Whispering Verse

After making an agreement with the two ghosts, Shade returned to the lawn in front of the entrance to the underground chamber in the cemetery and waited.

The wait lasted for more than half an hour, and there was a simple farewell ceremony in the underground tomb. The guests who came to attend the funeral also understood Mrs. Watson's mood.

While Shade was standing under the tree, someone finally came to talk to him. That was Mrs. Watson's business partner, who owned a coal processing plant south of the city.

He knew Shade's identity, so he asked Shade if he could help deal with some troublesome license documents:

"In order to make the air in the city better, Tobesk has recently put forward operating time requirements for factories like ours that emit exhaust gas. Mr. Hamilton, do you know how much money this will cause me to lose?"

The fat middle-aged businessman in a tie coughed. He was not pretending. There seemed to be something wrong with his lungs:

"I would say that there is no evidence that the fog in the city is harmful to the human body, and there is no evidence that these dense fogs can make people sick. I even think that this 'industrial smell' can make children stronger. Mr. Hamilton, I won’t let your help go in vain.”

He coughed again, his face turned red, and his lungs sounded like a broken bellows.

Of course Shade was short of money, but he would not take such immoral money, not to mention he had no way to go to the city hall to smoothen relations. So he politely rejected the fat businessman's request. The latter seemed to think that Shade was dissatisfied with the insufficient reward, so he could only walk away muttering, complaining in a low voice about the greed and shamelessness of the "noble gentlemen".

"There really is everyone."

Shade thought, gaining a deeper understanding of the madness and ignorance of this era.

While waiting, the already gloomy sky finally started to rain lightly. People on the lawn could only rush back to the chapel to wait, while Old Mrs. Watson's servants were holding umbrellas and waiting for the group to return.

The rain was getting heavier, so when the priest, gravekeeper and Mr. Watson's relatives returned to the church, Mrs. Watson simply thanked her and announced that the funeral was over.

The guests left, and old Mrs. Watson and the tombkeeper stood by the church podium, talking about the management of the tomb, where she would be placed after her death.

Johns Watson, the younger brother of Mr. Watson, the protagonist of the funeral, stayed to chat with Shade. In fact, even if he didn't come to Shade, Shade would go to him. After all, the conversation with Old Mrs. Watson later would also need some reason.

There is no connection between Shade and this middle-aged man, but little Watson still attaches great importance to Shade's identity. His words reveal that he knows that Shade is favored by Duchess Carina. In addition to thanking Xia De for coming today, he also talked about his family affairs in a half-complaining manner, which could be regarded as a closer relationship with Xia De:

"Before this funeral, we had no contact with that woman for more than ten years. My father and mother always believed that she killed my brother. Even though her brother had died of illness, our family has never been willing to forgive her. she."

But in Shade's view, whether it is a man who has an extramarital affair or a woman who kills someone while drunk, they are both at fault. Fortunately, this is someone else's family matter and has nothing to do with him, so he doesn't have to bother to judge.

"It might also be a balance. I just have to see, not think."

This thought popped into Shade's head.

Echoing Mr. Johns Watson's words, the two exchanged business cards. Only then did Shade learn that this descendant of a nobleman who had not inherited a title, in addition to his own property, actually had a temporary position in the tax department of the city hall.

Since he still had to wait to get paid, Shade had every reason to stay and wait. It's just that the rain is getting heavier and heavier, making Shade a little worried about how he should go back. Then I was thinking about whether the windows at home were closed and whether the cat at home would be frightened by the rain.

Summer is the rainy season in Tobesk, and sudden heavy rains like this are actually very common.

The smell of dampness and earth mixed together, drifting in with the wind from outside the church, but it also dissipated the midsummer heat.

Seeing that Old Mrs. Watson's conversation was not over yet, Shade stood up from the bench and came to the door of the church. He looked at the rain falling under the eaves, blocking the door of the church like a curtain. This heavy rain can at least keep Tobesk cool for a while. The first summer a foreigner spends in this world seems not to be much different from the summer in his hometown.

When almost all the people had left, Old Mrs. Watson finished talking to the tombkeeper. She sat in the front pew of the church talking to Shade.

"I'm really sorry for keeping you waiting for so long. I just talked about things after death, and I accidentally talked a few more words with the tombkeeper here."

The old woman smiled sheepishly, her voice still so slow, and the wrinkles on her face gathered together when she laughed.

She motioned to the servant on the side to hand the reward to Shade, who took it while thanking him. The 20 pounds in cash was put directly into his pocket, and the Rhodes card with special rules was played in his hand:

[Kasenlik Southern Folklore·Moon Dance Festival], color: Sun 4.

When this card is drawn, if you hold a moon suit card in your hand and the sum of the points does not exceed 7, then if the card is busted this round, the total points will be adjusted to 1.

Except for [Original Silver Moon], among all the special Rhodes cards that Shade has seen, the function of this card is already very useful. When you hold this card, you can bet on luck with your opponent safely and boldly, and you can also make yourself lose less in gambling games such as double-exploding cards.

Shade heard about the [Carsonrick Southern Folklore] series of cards from Baron Lavender. This series of Rhodes cards was released more than fifty years ago. The price of a single special card will never be less than 70 pounds. .

"That's so generous of you."

Shade put away the cards to express his gratitude to the client, and the reward far exceeded his efforts.

"My husband also liked Rhodes cards during his lifetime. This was his old collection. He didn't spend many gold pounds when he bought it. Instead of waiting for me to die and be taken away by the people who divide the inheritance, why not give it to you? young people."

Old Mrs. Watson said, her cloudy eyes seemed to be recalling the past days.

The two ghosts next to Shade discussed the topic of Rhodes cards again, so Mr. Watson, who originally had a bad image in Shade's mind, gained another label of "likes gambling".

After putting away the cards, Shade pretended to be unintentional and then said:

"Speaking of which, Mr. Johns Watson, Mr. Watson's younger brother, said a few words to me just now."

"What did he say?"

The old woman asked alertly. Shade looked at the servants and guards standing nearby, so Mrs. Watson asked them to prepare umbrellas and the carriage for the return trip.

There were other people in the church, such as the two young priests who were cleaning the house, and the priest who was watching the rain at the door of the church. But these people are far away, so Shade can speak with confidence:

"He just said...Sorry, I shouldn't say this, but the Watson family seems to think that Mr. Watson's death that year..."

He shook his head:

"I have no other intention except that I will tell you now that the matter has been brought up. They seem to think that you and Mr. Mason murdered Mr. Watson together."

The old woman sat there with an expressionless face:

"For so many years, they have been thinking that maybe this resentment will follow me into the grave and finally disappear."

Shade glanced at the two ghosts standing aside and listening attentively:

"Mr. Johns Watson mentioned to me that after what happened that year, in addition to putting pressure on Ridwich Field, Earl Watson also hired a private detective to investigate."

"But they clearly didn't find anything."

"Yes, but..."

While Shade was praising his acting skills in his heart, he looked around twice, then lowered his voice and said:

"But I just heard from Johns Watson that he plans to hire another detective to investigate what you found behind the wall in the basement. He seems to think that there is some key evidence behind the wall that you have hidden ”

"Sir Hamilton, he wants to hire you?"

the old woman asked, using honorifics.

Shade nodded with a serious expression:

"He didn't ask my opinion directly, he just had such a wish. He thought that I could easily gain your trust, so I was more suitable for this job than other detectives. But I don't do this kind of thing. My current business scope only includes Searching for people, searching for pets, marriage investigation, playing cards and delivering letters, transporting goods, cold water port purchasing... You are my current client, and I cannot harm your interests, so..."

He lowered his voice:

"If you really have any evidence, please hide it."

"Sir Hamilton, I thought you would ask me directly if I had any so-called evidence."

Mrs. Watson's voice rose a little higher.

Shade shook his head:

"I didn't accept the commission from you, and then came here to lie to you that I didn't accept it, thereby defrauding you of the so-called evidence. In the final analysis, this matter has nothing to do with me. Besides, it has been thirty years, and you are almost 70 years old this year. , even if there is really a so-called truth, so what?"

This is the truth, Shade just wants to satisfy his curiosity and has no intention of sending anyone to prison. Thirty years have passed since the incident, and two of the three parties involved have died. What's more, it was wrong for the deceased to have an affair within marriage. If Shade had come across this incident thirty years ago, he would probably have reported the so-called truth. But now, none of this makes sense.

"Yes, what can we do if we have the truth?"

Old Mrs. Watson said, and then let out a long sigh.

Shade waited patiently until the old woman spoke again:

"When I went to the underground crypt just now, I also went to visit my brother. So many years have passed in the blink of an eye. It really has been so many years."

The ghost Mr. Mason looked at his sister with sad eyes.