Miss Charlotte’s Case Journal - Chapter 4

“Madam!”

The office door burst open, and a man rushed in. Through his tousled golden hair, his sweat-dampened forehead glistened. Normally, his hair would’ve been neatly slicked back with pomade, but it seemed he’d been moving in such haste that it had lost all shape.

“Sir Lau.”

Lucy called out to the man in a low voice. He hurried toward her and dropped to one knee before her. His face was twisted with anguish, as if this situation was unbearable for him.

Looking up at Lucy, he began, “Madam, I’m so sorry. I should’ve stayed by your side….”

From the looks of it, Sir Lau had heard about the commotion earlier and had come rushing to find her. Lucy reached out and patted his shoulder.

“It’s fine, Sir Lau. I’m not hurt.”

“But, Madam….”

“It wasn’t me who got injured. My friend shielded me and took the blow instead. Sir Lau, do you have any medicine with you?”

“Ah, I do have painkillers, but nothing suitable for treating an external wound….”

Only then did Sir Lau turn his head and notice Charlotte. It was clear from his startled reaction that he hadn’t realized she was there until now.

“I’m fine, Lucy. It’s not that bad, and there’s plenty of medicine here anyway.”

“Still, Charlotte….”

Charlotte shook her head, cutting her off. Rising from her chair, she spoke gently, “You’ve barely recovered from the shock, and now this happened on top of it. You should go home and rest, Lucy. I need to get back to work anyway, so let’s talk again later.”

“All right… thank you. You noticed, didn’t you?”

Lucy hesitated as she stood. Charlotte kindly took her trembling hand in hers. She’s still so shaken, Charlotte thought.

“Who else would notice if I didn’t?”

At her words, Lucy only smiled silently. Then, leaning on Sir Lau for support, she began to walk out. Just before leaving, she paused for a moment as if to say something.

“…Goodbye, Charlotte.”

But she said nothing more.

“Yeah. See you next time, Lucy.”

“Yes.”

Charlotte watched Lucy’s retreating figure for a while. To think I even doubted her for a moment. Shaking her head, she sat back down and took out a sheet of paper to begin drafting a new report.

Outside, Lucy suddenly stopped and turned around. Through the crack of the door that hadn’t yet closed, she could see her friend Charlotte, her hand moving quickly as she wrote something down.

Lucy watched as Charlotte carefully dried the ink, folded the paper neatly, and placed it into an envelope. Beneath the shadow of her veil, the corners of Lucy’s lips curved into a faint, twisted shape.

“Madam?”

Hearing Sir Lau’s call, Lucy began walking again. But her mouth remained fixed in that same faint curve for a long time.

***

Charlotte held the documents tightly against her chest as she carefully stepped forward, and immediately bumped hard into someone running past.

“Ugh!”

“I’m sorry!”

Without even looking at her properly, the person dashed off. Normally, Charlotte would’ve been irritated, but this time she wasn’t. Her mind was elsewhere.

Even a festival street wouldn’t be this chaotic. People darted in every direction, shouting at one another over the noise as they scrambled to finish their tasks.

Charlotte finally found a quiet corner and took a deep breath. It had taken bumping into five people just to make it this far.

“…What a mess.”

Charlotte looked down at the papers in her hands and let out a small groan. Maybe she’d done something unnecessary again.

After writing a report on Robert Turobe, who appeared to be deeply involved in Baron Alex Turobe’s death, Charlotte went straight to see the director. The moment she saw her, she sighed heavily and motioned for her to sit.

When Charlotte sat on the sofa, the director walked over and slumped down across from her.

“Good timing. Let me start. The autopsy results from yesterday, are they confirmed?”

There was no strength in her voice. Hearing that exhausted tone, Charlotte gave a bitter smile and nodded. The director squeezed her eyes shut, rubbed her temples, and let out a deep sigh.

“Well, the results are exactly what the Turobe family wanted.”

“Really?”

“Right. Normally, the funeral would’ve been held at the church near their estate, but the family insisted on bringing the body here, didn’t they? What do you think that means?”

“If it had been a natural death or an accident… they wouldn’t have, right?” Charlotte murmured quietly.

The director leaned back in her chair, nodding in agreement. “Exactly. And sure enough, the result came out as death by poisoning, suspected homicide.”

“Will there be an investigation?”

“Of course. The Metropolitan Police are probably already questioning everyone suspicious.”

“Then…!”

Charlotte placed the report she’d been holding on the table and slid it toward him. She was about to explain what she had discovered, but the director spoke first.

“Before you say anything, what’s your relationship with Baroness Turobe?”

“…Pardon?”

“Are you two close?”

“Ah, yes… we’re friends.”

At her answer, the director sighed deeply. “Then it’d be best if you step away from this case.”

“What? Why?”

“Do you really need to ask?”

Clicking her tongue, the director spoke sharply, “The prime suspect in this case is the baroness. She stood to gain the most from his death, and she had more than enough opportunity to poison him. The Turobe family themselves are pointing to her as the culprit.”

“No, Lucy’s not that kind of person!”

“That’s what you think. But who in this world isn’t capable of changing when circumstances demand it?”

The director stood up.

“We can’t let personal feelings interfere in our work. We trust only what’s in front of us. As long as your friend’s a suspect, I can’t trust you to make an objective judgment. And once the Turobe family finds out you’re involved, they’ll protest furiously. You already defended her once in front of them, didn’t you? I managed to smooth it over by saying you only acted because it was the proper thing to do as a lady, but if it happens again, that excuse won’t hold.”

Charlotte wanted to argue, but she couldn’t find the words. Her lips parted, but no sound came out.

“Everyone’s already overworked. We can’t let a single case ruin the reputation of this morgue. I won’t allow that. You understand, right?”

“…Yes.”

“Then go help Eugene. He was here late last night too.”

Charlotte left the director’s office with heavy steps.

Is this really the end? she thought blankly.

Charlotte didn’t fail to understand the director’s point of view. She knew how much the woman had struggled to raise the morgue’s reputation to where it was today. Though Charlotte hadn’t personally witnessed it all, the stories she’d heard and the sight of the director working tirelessly day and night were enough to show just how deeply she cared for the place.

Charlotte trudged down the hallway. There was no flaw in the director’s reasoning. She herself had doubted Lucy at first. Lucy was, by all appearances, the most likely suspect, and for her, as a friend, to get involved now would do more harm than good, to both the morgue and to Lucy herself.

But Lucy would never do such a thing.

Pouting slightly, Charlotte grumbled under her breath. If the police had already begun their investigation, Lucy was probably being questioned right about now. Lucy was the type to swallow all her stress without showing it, so she would almost certainly fall ill afterward.

The image of Lucy flushed and feverish came to mind, and Charlotte couldn’t help but let out a long sigh. As she pursed her lips and shook her head, a sign came into view.

[Metropolitan Police Department →]

Though the morgue was now independent, until a few years ago, it had been under the jurisdiction of the Metropolitan Police, so the two institutions occupied neighboring buildings.

Charlotte instinctively tightened her grip on the documents in her hands. The papers crumpled slightly with a soft rustle. Feeling the rough texture against her fingers, she swallowed hard.

‘The police must have already summoned all the suspicious individuals for questioning.’

The director’s words echoed in her mind.

From Charlotte’s perspective, Lucy’s statement about Robert Turobe was crucial. Any investigator who heard it would find it hard to deny that Robert could have been involved in the crime. The direction of the case could change entirely; they might even launch a full investigation centered on him.

But that would only happen if the police actually heard that testimony. Right now, Lucy was their primary suspect. That meant they were most likely questioning every witness about her movements and her relationship with Baron Turobe, rather than considering anyone else.

In that case, Robert Turobe’s suspicious behavior might never even come to light. It could end up buried completely.

“Then it’d be best if you step away from this case.”

The director’s warning echoed again. When she’d first heard those words, Charlotte had thought, of course, that was the right thing to do. But now she clenched her teeth and shook her head.

Delivering a single report isn’t such a big deal. It’s no different from the autopsy report I submitted yesterday. If anything, this might even be better. It’s not my personal opinion; it’s just a summary of what I heard.

Taking a deep breath, Charlotte followed the direction of the arrow on the sign. The thought of Eugene, who was probably drowning in paperwork while waiting for her, briefly crossed her mind. But she whispered to herself, “I’m sorry, Senior. I’ll be right back to help,” and kept walking.

Of course, that promise would soon be broken.

The morgue where Charlotte worked was always busy, but the Metropolitan Police Department was on an entirely different level. Just watching them at work was enough to make her head ache. It was impossible to find out who was actually handling the Turobe case.