HBWnovel Chapter 702 Theater Investigation
Chapter 702 Theater Investigation
"What's wrong?"
Strand's soft voice carried a hint of bewilderment. He tilted his head slightly, his fluffy hair swaying gently with the movement, and his clear eyes looked at Mr. Deduction with curiosity.
The other person's fingertips were so focused on stroking the envelope that his brows furrowed almost imperceptibly. That moment of seriousness was completely different from his usual composure, which made him unable to help but ask another question.
Upon hearing this, Mr. Deduction paused for a moment, then casually closed the envelope in front of him, which was embossed with a dark gold emblem, leaving a slight scraping sound on the wooden table.
He looked up at Stellan, a gentle smile playing on his lips, his tone calm and unwavering: "It's alright, Stellan."
He paused, then added as if suddenly remembering something, "Would you like to come with me to a show? The Golden Rose Theatre downtown has a new play in production, and we'll bring Inara along."
"Really?" Stellan's eyes lit up instantly, as if filled with starlight, and his previous doubts vanished immediately.
He clenched his little hands excitedly, nodding repeatedly, his tone full of joy: "Yes! I've heard Inara say that the set design for that show is really beautiful. When are we leaving?"
Mr. Deduction watched his excited expression, a subtle, unspoken meaning flashing in his eyes, before nodding and saying, "Tonight, I've already booked three tickets."
Strand ran excitedly to tell Inara the good news, and soon the room was filled with the cheerful laughter of two children.
Only Mr. Deduction himself knew that he had never had the leisure to appreciate those well-arranged stage plays.
The envelope, sealed with the crest of a noble family, did not contain a performance invitation, but a heartfelt letter seeking help. A noble count had sent someone to deliver the message that the lead actress of the Golden Rose Theatre had accidentally fallen off the stage in front of the audience after a performance. There were many suspicious points at the scene, but the theatre hastily concluded that it was an "accidental fall."
The count, who was the actress's patron, always felt something was amiss, so he specially invited him, who was known for his keen insight, to secretly investigate this strange death under the guise of watching a performance.
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One more thing,
This incident also gave Mr. Deduction a deadline, not because the noble count was particularly anxious for Mr. Deduction to find out anything,
Rather, if he didn't return Stellan and Inara before midnight, Joseph would find out.
He assured Joseph that he would definitely kill him, then resurrect him, turn him into a zombie, and then kill him again.
(x_x;)
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Mr. Deduction lived like a thief, hunching over and keeping his body low to the ground. With one hand holding the bouncy Strand and the other protecting the curious Inara, he tiptoed to the entrance of the Golden Rose Theater.
Honestly, he felt uneasy the whole way, as if the passersby were scrutinizing him, making him look like a villain who had kidnapped a child—although in terms of "sneaking out with the child without Joseph's knowledge," his actions were indeed not far off.
Before he could even catch his breath, he was stopped at the theater entrance. The doorman, dressed in a crisp uniform, said with a businesslike expression, "Sir, you can enter the theater with a performance ticket, but the backstage area is a staff-only area and you can't just go in and out."
Though the words were harsh, they made sense. Mr. Detective knew he was asking the impossible; he couldn't simply force his way backstage to investigate with just a ticket. He stood there, frowning, his fingertips unconsciously rubbing the envelope in his pocket, pondering how to sneak in, when a familiar male voice suddenly came from behind him: "Isn't this Mr. Detective? Long time no see!"
He turned around and saw that it was his old acquaintance, Ronald. The two had served in the same unit years ago, fought side by side through thick and thin, and had developed a deep friendship.
After so many years, Ronald had shed the sharpness of his military uniform and donned an exquisite performance suit. He stood tall and his brows held a more composed air about him—who would have thought that he would now be the leading man at the Golden Rose Theatre.
It's like searching for a needle in a haystack.
With Ronald's voucher as an "insider," the doorman immediately dropped his obstructive stance. Mr. Deduction breathed a sigh of relief, quickly thanked his old friend, and was finally able to take his two children and enter the theater backstage without any problem.
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"Thanks, Ronald, I owe you one." Mr. Detective patted his old friend on the shoulder, his tone full of sincerity—if it weren't for this timely reunion, he would have had to go through a lot of trouble at the door.
Ronald waved his hand, but his gaze bypassed him and fell on the two little ones standing on his left and right.
Strand was looking up at the gorgeous costumes hanging backstage, while Inara clutched the hem of Mr. Detective's clothes, curiously observing the uncle in front of her who was dressed in an exquisite suit.
His gaze swept over the two children's exquisitely beautiful faces, then he looked up at Mr. Deduction, a mischievous smile instantly appearing in his eyes, his tone tinged with teasing:
"You're welcome, Mr. Deduction. It's just that I really didn't expect..."
He paused deliberately, drawing out his words.
"You're married now, and your kids are all grown up? Such a big event, and you didn't even send me a wedding invitation? That's so inconsiderate!"
"Huh?" Mr. Deduction was completely stunned, his eyes widened, the corner of his mouth froze in mid-air, and his face was full of bewilderment, as if someone had put an unexpected label on him out of nowhere.
He quickly waved his hand, his words becoming several punctuated: "No, no, stop, stop! What are you thinking? They're not my children, they belong to my friend! I'm just helping to look after them!"
"Ah, yes, yes, it's my friend's child."
Ronald drawled out the last syllable, raised an eyebrow, and his eyes clearly said, "I don't believe a single punctuation mark."
He had already figured it out in his mind: a friend's child? If it were just an ordinary friend's child, would he feel comfortable letting him bring such a messy place as the backstage area of a theater?
And of all things that happened, he happened to be investigating a case—he's really too carefree.
He didn't believe this explanation at all. Instead, he was more inclined to believe that the children's mother was either tied up with something or not around, and Mr. Deduction had no choice but to bring these two little ones along to handle his work.
Seeing Ronald's knowing look that said, "I understand, you don't need to explain," Mr. Detective opened his mouth, but ultimately swallowed back the rest of his explanation.
Alright, the more I explain, the more confused things get. The important thing right now is to investigate the case. Let's put this misunderstanding aside for now.
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But the moment the late actress, Mrs. Bella, was mentioned, Ronald's smile vanished instantly, and his tone revealed undisguised disgust.
As the male lead in the theater, he should have frequently acted alongside Madame Bella, the female lead, but her personality was truly unpleasant.
Not only is her temper unpredictable—she can be all smiles one second and turn on you the next over the smallest thing—but what's worse is her inherent arrogance. She looks down on almost everyone in the theater, whether they are inexperienced newcomers or hardworking staff. No one can escape her contemptuous gaze.
Working with someone like that made Ronald feel uncomfortable and depressed all the time, and he secretly hoped that the team leader would replace her as soon as possible.
"Moreover, Mrs. Bella's performance has been getting worse and worse lately. She frequently makes mistakes in her lines and her movements are always off. She has dragged down the entire crew in several rehearsals."
He lowered his voice and leaned closer to Mr. Deduction to add,
"I think the commander has been secretly considering replacing her for a while now, but hasn't found the right opportunity. You could ask the commander for details, or go see Clotto, Mrs. Bella's stunt double. She's been with Mrs. Bella the longest, so she might know some inside information."
Mr. Deduction 11 took notes on Ronald's testimony. Although it was apologetic to his old friend, Ronald was now also a suspect, and he had to effectively record every word Ronald said that might have been mixed with lies from inside the driver's cab.
However, Ronald didn't care at all. He knew Mr. Detective was a very businesslike person. Instead, after he finished speaking, he squatted down and started working on Strand and Inara. It seemed that he really treated them as Mr. Detective's children, acting like an uncle.
Mr. Detective frantically chanted in his mind, his hands secretly clenching the hem of his clothes: Don't agree, Stellan, Inara, please don't agree! He even quickly calculated in his mind that if the children shook their heads, he would immediately find an excuse to take them to a corner, give them a few instructions, and maybe he could discover some details that adults overlook through the children's perspective.
result--
“Okay!” Stellan’s eyes lit up, but his crisp reply was like a bucket of cold water poured over Mr. Deduction’s head. Inara, standing beside him, nodded in agreement, her little face full of anticipation, clearly also curious about the “glowing prop” Ronald had mentioned.
Mr. Deduction felt a chill run down his spine and silently sighed inwardly:
It's over, completely over.
Actually, he brought the two children with him on purpose, with a little scheme in mind—Strand's keen observation skills beyond his age, and Inara's photographic memory, might inadvertently capture clues that the adults had overlooked, helping him advance the investigation faster.
But in the current situation, the two little ones are so focused on following Ronald backstage and seeing all the new things that they can't possibly pay attention to anything unusual. They probably can't help at all.
However, the disappointment was fleeting.
He quickly adjusted his mindset, after all, these two children were not his responsibility, he was just looking after them at the request of a friend.
He could neither force them to cooperate with the investigation nor should he use adult tasks to restrict children's playful nature.
Since they were willing to follow Ronald, it saved me from having to worry about multiple things at once, and I could focus on asking the commander and Croto for clues.
Thinking this through, Mr. Reasoning breathed a sigh of relief and nodded to Ronald, saying, "Please take good care of them and make sure they don't run around."