Detective Bennet [Comprehensive novel]

New York, USA.

This was not the city Kelsey had known before.

Portions of Brooklyn and Queens have not yet been incorporated; they are still separate towns.

The numerous skyscrapers and intricate underground tracks may not be built one after another until decades later in the 20th century.

Even so, New York is now a melting pot of people from all over the world.Compared with differences in skin color and race, it is more divided by rich and poor.

On the one hand, the Metropolitan Museum, funded by bankers and businessmen, is open; on the other, slum gangs are rampant to the point of at least one murder a night.

Even if it is not the familiar New York, opportunities and risks coexist here, and heaven and hell are only one step away.

After graduating from college last year, Kelsey chose to stay in New York, not because she missed the opportunity to make a fortune here, but because the clues she was looking for were still missing.

Professor Moses, who came first, caught a severe flu just after he set foot in the United States.

Since then, his health has been poor, and he often stays in the school teachers' dormitory behind closed doors, and rarely goes to the office.

Kelsey investigated Moses' case, purchased medicines, etc. in private, and even visited the door from time to time to check whether his illness was true or false.

This Professor M is getting thinner day by day, as if his time will soon come to an end.And no matter from which aspect, he never showed a single flaw.

Earl B and Brother Ryle mentioned in their notes that the mysterious man S, S is proficient in all kinds of knowledge and is good at manipulating people's hearts with religious and mysterious concepts. He has left footprints from Europe and Africa.

Professor M gives people a sense of extreme anxiety, and he is proficient in religious mysticism.Assuming that he is S, and to lead a crime, it is necessary to find a suitable criminal first.

Moses couldn't stay in one place for a long time, and it must be doubted whether he had a substitute.Then the acting skills of the double who stayed in New York have also been perfected, and no one has discovered any flaws.

Is it because Professor M and his gang of criminals have excellent acting skills, or is he just kind and innocent?

Kelsey can only say that there is no evidence yet, and all the criminals who can identify S are dead, but the coincidences make Moses look very suspicious.

Especially in the civil turmoil in the Chateau d'If four years ago, Svoboda committed a massacre in the prison in the name of the arrogant devil Lucifer.

The emergence of the similar Seven Deadly Sins Devil King theory made Kelsey even more suspicious that there was an invisible evil hand behind him, perhaps the mysterious man Spider S.

And it was not just a criminal hand. From the time and location of S's involvement in the case, it can be inferred that he formed a secret underground criminal gang.

Kelsey also tried hard to recall, although he had no time to read "The Collection of Sherlock Holmes" in his previous life, did he hear some bits and pieces of details?

It's a pity that there are no spoilers around her.

Not only that, in the rare free time, the wicked colleagues are still hiding the names of the characters in the story, adapting the plot of the case to add distractions, turning it into another case and even changing the murderer, as a joke for them to guess.

Therefore, even though he knew that Holmes was a powerful enemy in the story, and he ended the other party's evil by killing each other, but Kelsey only knew about the mastermind behind the scenes.

As for the specific name of that person, what code names have they used?

He seems to have used an English letter, just like the mysterious man S who is mentioned now.

But in this era, there is no electronic network monitoring, no DNA testing technology, and once a person has money, ability and technology, he can switch his identity at any time.

Even if you know the name, it can only be used as a reference, because a person can be Professor M today, Sir O tomorrow, and Captain A the day after tomorrow.

For specific examples, refer to Father Faria and Dantès.

Three and a half years of living in the United States completely erased the traces of the survivors of the Chateau d'If prison in France.

In New York, there is Mr. F, the owner of a high-end restaurant, and the Count of Monte Cristo who doesn't like to be revealed;

New York also has old trendy jazz players in bars, as well as Derek, a senior manager who handles special affairs for the Count of Monte Cristo.

A person can have several identities, can conflict with the image of the past few decades, and even act as another person to represent various things for himself.

Kelsey was sure that the number of dramatists around her was high.

Playwrights prove the intractability of the famous philosophical questions "Who are you? Where are you from? Where are you going?" all the time.

Evidence is hard to find, and people are hard to find.

Another first to New York, Paul Goodman, also went nowhere.

No, it should be said that the garbage fell into the garbage dump, no matter how difficult it is to find the trace.

The man who changed his name to David Goode was last seen four winters ago when he lost all his money in an underground casino in New York and was thrown into the street by thugs.

That night, five gangs fought in the underground casino area, many people died, and Goodman was never seen again.

The so-called dead bodies must be seen, but those dead bodies have long been dragged away and burned.Even the mass graves were not thrown away, and the ashes were directly scattered in the woods.

Then is it still necessary to continue to track down Goodman, whose life and death are unknown in the United States?

Kelsey did her best in time, hoping to settle the deception case for the original owner.The length of stay in the United States is based on the graduate graduation next spring.

In the past three and a half years, no matter looking for people or finding evidence, it is not alone.

First met another brilliant detective, Bodie Edwards.

Edwards was in his early 30s and from the famous Pinkerton detective agency.He is proficient in various investigative methods and has been fighting on the front line against evil forces for more than ten years.

After several cooperations, Kelsey was introduced by Edwards to integrate into the American detective circle.

But in terms of the ability to solve crimes and the joy of getting along, no one can match Sherlock who is far away in London.

Perhaps, the god of death thinks so too, and greets the mortals he favors from time to time?

"On September 9th, the Lucky One set off from London to start the first show of its unsinkable journey. 』

When Kelsey saw the headlines on the second page of the New York newspaper, such as 'London', 'Lucky', 'Unsinkable', the combination of these key words gave her an inexplicable sense of foreboding.

In my previous life, sea ships that dared to be named so, from the Titanic cruise ship to the Bismarck battleship, all sank on their maiden voyage.

It is not comparable to say that the Bismarck was sunk during the war, but the Titanic was just a simple transoceanic journey and failed to reach its destination, New York.

Currently, the "Lucky One" sails to the Florida peninsula, and the time, route, and name of the cruise company are different from those of the Titanic.

Kelsey still wants to make sure of one thing, is dear Tom on the "Lucky One"?

In the morning, according to Mycroft's telegram reply, his brother took advantage of his roommate's luck.Watson drew two free VIP tickets and boarded the ship together with Sherlock.

What should we do now?

Is there nothing to worry about, or is it necessary to be prepared even if it is unnecessary?

When choosing, Kelsey was invited by Dantès to have dinner.

Tonight, Father Faria made a newly invented dish and asked two people to try the dishes and give their opinions.

"Father is really getting younger."

Kelsey looked in the kitchen. Father Faria wouldn't let anyone cook.He cooks like playing a drum kit, which fully demonstrates his free self after coming to the United States.

Dantès wholeheartedly agreed.Who would have thought that the priest who used to be the companion of the classics would now go to his own restaurant to cook a few new dishes, and then hang out in various bars for music accompaniment.

The living conditions of the priest also affected him.Although he is still accumulating revenge capital, he is not alone, and he can relax occasionally.

Today is not to talk about the colorful life of Father Faria.

"My friend Hugh Bono, that young paleontologist you met, has an urgent matter and wants help with his investigation."

Dantès briefly explained the situation.Bono has a painter friend from France, and Jules disappeared the other day.

The word missing is not precise enough.

"Jul received threatening letters before disappearing."

Dantès talked about the threatening letter, which only left a sentence on the typewriter, "Swear you will not go to the Harvest Oak Manor, or the voodoo doll will take your soul away."

The Harvest Tree Manor mentioned in the threatening letter is located in Louisiana in the southern United States, specifically near New Orleans.

It was abandoned for decades.

In the early years, its owner did business with the state government and used the estate as a mortgage.Later, the planting business failed, and the family died one after another.

Immediately afterwards, the United States encountered the Civil War. In the following years, slavery in the south was abolished, and the surrounding plantations suffered a huge impact.

Due to various changes, the state government took back this piece of unowned manor land this year, and wanted to sell it at auction to generate some financial revenue.

Dantès said, "Like the tree manor, which has been neglected for decades, the trees, weeds, abandoned houses, etc., seem to have become a paradise for ghosts. In addition, it is in New Orleans. Do you know what that means?"

Kelsey nodded.

New Orleans is a very unique city in the United States.Going to New Orleans is like going back to France.

New Orleans was founded by the French in the [-]th century, and was ruled by France for a long period of time. During this period, it was also under the jurisdiction of Spain, but it was taken back by Napoleon.

Soon, facing the threat of the anti-French alliance, Napoleon had to sell this land in North America to the United States.

Subsequently, the southern manor owners of the United States bought a large number of black slaves from Africa to cultivate and plant here, and then the United States experienced the Civil War to abolish slavery.

The above historical situation made New Orleans the base camp of supernatural events.

The ghosts of war after several wars, the evolution of witchcraft under the collision of religious thoughts in Europe and Africa.

And because it faces the Gulf of Mexico to the south and the Caribbean Sea to the outside, it also brings various cursed legends about pirates and treasures.

Under such circumstances, if the "Harvest Tree Manor" mentioned in the threatening letter is recognized as a haunted place, it must have swallowed many lives.

As for the threatened French painter Jules, if he insists on going to the manor and taking away his soul with the so-called voodoo doll, it will be no different from letting him die.

Kelsey probably knew that after the Fudu religion originated in West Africa was introduced to the Americas, different sects emerged in different countries or regions.

Voodoo dolls are the medium of the voodoo cult, and the voodoo cult is widely spread in New Orleans, and many people believe in its magical power.

"Juul wanted to paint a masterpiece and insisted on going to New Orleans to find inspiration, ignoring the threat letter."

Dantès talked about the telegram he received last night, "It turned out that Jules disappeared five days ago. The day after Jules disappeared, Bono also received a threatening letter."

The second letter, also typewritten, read, "Jul has been led into darkness. Warning! Don't look for it, or you too will be drawn into it."

"Bono certainly didn't believe the contents of the threatening letter. As soon as he received the letter, he immediately set off for New Orleans. But until last night, five days later, he couldn't find Jules. He sent me a telegram, hoping to find him." You help."

Dantès did not have the original threatening letter with him.Jules once told Bono about this as a joke. Bono had seen two threatening letters, and he had the last one in his hand.

At present, there is only a rough idea of ​​the case, and the specific situation can only be known by going to New Orleans in the south.

Dantès didn't know if Kelsey had any arrangements recently, "Mr. Bennet, what do you think about this disappearance commission?"

Kelsey thought about it. Both New Orleans and the Florida peninsula are in the south of the United States, and the distance between them is fairly close.

The Florida peninsula is the final stop of the Lucky One.

"I can take a trip to New Orleans, but I need your help with another matter."

Kelsey ultimately chose to make some preparations, as she doubted that the Lucky One wasn't worthy of its name.

Dantès asked directly, "But it doesn't matter. How can I help?"

"Please read the news."

Kelsey opened the newspaper and pointed to the report about the "Lucky One." "Have you heard the news?"

Dantès nodded, "I know it. A luxury cruise ship installed the wireless telegraph equipment produced in the early summer of this year, and started the transoceanic voyage in the early autumn. Why mention it?"

Kelsey smiled, trying to figure out what to say.

"Wait a minute!"

When Dantès saw this smile, he suddenly had a bad feeling.

Dantès had a flash of inspiration, and he thought he had seen through Kelsey's thoughts, even the name had changed.

"Lucky boy, don't you want me to rob the "Lucky Man"?No no no, Sam, you can't dislike this cruise ship just because it resembles your nickname. "

Kelsey: Me!Why are you going to rob a cruise ship!

"Please don't look innocently surprised. Sam, you did 'rob' the prison, don't you forget?"

Dantès recalled that three or four years ago, the escape in women's clothing ended with the realization of the treasure.After coming to the United States, the strange and absurd events that happened on the European continent seemed to be a curtain call.

In New York, Dantès always believed that Kelsey was very reliable, but today he suddenly thought of the past, and he must have reservations.

"Sam, forget it, don't do the Lucky One.Today is September 9th, even if today is not included, the ship has been sailing for two days, what else do you want to do with it. "

Kelsey took a deep breath. After coming to the United States, not only Father Faria was released, but Dantès' thinking became more and more out of bounds.

"First of all, I was 'forced to rob' the Chateau d'If prison. The arrest warrant that has not been revoked so far is a crime I want to add. Now, I don't want to rob the cruise ship. I just hope you can find a reason and be ready to carry out the crime at any time. Rescue."

Looking for an excuse to always be ready to rescue?

Rescue a luxury cruise ship with more than 2000 people, even if you know its route, even if it claims to have a wireless telegraph that can communicate in real time, this is definitely not something that can be done by touching the upper lip to the lower lip.

Dantès was silent. Compared with robbing the Lucky, the difficulty of this request was comparable.

"why?"

Dantès can't act rashly, "Give me a reason first, why do you think it will sink? Is the quality not up to standard, or is someone trying to destroy it? Mr. Bennet, you always say that you need to look at evidence to do things, and now there is evidence ?"

There is no evidence, only intuition.

Kelsey knew she couldn't just follow her instincts, but no one thought the super-luxury Titanic from her previous life would sink before it hit an iceberg.

"I have a bad feeling."

Kelsey still said truthfully, "The "Lucky" has a bad intention, saying that it will never sink. This kind of arrogant rhetoric is the most likely to anger the god of death. "

The corners of Dantès' eyes twitched. This was not a reason at all, but speculation.

"You think we're going to ask for help just based on a bad feeling? After you went to college in New York, did you minor in prophecy?"

Kelsey can't tell the real reason, the unsinkable Lucky One seems to be a projection of the Titanic in this world.

Even if there is no evidence, it is just intuition, even if it is a one in ten thousand possibility, she is not willing to encounter Sherlock with an unwarranted disaster.Now that is within our power, we must do something.

"Mr. Dantès, allow me to tell you a fact."

Kelsey threw out another thing, "The last time I had this foreboding was when I stepped into the Chateau d'If prison. Now, do you still think I'm cranky?"

As soon as these words came out, Dantès was powerless to refute.

After a long silence, he analyzed the difficulty from the perspective of practical operation, "Okay, assuming that the "Lucky One" will sink, but now it is impossible to judge the coordinates of the sinking ship.

Yes, if there is a radio function that can contact the land at any time, then one or several rescue teams that can carry more than 2000 people are required to be on call at any time. "

This is tantamount to chartering a luxury cruise ship to save another luxury cruise ship.

Oh no, there is a [-]% discount on the price. After all, VIP cabins are not required, as long as the equipment is well equipped and the cabins are sufficient.

"It is absolutely impossible for the state government and the Victor Shipping Company, where the Lucky One is located, to organize personnel based on your intuition. On the contrary, they will suspect that your motives are impure."

Dantès pointed out the difficulty of the operation, "If you entrust this matter to me, I can save you from worrying about the future. But such a large sum of money must be paid out of your own pocket. Is it worth spending a lot of money? Just because of an unsubstantiated Premonition?"

Kelsey smiled, "Dear Count of Monte Cristo, why do you say you make a lot of money? For me, when I can use money to solve problems, I can spend it without blinking."

Now it's just playing as a cruise ship, maybe saving some people by the way.

Before Dantès could respond, Father Faria came out with the dishes.

He agreed and said, "Mr. Bennet is right, making money is to spend it happily. Dantès, you don't have to save for Mr. Bennet. He can buy a few cruise ships for fun, but there is no such thing as that." preferences.

Now it's just chartering a boat to save people, not digging a gemstone mine.It's just a few days, it's just a game, and the money spent is not worth mentioning. "

Dantès: Of course he can do simple arithmetic problems, and it's not to help Kelsey feel bad about money, but he just thinks it's too irrational to do it.

But Father Faria winked at Kelsey, "It's boring to be too rational all the time in this world. Occasionally being willful, doesn't it feel good?"

Kelsey: It feels good to be rich and self-willed.

The sea was calm and the sky was clear overhead.

The "Lucky One" sailed smoothly.

On the deck, tourists in twos and threes enjoy the early autumn sea breeze.

The three tickets for the Bennet family were finalized for Mr. Bennet, Jane and Elizabeth who did not want to go out.

The cause starts from last fall.

Two marriageable and wealthy gentlemen came to the town of Longborn, Bingley and Darcy, and the flames of love were ignited in the following dances.

Mrs. Bennet thought that Jane and Bingley would be able to do it. I heard that they met when they were watching a musical in London.Who would have thought that the two hesitated and procrastinated, and then they broke contact.

why!

Mrs. Bennet would very much like to know why!But she couldn't look or find Bentley for an answer.

At this time, Collins came to the door, saying that he had got the priesthood.

The meaning behind the words is clear. Mr. Bennet, who has no son to inherit the land, should consider letting his nephew inherit the estate.

Collins also said that being able to marry a cousin would be considered a better inheritance of the Bennet family.

Mrs. Bennet felt a sense of crisis. The marriages of her five daughters were not going well, and no one has settled down so far.

In case of Mr. Bennet's sudden death, will she take her five daughters to the streets?

It may be an exaggeration to say wandering, but there will never be the leisurely life now.

What she can do to be good to her daughters is to let them marry rich people quickly, so that they don't have to worry about living in a downturn in the future.

Since I couldn't find a suitable partner in a small country town, I was lucky enough to win three luxury cruise tickets, so I had to fight for it.

Mrs. Bennet wanted to volunteer to take the elderly Jane and Elizabeth on a cruise.

For this decision, everyone in the family objected to it and it was invalid.

In the end, Mr. Bennet compromised, and he took his two daughters to travel, lest his wife, who was eager to marry a daughter, would make a joke.

The "Lucky One" is really amazing.

Bennet, his father and daughter, met the Bingley brothers and sisters and Darcy here.

and then?

In the past few days, Watson has been silently observing the people going out of the cabin, and he thinks that the "Lucky One" should be renamed "Cupid".

"Mr. Holmes, do you think I am right?"

Watson talked about his observations. He believed that there must have been a relationship between Jane and Bingley, Elizabeth and Darcy.

He continued to analyze the situation at the scene, and boldly speculated from the faces and shapes of the couples:

"I don't know why, maybe they are not well-matched enough, and they killed the feelings in their hearts before. However, this unexpected reunion on the cruise ship ignited the suppressed feelings in each other's hearts. No one is timid anymore, and they are brave and honest to each other. A chance for the mind."

Sherlock also observed the crowd, not paying much attention to the two groups of people Watson mentioned, but was investigating whether there were any dangerous people on the cruise ship.

The eight-day voyage has passed, and there are still four days left before landing. Fortunately, there were no accidents such as poisoning, shooting, jumping into the sea, etc.

At the moment, Sherlock smiled back at Watson, "If it is really called "Cupid", I may feel more at ease. "

Watson wondered, "Why?"

Sherlock shook his head slightly, and there were some things he couldn't say or didn't want to say, such as the war between Cupid and Death in those years.

Again, the tight-lipped Mr. Detective.

Watson was used to it, so he skipped this question and said very optimistically, "There is nothing to worry about. This ship will not sink. Besides, it is only four days away from the United States. If something happens, rescue will definitely arrive in time."

"Lend your blessings."

Sherlock did not dare to overestimate the capabilities of the US authorities.

Watson thought there was something wrong with his thinking. Could there be some mysterious power that could make the "Lucky One" not even be rescued?

new orleans.

On September [-], Kelsey met the client Hugh Bono.

The two had met at the reception held by Dantès, and they immediately talked about the threatening letter and the disappearance of Jules without any politeness.

Nine days ago, Bono received a mysterious letter warning him that Jules had disappeared.

"In the past few days, I have been to the Harvest Tree Manor five times, but I have not found any trace of Jules. His luggage, brushes and palettes and other important items are still in Hotel G."

Bono took out two threatening letters, "I found the first letter from Juul's luggage; the second letter was received by me. By the way, Juul is not the only one who received the same wording as the first letter." Threatening letter."

Kelsey picked up the letter, judging from the paper and ink alone, they were not made in New Orleans, but more like they came from New York.

Leaving that aside, she asked who were the rest of the intimidated? "Mr. Bono, how do you know who else is there?"

"You should have heard that the land like Tree Manor will be sold through an auction. Some interested companies or individuals should come and investigate first."

Bo Nuo mentioned that those people lived in Hotel G, and they all knew the news of Juul's disappearance recently, and he also learned about the threatening letter from the other party.

Four people are known to have received the threatening letters.

In addition to the French painter Jules, Peavy, who came from New York to do jewelry business, and Essene, who was engaged in planting in Italy, also received the letter.

Bono had seen the letters that Peavy and Ethany had received, and those two letters were exactly the same as Juul's.

"Mr. Etheney said that he has a friend who is an investor in shipping, and Mr. Kantan also received threatening letters."

Kelsey asked when the four received the letter.

Basically a month ago.

Juul was the first to receive the letter, followed by Peavy, both in New York.

But Ethani was in Italy, and Kantan was in England, and the two of them received the letter a week late.

At present, Zhu Er, who was the first to receive the letter, has disappeared.

Peavy and Ethany came to New Orleans one after another, and they are currently staying at the G Hotel.

According to the threatening letter: "Swear you will not go to Harvest Oaks, or the voodoo doll will take your soul."

In fact, Zhu Er's current situation can't be called missing, it can be called kidnapping, he was kidnapped by a mysterious force.

I heard Bono say, "Mr. Quentin is on the maiden voyage of the Lucky One, and he owns a stake in this luxury cruise ship.If nothing else, we'll be in New Orleans in five days. "

Kelsey's eyes darkened, and the question came, why was it the "Lucky One"?