Miss Charlotte’s Case Journal - Chapter 5

Charlotte had a bad feeling that simply delivering these documents wouldn’t end so easily, and that she’d probably have to work late with Eugene again tonight. Clicking her tongue quietly, she glanced around.

It was even noisier than before—if that was even possible—and her face twisted into something close to tears. How could anyone tell who was in charge of what? Was there no organization here at all?

Charlotte finally decided to use her last resort.

“Eek!”

She reached out into the crowd of people rushing past and grabbed the first thing she could touch, yanking it toward her with all her strength.

“Hello there?”

Charlotte smiled brightly as she greeted him.

“Uh… h-hello.”

The man she’d pulled along stammered as he answered. His voice was filled with confusion and bewilderment.

“Where can I find the investigator in charge of the Baron Turobe case?”

The man’s eyes rolled nervously in every direction. Watching his confusion play out so clearly on his face, Charlotte cheered inwardly. Good, this might actually work. To make sure he didn’t get any strange ideas, she tightened her grip on his arm slightly and smiled even wider.

“Um, and you are…?”

Tsk. Charlotte clicked her tongue inwardly. Her plan had been to deliver the report directly to the investigator, talk a bit, find out how far the investigation had progressed, what direction it was taking, and who they were currently questioning. If she could do that, she might be able to draw some attention to the case, just as the director had ordered.

But if she said she was from the morgue and had brought an additional report, the conversation could easily end with, “Oh, then I’ll deliver it for you, haha!” Of course, he might also simply say, “That way,” and walk off, but Charlotte wasn’t the type to gamble on uncertain outcomes.

So, she slyly hid the envelope behind her back and blinked a few times with a slightly timid expression.

“Well, I used to work at the Turobe household as a maid. I came to cooperate with the investigation….”

“Ah, you’re here for a witness interview!”

“…Yes, exactly.”

It worked? Charlotte felt a little uneasy, but she nodded and laughed lightly. Maybe I’m better at lying than I thought. The director always told me, “You’re terrible at hiding anything. If you ever need to lie, just keep your mouth shut instead.”

Feeling a bit proud of herself, Charlotte scratched her cheek lightly and followed behind the man leading the way.

The two of them walked through the crowd. The man chattered endlessly as they went.

“My name’s Martin Giles. Just call me Martin.”

“It must’ve been quite a shock for everyone, having your employer die so suddenly, huh?”

“With a murder happening in the house, isn’t anyone quitting their job?”

“Don’t worry too much. We’ve already secured the prime suspect.”

Martin was clearly the talkative type, rambling on cheerfully about one thing after another. Charlotte nodded absentmindedly as she mulled over his words. A prime suspect? Who could that be? Don’t tell me it’s Lucy. She gripped the envelope tighter in her hand. The feeling of the crumpling paper spread through her fingertips.

After about five minutes of walking, they arrived at a door marked Interrogation Room 3. Martin stopped and glanced back at Charlotte. She quickly gave a small, harmless smile that said, See? I’m harmless. Martin carefully opened the door.

“No, it’s not true! I swear it’s not!”

A woman’s agitated voice leaked through the crack of the open door.

Charlotte tilted her head slightly to peek inside. In the middle of the room was a black table, scattered with glittering jewelry. The woman sitting in front of it shook her head violently, her face pale white. Her gestures were desperate.

Across from her sat two men who appeared to be police officers. Because they sat side by side, Charlotte could see the face of the brown-haired officer but not the other man beside him. She could only tell he had black hair.

“Miss May, it’ll be quite troublesome if you keep denying it like this.”

The brown-haired man sighed deeply as he spoke.

“We’ve already gathered statements from the household staff. They said you’ve been going in and out of the baron’s bedchamber quite often lately.”

“That was for cleaning! I only went there to work…!”

“Then how do you explain this?”

The black-haired man interrupted May sharply. His voice was low and weighty, one that demanded attention from everyone in the room. May flinched and clamped her mouth shut.

“All of these were found in your room.”

He reached out and tapped the jewelry scattered across the desk. Rings set with gems, pearl necklaces, and finely crafted brooches clinked softly together at his touch, glittering even more brightly in the light. The man looked down at them indifferently.

“There’s no way you could afford these on a maid’s salary.”

“T-they’re all cheap! They only look fancy, but they’re not worth much, really.”

“I’m afraid I don’t agree.”

The man picked up a jeweled ring. Flipping it over, he revealed the engraving carved delicately on the inside.

He read it slowly, “La Duboin. You’re calling La Duboin cheap? That’s a very questionable sense of value you have there. What are you, a hidden princess from some foreign kingdom?”

La Duboin was a jewelry shop based in Leaphor. It wasn’t the most prestigious in the Essenharn Empire, but since it was located in the capital, it carried a certain level of prestige. Its main customers were nobles of modest rank or very wealthy commoners.

The man stared at May with sharp eyes. Her lips trembled uncontrollably.

“Where did you get all of these? In that mansion, only the baron and the baroness owned or could afford such things. Which of the two gave them to you?”

“….”

“Did you steal them from the baroness?”

“No!”

May’s face turned ashen as she shouted without thinking. Being accused of theft was unbearable. If she were suspected of touching her employer’s belongings, she wouldn’t just be fired without a reference, but she’d be blacklisted from ever working in another household again. If she were thrown out like this, with nothing to her name….

She wrapped her trembling arms tightly around her stomach.

“The baron… gave them to me.”

“And why would he give you something like this?”

“Just… just because I worked hard… as a gift….”

“For working hard?”

When May saw the man’s mouth twist into a crooked smile, her face flushed red. Shame welled up so strongly she thought she might cry. In the end, she shut her eyes tightly and spoke.

“…You’re thinking exactly what you think you are.”

“I’ve never said what I was thinking, yet you claim to know. Remarkable.”

At the man’s mocking tone, May clenched her teeth. She couldn’t bear it any longer.

“Stop mocking me! Fine, yes! I was involved with the baron… that kind of relationship, an affair! I was his mistress! Are you satisfied now?!”

May screamed with her face burning red, then buried it in her hands. Quiet sobs escaped through her fingers.

“Um… Inspector.”

The black-haired man, who had been watching in silence, turned his head when someone called to him. Spotting his subordinate, Martin, standing by the door, he rose from his seat.

“What is it?”

He stepped out of the interrogation room and closed the door behind him. Charlotte immediately realized that this man was the one in charge and hurried to speak.

“I’m from the morgue.”

Beside her, Martin flinched in surprise. Guilt pricked at Charlotte’s conscience, and she gave him an apologetic glance. Seeing the shock and confusion on Martin’s wide eyes made her feel even worse.

Forcing herself to look away, Charlotte held out the documents to the inspector.

“I’m Charlotte Robern, the one who performed Baron Turobe’s autopsy. I’ve brought my written opinion on a person who appears to be a strong suspect in this case.”

“…Henry Biles.”

As Henry reached out to take the papers, Charlotte quickly pulled her hand back and asked in a quiet voice, “Martin said you’ve already secured the prime suspect. Was that the person in that interrogation room?”

Henry looked between Charlotte and Martin for a moment. He hesitated, debating whether to reprimand his subordinate for leaking investigation details to an outsider, but since this woman had personally performed the autopsy on the baron’s body, he decided she wasn’t exactly an outsider and chose to let it slide just this once.

“The deceased baron’s mistress.”

“I know that. I have ears, you know.”

Charlotte tapped the side of her ear lightly. Remembering the suspect’s loud shouting and the door that had been left open, Henry gave a faint sigh before turning to Martin.

“From now on, knock before opening the door… or better yet, wait until the interrogation’s over.”

“S-sorry, Inspector.”

Henry’s voice was calm but carried enough weight to make anyone tense. Even without raising it, his tone alone was commanding. Martin stiffened and answered quickly. Charlotte hadn’t expected him to be scolded and felt another wave of guilt.

“Go on, Marin. I’ll speak with this lady myself.”

…Marin?

“My name’s Martin, Inspector.”

“Ah. My apologies.”

Did he just get his own subordinate’s name wrong? Charlotte blinked in disbelief, looking between the two of them. But apparently, she was the only one who found it strange. The two men continued talking as if nothing had happened. Martin glanced at Charlotte a few times as he left, but she could only offer a small, apologetic nod in return.

“Now then, Miss Ceylon.”

Henry looked at her steadily, his tone formal and measured. For a second, Charlotte actually wondered if her name really was Ceylon.

“…My name’s Charlotte.”

“Oh my, pardon me.”

Henry frowned slightly, his apology sounding genuinely sincere.

“Well then, Miss Céline, is there something you’d like to tell me?”

This time, Charlotte couldn’t hold back the thought that flashed through her mind.

…What the hell is wrong with this guy?