Brian completely ignored Elias's current state of stiffness.
He strode into the center of the room.
He raised his arm and pointed at the carpet beneath his feet.
“The idiots at the police station didn't pay much attention to this carpet when they cleared out.”
Brian's voice echoed through the empty room, laced with heavy mockery.
“Plus, there wasn't any immediate, effective evidence on it that could be used to close the case.”
“So, they just left this thing here, completely untouched.”
A contemptuous curl formed at the corner of Brian's mouth.
“Indeed.”
“According to the autopsy report and the scene investigation records.”
“When the victim died, he was standing perfectly upright at the very edge of this Persian carpet.”
Brian's boot tapped lightly at the edge.
“He was in this exact position when he suffered a fatal gunshot wound to the chest.”
“A massive amount of kinetic energy tore through his body.”
“After he collapsed, all the blood sprayed and flowed onto the wooden floor.”
Brian spread his hands in a gesture of helplessness.
“For people like them...”
“It was perfectly normal not to take a carpet that seemingly offered no clues.”
At this point.
Brian's eyes suddenly narrowed.
“But in reality!”
“This carpet is the single greatest piece of evidence in this murder case!”
As Brian spoke, he stood firmly at the edge of the carpet.
Then, he turned his head and looked at Elias, who was still standing by the door like a statue.
He naturally raised his hand and beckoned Elias over.
He gestured for him to come and take a look.
“?”
Deep inside, Elias had ten thousand choice words for Brian's family.
Just now, when I wanted to come in, you wouldn't let me.
Now you turn around and tell me to come in.
Is your brain having an internal struggle or something?
Fine...
To quickly get to the bottom of this supernatural case involving Crowley's friend.
Elias temporarily set the suitcase down by the door.
Then, so as not to trigger the great detective's sensitive nerves.
Elias could only tip-toe into the room.
Until he reached Brian's side.
He narrowed his eyes slightly, observing the man who was staring intently at the carpet.
To be honest.
Up until now, this was the first time he had seen Brian truly enter a “reasoning state.”
Elias used to think this guy was just a witty, eccentric partner to Arthur.
Could it be...
Elias mused silently.
That the nickname “Hound” given to Brian by those at Old Palace Yard.
Was actually a form of praise?!
If that were the case.
Elias had to admit.
He had indeed underestimated the man before.
Just in terms of being “bold in his conjectures.”
Brian certainly surpassed those ordinary detectives who just followed the manual.
Of course.
If he actually managed to find traces of a supernatural presence through rigorous logical deduction.
Then this man was more than just “bold.”
As Elias drew closer.
Brian crouched down and pulled that magnifying glass out of his pocket once again.
His other hand pointed toward a specific section at the edge of the carpet.
He showed it to Elias.
“Look.”
“The victim was standing right here at the time.”
He traced two imaginary outlines of shoes standing side-by-side on the carpet with his finger.
The orange light of the gas lamp flickered restlessly inside its glass shade.
The light hit the dark red carpet, making the scene appear very dim.
Elias frowned, following the direction of Brian's finger, widening his eyes to look closely.
Hidden under this thick layer of dust.
Elias could just barely make out an outline in the carpet fibers that was slightly darker than the surrounding area.
If he hadn't leaned in this close, it would have been impossible to notice such a subtle color difference.
“See it?”
Brian didn't look up; he just stared fixedly at the outline.
“This outline was caused by industrial coal tar on the soles of the victim's boots.”
He began to explain at a rapid-fire pace.
“As you know, our Hope County is an industrial city.”
“So, as long as the victim went outside.”
“Tar would inevitably get on his soles.”
Brian looked up and glanced at Elias.
“The reason such an outline was left here.”
“Is because the tar on the victim's soles, under the influence of gravity, slowly seeped into the carpet fibers.”
“Generally speaking, if a normal person simply walks across this carpet.”
“The alternation of their steps is brief.”
“The small amount of oil on the soles wouldn't have time to seep in, let alone leave such a complete and uniform mark.”
Brian's gaze grew deep.
“Therefore, this physical trace proves only one thing.”
“Before he died, for a long period of time.”
“The victim stood right here, obediently and motionlessly.”
Brian took a deep breath and continued to add to his terrifyingly detailed deduction.
“And during this month that the scene was cordoned off.”
“This room was completely sealed; not a breath of wind could blow in.”
“This layer of oil that seeped into the carpet oxidized after being exposed to the air for a long time.”
“It became extremely viscous and completely solidified onto the fibers.”
The gas light reflected off Brian's serious expression, which couldn't help but remind Elias of the detective novels he had read in his previous life.
“Then, the dust that drifted down because the room wasn't being cleaned.”
“In this specific spot, it was firmly trapped by that solidified oil.”
“This resulted in the fact that even after a month.”
“The color of these two footprints is deeper than the color of the surrounding carpet.”
I'm impressed!
Hearing this.
Elias felt a surge of genuine, heartfelt respect.
Incredible.
What kind of freakish observational power was this?
Based solely on a slight color difference caused by dust, he could reverse-engineer the victim's standing time and the physical changes of industrial coal tar?
This required an extremely rich knowledge of forensics, environmental science, and a terrifying ability to connect logical threads.
“Well then...”
Deep in his mind, Old Ed, who had been silently watching the show, couldn't help but speak up.
The old ghost's tone carried a sense of unbelievable shock.
“This kid really is a genius!”
Hearing this, Elias ruthlessly began to attack the old man for changing his tune.
“Oh?”
“Weren't you just swearing up and down that he was an idiot?”
“How come you've changed your tune so quickly?”
“Ahem...”
Old Ed choked up, his tone betraying a hint of embarrassment.
“It's not that I...”
“I just misjudged him!”
To hide his embarrassment, Old Ed immediately changed the subject and started pulling rank.
“Stop your nonsense!”
“Watch closely and learn!”
Elias wasn't about to be manipulated by such words.
“You watch closely and learn!”
“A hundred-odd years old—the perfect age to be learning!”
While Elias was passionately bickering with the shameless old ghost in his mind.
Brian, still crouching on the floor, glanced at the silent Elias.
He thought the other man was stunned by his deduction.
Satisfied, Brian withdrew his gaze and continued his precise reasoning.
“In other words, based on the traces just now, it is one hundred percent certain.”
“Before facing death, the victim stood right here at the edge of this carpet without moving an inch.”
“Now think about it.”
He looked into Elias's eyes and posed the core question.
“This was a completely sealed room with intact doors and windows.”
“If the killer were a person in the physical sense.”
“No matter where they suddenly appeared from.”
“Such a sudden turn of events would inevitably trigger a stress response from the victim.”
“Adrenaline would spike, pupils would dilate.”
“Terror, shock, turning around.”
“Even if they were so scared their legs gave out and they collapsed, it would cause a drastic shift in their center of gravity.”
Brian pointed at the faint outline on the carpet.
“But he didn't.”
“The two footprints on the carpet have equally clear edges, and the depth of the oil seepage is perfectly consistent for both feet.”
“This shows that the weight on both his legs was evenly distributed, without the slightest shift.”
Brian stared at the spot, as if he could see the victim's state at that time.
“He stood here like a mummy.”
“And according to the investigation and scene traces.”
“After the killer entered this room, they also rummaged through all the luggage the victim had brought.”
“The trunk was pried open, and clothes were thrown all over the floor.”
Brian's speaking speed slowed down further.
“That takes time.”
“However, in the face of a killer rummaging through his belongings.”
“The victim didn't make any move to resist.”
“In such a situation, even if a normal person didn't dare to step forward and fight.”
“At the very least, their instinct would be to turn and run, or shout for help.”
Brian looked around at the dust-covered furniture.
“But the investigation report from the day of the crime shows that there wasn't even a single trace of a struggle in this room.”
“No furniture was knocked over, no porcelain was smashed.”
He looked back at Elias and said each word deliberately.
“He didn't run.”
“He didn't move.”
“Not even his center of gravity shifted by a single millimeter.”
“He just stood there quietly, for a full ten minutes, watching the killer empty out his things.”
“Unless...”
“Unless he was a clockwork mannequin driven by gears, with no sense of pain or fear.”
“Otherwise, in the face of such a phenomenon that extremely violates biological survival instincts.”
A feverish light flickered in Brian's eyes.
“There is only one explanation.”
“His nervous signals were completely cut off the very instant the killer appeared.”
“He was...”
“Forcibly ‘fixed’ in place by a method that cannot be explained by common logic!”
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