Miss Charlotte’s Case Journal - Chapter 20

Case 2. Get help from a colleague.

He was walking down a dim alley. The gaslight was faint, and nothing could be seen clearly. A cool breeze blew from somewhere, brushing the back of his neck. He shuddered and looked around.

Gulp- the sound of swallowing echoed like thunder. He looked around with a slightly anxious look. The flickering shadows seemed ready to pounce on him at any moment.

Rustle-

“Ah!”

Startled by a sound from behind, he turned around with trembling eyes and saw a cat rummaging through a pile of garbage. Phew. A sigh of relief escaped his lips.

“Are you hungry?”

He crouched down where he was and meowed softly at the cat. He rummaged through his pockets, searching for something edible, but found nothing. With an awkward smile, he patted his clothes here and there, but it was the same. What should I do?

“Do you like some water, at least?”

He pulled a water bottle from his bag. Then he cupped his hand and poured water into it. Hearing the trickle of water, the cat jumped down from the garbage heap and approached him cautiously.

He didn’t move hastily, letting the cat relax. After circling him several times, the cat must have decided he meant no harm, for it slowly lowered its head toward the pool in his hand.

Splash, splash. The tiny sound of a tongue tapping the water echoed. The man watched the sight with a pleased smile.

“You’re really cute. You look like my kids.”

Perhaps thirsty, the cat drank all the water in his hand and continued licking his palm. The rough tongue made him chuckle softly, and he poured more water again.

When the water suddenly rose, the cat jumped back in surprise, letting out a sharp meow before darting away. Oh, I should’ve been gentler. The man stayed still as if turned to stone, but the cat showed no sign of coming near again.

With no other choice, he stood up. The cat let out another sharp cry and bolted down the alley. Smiling bitterly, the man rummaged through the garbage heap. He found a chipped but relatively clean bowl and poured the rest of the water into it. Setting the bowl quietly by the side of the street, he gazed in the direction the cat had gone.

“You’re just as cautious as they are.”

He chuckled. The fear and anxiety from earlier had completely vanished. Taking a deep breath, he let the cool air fill his lungs and clear his head. The chill spread upward, wiping away the tangled thoughts from his mind. With a clear head, he thought, I just have to work harder. When I see her tomorrow, I’ll talk to her properly, just the two of us, somewhere quiet.

He was so lost in thought about his plans ahead that he didn’t notice someone approaching from behind. As he braced his legs and began to rise, someone struck the back of his head hard.

“Ugh!”

The man collapsed to the ground with a choked gasp. The assailant held a brick dripping with blood. The man couldn’t move, only gasped weakly for air.

The assailant slowly approached. Under the faint gaslight, their face became visible. Even through the haze of pain, the man’s eyes widened.

“H-how….”

The assailant’s face twisted grotesquely. A faint grinding sound came from between clenched teeth. Raising their trembling arm high once more—

Thud- the sound of flesh being crushed and bone breaking echoed through the alley.

***

After that incident, Charlotte changed a little. It wasn’t a big change. Her fear of blood was still there, and it was natural for her to faint every time she did an autopsy. But everyone at the morgue could sense something different about her.

“You alright?”

Eugene sat beside Charlotte and asked carefully. Charlotte, who was drying her dripping wet hair with a towel, turned her head and looked at him with a puzzled expression.

“What is it?”

“You fainted again today.”

Ah. Charlotte shrugged and smiled as if it was nothing. During today’s autopsy, blood had splattered onto her face, and she’d fainted immediately before even screaming. When she came to, she’d finished the autopsy and had just washed up.

“I’m getting used to it now.”

Eugene frowned. He made an incredulous face, then reached out and pinched Charlotte’s cheek hard.

“Ow! That hurts, senior!”

“Stop fooling around and spill it. What’s going on with you lately?”

“Ah, wait, let go before you talk. Don’t pull!”

Charlotte barely managed to free herself and covered her sore cheek with both hands, her eyes tearing up. Ugh, that really hurt. Won’t this leave a bruise? Tears welled up in her eyes as she glared at Eugene. But the sharp look in his eyes made her lose her nerve, and she quickly looked away.

“Everyone’s trying to accommodate you because of your fear of blood, so why do you keep refusing their help? It’s more exhausting for us to clean up after you every time you faint. You know that, right?”

“….”

“Even the director asked what’s gotten into you. She wondered if you really had to handle so many autopsies yourself and if we were short on staff.”

Charlotte said nothing, only rubbed her fingers together nervously. Eugene watched her for a moment before sighing deeply.

“Is there some kind of problem? Hey, I’m still your senior. I’ve been around here a few more years than you. Just tell me. Maybe I can help.”

Charlotte smiled faintly at his words. She was thankful and glad that he cared. But what could she possibly say? That she’d gotten arrogant and lost the killer? That wasn’t something she could share with anyone.

In the end, Charlotte only shook her head. Eugene clicked his tongue softly at the sight. But he couldn’t force someone who’d closed their mouth to speak, and if she was hiding it so firmly, it had to be something she couldn’t tell anyone. Perhaps it was a matter concerning her family. If that was the case, he wouldn’t be able to help anyway.

Eugene patted Charlotte’s shoulder and said, “Don’t overdo it.”

Even after Eugene left, Charlotte stayed where she was for a long time. Leaning her back against the wall, she looked up at the ceiling. The white ceiling spun slowly and began to form a shape. It was the face of the late Baron Turobe.

Charlotte flinched and opened her eyes wide. She shook her head quickly, and when she looked again, the Baron’s face had already vanished. It had been an illusion.

Maybe I overworked myself. Charlotte squeezed her eyes shut as a wave of dizziness came over her.

Ever since visiting the Turobe mansion, she’d thought she would change completely. She believed she’d become cold to others, indifferent to the world, and unable to feel any deep emotions toward anything.

But that wasn’t the case. When she came home after work, she was tired. When it was time to eat, she got hungry. She was annoyed when the food tasted bad, and she felt happy when she had sweet desserts. When the sun went down, she would fall asleep as if fainting, passing through dreamless nights.

That was what living was.

But it wasn’t exactly the same as before. Even though her fear of blood hadn’t improved at all, Charlotte never avoided autopsy work. She took on every task assigned to her and even stepped up to help others with theirs. Because only then did it feel like she could forget her mistake, even for a moment.

Just today, she’d written ten reports as soon as she arrived at work, replaced lunch with a piece of hard bread and cold tea, and then performed another autopsy. Now it was time to go back to the office and write the autopsy report.

Charlotte groaned softly as she slowly stood up. Her whole body felt heavy and limp, but she had no time to relax.

Back in the office, she had just started writing the report when noise broke out outside. What’s all that fuss? She put down her pen and tilted her head curiously.

When she stepped out, she saw people gathered at the end of the hallway. Charlotte slowly walked toward them. The murmurings, which had been nothing but a whisper, became clearer.

“…I’d appreciate your help.”

“I’m in the middle of very important work right now. It’s not easy to leave.”

“Then please tell me where he is, and I’ll go find him myself.”

“I’m asking why you want to meet him in the first place.”

Though they were all smiling politely, the air felt tense, like sparks crackling between them. The corners of their mouths and eyes twitched slightly, betraying the strain beneath the formalities. Charlotte hurriedly slipped between them before someone grabbed someone else by the collar.

“What’s going on?”

“Charlotte! Why did you come out?”

“Miss Charlotte.”

Charlotte glanced up at the man who was receiving her seniors’ full attention. His blue eyes curved gently. Henry bowed his head slightly in greeting.

“It’s been a while.”

“…Inspector.”

Why is he here? Charlotte looked around. The morgue staff were watching the two of them intently, their eyes practically glowing.

“W-why’s everyone acting like this?”

Eugene stepped forward.

“Come over here, Charlotte.”

“Miss Charlotte, if you have a moment, I’d like to speak with you.”

“I already told you she’s busy right now.”