Chapter 52: Really Didn’t Expect It

As a middle-aged, single man, one of the advantages was that he could go wherever he wanted, whenever he wanted.

Just like Inspector Lestrade right now.

After Inspector Lestrade made his decision, he handed over the rest of the work to Officer Fletcher, then drove off with Levi, leaving the Police Station and heading toward the Lancaster Manor.

Incidentally, in this era, there was of course no such regulation prohibiting the use of public vehicles for private matters.

“Tutututututu……….”

The little steam car chugged merrily along the asphalt road, spraying steam as it went.

Of course, from Levi’s perspective, the car’s speed wasn’t exactly fast, but it was at least much faster than a carriage.

And at the wheel, Inspector Lestrade was humming along to the cartridge-style music player in the carriage, the tune somewhat resembling jazz.

“You see, this is life, this is freedom.”

Inspector Lestrade chuckled, humming while speaking.

“Are you sure you won’t be punished for this?”

“Of course not. Working with you people does have its perks.”

Hearing Levi’s question, Inspector Lestrade let out a hearty laugh.

“If I left on my own, some troublesome fellows might come looking to bother me. But if I leave with you, then there’s no problem. Besides, I really did want to go back and take another look at that place……… After all, that manor holds some sentimental value for me. It was the very first case I worked on after becoming a policeman. Before that, I was just patrolling the streets, catching petty thieves and the like……….”

“Regarding that couple, do you have any other information you can provide?”

Since there was nothing better to do on the road, Levi casually asked.

“Hmm, let me think. I still remember it quite clearly. That couple hadn’t been in Mist City for very long when it happened. The reason they bought that manor was to break into Mist City’s social circle. The husband ran an antique trade business, while the wife was mainly responsible for hosting guests. Before that tragedy, they held various themed parties at the manor every weekend, inviting other guests to enjoy themselves together.”

Inspector Lestrade said this with an expression of slight regret.

“Of course, we also suspected that the two might have been involved in some illegal dealings, but after checking their records, nothing unusual came up. The people they associated with were all reputable and prestigious, and their servants testified that there was nothing unusual.”

“Servants? Didn’t you say at the time of the case there were only the killer and the two victims? What about the servants?”

“They were hourly workers hired from nearby villages. They usually worked during the day, then went home after dinner.”

“You really do remember this case clearly.”

Levi gave Inspector Lestrade a surprised glance.

The latter looked a little embarrassed.

“Hahaha, you see, back then I thought I might be able to find some clue in it and crack a big case. At the time, I was just a rookie, so you can understand my feelings. A greenhorn officer solving a mysterious big case and receiving commendation……… Heh, but in the end, it was just the kind of fantasy young men tend to have.”

At this point, Inspector Lestrade turned his gaze toward Levi.

“By the way, what are you going there for? Don’t tell me that case really has some hidden truth?”

“I don’t even know the case you’re talking about. I’m going there to investigate the manor itself. It’s connected to another case I investigated previously.”

“I see………”

The two of them continued chatting as they drove.

Then Inspector Lestrade slowed the car down, looking forward.

Levi also looked ahead, only to see a steam car slanted on the side of the road, wheezing pitifully with intermittent steam — looking half-dead.

“What is it?”

“Let’s go take a look.”

As a policeman, Inspector Lestrade still had a sense of duty.

Even if he had taken this drive as an excuse to get out with Levi, he hadn’t forgotten his responsibilities.

Now, he drove the little car closer with a “tutututu.” As they got nearer, they saw a man and a woman standing beside the broken-down vehicle — the man bent over, inspecting the front of the car, while the woman stood anxiously at his side.

Seeing another steam car approach, the woman quickly ran over to the man and tugged his sleeve.

The man raised his head and looked toward Levi and Inspector Lestrade.

“Hey there, sir, miss.”

Inspector Lestrade leaned out and waved to them.

“What happened?”

“Our car broke down.”

Perhaps it was Inspector Lestrade’s barrel-shaped physique radiating a sense of security, but the two didn’t seem too nervous.

The bespectacled man pushed up his thick glasses and spoke.

“Could you take a look at it for us?”

“Of course.”

Inspector Lestrade nodded, got out of the car, and went over.

Levi scanned the surroundings, then stepped out and stretched — although a steam car was faster than a carriage, its speed was still limited, and sitting for the whole ride left his body stiff.

A little stretch was good.

After carefully inspecting it, Inspector Lestrade quickly came to a conclusion.

“The water tank cracked.”

He fixed the two with a policeman’s keen stare.

“This car of yours is really old.”

“It’s rented.”

Ordinary people hardly ever realized when the police were probing them.

This bespectacled man was no exception.

“We just got married and planned a honeymoon trip, so we rented this steam car from a rental shop……….”

“These days, many rental shops aren’t that proper. Some even drag steam cars that were scrapped from junkyards, patch them up, and put them back on the road. Where did you rent yours from?”

“Thornflower Carriage Shop……….”

The bespectacled man hurriedly fished out the business card from his pocket and handed it over, not realizing Inspector Lestrade was testing him.

“I heard they were a proper shop with a good reputation……….”

“It’s all your fault, insisting on renting a steam car.”

The newlywed wife beside him now voiced her displeasure.

“A carriage would have been just fine……….”

“But steam cars are the trend now……… Besides, the newspapers say that in the future everyone will be driving steam cars……….”

The bespectacled man hastily explained, but judging by his wife’s dissatisfied expression, his explanation was of little use.

“Looks like you two were just unlucky.”

After chatting a while longer — long enough to practically trace their family tree — Inspector Lestrade finally changed the topic.

“Where are you headed?”

“We were going to a nearby inn. Could you give us a ride?”

“Of course.”

Inspector Lestrade nodded, then led them back to the car.

At this point, Levi was sitting in the passenger seat, leisurely sipping tea — one undeniable advantage steam cars had over petrol ones was that hot water was always available.

With a teapot in the middle, one could drink warm tea the entire trip.

“Levi?”

“Mm? What is it?”

“Their car broke down. We’ll give them a lift.”

“No problem.”

Levi took another sip of tea and nodded to the two.

“Would you like a cup?”

At the sight of Levi, the newlywed wife under her sun hat blushed, staring blankly at him without a word.

Her bespectacled husband, however, immediately pulled her close with a wary look, then forced a smile at Levi.

“N-no need. Thank you for the trouble.”

“You’re welcome.”

After this little interlude, the group continued their journey.

The newlywed couple sat in the back seat, while their broken-down vehicle was towed behind — since steam cars of this era were essentially tractors, pulling a big iron box behind them was nothing unusual.

After all, there were no traffic regulations yet.

The new bride was lively, frequently sharing stories of her honeymoon trip with the others — mainly directed at Levi.

Her husband, meanwhile, looked timid, as if wanting to chime in but unable to find the words.

Levi had seen this kind of thing many times, so he wasn’t bothered.

He responded casually, just to pass the time.

The police steam car wasn’t especially powerful, and hauling cargo wasn’t its specialty.

Now, with a heavy iron box hitched behind, its speed dropped even more.

Dusk was falling, and the landscape was still a stretch of desolate countryside.

Fortunately, the asphalt road remained smooth enough to be reassuring.

“Where is your inn located?”

Inspector Lestrade asked.

At this pace, it might be dark before they arrived.

They might as well stay the night at the inn and head out the next day.

“Not far. Just ahead.”

The bespectacled man held the map and pointed.

“Turn left at the next junction.”

The car chugged along with a “tutututu.” At last, around dusk, they saw a small side road.

Naturally, it wasn’t as smooth as the asphalt road, but fortunately it was still passable.

They left the main road and twisted along the narrow path for a while until a manor, stylish in appearance, came into view.

At the sight of the building, Inspector Lestrade froze, then turned to the bespectacled man.

“Here?”

“Of course. Look, it says so on the sign.”

The bespectacled man adjusted his glasses and pointed to a sign nearby.

“Red Moon Inn!”

“Ah, mm……………”

Inspector Lestrade grunted, then drove forward.

Seeing his pensive expression, Levi raised an eyebrow and asked softly:

“What’s wrong? Is there a problem?”

“Well, not exactly a problem.”

Inspector Lestrade gazed at the manor with a complicated expression.

“Really didn’t expect that this place would be turned into an inn……………”

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