Chapter 119 On-site Investigation
The gas lamps in the hall's ceiling, aided by several sets of lenses, were extremely bright, drowning out the sunlight streaming in from the windows on both sides and shrouding the entire room in its orange-yellow glow. However, beneath the chandelier, the expensive carpet that covered the entire room was covered with several spots of blood that had been absorbed by the carpet and was almost dried.
It is not accurate to call them bloodstains. The astonishing amount of blood on the carpet has solidified into pools of jelly. Even more, irregularly shaped pieces of meat are scattered radially in different positions. Red muscles and internal organs, yellow-white skin and fat are mixed together, giving off a bloody smell that is almost visible to the naked eye.
The last time Angel saw so much blood and human tissue was in Enmat Port, in the cellar of the port area.
Subconsciously, she looked up and around the hall, trying to see if she could find the inverted giant statue of the Aurora Society.
Of course, nothing was gained.
How could the Aurora Society be everywhere? After their base in Enmat Harbor was destroyed and the "Rose Bishop" Mr. C was severely injured, they should have ceased most of their activities and kept to themselves. That would be more in line with the definition of a cult... right?
Thinking about how they dared to build an altar in the port of a big city and sacrifice flesh and blood to the evil god, Angel became a little uncertain again.
"Could you please describe the situation when you discovered the scene?"
Leonard's reassuring and steady voice came from beside him.
But looking at the poet's tense mouth, his heart doesn't seem as calm as his words suggest.
"Okay... okay," the police officer, who had retreated to the door, feigned composure and took two steps forward. "The deceased are likely the Prak family. Alan Prak was the head of the household, an immigrant born in the Southland. He lived with his wife and their young adult son."
The policeman spoke with a slight tremor in his voice, his eyes constantly glancing towards the hall behind the door and then quickly looking away.
According to the police officer, the first person to discover the murder was a laundry worker employed by the Prak family. She entered through a side door at noon and found the laundry not in its usual place. Curious, she entered the house but encountered no one, including servants or the master's family, until she reached the hall...
"Luckily, the female worker didn't rush out into the street screaming and shouting. Instead, she retained a bit of common sense and went to the nearest police station to report the incident. Otherwise, it wouldn't be us who were here now, but reporters from various newspapers."
"You are very lucky."
Leonard replied indifferently.
He put on his leather gloves, took a deep breath, and walked into the hall.
Angel was about to follow him, but he found that the policeman next to him was hesitant and stopped.
"Please go to 34 Zouteland Street, 'Blackthorn Security Company', and ask Mr. Neil to come over. Um... tell him about the situation here so he knows what to bring."
It seems that even a policeman who often deals with murders finds it difficult to get used to this kind of situation. Angel simply sends him to find Old Neil, as his divination and psychic abilities may be needed here.
In fact, the best candidate is Klein, who has worked with Angel many times, but he has already arrived in the town of Ramde. When he returns tomorrow, there will probably not be much useful information to be found at the scene.
The policeman who received the new order felt as if he had been pardoned. He saluted hurriedly and quickly left the cloakroom. His hurried footsteps seemed as if a monster was chasing him.
Seeing that the door was closed from the outside by the departing police, Angel turned and walked into the hall.
Leonard had already walked around the hall and returned to the door from the other side. His leather gloves were stained with blood, and he had obviously checked the scene. Seeing Angel follow him in, he nodded slightly and said:
"The body was completely destroyed, with barely a single intact limb to be seen. Look at these," he pointed at the nearest "body." Blood and flesh radiated outwards across several square meters, with the flesh denser in the center. But there wasn't a single recognizable limb to be found. "An entire human body exploded from the inside, leaving it like this. What's the first thing that comes to mind?"
The promotion went out of control and the body exploded and died?
Angel almost blurted out, but then he thought again and felt that Leonard probably didn't mean that.
"Aurora Club?"
She asked tentatively.
Leonard forced a smile, which was then replaced by seriousness. "Yes, the Aurora Society's 'Secret Prayer' path. Didn't you meet a 'Rose Bishop' in Enmat Harbor? Does it look familiar?"
You seem more familiar than me...
Angel muttered to himself and nodded.
"But what was their purpose in breaking into homes and killing people? Was it revenge, or simply for the fun of it? Or perhaps they were preparing a sacrifice to their creator?"
She looked around the hall and found five such radiating patches of flesh and blood. No wonder the female worker who discovered the scene and the police who arrived thought that the three members of the Prak family had died here, and even some unlucky servants and housekeepers might have been included.
She couldn't think of any other possibility for someone to kill an entire family in such a cruel way, except that he was seeking revenge or was a crazy murderer himself.
"Perhaps there are other possibilities, such as rituals, or some kind of misleading."
Leonard added, crouching beside the nearest body, frowning as he rummaged through it for a while, finding a few pieces of clothing, a bunch of brass keys, and some tattered notebook paper.
"I can't find any useful clues. This is just a blank note. It seems I can only wait for Old Neil to come." Leonard turned over the blood-soaked note paper, but did not find any words on it. He could only stand up again and turn to face Angel.
"You did a great job. You told the police officer to call Old Neil to the scene in advance. It seems you've learned quickly during this period."
"I always feel like you forgot."
Angel pointed this out mercilessly, and after Leonard showed a hint of embarrassment, he continued, "Should we continue waiting, or search other rooms?"
"Let's go check out the other rooms first. Maybe there are other victims, other clues, or..."
Or is the killer still here?
Although Angel felt that the possibility was very small, he still subconsciously touched the holster at his waist.
The two men carefully walked around the body on the ground. In order to avoid leaving bloody footprints in other places that would interfere with the subsequent investigation, they also rubbed the blood stains on their shoes on the expensive carpet.
"Hehe... Remember that these are our footprints, lest Old Neil discover our footprints all over the scene when he does his divination."
Leonard suddenly made a joke and laughed dryly a few times after that.
"Your sense of humor is as good as your own poetry."
With the corners of his mouth twitching, Angel finally couldn't go against his conscience and cooperate with his cold joke.
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