Surviving as a Writer in the British Empire

The Dartmoor Disappearance Case (7)

“Kwu, goong goong! That, what the hell is that, what……!”

Fernsby couldn’t get tired of turning white, so he glared at me with a blue face. Sufficient breathing is an expression of great embarrassment.

I approached Fernsby in silence. he shouted in a fit of rage.

“My, I could be wrong! And, with just one mistake…!”

“Not once.”

“Eh, huh?!”

It’s not just the imitation rubies I’ve broken.

Most of the gems Fernsby won over Shellman were dull in color or lacking luster, even when I saw them from a distance.

“One could say it was a mistake. From the second it is decline.”

However, that is only a part of the whole.

Skills originally honed by experts are not so easily rusted.

Even jewelry is a commodity that stands for permanent value since ancient times.

“By the way, what if not just one or two, but all of them?”

I can’t help but see it as intentional.

The question is, what is the intention?

It was then.

“As expected, Hanseul, good job.”

Suddenly, the door that had been closing the auction house opened. It was none other than the one who opened the door and came in.

“teacher!”

“I understand the whole situation.”

Arthur Conan Doyle. He was dragging someone in with Scotland Yard led by Detective Hopkins.

It was none other than the butler of Baron Carlisle.

“Short conclusion. Baron Carlisle is not missing. Here, Gazi was murdered by the butler Harold and the merchant Fernsby there.”

“Oh no! it is not so!!”

Fernsby screamed.

I grabbed him by the shoulders as he tried to jump up, and soon two policemen came and knocked him down.

“Mr. Fernsby, although you are a jeweler, you have been dealing regularly with the butcher in recent years. Not by buying meat, but by selling it. And that item is… sheep.”

“A sheep?”

I looked at Arthur Conan Doyle with a puzzled look.

Arthur Conan Doyle nodded, lit a pipe and asked me.

“Yes. Do you know what I mean?”

“······if.”

no, wait. no way?

I turned to the butler. Then he turned his head and closed his eyes.

“Are you stolen? By feeding the gems to the sheep?”

“It’s Bingo.”

Arthur Conan Doyle, who exhaled smoke with a sigh, continued his explanation slowly.

“Then, of course, the one who can get their hands on the baron’s jewelry must be the culprit, right? That butler knows the value and location of jewels, and even knows the secret passages in the castle, so he can easily escape the gaze of the baron. At the same time, he is a person who can negotiate with the shepherd.”

“That, that’s a slander! Is there only one or two people in this castle who can do that!?”

“But you’re the only one among them who has days when spending suddenly goes to waste, or suddenly money from an unknown source pops up.”

They are more like circumstantial evidence than speculation. However, simjeung is also indirect evidence to eventually develop into physical evidence.

The same is true in this case. The notebook held by Detective Hopkins proved it.

“It was as Conan Doyle said. I checked the fake jewels in the auction catalog that Mr. Fernsby had taken without even looking at them.”

“That, that!”

Indeed, the reason they bought and collected them even though they knew they were fake was to keep their crimes from being discovered.

If the jewelry sold elsewhere turns out to be fake, and if it wasn’t one or two, I’ll track down the reason.

and.

“Furthermore, we found a secret ledger with the details of the transaction with the butler.”

Until the evidence that is the decision.

“Would you like to be more outspoken?”

“I had no intention of killing you.”

The shivering butler spoke slowly.

“I, I just. I just wanted to receive the inheritance I deserved rightly! By the way, but damn it! The famous uncle is saying that he will return his property to society when he dies!!”

“… Uncle?”

what is this again

It was the moment I thought so. Some of the police rushed in from outside the door.

“Detective Hopkins!! I’m sorry, but this is a request for support!!”

“What is it? Where is the shepherd I told you to catch!”

“Dogs, dogs! no, is it a wolf? Anyway, what a beast…!”

dog? what dog?

And as if in response to that question, the loud howling of the dog resounded outside.

─Kong!! Cuckoo!! kkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkong!!

and.

─Kwaang!!

“Ugh, ahh!!”

At that moment, something black came in and bit the policeman’s arm in front of the door and twisted it. Yes, it was the same cop who had been holding the butler up until now.

“monster!?”

No, not a monster. It was a black dog.

He’s a pretty big guy too.

It looks like a mastiff, but it looks very ferocious, probably because it is a crossbreed with another.

There was a considerable sense of intimidation given by the threatening atmosphere.

Life gushing out of red eyes. Mouth dripping from the corners of your mouth. Even fangs that openly reveal threats that are torn down to the bottom of the ears.

─Roaring…!

Behind the white-toothed guy, near the open door, there were already two people holding onto their feet and wallowing in blood.

And a man who came past them.

“father!”

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father? I frowned and looked at the man who had followed the officers.

It didn’t immediately come to mind because of his ragged appearance, but his features were very similar to Harold’s butler. Could it be that the shepherd was the butler’s son?

“Ah, Jack!”

The butler, who had been imprisoned, rose to his feet with the help of his son.

At that moment, the shepherd throws something stinky from his bag and shouts.

“Alec! Stop it!”

─Kyung, Kkong!!

A dog that reveals its teeth while blocking the back of the two who run away in an instant. The shepherd and the butler started running away in the meantime.

Damn, what the hell is this all of a sudden.

“He runs away!”

“Damn it, catch the culprit!”

“No way, let’s shoot!”

“wait! Then, when others get hit…!”

It was then. He scans his surroundings, and his eyes are fixed on Monty, who was behind me.

And the one near Monty… Damn it! The bag he threw earlier was nearby.

That moment.

─Kleurreung!!

The guy was shot forward in an instant.

However, if you step back here, you will only be recognized as a prey. Because dogs are animals that have a habit of aiming for the back.

I instantly threw the plate of fruit on the table at the attacker.

Clink!!

Dishes are broken, and fruit is scattered in all directions.

It hit him in the face and backed away a bit. And then he growls with an even more angry expression.

Seeing that he turned his head, it seemed that the aggro was properly taken this way.

I gritted my teeth, took off the coat I was wearing, held it in both hands and opened it wide.

“Whoa…”

“Ha, Hanseul? What are you going to do?”

“Sir, take Monty and step back.”

an imminent situation. I glared at him from the front as if threatening him.

Contrary to prejudices such as the courage of lions, the surviving beasts are cowards. If they hadn’t evolved into cowards, they would have gone extinct.

When you spot an unknown enemy, your genes have evolved to gather information about the opponent instead of rushing right away.

I gathered the courage I lacked and stood in front of my guy.

After that, let’s calm down.

─Kong! kong!

So does that guy. No matter how big it is, I was also quite tall among Koreans in the 21st century. Not much more to say in 19th century England.

—Ugh, growl…!

So, even though the aggro was attracted this way, he is not able to attack me easily. But you’re gritting your teeth.

Its tail snapped up and began wagging rapidly.

and.

─Karlureung!!

As expected, the guy runs. I gritted my teeth and pulled the coat I was spreading out to the sides.

At the same time, the guy opens his mouth. I shoved my coat pulled tight into the gaping mouth.

“nice······!!”

─Kreung, kreuleung…!

“Stay still!!”

In a power struggle, I am pushed. But never fall. I tried to force myself out and moved backwards so he wouldn’t lose his coat.

and.

Kwak-!

I picked up a lemon that had fallen and burst it in front of the guy’s face.

A dog’s sense of smell is more than 1,000 times stronger than a human’s, and this stimulus, which is not weak even to humans, is fatal to dogs.

I take advantage of the gap when he is squeamish and can’t keep his mind.

“Turn it off!!”

I kicked off the ground and put all my weight on my arms. My full weight was on my neck, and the coat I was still holding with both hands was my mouth and nose.

Completely closed on both sides.

─Uhreung, kreung, kowooung!!!

“Wait, hee, wait!!”

saliva splatters in the face

The stench stung my nose. The moment I was about to fall out of the dog’s strength, even with its teeth.

I make eye contact with Monty, who is looking at me from afar.

“Turn it off!!”

─Auuu!!

how much time has passed like that

─Kkeukreuk······.

The guy’s body falls over.

Fortunately, it worked.

“After, after…”

He is a man of considerable strength for his size. I involuntarily took a deep breath.

After that, it’s difficult. You can feel sweat pouring down your back.

Then he hurriedly shouted to the people behind him.

“hurry! Go after them!!”

“Ah, I see.”

A few people who have come to their senses at my words start chasing the criminals who hurriedly escaped.

“Hanseul! Are you okay?”

And in the meantime, Conan Doyle, who had entrusted Monty to Mr. Carstairs, approached and talked to him.

Oh wait.

“Wait, it’s dangerous right now, so let’s deal with this dog first. Please bring me something to tie him up quickly.”

“Ah, I see!”

It’s in a state of suppression, but you don’t know when it will happen. It’s the first time I’ve ever tried a triangle choke against a dog.

So I didn’t take my eyes off him, still giving my body strength.

After that, the police who brought the net surrounded the dog, and it was only after the dog was completely restrained that he was able to escape from the spot.

After I completely relaxed and sat down, Conan Doyle approached me and sighed.

“That was great! It’s like Hercules catching Cerberus!!”

“I am Heck. What kind of… I was lucky.”

“Good luck! I didn’t know you could handle dogs so well.”

“This is a bit different from handling a dog…”

Well, he seems to have looked from there to there.

By the way, I learned a little bit of jiu-jitsu before, but I never imagined that my experience would be used like this.

“Anyway, I am tired. I think I need to get some rest first.”

“okay. Well done. Leave the rest to us,”

“Yes, then please follow me.”

Arthur Conan Doyle went away. And as if to replace him, Monty came and started crying and making a fuss.

I relaxed and patted Monty’s head lightly.

Aigoo, it’s saksin.

I just wanted to eat yukgaejang, and they said what kind of trouble this is.

***

“A bog?”

“Yes, he was shot while running and lost his way, so he heard it wrong. Fortunately, I was rescued. Later, through a search, we also found the body of Baron Carlisle.”

A few days later, in the carriage back to Ashfield.

I listened to the end of the case there, rubbing my aching shoulder.

According to the explanation of the butler who confessed, the butler and his son stole jewels at first.

The butler uses a secret passage to carry the jewels out, and the shepherd retrieves them and feeds them to the sheep.

And what if you take the sheep and sell them to Fernsby? the perfect crime.

“The problem was that during the theft, the scene of feeding the sheep with jewels was caught by Baron Carlisle, who noticed that the jewels were being replaced with fakes.”

It’s obvious, but Baron Carlisle was angry with the butler and the shepherd, and the road was rampant.

No, it seems that it was not a dog raised for the purpose of shepherding in the first place. Well, who uses such a fierce dog as a shepherd dog? I would have used it as a hunting dog.

Perhaps it was to get rid of other servants who might get in the way while trading jewels.

“Aha… Then what do you mean by that uncle?”

“Ah, they say that Baron Carlyle had an illegitimate brother with a difference in age. He died quite some time ago, but he had one child. He must have been Harold the butler.”

“Huh, true.”

“The baron’s rumors of a prostitute also seem to be a misunderstanding stemming from cleaning up for his half-brother. honestly isn’t it? If you suddenly say that an unmarried person is secretly meeting children, it will look like raising an illegitimate child.”

“The baron must have suffered a lot too.”

Sorry again for misunderstanding. Well, that person really didn’t seem to come out of the dust.

“Anyway, that’s probably why I couldn’t openly question the butler even though I vaguely noticed that something was wrong. I didn’t want to create a big problem with housework in the first place.”

But that crossed the line. It’s kind of bittersweet to see such a good man go away.

I leaned my back against the carriage.

So, is the mystery solved? It was a messy business trip in many ways.

Arthur Conan Doyle patted me on the shoulder and said,

“Anyway, this case could have fallen into a labyrinth if I didn’t care, but thanks to you, I was able to solve it easily. Thank you, there will probably be a plaque of appreciation at Scotland Yard.”

“Ah, I haven’t done much… I’d appreciate it if you would.”

“It is a virtue of a good citizen not to subtract when it is not necessary.

Arthur Conan Doyle and I looked at each other and smiled like weary comrades.

“Hmm, and Bonnie. Can I rent a room at your house for a while?”

“yes? Well, it doesn’t matter… is there something urgent?”

“No, it’s not a big deal, but something inspired me. Hmm, I want to get this into manuscript ASAP.”

“yes!?”

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Not suddenly… but finally?

Could it be that we are going to write Holmes’ new work in our house right now?