Miss Charlotte’s Case Journal - Chapter 24

She remembered she still had to write the autopsy report Henry had requested. When she unfolded the notes she’d taken during the autopsy yesterday, a mess of hastily scribbled handwriting filled her vision. Because she’d written them down in a rush in whatever blank spaces she could find, the sentences were scattered all over the page, completely disorganized. Charlotte slowly read through them, deep in thought.

According to Henry, the man’s name was Miles Brown. He was a teacher at a public school on the outskirts of the capital, known throughout the area for his gentle personality and the genuine care he gave his students.

He’d been found among a pile of garbage in an alley slightly off the main street. The first person to discover him was the owner of a nearby café, who’d gone outside early in the morning to clean the area before opening and stumbled upon the body.

There was a small red-light district nearby, so at first, the café owner had assumed it was just some drunk who had passed out there after a night of drinking. But when he approached, he saw the man’s head and the ground around it drenched in blood, and he panicked in horror.

The café owner immediately called the authorities, and of course, the Metropolitan Police sent someone to the scene. Among them was Henry, who found himself staring at the lifeless body of his old friend lying cold on the ground.

Charlotte paused for a moment, imagining what Henry must have felt seeing his friend’s death so suddenly, so helplessly. Witnessing the death of someone close was like watching the world crumble apart. No matter how many times one faced death, seeing the end of a life never became easier. Especially when that person was….

For a moment, red blood and a gleaming blade flashed through her mind, along with a kind yet chilling smile. Charlotte quickly shook her head to drive the memory away. Now wasn’t the time to get lost in sentiment.

She laid out a clean sheet of paper and picked up her pen again.

A few hours later, Charlotte carefully placed the freshly written autopsy report into an envelope and sealed it. Normally, she would have had to take it to the director for approval before sending it to the Metropolitan Police, but since this wasn’t an official case, she only needed to hand it directly to Henry.

Her neck felt stiff from bending over for so long. She massaged it lightly with one hand and looked around.

The office was empty. Where did everyone go? Holding the envelope, Charlotte stepped outside. When she looked out through the corridor window, she could see the city of Leaphor spread out before her, and in the distance, the clock tower.

Ah, it’s lunchtime.

Just then, she saw a group of her seniors coming down the hall. When they spotted her, they quickened their pace and approached.

“Did you eat yet? Or did you just finish your work?”

“I just finished. Take me with you.”

“You looked so focused. We figured if we interrupted you, we’d probably get an earful.”

That was true. Charlotte couldn’t stand being interrupted in the middle of anything. Until she solved whatever she was working on, she wouldn’t eat, drink, or even think about sleeping. If someone tried to take care of her, she’d thank them outwardly, even though it secretly annoyed her. But if they kept doing it, she’d eventually snap. The same applied at the morgue, and everyone there knew her well enough to just leave her alone.

“Don’t worry about going past lunch. Take your time and eat something properly. You don’t have any work to do today anyway.”

At Eugene’s words, Charlotte didn’t bother refusing and nodded. She had to stop by the Metropolitan Police anyway to see Henry, and now that he mentioned it, she did feel a little hungry. Thinking about it, she hadn’t eaten breakfast because of the chaos earlier that morning. The tea she’d had in the director’s office and the cookie she’d barely nibbled on were all she’d had to eat that day.

Charlotte stood before the corridor leading to the Metropolitan Police and hesitated for a moment. Should I eat first, or deliver this and eat afterward? Most of the police were probably eating lunch by now, so if she wanted to quietly meet Henry and hand over the autopsy report, it would be best to go there first.

But what if he’s not there right now? Who could she trust to deliver it? Did Martin or Dan, whom she’d met before, know about this secret autopsy? Maybe it was safer to just leave a note telling him to come by when he had time. Yes, that seemed best.

Satisfied with the conclusion, Charlotte nodded and began walking. Her plan was to grab the first person she saw upon entering and ask them to tell Henry to come find her. After that, she could go grab a quick meal.

In conclusion, Charlotte’s plan never worked out. As she walked down the path, a familiar figure came into view.

“Inspector?”

“Oh, Miss Charlotte!”

Henry, looking delighted, half-ran toward her, closing the distance in an instant. He smiled brightly as he spoke.

“I was actually on my way to find you, and here we are meeting like this.”

“What a coincidence. I was on my way to see you too.”

Henry’s gaze briefly dropped to the envelope in Charlotte’s hand.

“Is that it?”

“Yes.”

Charlotte nodded and held out the envelope. Henry reached out to take it, but flinched and quickly pulled his hand back at the sound of a voice behind him.

“Inspector Biles?”

A man with a neatly groomed mustache approached the two of them. Henry spun around quickly, saluting as he stepped in front of Charlotte, or more precisely, in front of the envelope in her hands.

“Chief Inspector Lestrade! Did you enjoy your meal?”

“….”

“Chief Inspector …Les…trillos?”

The man let out a long, resigned sigh and shook his head.

“It’s Lestrade.”

“M-my apologies, Chief Inspector.”

“No, I’m not even expecting you to get it right anymore. That illness of yours doesn’t seem to be improving at all, does it?”

Chief Inspector Lestrade clicked his tongue. Henry bit his lip lightly, bowing his head before awkwardly rubbing his temple and the corner of his eye.

“Well… what are you doing here, then?”

“Ah, well….”

Henry trailed off, but as Lestrade’s eyes narrowed suspiciously, he blurted out in a panic.

“I-I was just asking this lady out on a date!”

Henry stepped aside just enough to show half of Charlotte’s face and part of her dress, while still completely hiding the envelope. An intrigued expression appeared on Chief Inspector Lestrade’s face.

“A date? You?”

“Yes, yes, that’s right! I, uh, asked her to have lunch with me….”

Charlotte could feel Lestrade’s gaze sweep over her. It wasn’t unpleasant, but it was a bit like being assessed as if she were a potential daughter-in-law. Still, the absurdity of the situation didn’t change. A date? Who with who?!

Maybe Henry could feel the sharp glare Charlotte was giving him from behind, because he hesitantly reached out and grabbed the edge of her sleeve. His hand trembled slightly, pleading desperately. Please, just play along once.

Charlotte had no choice but to turn her head shyly, forcing the corners of her mouth to twitch upward into a small, bashful smile. Chief Inspector Lestrade burst into hearty laughter and patted Henry’s shoulder.

“I thought it was about that teacher’s case again. I figured you were still holding onto it. But I see that’s not the case.”

“Of course not. You told me to wrap it up, Chief Inspector, how could I disobey your orders?”

Chief Inspector Lestrade nodded in satisfaction. Then he looked at the woman hiding behind his cherished subordinate and said, “Ahem, if you can, please don’t turn him down. I’ve worked with this man for quite some time, but I’ve never once seen him court a lady like this. As you may already know, he’s a bit odd at times, but aside from that, he’s perfectly fine. Once you get to know him, you’ll find he’s a truly decent man. Well then, I’ll take my leave.”

Only after Chief Inspector Lestrade disappeared into the distance did Henry relax his stiff shoulders and let out a long sigh. Then he glanced at Charlotte and spoke,

“Thank you, Miss Charlotte….”

“It’s fine. …So, they’re trying to bury Mr. Brown’s case internally, aren’t they?”

Henry nodded bitterly. “Most likely. He was a commoner, and… his family isn’t taking any action either.”

“Why not? Their family member was murdered. Why aren’t they cooperating with the police? They should want to catch the killer.”

“Well, I don’t know either. According to them, they don’t have the time or the will to put effort into finding the culprit. They said their relationship with him wasn’t close enough for that. It seemed like they just wanted to get it over with and bury him in the public cemetery.”

Charlotte’s face turned pale. “That can’t be! Could it be… that one of his family members is the killer? Otherwise, why….”

Henry shook his head. “On the day of the incident, Miles’s family was all in another region. They’ve been living there for a while, so it wasn’t particularly strange.”

“Isn’t it possible they moved secretly, killed him, and went back to where they lived?”

“No. It’s not a distance that would allow that.”

At Henry’s firm tone, Charlotte’s expression turned conflicted. So they weren’t the culprits? But if not them, then….

“Still, they’re family. How could they….”

“They said their relationship wasn’t good.”

“Even if it wasn’t! I mean, my brothers and I bicker every time we meet, but if something like this happened, I’d drop everything and rush to help….”

“Then you’re not really on bad terms. You actually get along quite well with your brothers, Miss Charlotte.”

Henry spoke in a low, cold voice.

“Even family can hate each other. Some can hate them enough to wish they were dead.”

Though Henry’s voice was calm and his expression unreadable, Charlotte couldn’t help but feel as though he was on the verge of tears.

So instead of replying, she simply asked lightly, “Have you eaten lunch yet?”

“…No, not yet.”

“Let’s eat together. I haven’t eaten either.”

Charlotte took Henry’s hand and started walking briskly. Henry didn’t pull away or resist, simply following quietly behind her. Until they left the building, neither of them said a word.