Detective Bennet [Comprehensive novel]

"You two, please sit down."

Old Bennet brought Kelsey and Sherlock into the study, and he brought a small wooden box and a sketch.

"There are very few clues about my great-uncle Conrad. There were no cameras more than 100 years ago, only a face picture."

Old Bennet talked about that the family has always lived in the south of England. Although they are not as powerful as the rich, the country gentry lives comfortably.

"My great-uncle is different. He was born 130 years ago in 1750. He wanted to go to sea and do business to make more money. Now people can accept emerging capital, but at that time it was generally considered to be full of money and radical risks. Behavior."

In the middle and late eighteenth century, Britain started the Industrial Revolution.The power of new capital is rising, while the aristocratic class who used to hold land and other resources is going downhill.

Changes in wealth distribution will inevitably lead to class mobility, and the dissatisfaction of new forces and the reluctance of old forces will impact the trend of the times.

Is it to stick to the concept, or to explore the unknown?

Conrad was born in a period of great change. He was not a person willing to live a mediocre life, but he was unanimously rejected by his elders.

"I heard from my father that my uncle was never restless. Sorry, it's not a gentleman to say this, but please let me express my father's words truthfully."

The old Bennet mentioned that Conrad sneaked to London at the age of 22, did various types of business, and even participated in the establishment of the first British stock exchange in Chase Alley Cafe in 1773.

"Stock securities trading is not like land at all. It is a very unreliable transaction if you can't see the real thing. My uncle stayed in London for four years, and he didn't make much money in the end. He finally listened to the persuasion and returned home. But he brought back a fiancée."

Old Bennet smiled wryly. That woman brought deeper family conflicts, because her status was not as good as that of an ordinary rural farmer in the eyes of her elders. "Anastasia Dan, who calls herself a bard."

Kelsey was also a little surprised to hear this.Bards flourished in medieval Europe, and their members included nobles, knights, peasants, etc. They also visited royal palaces and aristocratic theaters, and enjoyed privileges in some European countries.

However, that is all the splendor in history, and bards have declined after the thirteenth century.

500 years later, when the era of the Industrial Revolution in which Conrad lived began, the bard became a ragged figure of a vagabond.

Kelsey also heard that Conrad is really not a person who follows the rules. "Old Mr. Bennet, how did your great-uncle fall in love with Ms. Anastasia?"

Old Bennet shook his head, he didn't know much about his uncle's love history.I only know that the great-grandfather's generation tried their best to oppose Conrad marrying such a wife, and then the conflict broke out.

"The great-uncle accused the elders of never supporting him in doing anything, and this time he will never give up on Anastasia, and he will end up being expelled from the family."

Those family conflicts must have been so intense that Conrad never looked back.

Old Bennet is Conrad's grandson. The day he was born, it has been more than 50 years since his uncle left, and he has never seen this person.

Neither his father nor grandfather seldom talked about the past, only constantly emphasizing the wrongness of deviant when educating him.Say something about Conrad in a sentence or two, use it as a counter-example, and tell how good it is to live in the pastoral life in Longborn.

Sherlock secretly thought that the formation of everyone's character must be related to childhood.

Old Bennet has always been content with life in the country. Even though he has no son to inherit the ancestral land, his wife and daughter may become embarrassed after his death, but he did not go to London to fight hard.These are thoughts that have been instilled in him since childhood.

"Old Mr. Bennet, besides the above, do you have any more clues about your uncle's whereabouts?"

Sherlock had seen the portrait sketch, the pencil drawing had not been properly preserved, and the lower half of Conrad's face was completely blurred.

He only knows a name, half a face, and the sporadic activities of more than a hundred years ago. If he wants to determine where his descendants are, he has to wait for God to drop a halo of luck.

Old Bennet knew it was difficult. I heard that his great-grandfather, Conrad's father, burned all Nizi's things in a fit of anger. The only sketch was secretly hidden by his great-grandmother.

"My great-uncle left with almost nothing in the family, except for one keepsake, a pocket watch with "KB" engraved on the back. "

Old Bennet opened the small wooden box, and inside was a custom-made pocket watch of the same style. "Great-grandfather gave two sons 16th birthday presents, one to great-uncle Conrad and the other to my grandfather Owen.

Please look at my grandfather's pocket watch, the only difference from his brother Conrad's is the back.This one has the initials "OB" engraved on it, and that one has "KB" engraved on it.I think my great-uncle would have kept his pocket watch unless there were special circumstances. "

Plus, there's a little bit of an inconclusive thread.

The last time Conrad was heard from was at the house of a friend in Derbyshire, a man called Albert Ashby.

"The great-grandmother wrote to Ashby's family privately to persuade her son to go back, but she was told that the uncle had left with his lover. The destination was York City, but she didn't indicate the detailed address before she left, only uttered a groan You Xiaoshi."

The old Bennet took another torn letter paper, "Sorry, I can't find the complete letter, only this paragraph has been preserved. Afterwards, no news related to my uncle was sent back. "

——I saw four lines written on the incomplete letter paper:

"After Ragnarok

Hear the sound of a leaf falling

The ghosts of the magic city are wandering in demonstrations

Across the River Styx, we summon the glory of the past to return to the land.”

At this point, old Bennet will know everything.

He also felt that there was little hope, would his uncle have suffered misfortune long ago?Or does the other party have no great-grandchildren?Does he have to accept passing the inheritance to Collins?

For a moment, the study fell into silence.

Kelsey sorted out the current known situation.Frankly, without some good luck, Conrad would never have been found.

She and Sherlock exchanged a look, and nodded slightly to each other. Anyway, both of them were going to York so they could inquire about it by the way.

"I'm going to tell you the truth. There are too few clues. It's pure luck that you want to find someone."

Kelsey made old Bennet prepare for the worst, "Even if you say you only want to get news before you die, Sherlock and I can't find someone for you for a long time. Once you promise, you have to do it, but this We can’t make that kind of promise.”

This is very different from ordinary disappearance cases.

Even old Bennet couldn't tell the extent of the family conflicts more than a hundred years ago, whether Conrad would leave England in a fit of anger, and it was possible to change his name completely.

As far as we know, there is no third-party perpetrator here, and this is not a criminal case.

Out of the help of their acquaintances, the two detectives could agree to find Conrad's whereabouts many years ago after arriving in York City, but it is impossible to list it as a must-solve case in the next ten years.

Sherlock agreed with Kelsey, and said bluntly, "Old Mr. Bennet, I can inquire about news for you this time when I go north.

With the end of this year as the deadline, if there is no harvest, I advise you to think of another way.It's not so wise to put your hope on illusory characters. "

Old Bennet had no choice but to agree to the end of the year.Give the old pocket watch and sketch to the two detectives, and if you find it, you can use it to recognize Conrad's younger generation.

"Please allow me to be long-winded. In case someone is found, please don't tell me that I want to find him to inherit the land. I am really afraid that I will meet a second Collins."

In this regard, the two detectives certainly have a sense of proportion, and they will leave first after responding.

The two of them didn't go back to Netherfield directly, and they calculated that there was still an hour and a half left for the afternoon tea party to end.Instead of participating in the excitement, it is better to take a walk in the countryside and enjoy the idyllic scenery of Longborn.

The English countryside is interesting.

In the distance, there are waves of wheat waves.

At the foot, wild flowers clump up.

The wind blows gently with the fragrance of grass and trees.

Kelsey and Sherlock chatted and walked leisurely side by side.

This kind of leisure and comfort cannot be given by the foggy city of London. It is no wonder that people sometimes imagine that they will go to the southern countryside to live in seclusion after retirement.

"Tom, I've thought of something."

Kelsey is finding the possibility of Conrad based on the pitiful intelligence analysis, such as why did he choose to go to York City with his lover?

The woman Conrad fell in love with, Anastasia Dan, was a self-proclaimed bard.

Kelsey: "We know that the Vikings founded York City. When it comes to Viking culture, runes are one and bards are two.

In the Middle Ages, bards traveled through the land with long winters in Northern Europe, and it was a very popular and well-paid occupation.Could it be that Conrad and his lover went to York City to find old Viking ruins, or Asnastasia herself inherited some Viking culture?

"This is a way to find someone, but times have changed. Bards in the [-]th century can't earn much money. What kind of sideline should Conrad and the others have?"

Sherlock recalled the York City materials, and the part he read so far did not mention the bard named Anastasia Dan.

Thinking of this, it is a little special.

Sherlock pointed out, "Anastasia, the name is not uncommon, but it was used on the bard who was out of place with the times, and his destination was the magical city of York.

This reminds me of its etymological Greek original meaning - the reborn, the resurrected one. "

Kelsey paused, then walked forward calmly, there was no need for her to be overly sensitive.

In fact, Anastasia is a common name because it fits well with Easter imagery.

Children born around Easter are named by their parents, which is a compliment and blessing for newborns.

Sherlock says that the Reborn doesn't think anyone really comes back from the dead, nor does she think Anastasia is really magical.

He just thought about it randomly, "Jerry, do you think there is a coincidence that Anastasia Dan is related to the token secret site we are looking for?"

Kelsey looked at Sherlock, sure that her Mr. Holmes was out of habit.Doing so may not necessarily find the correct answer, but at least it is considered comprehensive enough.

"You can't deny this possibility. You also saw that the incomplete poem is written about mythical magic, and Gunter's token lettering is magic forever. The two have something in common."

Even so, the current clues are only at the level of speculation, without any evidence.

Sherlock didn't think about Conrad's trace anymore, and suddenly he thought of another thing.Since they are all surnamed Bennet, he doesn't know Kelsey's hometown yet.

"Jerry, would you mind telling me where your hometown is? You didn't mention it much, but when you caught Goodman, you mentioned that it was the north."

Sherlock didn't keep a black account, but was a little wronged.

How could Paul Goodman know what he didn't?Even though that rotten guy was caught and died in jail last year, dear Jerry hasn't revealed anything more.

Right now, just right.

We are investigating the whereabouts of one Bennet, why not ask another Bennet's hometown.

"Look at the timing of your question. Those who didn't know thought you connected me with Conrad."

As Kelsey said, she was really distracted thinking about Yuanshen's family members.

There are three generations on the original body. His father, grandfather, and great-grandfather all lived in the sunflower town in the northernmost part of England.

Never heard of any relatives with the same last name as Bennet in the South.The only surviving distant relatives in southern England are relatives on the maternal grandmother's side.

As for his great-grandfather, did he arrive in a small town and settle down when he was young?What's his name again?

These really have no answers.But it is certain that she did not have a great-grandmother who was a bard, and vaguely heard that her great-grandfather married an ordinary farm shepherdess in Scotland.

Assuming a near-zero probability of:

If Conrad is really the original body's great-grandfather, then what made him give up the woman he wanted to marry at the risk of betraying his family?

Love change?Conflict of beliefs?Poor and lowly couples are sad about everything?

Kelsey cleared her mind of random thoughts, how could there be such a coincidence in the world.Just talking about evidence, the original body has never had a pocket watch engraved with "KB" in its memory.

Right now, what she needs to think more about is how to answer Sherlock with appropriate words.After all, Yuanzheng's hometown is in the northernmost part of England, but that's not her hometown.

In the end, Kelsey smiled and said, "My body has breathed the cool air of Northumberland in the far north of England since I was a child, and I have also seen the scenery of the northern hills for more than ten years. The town of Sunflower is close to Scotland. If you are interested Go play, there will always be opportunities in the future.”

Sherlock doesn't link Kelsey to Conrad's great-granddaughter, how could his Jerry not know the genealogy.

Now that he heard about Sunflower Town, he started planning when to visit it.

However, there is a little strangeness.

Why doesn't Kelsey just say where his hometown is, but uses fancy long sentences to express it?Is it the interest, the art of using language exclusively?

Sherlock glanced at Kelsey a few more times. It was business as usual, and the darling was smiling at him.

Kelsey: I'm not lying, I'm telling the truth.Tom, do you have a big enough brain?