The detective is dead, I did it.

Chapter 21 Long Live the White Silk

"Who's left in their family now?"

"Old Mr. Holmes has long since passed away, and the young lady's mother has become mentally unstable due to some strange illness. There is no one else besides her."

No wonder that guy fired most of his servants; thinking about it now, it really wasn't necessary.

"Her relationship with the armed detective..." Li Ang changed the subject, "...doesn't seem as tense as with other detectives?"

Old Donald nodded. "The young lady is indeed exceptional in this respect."

"Most detective detectives and armed detectives have a bad relationship and can't stand each other. But the young lady is different; she has a very good relationship with the current chief of the armed detectives."

"So, even though some people on the armed detectives' side don't like her, no one dares to really offend her."

I don't know how they did it. They keep calling those idiots "armed detectives," yet they have a very good relationship with the boss and can even get the boss to take action personally.

"Mr. Donald," Leon stood up, "thank you for telling me this."

"You're welcome." The old butler bowed slightly. "You're the first guest the young lady brought home; she'll find out about these things sooner or later."

Just then, footsteps came from the stairs; it was Charlotte coming down from upstairs.

She changed her clothes again. She wore a white shirt with a small tie at the collar, a long trench coat, and a knee-length skirt.

The only constant was the white stockings on her calves; it was clear she really liked that style.

"Assistant, what are you talking about?"

As she walked down the stairs, she witnessed the two finishing their conversation. Old Donald tactfully excused himself, leaving the two alone.

"Let's talk about you," Li Ang replied directly, without trying to hide anything.

"Oh?" Charlotte smiled meaningfully. "Could it be that you've finally fallen for me? I don't dislike a little flattery."

"When did your dreams come true?"

"Really." Charlotte sat down on the sofa, crossed her legs, and raised her small foot wrapped in white stockings. "If you frankly express your feelings, maybe I'll give you a reward."

She wiggled her toes, and the stockings tightened slightly under the movement of her toes, revealing the shape of her toes.

Li Ang glanced at it, then looked away expressionlessly.

Forget it. I'm not that kind of person.

If it were thighs covered in white stockings instead, he might be a little interested.

You think you can get rid of him with just a toe? Pshaw!

"Alright, I'll be frank." Li Ang crossed his arms. "You're certainly good-looking, those white stockings look great, and you're definitely smart, but your personality—"

"Stop." Charlotte raised her hand to interrupt him. "You don't need to say anything more."

"Didn't you tell me to be honest?"

"Frankness goes too far and becomes offensive," Charlotte said after making herself a cup of black tea. "Some things are more fun when they're kept a little mysterious."

"Oh, by the way," Charlotte's tone suddenly became more serious, "come out with me tomorrow. I have a new request."

"What request?"

"A nobleman. A priceless jeweled necklace went missing from his collection."

"And what's even worse is that the thief left a postcard saying he would come back tomorrow to take the rest of the collection."

"Postcards?" Li Ang frowned.

"Yes. It says, 'Tomorrow night at 8 PM, I will collect the emerald ring from your collection. Stay tuned.' Then there's a clown's head below, which looks like a signature or something."

"...What Phantom Thief Declaration?" Li Ang blurted out instinctively.

"The Phantom Thief's Declaration?" Charlotte asked, puzzled.

"What a strange thief. But why would they leave this postcard? Was it just to provoke us?"

"It's a provocation, and also a warning." Charlotte stood up and took a few steps in the living room. "That nobleman is very angry. He spent a lot of money to invite me over and vowed to find the culprit."

Li Ang looked at her and said, "I thought you only took on murder cases."

"How could that be? What do you take me for? Murders happen every day, but most of them are mundane. I can find the culprit in ten minutes. It's nothing special."

She walked back to the sofa, sat down again, and placed her hands on her knees. "But this case is different. There are some things about it... that are very interesting."

"What?"

"Poch, do you believe in the existence of the perfect crime?" Charlotte asked a question that caught everyone off guard.

Li Ang thought about it seriously. Although he hadn't read many detective novels in his previous life, he knew a basic principle.

Whenever a perpetrator commits a crime, some evidence will inevitably be left at the scene.

"Probably not."

"It's a pity," Charlotte shook her head, "that for super-powered criminals encountered by detectives, many cases seem like the perfect crime."

Li Ang remembered the heretical woman; her ability was to transfer evidence she left at a crime scene to other people.

She seemed capable of committing the perfect crime, but she wasn't smart enough.

After the case was transferred to Conniesha, the detective discovered during her investigation that Conniesha had no opportunity to commit the crime, and the clues and alibi directly conflicted.

It was this point that made Charlotte realize that there might be a superpowered criminal behind this.

"Then how do we find the real culprit?" Li Ang asked.

"That's something the detective will have to figure out himself." She stood up. "You'll find out tomorrow. Get some rest, Poch. We're leaving early tomorrow morning, don't oversleep."

She walked up the stairs, her footsteps fading into the distance.

Li Ang sat on the sofa, thinking about two things.

One of them is a commission for tomorrow, containing both gems and a crime warning; it looks incredibly familiar.

The other one was Mrs. Connie.

It seems he... stood up that poor noblewoman.

They had agreed to meet in each other's rooms to exchange information about the Norman case, but so many things happened afterward that he completely forgot about Connie.

He just hoped that she wouldn't use this as an excuse to settle scores with him next time they met. But now neither of them had any leverage over him, and the other party couldn't do anything to him.

Meanwhile, Charlotte did not return to her room immediately, but instead went to another room on the third floor.

After a gentle knock, the door opened a crack, and a woman who bore a resemblance to Charlotte, but with a pale face, appeared.

"Hello, Mother."

Charlotte greeted the woman with respect and gentleness, but only received a vicious curse in return: "Get away from me! You bitch!"

Charlotte didn't seem angry at all, and just continued to smile: "I'm relieved to see that you're still in such good spirits, Mother."

"Don't call me mother! I don't have a daughter like you!!!" The woman's voice suddenly became frantic.

"Mother, what are you saying? I've always been your daughter! It's just that you've forgotten."

Charlotte's lips curled into a strange smile, and her blue eyes turned unusually cold.

"Even if I never came to the past, I would always be your daughter, always Charlotte Holmes."