What happened to Isaac?

The winter sun outside the window dwindled inch by inch, and the room was always warm, let alone the quilt, which was priceless.Isaac turned over and wanted to get up, but his body was stuck on the bed and refused to move. This had never happened before.Later, it was Daisy who knocked on his door and asked if he wanted supper, so Isaac forced himself to get up, ate some potatoes and ham, and shaved and cut his hair.

"You're handsome," said Daisy, lathering his face. "There's no bad-looking Xavier man."

Isaac was stunned for a moment, and quickly and smoothly took up the conversation.Although Xavier didn't say it, it's not hard to guess that it was the cousin's trick again.Objectively speaking, there is really no similarity between the two of them in appearance, and I don't know how other people would believe this nonsense.

The two chatted like this until Daisy took the razor blade and began to shave his face, just to be safe, the air was peaceful for a moment.

Daisy came from Scotland, but she was a lively woman in the American style. She was forty years old and married to a gardener.They go back to their own house every day after supper, and come back early the next morning, that is to say, they are leaving almost now.

Sure enough, the gardener was outside knocking on the glass, but Daisy didn't turn her head, she just said, "Wait for me!" Then she wiped Isaac's face with a wet towel, and gently pinched his chin and turned around to see if there was any damage. After shaving cleanly and confirming that it was correct, he said goodbye to him with a smile.

Isaac stood at the door with his hands in his pockets, leaning against the door frame, and watched them leave on their bicycles.Daisy sat on the back seat and waved vigorously at him, and the little bicycle dangled away.

The days in winter were short, and the room was getting darker and darker, but Isaac did not light the lamp, and stood silently in front of the window, the fire warming his back.There is only a thin line of afterglow in the distance, obliquely sinking into the ground, and a lamplighter in a coat walks along the road, lighting up street lamps one by one.

Is it because Xavier hasn't come back because he knows I can't escape anyway?Isaac was suddenly a little depressed.He stayed at home alone and had nothing to do, thinking that no matter where he went, Xavier would catch him like a cat, or let him fall to the ground in cold sweat and make him look ugly, so he felt that he didn't even have the energy to go out and walk around the streets.

A bored Isaac starts touring Xavier's house, nothing interesting either.I can't read the books, I can't appreciate the paintings, and the bottles with white background and blue flowers in the cabinet are knocking loudly. I don't know what else they can be used for besides holding water. The colorful ponies on the table seem to be even more unimaginable.

Isaac went to the kitchen to steal an apple to eat, and walked to Xavier's bedroom while eating. This room seemed to belong to a single man, and the furnishings were simple-if Daisy was left, it might still be messy.There is a Bible next to his bed, and a statue of the Virgin stands next to it.There is a big box on the other side of the bed without a lock. There are some old things in it, mainly notebooks. The earliest one has been half eaten, and most of the pages are unbound. The handwriting on it is still very rusty. There are several words, with question marks next to them, and the time recorded on top is the autumn of 1651, exactly a year before the two of them first met.

I said at the time that he hadn't worked for two years, so my guess was really accurate.Isaac held the apple in his mouth, thinking while flipping through his notes.

Xavier didn't have many notebooks. Within a year, he stopped recording vocabulary he didn't understand, and replaced the content with some precautions for heaven. Every time he changed a notebook, he would re-copy the most important points in the new notebook. In the notebook, among them, the two sentences "Renew the newspaper in time if you don't want to drink the leader's tea." and "Just mind your own business!" followed three or four notebooks.Later, the notebook began to record some things related to criminal cases, and Isaac suddenly remembered that this angel seemed to be a part-time detective.

However, as the handwriting became more and more mature, less and less things were memorized, and the time interval for recording became longer and longer. The last book only used one-third of the recording time for the last page and the penultimate page. The difference is several years.

"...I used to have the habit of taking notes, but now I'm too lazy, and I yawn when I pick up a pen." Xavier took out his glasses from the front pocket, breathed on the lenses, wiped them with a handkerchief and put them on the bridge of his nose, "Yes Well, Li, I told you before that I found the person I was looking for. It was a coincidence. I have been here for so many years... Alas. But I have decided to go back and concentrate on taking care of my family's business. After World War I, I lost too much." Let's talk about heaven There are too many tasks.

An Asian man called Li walked slowly with a limp. He brought a cup of tea and put it in Xavier's hand, right next to the business card that said "Li Qiming-Secretary Private Detective Agency".

"A detective's notes are like a British writer's landscape description. How can you resist not writing a little bit? It seems that you really don't like this line of work. Congratulations on your release after serving your sentence."

The two laughed at the same time, chatted over tea for a while about anecdotes they had heard recently, and then had a meal in a small restaurant nearby.After the meal, Xavier sent Li Qiming home.

"The clouds are thick." Li Qiming glanced out the window.

Xavier hummed noncommittally: "But you haven't told me why you called me here today."

"Just drink tea and chat, can't you?"

"Don't fool me, or I'll grab your crutch."

Li Qiming laughed out loud.He took out a document from the bookshelf, and Xavier reached out to take it, but he didn't let go: "I was going to show you this case, but since you are going to change careers—besides, I don't know if this case will be good for you. It would be a little offensive."

"Offensive?" Xavier snatched the document in his hands with a little effort, he adjusted his glasses, and looked through it silently for a while before speaking: "Catholic monastery? Let me see...don't worry, I'm not the kind who thinks all Believers are fools of good people. Oh, it's settled, what's the problem?"

"In five years, there were four suicides and two accidental deaths," Li Qiming said. "You believers avoid suicide, let alone such a high number of cases? The previous cases were not recorded in detail. I happened to be the latest one. Only after participating in the investigation did we get a little bit of information. The investigation concluded that he committed suicide by falling from the building, because the room was locked from the inside at that time, and the police believed that the deceased jumped from the window by himself.”

"So, you think there is something wrong with this secret room," Xavier glanced at Li Qiming, "What does the door lock look like?"

Li Qiming took out a photo of the door lock from the album, and it was obvious that it was a sliding latch, a relatively common physical anti-theft: "I found a little water mark on the bottom of the latch."

"Are you trying to say that the ice cube delays the trick of forging the secret room?"

"It's just possible."

It is very easy to do something on this kind of slideable bolt lock, such as putting something under it, once it is pulled out, the lock will fall.Ice cubes are an ideal operating tool. Although it is winter, a piece of ice as small as a bolt hole can be easily melted in a room with a fire, and it is difficult to leave traces after it evaporates.

Moreover, sometimes even if such water marks are left, it is still not enough as effective evidence. When the temperature in the room rises too fast, water mist may condense on the iron lock.

"Some monks said that they heard the cry of the deceased in the middle of the night, but because of the continuous wind and rain that night, they couldn't hear the content clearly. Several people proved that the deceased drank alcohol that night, and the doctor determined that the time of death was between one and two in the morning. Alcohol confirmed what others had said.

"The testimonies of two monks who lived near the deceased's room stated that at around 12:30 there was the sound of a footstep appearing in the corridor which ended up in the room next to him - the deceased's room.

"One of the monks said that he was about to fall asleep at that time, so he didn't hear anything afterwards; the other said that the footsteps could only come in and out, which should be the dead man's own. Not long after, he heard shouts and heavy objects. Dull. There is no other evidence to support the issue of footsteps, but the second half fits with other people's testimony."

"Hmm..." Xavier pointed to another photo, "The windows in the room are sliding windows that open from left to right. Is there no clue here?"

"All the fingerprints on the glass belonged to the deceased. However, on the glass on the right side, the four fingerprints of his right hand were found. They were pressed so hard that they were almost visible to the naked eye."

"Can it be understood that he is holding on to the window frame and is unwilling to jump?"

"He was not injured, and the furniture in the room was not damaged in any way. There was no fight at that time. The walls of each room are very thin. If there is any fierce conflict, it is difficult not to be heard by the adjacent room." Li Qiming said.

That sounds like suicide, Xavier thought.

"You know why I don't think it's suicide?"

"Appreciate further details."

"According to the memories of other monks, the deceased was drinking heavily in the last year. He was injured in an accident while going out. Because he was allergic to tramadol and aspirin had weak effects, he decided to rely on drinking to relieve pain. After he recovered, he contracted Alcohol addiction.

"It is said that he himself is very guilty of this. After he wakes up, he always confesses to the dean or other monks in the confession room. On the day he fell from the building, he confessed to the dean during the day and made up his mind. He was determined not to make the same mistake. Started drinking, but was not drunk during the dinner, so can we presume that he did not completely lose his mind because of drunkenness?

"And he just received news not long before his death that he had the opportunity to serve as a priest in a small parish in Devon. Working there is no different from going on vacation, and it may be good for his health. In short, life is obviously going in a good direction Development, why did he commit suicide?"

Xavier was silent for a while and didn't answer.Although this is also one of the doubts, it is not completely unexplainable.It's not surprising that people do anything while intoxicated, and maybe it's the shame distorted by alcohol that drives him to the end.Besides, since the deceased was in a good social situation and no one had a motive to murder him, the matter seemed obvious and there was no need to be overly sensitive.Besides, matters related to religion are often more difficult than ordinary cases, and no one wants to cause trouble.

After all, Xavier has the experience of working part-time in Scotland Yard. With these existing evidences, one can imagine how quickly the case can be finalized. At most, it will only be delayed by a cup of tea.

But Xavier didn't say these words. He put his hands on Li Qiming's shoulders and squeezed them in relief.

"I plan to go again by myself to find out the specific situation."

"You're crazy." Xavier stood up uncomfortably.

"That's someone I know, Langdon."

"Who deserves this from you?"

"Their family lived next door to me. They were very friendly to me, and they were rare British people who were not xenophobic. David—shortly after the news of the deceased's death came, the old lady came to me crying and insisted that he could not commit suicide. Anyway, Even if we use more sufficient evidence to make her give up."

Xavier hesitated a little: "The case has been finalized, Li. Think about yourself, Asian, atheist, and investigate privately. The monastery can completely deny you entry. Besides, what about security issues? What if there is really a The murderer is hiding inside, do you know..."

Li Qiming didn't talk back, but just smiled and nodded from time to time, looking very kind.This expression works wonders for women who suspect that their husband is cheating, which means that this person didn't put what he heard at all into his ears.

"You don't listen to persuasion," Xavier insisted on saying a few words, seeing that he was unmoved, he abruptly interrupted his own words, and the volume was raised twice compared to normal speaking, indicating that he was already annoyed ,"I am leaving now, bye."

He took the hat from the coat rack and put it on his head. Li Qiming handed him the coat, watched Xavier go downstairs at the door, and sighed with a wry smile.

As soon as Xavier walked to the street, he saw a trembling red-haired man with his hands in his hands under the eaves of the opposite bookstore. He took a closer look, who else could it be if it wasn't Isaac?He was wearing Xavier's most expensive windbreaker, without a hat, standing barefoot in the snow, with a neat face and a dull expression, sniffing his nose from time to time, like a tall and handsome mental patient.If Xavier was late, he might have been captured.

Xavier hurried over to take him away, but the succubus stretched its neck unhurriedly and sniffed him before agreeing to follow him into the car.

"Why no shoes?" Xavier asked.

"Broken. Yours isn't big enough."

"Oh, then I'll buy you a pair tomorrow."

"Need not."

"How dare you go out without your shoes on?"

Isaac gave a vague oh.

"Waiting long?" Xavier asked again.

Isaac nodded.

"why?"

Isaac gave him a strange look: "I thought you would want to see me when you go home. But you haven't come back, so I'll come and see what's going on."

Xavier froze for a moment and didn't answer for a long time.His fingers tapped the steering wheel unconsciously, his mood was a bit complicated.

It had been a long time since no one had been waiting for him to come home.To him, human beings are like outdoor snowmen, which will melt after one season, and after countless winters, Xavier's skin will always stay at the age suitable for making snowmen.Therefore, he deliberately did not have too close interaction with humans, and he did not even stay in the house with his servants.

This is so weird... a succubus came all the way barefoot to get me home.

When Xavier was in a daze, Isaac sniffed tremblingly and asked, "Aren't you planning to go home?" At this moment, a black cat's face popped out from under his collar, equally annoyed meowed.

Xavier had no choice but to start the car quickly, the turntable turned automatically, and the wind music sounded like a nose-pinching laugh, which he pinched off.

Halfway through the car, it suddenly began to rain lightly. With the sound of rain knocking on the window, the car was surprisingly quiet.Xavier saw from the rearview mirror that Isaac was nestled in the back seat, and fell asleep at some point, and the cat was also snoring on his chest, looking very comfortable.

Xavier thought for the first time that maybe buying a succubus of his own wasn't such a bad idea, at least the cat liked him.