collect all the information for me.
Jackie did not ask for a reason why nor any details he would have to do any of this. He was more than willing to inform me of two things.
One was the movement of newcomers in the city and if they ever wanted to go to any suspicious place.
And the other was the location of any possible suspicious gatherings.
There were people targeting the Academy, they would have to plan thoroughly and have a very strong profile if they wanted to succeed.
After asking Jackie to handle these things, I told him to let us off and the carriage came to a stop.
Richard and I got off the carriage as Jackie waved us out.
“Don’t worry, professor. I’ll handle it all and let you know the moment I hear something.”
“Of course. I’ll be counting on you, thank you Jackie!”
The carriage drove off. We were left in the outskirts of the city where the buildings were decrepit and houses barren.
Richard looked around and smirked.
“I didn’t know there was an information network like this in the city.”
“It’s everywhere,” I said. “There’s a guild of beggars in the Capital city. They can find you anyone who exists and make you anyone who doesn’t.”
The network of coachmen was very tame compared to it. This was no other than extensive boots-on-ground investigation. I had simple outsourced it.
“While we’re here, let’s a take a look around and go back?”
Richard nodded, and we started to gaze at the houses around.
That was when a familiar building entered my sight.
It was a worn down house with a broken door. One where mold grew and the smell of moss and fungus had become the default. The same house I had stormed before.
It was the house of the janitor.
The mark of three swords and a shield.
The revolutionaries.
A question that I had forgotten came back to my mind. How had that sick bastard managed to get into the academy? At that time, I had chalked it up to connections.
But how did that man manage it?
Now that there was a possibility of more people being involved in something suspicious…
“Richard. We might have a small lead into something big.”
