Cedric Stuart entered the room; his presence carried a quiet authority that filled the space without effort. His expression remained calm, though there was a faint stiffness behind his eyes — something restrained.
Cedric sat down on the armchair in front of Antonio.
"What business do you have with me, Mr. Holmes? I believe that I have already told you everything I knew," Cedric questioned.
"Oh, it's just that the investigation is taking longer than expected. So, I am just hoping for your cooperation," Antonio answered with a faint smile.
Cedric understood just by looking at his face that this was not going to be any ordinary interrogation.
Plastering a smile on his face, Cedric answered,
"Of course. Ask whatever you wish, I will try to answer to the best of my abilities."
Antonio gave a slight nod and began.
"Lord Cedric, was there any reason for the butler to go to the attic to collect the documents? If not, why else would he be found dead there?"
"I don't have any idea why he would go to the attic when I instructed him to get the documents from my office. Maybe he was led there by someone else and killed?"
"Why do you think so? And who could it be? None of the servants were even near the attic, and no pieces of evidence or testimonies hint at that."
"Mr. Holmes, I was just trying to give my opinion, which seemed the most logical to me. I wasn't trying to state a fact here."
"Worry not, I'll take your opinion… into consideration. But what I want to know right now is if you suspect someone."
"I don't really have anyone in mind. I am quite confident that my actions have not brought someone enough harm to take revenge against me like this."
"Is that so? Do you think Lucien Graves thinks the same thing?" Antonio questioned with a smirk on his face.
In an instant, Cedric went silent.
Not a single word left his mouth as he looked at Antonio with a sharp, piercing look.
Antonio gave a small chuckle.
"Why are you so quiet, Lord Cedric? I am a detective at the end of the day. You should've expected as much."
"Detective Holmes, do you think Lucien Graves is responsible for Evan's death?" Cedric questioned while glaring at him.
"I don't know. That is up to you to tell me why he would go so far. So, let me rephrase my question. What kind of feud took place between the two of you?"
"I don't know what you mean, Mr. Holmes. You phrase it like I have committed a crime," Cedric answered, his eyes fixed on Antonio.
"You know exactly what I mean, Lord Cedric. And committed a crime, you say? Lord Cedric, every merchant is a criminal. Deep down, even you know that," Antonio said, his voice stiff and filled with confidence.
"Are you threatening me?" Cedric tilted his head slightly, his eyes narrowing just enough.
"Threatening? That's a big word, Lord Cedric. Well, it's my fault for not being clear enough. I am a detective who is looking for the murderer of Evan Brundestter, the butler of the Stuart family. I am just trying to help you, Lord Cedric," Antonio answered, his smug smile not disappearing one bit.
"And how exactly are you planning to help me if I tell you what I know?"
"Isn't it pretty simple? If Lucien Graves indeed orchestrated the murder, then you'll lose an enemy in the market, and if it's someone else, then you'll lose an enemy after your life."
The room fell silent.
Only the sound of Cedric's finger tapping the armrest echoed through the room.
Until—
The tapping suddenly stopped.
"Fine. Since you're a 'detective,' you must also know what not to do with this information, right?" Cedric questioned, observing Antonio's face.
"Of course. I just want to solve this case, Lord Cedric. I do not want to create unnecessary enemies for myself."
"Understood. And as for the answer to your question, I'll send you a letter by tomorrow."
"Thank you for cooperating, Lord Cedric. But I am afraid that I must take my leave now."
"Of course, Detective Holmes. Walter will guide you out."
Both Antonio and Austin made their way out of the room, following behind Walter.
Austin looked back, then turned his gaze towards Antonio and whispered,
"Do people normally change expressions and mannerisms that fast?"
"He's a merchant, Austin. If he wasn't able to do that much, then he wouldn't be owning such a large guild."
"Makes sense."
Antonio and Austin sat in their carriage, ready to head to their next location.
Antonio instructed the carriage driver,
"Take us to St. Valerian Hospital."
Both of them remained quiet for a brief moment while the carriage made its way to the hospital.
Until—
"Sir, have you come up with a conclusion on who might be the prime suspect in this case?" Austin questioned.
Antonio turned his gaze away from the window towards Austin and took a brief look at him before answering.
"Do you want the long answer or the short one?" Antonio questioned, crossing his arms.
"Short one, first."
"I don't know," Antonio answered bluntly.
Austin paused for a brief moment at the blunt answer from Antonio.
"What about the long one?"
"The only lead we currently have is the feud between Cedric and Lucien, which may have led to Lucien taking his revenge by murdering Evan. But we cannot be too sure about that either, since he has shown no other suspicious movements. We have to wait for the letter that Cedric is going to send to us before drawing any conclusions."
"But do you really think Cedric is going to reveal the whole truth to us?"
"No, of course not. But what he is going to do is mix truth with lies. And we will have to pick out the truth by ourselves and investigate, since we are, you know—"
"Detectives."
"Correct. But my gut feeling says that we can learn something new about this case if we meet the doctor who did the postmortem of Evan's body. His name was Derek Whitaker, right?"
"Yes, sir."
The carriage stopped in front of St. Valerian Hospital.
Antonio, along with Austin, made their way to Derek Whitaker's office.
Knock. Knock.
"Come in," a voice came from behind the door.
Derek stood up and greeted both of them.
"Good afternoon, Mr. Holmes. I've been expecting you. Please take a seat," Derek said with a warm smile.
"And I've been meaning to talk to you for a while," Antonio answered while shaking his hand.
"I reckon it's about the postmortem I did on the man named Evan Brundestter?"
"You guessed it."
"But I am not sure if I'll be of any help, since I have already given you the report after doing the postmortem."
"Ah, don't worry. I have already read it completely, but I just wanted to pay you a visit before drawing any conclusions by myself. So, if you don't mind, may I begin the questioning?"
"Of course."
"Did you find anything suspicious on the body? Like something other than a knife that struck him?" Antonio questioned, leaning forward.
"No, sir. There were no other signs of any other weapon that could have been used on him."
"Then, did you discover any blood that did not belong to Evan?"
"If I did, I would've mentioned it in the report."
"Hm… oh yeah! The report said that his expression suggested that he was surprised at the time of his death. Would you mind telling me what that could mean?"
"The facial musculature was fixed in a manner suggestive of acute distress, though such presentation cannot be considered conclusive. After death, muscles naturally stiffen. This can lock the face into a position that looks emotional. But on the side, this could also suggest that the attack was sudden or shocking for him."
"Shocking in what way exactly?" Antonio questioned with interest.
"Mostly because he wasn't expecting it, or he wasn't expecting such an attack from the person who attacked him."
"From a person he didn't expect, you say. I'll keep that in mind. Then, say doctor, how do you think this scenario could have gone according to you?"
"Well, I am sorry to disappoint you, but I have no clue about that. I mean, you are the detective here, right?"
"Understandable. And I think I've heard enough. Thank you for giving us your time, Dr. Whitaker," Antonio said while getting up from his seat.
"Of course. I don't mind at all."
"See you, doctor—or not really, since you are a doctor."
Antonio and Austin took their leave from Dr. Derek's office.
"Austin, I've noticed this for a while. Why don't you join in on the conversation? You are always there like a statue, waiting for me to finish. You can also ask the questions that you might have in your mind, you know. That could actually help in a way."
"Oh, um—actually, you ask most of the questions that I have in mind. So, I don't really find any need to butt in. And I also always note everything from the conversation that follows."
"I ask most of the questions that you have in mind, not all. So, try to be a little more open with yourself the next time."
"U-Understood, sir."
"Good. And also bring me a list of people who were the closest to Evan in that mansion."
"Sir, are you really going to focus your investigation around a speculation just because of what that doctor said?"
"Everything counts when it's a case like this. Also, you haven't forgotten what I asked for, right?"
Austin looked at Antonio as if he could start a revolt at any moment.
"Of course… sir."
"Good," Antonio said with a soft chuckle.