Chapter 156: The Killer |
The conductor Anthony had summoned was the very same one who had discovered the corpse. He appeared to be in his early thirties, his face distinctly pale. As he stepped into the Salon Car and caught sight of Levi, his lips trembled slightly, though he quickly managed to regain his composure.
"Hello, Mr. Detective."
"Yes, hello. Please, take a seat."
Levi gestured for him to sit down, then asked for his name and age, which the conductor provided honestly. Then, Levi spoke again.
"I would like you to recount the circumstances of how you discovered the body once more."
"Of course, sir. At the time, I went to the guest's room to ask if he required afternoon tea. Although that gentleman disliked leaving his room, he insisted on enjoying morning tea and afternoon tea every single day."
"You certainly seemed quite attentive to him."
"Because he gave me a very generous tip, sir."
The conductor offered an embarrassed smile.
"I knocked, but there was no response. I worried that something might have happened to him—as you know, that guest almost never left his room."
"Perhaps he was just in the restroom?"
"I didn't think of that at the time, sir. I simply knocked and asked if he was inside, but no one answered. I was worried he might have suffered a sudden medical emergency or something..."
"Why would you think that?"
Levi interrupted the conductor's narrative, causing the latter to blink in surprise.
"Ah, because he looked very unhealthy. Moreover, when I delivered his meals previously, I noticed medication left on his desk..."
"Medication?"
"Yes. I don't know the exact medicine, sir, but it seemed the gentleman was regularly taking something."
"I see... continue."
"We conductors carry a Master Key for emergencies, so I brought it out and unlocked the door. That was when I saw the gentleman collapsed on the floor. It gave me a terrible fright, and I hastily backed out. Then I came looking for you."
"Could you tell me what you were doing earlier this afternoon? I recall not seeing you when I returned to my room."
"My apologies, sir."
Hearing Levi's inquiry, the conductor's face flushed slightly.
"It wasn't intentional. It's just that there was too much to do. In fact, prior to that, I had to go to the rear carriages to calm the passengers. They were all quite displeased about this sudden torrential downpour..."
Levi tilted his head and glanced at Anthony, who gave a firm nod.
"That is indeed true."
"Then, seeing that afternoon tea time was approaching, I rushed back."
"Which means, after you returned to the first-class carriage, you went straight to the victim's room?"
"Yes, that's correct."
The conductor spoke with an uneasy, restless expression, though it was perfectly understandable given the circumstances. The victim had been a generous tipper, so it was only natural that the conductor had been more attentive to him than to the others.
"So, to summarize: you knocked on the door, received no response, and out of concern for the guest's well-being, you unlocked the door, entered the room, discovered the corpse, and immediately came back out?"
"That is exactly how it happened, sir."
"When you entered, was the room already in such a state of disarray?"
"Yes."
The conductor nodded.
"I have never seen a room so messy either. It truly gave me a fright."
"Hmm..."
Levi stared intently at the conductor, contemplating the matter for a brief moment.
"Very well, thank you for your assistance."
"It is my duty, Mr. Detective."
With the conversation concluded, the conductor rose and took his leave. Levi watched his retreating figure vanish down the corridor, then pondered in silence.
"Boss, do you think he's the killer?"
Anthony leaned in close once more.
"I think he's pretty suspicious too. After all, conductors have a Master Key. He could easily slip inside undetected."
"Indeed."
Levi nodded.
"But that is not important right now... Hmm, please invite Madam Bedrick in."
"Uh..."
Upon hearing Levi's request, Anthony's face twisted as though he had just swallowed a whole toad. Nevertheless, he steeled himself and went to fetch the woman.
The result was exactly as expected...
"So that man is dead? I knew something like this would happen."
Striding into the Salon Car, Madam Bedrick was just as talkative as before. Before Levi could even begin his questioning, she launched into a relentless tirade.
"Just looking at him, one could tell he wasn't a proper sort of person. Sharing a carriage with him was an absolute stain on my eyes. The mere thought of such a shifty, suspicious character sleeping right next door to me gives me goosebumps all over. Heaven knows where he managed to scrounge up so much money. If you ask me, he must have been a thief or a bandit of some kind..."
"You knew he was carrying a large sum of money?"
Levi stared directly at Madam Bedrick as he asked the question, causing her ceaseless complaining to abruptly cut off.
"I... what I meant to say was... this is a first-class carriage, isn't it? Anyone who can afford to be here must be wealthy. Take myself, for instance. But he was different. People who earn their living through honest labor are filled with confidence. Only those who live off unearned gains and possess a guilty conscience would hide away in their rooms like that wretch, acting all secretive so nobody knows what they're up to!"
Madam Bedrick seemed thoroughly incensed, her face turning a bright crimson.
"I even tried to strike up a conversation with him out of sheer kindness, and he completely ignored me! Utterly boorish! How could anyone call him a gentleman!"
"You spoke with him? I heard from the conductor that he almost never left his room."
"I wouldn't know about that. I simply couldn't sleep last night, so I decided to go for a stroll. That's when I saw him peeking out of his door, looking around like a common thief. At the time, I thought perhaps he couldn't sleep either, and I intended to have a chat with him. But to my astonishment, the moment the fellow saw me, he looked as though he had seen a ghost! He slammed the door shut and retreated into his room—absolutely outrageous..."
As she spoke, Madam Bedrick began to tremble with rage. She was clearly deeply offended.
"Please calm yourself, Madam Bedrick. The man is already dead; there is no use venting your anger on a corpse."
Levi offered a few words of comfort to soothe Madam Bedrick before turning his gaze back to her.
"You mentioned you saw him last night. What time was it exactly?"
"Hmm... around one o'clock in the morning, I believe. I couldn't sleep, and when I checked my watch, it read ten minutes past one. I decided to take a walk along the carriage corridor, and after about five minutes, I ran into him."
"Was the conductor not present at the time?"
"I didn't see him."
"And what about earlier this afternoon?"
"I was in my room chatting with Lisa. Nothing out of the ordinary occurred."
"You didn't hear any sounds coming from next door?"
"No, I didn't hear a single thing."
"I see... thank you for your cooperation, Madam Bedrick."
Levi concluded his questioning and escorted her to her feet. Madam Bedrick continued to grumble incessantly as she left, complaining about the train's terrible service, the wretched weather, and the annoyance of the delay. Levi simply turned a deaf ear to it all, politely seeing her out.
In stark contrast to her talkative mother, Miss Lisa was the exact opposite extreme. It was unclear whether Madam Bedrick simply did all the talking for the household, but upon entering the room, the young lady remained completely silent, acting like a mute. Only when Levi asked for her name did she respond in a voice so faint it was barely audible. Otherwise, Levi truly would have believed she was incapable of speech.
"Miss Bedrick, did you know the victim?"
(Shook her head)
"Did you see the victim at all today?"
(Shook her head)
"Then may I ask, what were you doing earlier this afternoon?"
"I..."
Miss Lisa's voice was tiny, whispering on the verge of silence.
"I was listening to Mother... speak..."
"What were the two of you discussing?"
"She was... complaining about the weather... saying... the train was delayed... she was unhappy..."
"What did you think of the victim?"
"..............."
This time, Lisa remained silent for a long moment.
"Mother... disliked him, and I... didn't like him either..."
"Why is that?"
"Sometimes... he would stare at me..."
Lisa's voice grew lower and lower, her head dropping so low it was nearly buried in her chest.
"What do you mean?"
"Whenever I went... to Mother's room... to knock on her door... he would always open his own door... and stare at me with a smile..."
"..............."
Levi and Anthony exchanged a meaningful glance.
"I didn't hear Madam Bedrick mention this."
"I didn't... tell Mother... because she would... start a fight..."
Well, that was easy to imagine. Given Madam Bedrick's volatile temperament, she would likely drag the man straight out of his room and lambast him in front of everyone.
"Did you happen to hear any sounds coming from next door at that time?"
"..................."
Lisa fell into a lengthy silence before shaking her head.
"No."
"But that doesn't seem to align with what Madam Bedrick implied."
Levi stated calmly, keeping his eyes fixed on Lisa. The young lady froze, then shook her head once more.
"I don't know... I don't know anything..."
"I strongly advise you to tell the truth, Miss Bedrick."
Levi leaned back against the sofa, crossing his fingers. Ever since his interview with Madam Bedrick, he had realized the mother and daughter were acting strangely. Upon entering the car, Madam Bedrick had been uncharacteristically hyperactive and talkative, barely allowing him to utter a word. Yet, it was precisely because her speech flowed so seamlessly that Levi's suspicions had been aroused.
When ordinary people spoke, particularly when recalling past events, they would inevitably pause to gather their thoughts. Madam Bedrick, however, had launched into a grand, uninterrupted lecture right from the start, almost like an actress who had memorized her lines in advance. Crucially, her demeanor was not an act; her emotions were entirely genuine. Therefore, there could only be one conclusion.
"The two of you know exactly what happened next door."
Levi locked his gaze onto Lisa. Madam Bedrick was a social butterfly and difficult to crack, but her socially anxious daughter was a different story entirely.
"Let me guess. You were terrified of that man, so you went to Madam Bedrick and explained the situation. Your mother was furious upon hearing this. She marched over to his room to confront him, an altercation broke out, and in the heat of the moment, the two of you accidentally killed him..."
"No, that's not true!" Hearing this, Lisa cried out in a sudden panic, her voice completely abandoning its previous mosquito-like whisper. "It wasn't like that at all! We never imagined he would actually die..."
"..............."
Levi kept his eyes fixed on Lisa, who suddenly realized her slip of the tongue. Her face instantly turned deathly pale.
"Please explain the circumstances in detail, Miss Bedrick."
"Y-Yes..."
Lisa lowered her head once more.
"After finishing... lunch... I was called... to Mother's room. She asked me... if something was wrong..."
"At first... I didn't want to say anything... I just said I wasn't feeling well. But Mother... wouldn't have it... she insisted I must be in some kind of trouble..."
"And then?"
"And then... she said if I didn't tell her, she would ask everyone on the train..."
For someone with severe social anxiety, that was practically a death sentence.
"So... I told Mother... She was furious when she heard it... She said during afternoon tea, she would drag him to the Salon Car so everyone could see what an shameless man he was... And right then, we heard a dull thud from next door..."
"At what time?"
"Three twenty-eight."
"You remember the time remarkably clearly, Miss Bedrick."
Levi looked at her with surprise, and she lowered her gaze further.
"Because... while Mother was ranting, I kept staring at the pocket watch in my hands..."
"Hmm... understandable."
Just like a student tuning out a teacher's lecture by checking the clock.
"Did Madam Bedrick hear it as well?"
"Mother... was startled... She thought the man had overheard her complaints... Then she lowered her voice... and told me she would find the conductor to deal with him..."
Sharp-tongued but easily frightened at heart, which perfectly matched Madam Bedrick's personality.
"We... kept waiting for the conductor to notify us about afternoon tea... Mother intended to lodge a complaint about that gentleman then... But instead, we heard a scream... and when we went out to look..."
Hearing this, Levi narrowed his eyes.
"Are you saying the conductor never came to notify you?"
"Yes... that's right... Mother and I kept waiting for him... but he never showed up..."
"Very well. Thank you, Miss Bedrick."
Levi rose to see Lisa out, then fell into deep thought for a brief moment before proceeding with the remaining inquiries. The statements from the remaining two guests were largely identical to the others. They claimed to have been resting in their rooms since lunch and were entirely unaware of the situation outside. Furthermore, just like Miss Bedrick, they confirmed that no conductor had ever come to invite them for afternoon tea.
At this point, the entire picture had become perfectly clear.
"Anthony."
Levi beckoned Anthony over, gesturing for him to lean closer.
"Go find the train captain, then take him to..."
He lowered his voice, whispering a series of instructions into Anthony's ear. Anthony blinked in surprise, then gave a firm nod.
"Got it, boss."
With that, Anthony turned and departed. Levi remained seated on the sofa, gazing out the window. It was already dusk, but due to the dense shroud of storm clouds, the entire world outside appeared pitch-black. The rain showed no signs of letting up; instead, it seemed to pour down even harder.
"..............."
Levi stared through the glass at the dark forest, a sudden sensation washing over him. It felt as though something deep within those pitch-black woods was watching this train. Like a hunter hidden away in the underbrush, patiently observing and tracking its prey.
Levi activated his Soul Vision, scanning the surrounding area. Everything appeared perfectly normal. Was it merely an illusion?
"Boss."
Anthony's voice rang out, pulling Levi's gaze back to him. Anthony looked thoroughly excited, while the train captain standing beside him bore a grim countenance.
"Did you find it?"
"We found it, exactly where you said it would be, boss. Tsk, tsk, as expected of a famous detective..."
"Alright, let us gather everyone here and bring this case to a close."
Before long, the passengers were assembled in the Salon Car. Levi stood in the center, facing the crowd.
"My apologies for taking up everyone's time." Levi nodded to the group. "In truth, this is a very ordinary case. I ask that you do not trouble yourselves too much over it."
"An ordinary case?" Madam Bedrick furrowed her brow.
"Indeed. The case itself is quite simple. The victim, Mr. Hardment, was murdered, and a large sum of money he brought with him was stolen."
"A large sum of money?"
Several passengers exchanged astonished glances upon hearing this. Clearly, they could not comprehend why someone traveling alone would carry so much physical cash.
"Yes. This is a straightforward case of robbery. The culprit spotted the money inside Mr. Hardment's document box, allowed greed to take over, and subsequently attacked and killed him to seize the cash... The process was quite simple and rather dull... Wouldn't you agree, Mr. Conductor?"
"Wait, what are you talking about?"
Hearing Levi's words, everyone turned their startled gazes toward the conductor, who looked entirely taken aback.
"Are you accusing me of killing Mr. Hardment?"
"Precisely. In fact, I suspected you right from the very beginning. After all, there were only two sets of footprints found inside Mr. Hardment's room. One belonged to Mr. Hardment himself, while the other belonged to a slender man roughly 1.75 meters tall. The wear on the soles of those prints indicated someone who spends a great deal of time walking... However, since you claimed to have entered the scene yourself, we couldn't entirely rule out the possibility that you had simply walked in to inspect the body, correct?"
"Yes, exactly!" The conductor managed to calm himself down, hastily offering a rebuttal. "I merely saw the passenger's corpse and rushed inside to check on him..."
"But you told me earlier that you were startled out of your wits, immediately backed away, and came to find me." Levi's perfect memory was not to be underestimated.
"I... I apologize. My mind was completely frazzled. I must have misremembered..."
"Very well, let us move straight to how the crime was committed," Levi said, cutting off the conductor's defensive remarks entirely. "At noon today, the victim approached the conductor to inquire about the train delays caused by the mudslide. On his way back to his room, he accidentally collided with Miss Olivia, who was emerging from the servants' quarters. The impact caused the victim's document box to burst open, spilling its contents across the floor—including nearly a thousand pounds in cash."
"That much money?" The others gasped in shock.
"Why on earth was he carrying so much cash?"
Someone naturally voiced the question. With the advent of Punch Cards, ordinary people rarely carried such large sums of physical currency anymore. Even among the wealthy, who would willingly lug around hundreds or thousands of pounds in gold coins? It wasn't as if they were conducting weight-training exercises.
"That is a question only the victim himself could answer." Levi made a sweeping gesture. "At the time, the individuals present were myself, Miss Olivia, her servant, and you, Mr. Conductor. I believe it was at that exact moment that you caught sight of the victim's money. Perhaps you merely noted the fact at the time without any immediate malice, or perhaps the dark thought took root right then and there. Regardless, as afternoon tea approached, you made your way to the victim's room and used your Master Key to quietly unlock the door."
"..................."
The conductor remained silent, his jaw clenched tight as he stood his ground.
"The victim was not asleep at the time. His back was turned to you, seemingly searching for something. His document box was wide open, the money lying exposed for anyone to grab. Seeing this fortune, you took action, striking the victim down from behind. You then gathered all the cash and staged the scene to appear as the first witness discovering the body—after all, so long as no one saw you, nobody could prove exactly when you had entered the room." Levi smiled and offered a simple gesture. "And please, do not bother asking me for evidence. It has already been found. Inside the conductor's restroom within the luggage carriage, we discovered these gold coins, along with a blood-stained hammer. What else do you have to say for yourself?"
"That... that money belongs to me! It's my personal savings!"
"Oh? Then how do you explain the blood stains and fingerprints on them?"
Levi signaled Anthony, who held up a massive pile of coins to display them to the crowd. Dark red stains of blood were clearly visible across the gleaming gold surfaces. Witnessing the bloody currency, the expressions of the onlookers shifted drastically. Mrs. Hardman turned her head away entirely, unable to look.
"If you insist this money is yours, then surely you won't mind if I conduct a fingerprint analysis? If it truly belongs to you, I imagine the victim's fingerprints shouldn't be present on them at all."
In that exact instant, the conductor's face drained of color completely.