“No, as far as I know, it's not the same. Isabella was just weak all over and listless, occasionally suffering from phantom pain. It seemed more like... a mental illness.” For his friend's lover, Evan chose a tactful way to summarize.
“Go on.” Was that depression or something? Bai Ci was briefly distracted by the thought, but she realized she lacked any expertise in the area. “What happened next?”
Evan paused for a moment, recalling where he had left off. “Then, not long after, the postmaster stopped calling in doctors and forbade anyone from getting near his daughter. He claimed to the public that she had fully recovered but just needed to rest quietly for a while without being disturbed.”
“That is where the suspicion lies. When she was sick, some people still saw Isabella. But once the so-called rest period started, no one ever saw her again. Even the neighbors never caught a glimpse of her.”
“Are you saying Isabella might be dead?” Bai Ci asked cautiously.
Evan nodded. “A troubled mind is hard to cure. I think there is a high probability she is dead.”
“It's just that Edmond refused to give up. He always felt Isabella was still alive, just hidden away by Postmaster Byrne. So, he asked me to investigate the postmaster to find out Isabella's whereabouts and uncover the truth.”
“That's also why I ended up working at Winston's Grocery Store,” Evan added.
Hearing this, a thought suddenly flashed through Bai Ci's mind. She abruptly looked up at Evan. “Wait. If that's the case, is the owner of Winston's Grocery Store actually Postmaster Byrne?”
After all, Evan's starting point was to investigate Postmaster Byrne. If there were no connection, why would he take a job at a shop that behaved so abnormally during his investigation?
Furthermore, that shop clearly did no real business, yet it sent out a massive volume of promotional flyers every day. Without powerful backing, this would have been absolutely impossible.
And Postmaster Byrne, as the head of the post office, happened to have the perfect resources for it.
Evan nodded, his tone certain. “Yes, I've already confirmed it. The owner of Winston's Grocery Store, as well as the owners of the other three empty shops in town, is indeed Postmaster Byrne. He bought out all four shops at once three months ago, but he doesn't run them. He only hires people to watch over them for some unknown purpose.”
“I'm still not sure what he's trying to do, but I am certain that Isabella's death is absolutely related to him, and he definitely has a hand in this plague.”
“What exactly is he trying to do?” Bai Ci was somewhat puzzled. “If his daughter really is dead, and if she died of this plague, why would he deliberately spread it? For revenge?”
As she said this, Bai Ci let out a cold, angry laugh. “He might have a reason to seek revenge on Edmond, but the other townspeople didn't owe him anything.”
Looking at the puzzled Bai Ci, Evan sighed inwardly at how naive this young lady still was. “Some people just have extreme personalities. Once they hate, they view everyone as the target of their wrath.”
The well-traveled detective certainly had a lot of say on this matter. The big city had plenty of people and plenty of eye-opening occurrences. “Perhaps he lost his mind from grief after losing his daughter and grew so resentful that he wanted the entire town to suffer alongside her.”
Then, Evan shifted his tone. “I thought so at first too, but when I think about it carefully, it doesn't seem right.”
Bai Ci pondered for a moment before speaking slowly. “If he were simply venting his grief and anger over losing his daughter, he could have used a much more direct and extreme method. There would be no need to go to such lengths.”
“Think about it. Every mail carrier in the post office delivers exactly ten letters a day, day after day. This is a structured, purposeful action. It doesn't look like simple revenge. It feels more like... a ritual.”
At this point, a bold guess surged in Bai Ci's mind. This was a classic trope in many murder mystery games.
She looked at Evan, her tone carrying a trace of uncertainty but also a touch of conviction. “Do you think he might have joined some cult? When his daughter fell ill and the doctors were powerless, he might have turned to anything in desperation and been deceived by a cult. Maybe he believes that doing this will resurrect his daughter, or grant him some form of salvation?”
When this hypothesis was voiced, Evan was stunned. He frowned, carefully considering Bai Ci's words, and his eyes gradually lit up. “Now that you mention it, I think that is highly likely.”
“I hadn't considered a cult before, but thinking about it now, everything makes sense. The fixed number of letters, the overlapping delivery addresses, and his bizarre behavior—they all resemble some sort of cult ritual.”
“Furthermore, Mrs. Ella, the receptionist at the post office, told me that Postmaster Byrne has been smiling more lately, which is a stark contrast to his usual angry demeanor,” Bai Ci added, providing another piece of evidence.
“It seems my next focus should be investigating whether there are any cults in this town, especially one linked to the plague.” Evan locked onto his next direction. “If we can find this cult, we can understand Postmaster Byrne's goal and uncover the truth behind this plague.”
He picked up the map and the list of delivery addresses, carefully folded them up, and instructed Bai Ci, “I'm going to look into the cult. If I find anything new, I'll let you know immediately. Remember to check your mailbox at the door once a day.”
“I know where you are staying right now. Don't be too surprised—it's just basic detective work. Besides, haven't you noticed? To this town, you are a rather conspicuous young lady.”
“Alright, I understand,” Bai Ci nodded. “If you need my help with anything, you can reach out to me anytime.”
Evan gave an approving grunt, picked up his hat, and placed it on his head. “I won't be at the grocery store much from now on. If you need to find me, you can drop a note in the mailbox here, or find Edmond... No, forget that last part.”
He turned, about to walk into the back room to set off and investigate the cult.
“I think it's still necessary for me to know what Edmond looks like. I'm not one to pry into other people's business, but if someone I know gets into trouble, I won't just stand by and watch,” Bai Ci called out, stopping Evan.
Most importantly, Edmond might have new clues. While it wasn't convenient for her to approach him, that didn't mean Chen Mo and Lin Wan couldn't.
Evan nodded. Just then, a sudden flash of inspiration struck Bai Ci. A blurry figure flashed through her mind—the handsome young man Zhao Yu had been arm-in-arm with when she ran into him on the commercial street. He had a row of small black moles under his left eye, wrapping around the eye socket. She had found it very unique at the time and it had left a deep impression on her.
She suddenly called out to him, “Wait, Evan. I have a question for you.”
Evan stopped and turned around, looking at her in confusion. “What question?”
Bai Ci took a deep breath and asked seriously, “You said earlier that your friend Edmond is very handsome and has distinct features. Can you describe what he looks like in detail? Especially on his face—are there any particularly recognizable marks?”
Evan remembered carefully. “Edmond is tall and has a straight posture. He has light brown hair and deep blue eyes. His most distinct feature is a row of small black moles under his left eye, right along the eye socket. There are about five or six of them, very neatly aligned. It's a feature you'd remember at a single glance.”
Hearing this, Bai Ci nodded, her facial expression remaining completely unchanged, though her heart instantly connected the dots on where she had seen such a person before.
Wasn't the Edmond described by Evan the very same young man she had seen that day, with Zhao Yu's arm slung around him?
Rate on N.U.
