Chapter 234 Emily's Whereabouts
With a "click", Angel unlocked the door and entered Mr. O'Neill's house.
Sherlock Moriarty, who was following behind, looked at the brass key in her hand curiously and couldn't help but ask in a low voice:
"Is this a magical item?"
"Yes, it can be unlocked, but the side effect is that it's a bit expensive."
Putting the key back in his pocket, Angel replied.
She had already spent more than 2 pounds on hiring a carriage in the past few days to prevent herself from getting lost. If she hadn't been likely to use her lock-picking ability today, she wouldn't have wanted to bring this "master key" with her at all.
No wonder Ms. Bernadette said to try not to use it...
After turning on the gas light switch, the entrance hall and living room were illuminated by the warm light emitted by the large overhead lamps. Compared with the gang's base just now, Mr. O'Neill's house was considered magnificent.
Because the death scene wasn't at home, the house wasn't searched by the police. Instead, the doors and windows were locked and sealed, awaiting the handover or disposal of the estate. A few days later, aside from a bit of dust on the tables and chairs, the rest of the furnishings were likely the same as when the family left.
"Wealthier than expected. Did they kidnap Emily to extort money from Mr. O'Neill? But why didn't they send any threatening letters until a week after the kidnapping?"
As if talking to himself, or as if having a discussion with Angel, Moriarty walked around the living room while speaking, his eyes moving between the paintings on the wall, the exquisite tea set on the table and the charcoal basin piled high by the fireplace.
Angel looked around the rooms connected to the living room and then returned to his side.
"There are two servants' rooms on the first floor, where at least four maids lived. The O'Neill family is wealthier than they let on." She touched a few corners and found very little dust before continuing, "They're usually cleaned very carefully, but they haven't been in the past few days. O'Neill may have dismissed all the servants recently."
"So he either already has plans to commit suicide, or, as you said, is preparing to move away from Backlund."
Moriarty replied, and the two looked at each other and walked towards the stairs together.
On the second floor is a huge study and a bedroom for the family of three. The study is well-stocked with books, ranging from children's books to large professional books. Angel noticed that most of them were related to coal.
The decoration styles of the bedrooms are very different, and you can clearly see which family member each one belongs to, but what is consistent is that they are all neat and clean, with no signs of being turned over.
"It doesn't look like the room of someone who's moving out. The clothes are all in the closet, and personal belongings are unpacked. It's like they left for work or school this morning and just haven't had time to get home yet."
"So you think Mr. O'Neill lied to me that day and they had no plans to move?"
Back in the living room on the first floor, Angel and the frowning private investigator began a discussion.
"It could be a deliberate lie, or it could be involuntary, perhaps due to coercion or deception. But he also dismissed the servants at the same time, so these two actions are likely due to the same reason."
Moriarty flipped a coin, his eyes following the image of King George III on the penny, and he kept spouting his analysis.
With a "pop", he caught the coin, took a look at it and continued:
"He gave the same reason to you and everyone in his household—he moved out of Backlund, then, after severing all local ties, he and his wife and daughter jumped into the Tussock River, ending their lives... Wait, Emily's body hasn't been found yet. Is she really dead? Is there a chance she's been kidnapped again?"
Angel recalled the scene of the O'Neill family committing suicide that she saw in the magic mirror divination, and subconsciously wanted to deny this possibility, but then she thought of the possibility that the divination was interfered with.
Isn't the purpose of coming to this detective and looking for other clues to bypass possible interference and find the truth behind it?
"If that's the case, we need to consider who did it. Are there any criminals in Cherwood District, the East District, or even the entire Backlund who like to kidnap young girls?"
She decided to put aside the divination result and trust the judgment of the man in front of her who had the same name as the greatest detective.
"I actually know one thing," Sherlock Moriarty said, putting away the coin and looking at Angel. "In Backlund, young girls often disappear on deserted streets. After a long time, they might be accidentally found in legal or illegal brothels. There are many rumors pointing to a wealthy man in Cherwood named Capin."
"Unfortunately, the evidence was insufficient, and he knew quite a few high-ranking figures, so no one could convict him."
When he said "conviction", a sneer appeared on his face.
"Rumors? But from your tone, you don't seem to think it's a rumor."
The magic mirror divination that Angel conducted in the previous gang base also pointed to the name "Mr. Capin". If the two "Capins" are the same person, then this wealthy man who instigated the gang to commit crimes frequently and was involved in the disappearance of many girls is very suspicious.
"I have some other sources of information."
Moriarty's answer was an admission that he also thought Capian had a lot of problems.
"So, now that we have a prime suspect, what should we do next?" The two exchanged glances, and Angel looked away first, continuing, "It's getting late. I'm going to go back and sort out today's clues. You should also contact your 'information channel' to learn more about this Capin. We'll meet at your house tomorrow."
"That's what I thought," Moriarty nodded. "Meet me at my house tomorrow morning at 9... um, 10 o'clock."
The two searched O'Neill's house again briefly, but found no other clues. This time, Angel turned off the gas lamp, and the two left O'Neill's house. She used the master key to lock the door with a "click".
————
“Crack—”
After changing into a set of clothes that were convenient for him to move in, Angel unlocked the door again and came to Mr. O'Neill's house.
It was already late at night, and in order to prevent the strange phenomenon of "light coming from an uninhabited room", she simply did not turn on the lights and used dark vision to reach Emily's bedroom on the second floor.
After finding Emily's clothes and a bracelet whose locations he had noted during the day, Angel began to perform divination with the magic mirror.
The other party had tampered with O'Neill's death, but they might not have used the same method on Emily, especially now that there was a possibility that Emily was still alive. Using the clothes and jewelry she wore as a medium, the accuracy of the divination would be greatly increased.
Angel didn't do this during the day because he didn't want the detective to continue investigating further. He had just become an Extraordinary not long ago and there was no need for him to get involved in such a dangerous matter.
The mist in the magic mirror dissipated, and a large villa with a vast lawn, a spacious garden and a small fountain square appeared in the mirror. In the basement, a brown-haired girl was shivering with her arms around her body. Beside her were several girls of similar age but wearing more shabby clothes.
The fog covered the mirror again, and then it became dark. Angel turned the magic mirror upside down on the table and breathed a sigh of relief.
Fortunately, she is still alive...
As long as you are alive, there is hope.
After putting the clothes and jewelry back in their original place, Angel, fully armed, left Mr. O'Neill's house again.
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