I am aging gracefully in the world of famous books

The last person Pei Xiang will meet tonight is the little boss of a certain gang in the East District. Everyone calls him Red Eyebrow Locke.

After the two finished talking, the red-browed Locke personally sent Pei Xiang away.

"By the way, let me inquire about something with you. Did those little clever ghosts under your command receive a job a few days ago and do something on Bond Street, pretending to rob a certain lady's things."

How could Red-browed Locke ask about these trivial matters, but when Pei Xiang asked, he was willing to spend some time and energy answering the investigation, because he was very satisfied with the current friendly and cooperative relationship between the two.So, he turned his head and ordered his deputy to go below to inquire.

While waiting for the news, the red-browed Locke and Pei Xiang chatted while standing under the mottled stone wall against the wind.

The wind was a bit strong tonight, sobbing and blowing through the dark alley not far away, the red-browed Locke coughed twice, and lit a cigarette.

"Paddington, you ask this...someone provoked someone you know? A certain lady? Haha, is that girl your sweetheart?"

Pei Xiang shook his head regretfully, and said in a frivolous tone:

"If that young lady is willing to favor me, I don't mind being courteous. After all, she is a beautiful girl like a delicate flower. However, now I pay more attention to the person behind the scenes who instigated the waif."

Red-browed Locke chuckled, and couldn't help coughing a few more times:

"Which unlucky bastard made you take revenge?"

Pei Xiang didn't answer directly, but frowned and looked at the tobacco in the hands of the red-browed Locke:

"Lock, if you keep smoking like this, this cough will get worse and worse. I don't want to maintain a cooperative relationship with a short-lived red eyebrow."

"Okay, I can live every day. You are a gentle and gentle painter. Naturally, you want to live a long life to live the life of a superior person. We live, ahem, just to have fun."

"Then stay away from me, I'm not used to the smell of smoke."

Red-browed Locke curled his lips in Pei Xiang's disgusted expression, and took a sharp breath.

Pei Xiang took two steps back by himself, and then explained slowly:

"There's a guy named Willoughby. Well, maybe you've seen him. He should have patronized Mrs. Betty's. He is proficient in eating, drinking, whoring and gambling. He has offended me, so I don't like to see his heart Make it happen."

"Willoughby?" Red-browed Locke thought for a while, "I seem to have a little impression, isn't he a rich man who spends a lot of money? He looks good and has a sweet mouth. The girls at Mrs. Betty's place like him very much."

Pei Xiang snorted lightly, as if he didn't want to hear any good comments about Willoughby.She looked up and saw the figure of the red-browed Locke's deputy running in a hurry, and said with some eccentricity:

"It's just a little boy. I'm going to go bankrupt soon. Who would like him?"

Red-browed Locke's eyes flashed, he giggled, his attention was completely focused on the grievances between Willoughby and Paddington, and the certain lady just mentioned was left behind.

At this moment, Locke's deputy with the red eyebrows ran close, and behind him was a half-grown child. Pei Xiang took a closer look, and it was the waif who robbed something on Bond Street that day.

"Boss, sir, this kid made some troubles on Bond Street a few days ago, and he seems to have made a fortune recently. When I went to see him, he was wandering around in front of Old Henry's butcher's shop."

The red-browed Locke didn't make a sound, and motioned Pei Xiang to ask himself.

Pei Xiang was also polite, and directly called the vagrant to him, and asked:

"Boy, is it Willoughby's order that you are making trouble in Bond Street?"

The waif Jim rolled his eyes and replied vaguely:

"Sir, I don't know who Willoughby is. Brothers do all kinds of things to get a good meal."

Pei Xiang took out a coin and threw it to the other party, and continued to ask:

"Think about it again, I know you're smart enough."

Jim glanced at the red-browed Locke quietly, seeing that the boss had no intention of stopping him from collecting money, he quickly hid the coin in his pants, and then pretended to think seriously for a while.

"Oh, good and generous gentleman, I suddenly remembered that there was a man named Willoughby. Hey, he asked me to bump into a noble lady, and then grab something from her, such as Purses, jewelry, whatever, I'll do it."

Pei Xiang raised his eyebrows, and said clearly: "Then, he asked you to hand over the stolen things to him, right?"

Jim nodded quickly: "That's right, sir, you guessed it, it's really wise."

Pei Xiang snorted, then turned to the red-browed Locke and said:

"Look, Willoughby makes money easily enough, with a pretty face and a dirty trick, to coax a rich lady into falling in love with him and marrying him with a generous dowry. Tsk tsk, It's a good plan, but, given the animosity between me and him, I won't let him do it."

Red-browed Locke sarcastically said, "Isn't that what rich kids are all like? It's dark-hearted to count on their wives' dowry for them to spend their days and nights drinking."

Pei Xiang was playing the role of Brown Paddington, who was born in grassroots at this time, so she didn't feel that Red-browed Locke's evaluation was unfair. Instead, she echoed a few words, and then said to Jim:

"I need you to do something for me, which is to reveal Willoughby's true colors at an appropriate time, so that his 'hunting' target and his family can understand his shameless face."

Jim didn't say yes right away.

Red-browed Locke coughed, and his deputy immediately pushed Jim forward and ordered:

"Help this gentleman well, and when you come back, I will take you to the dock to find a job."

Hearing this promise, Jim couldn't help grinning, and quickly nodded to Pei Xiang:

"Sir, just tell me, I'm still smart, and I'm sure I can get things done."

Pei Xiang nodded his thanks to the red-browed Locke, and then whispered some things to Jim.

On the other side, the red-browed Locke glanced at the time, thinking that he had something to talk to Paddington later, so he sent his deputy to leave first to help him with other trivial matters.

So, when Pei Xiang and Jim finished agreeing on a small plan, they saw the red-browed Locke smoking a cigarette alone in the shadows.

Jim was particularly winking, and immediately realized that his boss had something to discuss with Mr. Paddington alone, so he touched the brim of his hat to the red-browed Locke and Pei Xiang, and left with a smile.

"Is there anything else?" Pei Xiang looked at the red-browed Locke strangely, because the two had already finished talking about business.

Red-browed Locke coughed, and the thick night concealed his unnaturalness:

"Paddington, frankly speaking, you are not as good-looking as that little white-faced Willoughby, nor are you strong and tall enough. But, um, both Mrs. Betty and Mrs. Dura like you very much, and the girls there are also looking towards you. You... you, um, how did you do it?"

Pei Xiang raised his eyebrows, and said truthfully: "In addition to financial resources, it is physical strength."

Red-browed Locke smacked his mouth, thinking that this is so fucking true!

Pei Xiang said in a tone of confiding in the two brothers:

"Locke, my good brother, the girls nowadays are all smart, the useless sweet talk is actually not very useful, it's for the little girls who are not deeply involved in the world. In Mrs. Betty and Mrs. Dura, there must be Real money, of course, without being too rude and arrogant."

Red-browed Locke had a big knot between his brows, as if he was in a predicament.

Pei Xiang pondered for a while, then tentatively said:

"Of course, you can also exchange your sincerity for your sincerity. However, this is an expensive move, and it is easy to get nothing. Anyway, I don't have this kind of thought at the moment, and I have never met a woman who makes me worry about it." .”

The red-browed Locke's eyes drifted away for a moment, and the fingers hanging by his side lightly stroked the chain and keys around his waist a few times, and the tip of his left toe followed suit.

Pei Xiang looked away as if nothing had happened. She had thought about the red-browed Locke carefully before, and knew very well what his small movements meant.

—Rock the Red Eyebrow wants to please a woman...

——He was a little apprehensive, he cherished each other very much.

—He is hesitating?

Pei Xiang thought about it, and wrote down this conjecture as a piece of spare information, without further analysis and exploration for the time being.

Afterwards, the red-browed Locke asked a few more questions about Willoughby, but Pei Xiang lightly changed the subject.Seeing this, the little gang leader didn't ask any further questions. Anyway, it was just a personal grievance between the collaborators, and there was no need to pay too much attention to cause the other party's resentment and vigilance.

Pei Xiang soon separated from the red-browed Locke. She threw off the stalkers behind her and returned home safely in the night.

However, not long after Pei Xiang and Red-browed Locke left, in a certain inclined alley behind the stone wall, a black-haired man also left the chaotic East District with a cold face.

The sound of the wind, the sound of coughing, and the not-too-distant distance prevented Pei Xiang, who had no inner strength, from noticing what was happening in the inclined alley.

Of course, according to common sense, the people in the alley would not be aware of the conversation between the red-browed Locke and Pei Xiang.After all, the red-browed Locke is alert enough, and his deputy will also help him check if there are any stalkers and snoopers nearby.

But Aldrich Dwyer's exceptionally keen hearing defied common sense, and some sentences and words came to him in fits and starts.

——Does Paddington have a good relationship with the gang leader?This is understandable.

—Paddington was a guest of Mrs. Betty and Mrs. Dura?Oh, it's better...it's a misunderstanding!

—Paddington has a feud with a man named Willoughby?

Aldridge was not easily distracted like the red-browed Locke. In other words, one of the reasons why he paid attention to Paddington was related to a lady.

Therefore, when he heard that a guy named Willoughby was using despicable methods to coax a certain lady, he immediately thought of Pei Xiang.

"What has become of the Dashwoods during my absence from London?"

The subordinate who was next to Aldrich was stunned for a moment. Of course, he was unable to hear the conversation behind the stone wall, so he felt that this question was a bit abrupt and strange at the moment.

——Why did Mr. Deville suddenly ask about this matter?

——Obviously, we just interrogated some clues, shouldn't we continue to investigate further?

"Mr. Dever, everything is as usual at the Dashwoods."

"Did you meet any special new friends?"

"Oh, there is one here," the subordinate in charge of news from London suddenly realized, "In the past few days, they got to know a Mr. Willoughby."

"Willoughby?"

Seeing that Aldrich was interested in this, his subordinates quickly reported:

"While Mrs. Dashwood and some ladies were shopping in Bond Street, they were robbed by a daring vagrant. After several interceptions, Mr. Willoughby helped to chase them back. So, Mr. Willoughby became A guest at the Dashwoods, and it is said that he is very welcome."

The coldness between Aldrich's brows grew stronger.

——Are you really trying to plot against Miss Marianne?

At this time, he has further confirmed the intimate relationship between Paddington and Marianne, otherwise, why would Paddington worry about Willoughby.

However, the more he was sure about the secret engagement relationship between the two, the more angry Aldridge felt about what he had just heard.

——Since you care about her so much, why do you do things that make her sad?

——to linger in romantic places... Even if it's a joke, with Miss Marianne's proud temper, she should feel sad and disappointed.

——Paddington is a smart man, he should know where the bottom line is.Why……

"Mr. Deville, shall we continue the investigation tonight?"

Hearing the subordinate's voice, Aldrich closed his eyes, and temporarily suppressed all kinds of suspicion and unhappiness in his heart.

"Go on, go to St. Phil's Church now, find Flora and Rhodes."

"Yes."

The black unmarked carriage drove quickly, and soon disappeared at the dimly lit intersection.

In the car, Aldridge took off his gloves and pinched the bridge of his nose, feeling a little tired.

He had been busy outside for two months, and had just returned to London when he received news that the murderer who assassinated William DeVille showed up near Farrar Street in the East End.

Although the other party quickly got rid of the surveillance of the Earl's Mansion and hid in some secret corner, but after many years, such a clue is enough to attract the attention of the Deville family.

It turned out that William Deville, the former heir of the Earl of Deville, did not die of illness, but died of a very dishonorable murder.He was killed by his mistress Flora and her lover Rhodes.

The Earl's House covered up the real cause of William Deville's death, but it did not relax its pursuit of the fugitive murderer.After Aldrich Deville returned to England, Earl Deville entrusted the task of hunting down the real murderer to his second son, hoping that Aldrich could avenge his elder brother.

Aldrich didn't have much deep friendship with his elder brother William de Vere, but for the sake of Earl De Vere and the countess who died young, he was willing to do his best to complete the task of catching the murderer.

It is a pity that Aldridge returned to England late, which caused him to miss the best time to hunt down the fugitive.Therefore, Aldrich, who took over the hunting task, could only strengthen surveillance, waiting for the murderer to throw himself into the net, while looking for clues.

A few years have passed, and just when Earl de Vere was about to give up, a message came from the eyeliner who stayed in the East District, saying that someone had witnessed a secret meeting between a woman who looked like Flora and the information dealer Phillips in the Farrar neighborhood.

Therefore, Aldrich, who had just returned, immediately put down the hot tea he hadn't finished drinking, and showed up in the East District with his confidants, and directly found the intelligence dealer Phillips.

They "invited" Phillips into a sloping alley for interrogation. The slippery and experienced intelligence dealer pretended to be ignorant at first, but after a few rounds of trial and error, he finally told the truth.

"So, you only saw the woman named Flora, but not her lover Rhodes?"

"Yes, yes, Flora is very cautious. She and I inquired, inquired whether your government is still trying to arrest her and Rhodes. I said, it has been several years, and, and Earl Deville has already Now that a new heir has been appointed, it is definitely not as strict as before, so I suggested to Flora that there is no need for her to hide like this all the time."

"How did Flora answer you?"

"That, that bitch didn't say anything, she still asked me to borrow money, but I didn't lend it to her, and then she left."

"Where did she go?"

"This..." The intelligence dealer hesitated for a moment, as if he wanted to bargain.

However, when Aldrich looked at him plainly, the intelligence dealer couldn't help but tremble, and quickly explained everything he knew:

"She, she, Flora didn't say, but I sent people to follow her, gentlemen, and my people saw Flora go into St. Phil's Church, and never came out again."

Aldridge got the news he wanted.

At the same time, another private conversation blew in the wind... instantly disrupting the calm thoughts of the black-haired colonel.

After Aldrich Deville arrived at St. Phil's Church, he found that there were indeed traces of Flora and Rhodes staying and living here, but at this time the building was already empty.

"The two left early, did they discover Phillips' stalking, or did something else happen?"

"Mr. Deville?" The subordinates at the side were all waiting for the next order.

Aldrich ordered in a calm voice:

"Ask the information dealer Phillips again. Since that Flora went to him, it means that the two had some friendship before. You can ask him if he knows the past of Flora and Rhodes, and don't miss any details. .”

"Yes." The subordinate took the order and left.

The inquiry and investigation time is a bit long.

It wasn't until the next morning, when Aldrich was about to go out for a meeting in the ministry, that the subordinates who had left last night hurried into the residence of Earl de Vere.

"Sir, something has happened. Both Flora and Red-browed Locke are dead."

Aldridge raised his eyebrows slightly, and he stopped leaving:

"The mistress Flora is dead? So, what about Rhodes, the main murderer who killed William?"

"The subordinates don't know his whereabouts."

"Who is dead red-browed Locke?"

"A gang leader, Mr. Deville."

Aldrich sat back on the sofa and signaled his subordinates to report in detail.

"We had been chatting with Phillips last night, and he was finally willing to tell us some of the past. In fact, the murderer Rhodes and the red-browed Locke are fellow villagers. They left their hometown in the same year and came to London. They were very close at one time. However, since After meeting Flora, Rhodes became very jealous. He couldn't control his temper and attacked men who were close to Flora.

"After a few unhappiness, Red-browed Locke gradually alienated Rhodes and Flora. But even though they were estranged, the original friendship has not faded away, so, according to intelligence dealer Phillips' speculation, Flora and the others will be with Red-browed Locke contacted."

"After you got this news, you went to look for the red-browed Locke?"

"Yes, it's a pity that the subordinate went down late. The red-browed Locke was hit in the back of the head and has died."

Aldrich was silent for a moment, thinking of the conversation he overheard by accident last night.The man who had a deal with Paddington was probably the dead red-browed Locke.

"Anyone see who killed Redbrow Locke and Flora?"

"There are no witnesses, sir. The subordinates tentatively asked some people, and they all said they didn't know anything. The deputy of Red Eyebrow Locke said that the last time he saw Red Eyebrow Locke, it was him and a certain collaborator. After talking in the alley, the deputy also said that the red-browed Locke came out a little listlessly, sighed, and then left on foot alone, without anyone following him for protection."

"So, you didn't find out where the red-browed Locke went, why he met Flora, and where did he meet Flora, did you?"

"Yes."

"Haven't found Rhode's hiding place? And, the clue is broken?"

"Yes."

Looking at his subordinates who bowed their heads, Aldrich thought that it was time for him to meet Brown Paddington.

A very serious conversation was needed between the two of them, both on the matter of the inquiry and on Miss Marianne's behalf.