Since they had already decided to find the gem first to avoid inexplicably becoming food for the mystery relic, the two began to focus their efforts. Accompanied by Miss Valente, Lynch visited the Douglas Bank once again.
The bank was still in a semi-closed state, accepting only withdrawals. Blue uniforms stood guard at the entrance, and there were no customers inside. Only Mr. Douglas sat there with a worried expression; even his young clerks were absent, and it was unclear if they had been fired. Seeing this, Lynch let out a sympathetic chuckle.
This time, with a true person of importance by his side and having been commissioned by the Hall of Order, Douglas became quite cooperative, honestly explaining everything that had happened that day.
In fairness, Douglas had a strong sense of security. He checked the vault every morning and evening when opening and closing the bank, carefully counting the items in trust. Whenever he entered or left during the day, he would also check on several important items to ensure maximum security.
June 5th was no exception.
Viscount Edmond from the Kingdom of Salter had come with three letters of guarantee. Such a major client naturally received the highest standard of service from the banker. Douglas immediately went to the vault to retrieve one thousand pounds in cash for the Viscount. When he left the vault, he confirmed as usual that the gem was still safe and sound.
While seeing the Viscount out, he happened to meet Lynch. Afterward, at the Viscount's mocking suggestion, the two returned to a private room for a five-minute conversation, raising the withdrawal limit to three thousand pounds a month. The Viscount then departed in satisfaction, by which time Lynch had already left the bank.
Because there were several withdrawal appointments that day, the banker entered the vault again shortly after the Viscount left to check if the remaining cash was sufficient.
As it turned out, the cash was fine, but the gem was gone, even though the cabinet remained perfectly locked, as if the gem had simply vanished into thin air.
Since only Lynch and Viscount Edmond had been to the bank during that time, Douglas and his staff naturally placed the blame on Lynch, while placing their utmost trust in Viscount Edmond, a stance that had not changed even now.
Of course, trust was one thing, but cooperation was another. The banker even led the two of them to inspect the bank's vault.
Although it was not as tightly secured as the enclosed space Madam Bessie maintained through a mystery relic, their vault was still quite secure. Located in the basement, all six sides were cast from thickened iron plates and wrapped in thick brick walls. An elevator ran directly from the bank to the vault, the gate was made of cast iron with the most advanced door lock technology of the time, and two guards were stationed at the entrance year-round.
Inside were rows of independent locked cabinets. Through the glass doors, the items stored within were clearly visible. The security measures were quite good for this era, and it seemed unlikely that anything could have gone wrong.
After recording the information and conducting a thorough inspection, Lynch did not waste any more time. He returned to the office with Miss Valente and, under the gaze of the landlady that made Lynch's neck turn cold, they slipped into the second-floor living room together.
The afternoon sun shone through the patterned glass windows into the living room on the second floor of 221 Villa Avenue. The warm sunlight cast the shadows of the window decals onto Miss Valente's long dress, as if she had been sprinkled with tiny flower petals.
The living room was kept very tidy by Mrs. Maggie, and the room was filled with the elegant, faint scent of lavender. The crisp sound of carriage bells from the fast-moving carriages on the street drifted into the house through the windows, becoming slow and melodious.
The quiet afternoon was so comfortable and warm that the chill brought by the information from the Archaeological Association was completely dispelled, making one feel lazily drowsy.
Miss Valente, however, was not sleepy. She sat gracefully on the sofa in the living room, her folding fan elegantly covering her mouth. Her beautiful eyes flickered as she quietly watched Lynch's focused profile, subtle emotions hidden in her watery gaze.
Lynch stood by the memo board near the fireplace, a pipe in one hand and his chin in the other. His gaze was focused on the board, completely engrossed, oblivious to the gaze from his side. Whenever he turned his head to speak, the subtle gaze immediately became normal and frank, showing no signs of anything unusual.
It really was just a normal discussion of the case, truly.
"Chloe Russell, Princess of Salter, holder of the Flaming Red Lips."
Lynch wrote Princess Chloe's identity on the whiteboard, biting on his pipe and squinting as he mused:
"Returned from the Kingdom of Salter three months ago, then used security as a pretext to store the Flaming Red Lips in Douglas's vault, with a storage fee of one pound a day, hiss..."
Just the storage fees had already cost one hundred pounds. Lynch's chest felt a mysterious, dull ache, and he felt a wave of suffocation.
Lynch's exaggerated expression brought a knowing smile to the noble lady, who said softly:
"The vault at Douglas Bank is indeed quite good, no worse than those banks in the royal capital. It is no wonder so many people choose to store their valuables there. There is no problem with the overall security."
Lynch nodded: "Only I and that Viscount were at the bank. If I don't suspect myself of being a thief, then the most likely candidate is that Viscount, who was carrying a bag of deceptive items. In fact, even without the basis of a background, I highly suspect that the Princess is involved with the thief."
"Hmm, it is indeed very suspicious. A person who can be a banker is no fool, and he would never lack the experience of reading people, otherwise he would have gone bankrupt long ago."
Miss Valente rose gracefully and stood shoulder to shoulder with Lynch by the clue board. The faint fragrance made Lynch feel a sense of peace:
"It is impossible to deceive Douglas with a mystery relic that forged a signature and three letters of guarantee, especially not a large bank that has had dealings with him. The thief must have performed in a way that was very credible, infinitely approaching reality. To achieve this, the thief must have had a full understanding of those three bankers, and also possessed a sufficient noble demeanor. This is not like last night, something that can be done with just a few days of training. And Princess Chloe's mother happens to be the daughter of one of them and is a representative figure in the Salter banking industry. She certainly meets the above conditions. So we are likely not wronging her."
"Then let's tentatively conclude that even if the thief is not the Princess, it is someone she sent, and the Flaming Red Lips is in her hands." Lynch nodded thoughtfully and wrote the name Howard Hoffman on the whiteboard: "Grant said personally that the person who has a close relationship with Chloe is not him, but Mayor Howard. I suspect that behind the incident of the Flaming Red Lips, the one colluding with Chloe is him."
"The relationship between them..."
"Theoretically, it is connected by the Norin-Rhine Railway. The Princess represents the investors of the Salter banking group, and the Mayor represents the project party for the railway."
"Then it is quite reasonable for them to have a connection; it does not necessarily have to be for the gem. However, if it were just this relationship, Grant would not have mentioned it specifically. I fear there is indeed a secret between them that cannot be made known."
Miss Valente's mind was quite agile, and she drew inferences from one instance to another, quickly following Lynch's line of thought and helping him think:
"But Howard's status is far too low; he could not possibly suppress Chloe, let alone force her to use such means to hide the gem. Even the Valente family could not do that."
"I thought so too, until I heard what Grant mentioned just now." Lynch smiled bitterly and erased all the records on the whiteboard, saying softly, "The relationship between these two is strung together by the railway, but what if we string it a bit further? He said that the person who is overseeing the entire Norin-Rhine Railway is actually the eldest prince of the Kingdom of Lande. Does this status not carry enough weight for the Salter Princess and the Count of Lorand to play tricks behind the scenes?"
Miss Valente's expression stiffened. Both of them felt their palms go cold, as if they had touched the most hidden darkness.
"We must not guess blindly, Mr. Lynch. Do you know what it means for someone with a right of succession to be involved? If a person with this status has set their sights on the mirror with ill intent, regardless of their reasons or purpose, it is an extremely dangerous matter."
"That is why we must first confirm the truth before saying anything else." Lynch also subconsciously lowered his voice, "I will go to the Black Cat Theater this evening. Countess Hathaway said that information is well-circulated there. I will try to see if I can find any more clues. Perhaps I will finally understand why those two old fellows gave me that commission."
Rate on N.U.
