Evan placed the red pen on the map and looked up at Bai Ci. “You've noticed something, haven't you?”
Bai Ci nodded. Aside from the exceptions of those few mail carriers, a red circle didn't always have a black circle over it, but wherever there was a black circle, there was invariably a red circle—often more than one.
“The delivery addresses of the mail and the home addresses of the patients overlap far too much. Is the source of the infection being spread through the letters?”
Evan nodded, a look of approval appearing on his face, clearly agreeing with her deduction. “It's highly likely. I suspected before that the transmission route might be related to the mail, but I never had any proof. Now that we have these delivery addresses, the hypothesis is much more solid.”
But he immediately frowned, a trace of confusion in his voice. “However, there's one thing I've never been able to wrap my head around. If the source of transmission really is the letters, why weren't the mail carriers the first to fall ill?”
“The mail carriers handle a massive volume of letters every day, sorting and delivering them by hand. Reasonably speaking, they should have been the first to be infected. Yet, as things stand, there are still healthy veteran employees at the post office, and the few who have fallen ill only started showing symptoms recently.”
“Unless the virus on those letters has some specific transmission requirements? Or perhaps the mail carriers have something on them that resists the virus?”
As for Evan's "unless," Bai Ci had her own take on the matter. “Is it possible you're just overthinking it? The issue lies with the letters inside, but what the mail carriers touch is only the envelopes. With a barrier in between and no direct contact, the infection would naturally spread much slower.”
“Still, the mail carriers have to deliver so many letters day after day. Even if they aren't infected now, something is bound to happen to them sooner or later.”
Hugo was introverted, shy, and deeply caring. He wouldn't think to actively guard himself against anything; he would only focus on doing his job diligently, delivering every letter on time. Yet he had no idea that what he handled every day was a lethal hazard.
Seeing that Bai Ci's worry was genuine, Evan's trust in her grew a bit more. “Yes. Not just your fiancé—all the mail carriers are in grave danger.”
“Therefore, miss, we must continue to cooperate. We need to uncover the truth as quickly as possible and find a way to stop the spread of the plague. It would be even better if we could find a cure. Otherwise, more people will be infected, and many might even lose their lives.”
Bai Ci nodded. Even if it wasn't for the sake of her instance evaluation, she couldn't remain indifferent to Hugo getting hurt, nor could she turn a blind eye to the townspeople being ravaged by the plague. Even if she didn't know more than a handful of people in this town, and even if they were merely NPCs in an instance.
She looked at Evan and said, “You're right, we must continue to cooperate. However, during our last meeting, you said that as long as I could get these delivery addresses, you would tell me why you're investigating this matter.”
She hadn't forgotten about that.
Her casual chats with Aunt Martha hadn't been in vain. As a detective, Evan had absolutely no reputation in town, yet he clearly possessed a wealth of information. This indicated that his capabilities were far from low—his lack of fame did not match his true competence.
Hearing this, Evan did not hesitate in the slightest. “I'm a man of my word. Since you've secured the addresses, I will tell you everything.”
He pulled over a chair, gesturing for Bai Ci to sit, before taking a seat behind the counter himself. He spoke slowly, beginning to recount the reasons behind his investigation.
“My actual profession is indeed a detective, but I used to work in the big city. Back then, I was young, hot-headed, and far too reckless. I took on a case and accidentally offended the local elite. Left with no choice, I had to tuck my tail and return to this town to find a temporary place to settle down and lay low for a while.”
There was a hint of self-deprecation in Evan's tone, but no trace of regret.
“What I started investigating wasn't actually the plague, but Postmaster Byrne. It was for personal reasons, on behalf of my friend Edmond.”
“Edmond and I grew up together. He's a very kind person. Though he comes from a common background with no money or status, he is incredibly good-looking—the kind of handsome that leaves a lasting impression. Perhaps because of that, he won the heart of a wealthy young lady in town.”
Hearing this, Bai Ci asked instinctively, “Could that wealthy young lady be Postmaster Byrne's daughter?”
Evan nodded. “Indeed, you are very sharp, miss. That wealthy young lady is Postmaster Byrne's only daughter, Isabella.”
As for the rest of the story, anyone who had watched a few melodramas could guess most of it.
“I heard Mrs. Ella from the post office mention before that Postmaster Byrne lost his wife early in life and has only one daughter. The relationship between father and daughter has always been strained; the postmaster is highly controlling and keeps a very tight leash on her,” Bai Ci deduced. “Combining that with Postmaster Byrne's personality, I can guess that he wouldn't have agreed to let them be together.”
Evan nodded slightly, picking up where Bai Ci left off. “When Postmaster Byrne found out Edmond was with his daughter, his reaction was extremely violent. He adamantly opposed their relationship, believing Edmond's humble origins made him unworthy of his daughter.”
“He threatened Edmond, telling him to stay away from his daughter or face the consequences. He even locked Isabella inside the house, forbidding her from ever seeing Edmond again.”
“Isabella was rebellious and refused to submit to her father's arrangements, and Edmond wasn't willing to give up on their love either. So, the two planned to elope and find a place where no one knew them to live their lives in peace.”
“But before they could put their plan into action, Postmaster Byrne found out.”
“Since then, Edmond has never seen his lover again. No matter how hard he searches, he can't find a single trace of her.”
Hearing this, Bai Ci grew puzzled. “How could a living, breathing person just vanish into thin air? Even if Postmaster Byrne sent her away overnight, wouldn't some word have gotten out? For instance, from the household servants or the neighbors.”
“I thought the same at first.” Evan shook his head, his tone heavy. “I spent a long time investigating this matter and finally found some clues.”
“I learned from an old servant of Postmaster Byrne's household that not long after Isabella was dragged back, she fell ill. In the beginning, the postmaster called in doctors every day to examine her and had people tend to her with the utmost care. The neighbors would occasionally see doctors entering and leaving his house.”
“Fell ill? Were her symptoms the same as the plague in town?” Hearing the word "ill," Bai Ci instinctively linked it to the plague. Could Isabella be Patient Zero?
Rate on N.U.
