Mary's Nineteenth Century

At 03:30 in the afternoon, the sun gradually moved westward.

The sunlight fell on the ancient oak trees, and the leaves were plated with shades of orange.

The back garden of Professor George’s house not only has old trees full of autumn, but also clusters of blooming dahlias, hibiscus, evening primrose and so on.

Mary was invited to enjoy the flowers.

She smelled the fragrance of flowers and drank afternoon tea, feeling very comfortable.But the host here who invited her to be a guest seems to have no interest in scenery.

Professor George drank his afternoon tea in silence, except for the simple greeting when he greeted people when they came in and sat down, his eyes kept lingering on the coffee cup.

It goes without saying that this is something on the mind.I was not in the mood to appreciate the natural scenery at all, and it proved that the flower viewing together on the invitation letter was just an excuse.

"Professor George, is there something wrong?"

Mary was the first to break the silence. Although she didn't mind watching the scenery for a while, it also depended on where she was.

"Oh! Mr. Minton, you always understand my troubles."

Professor George finally stopped lowering his gaze, took a deep breath and said, "I sincerely praise you for having a pair of keen eyes that can discover some hidden secrets, such as the crisis in the underground vault. Now there is one thing that puzzles me, please forgive me recklessness, and I want your help."

Mary had guessed a long time ago that the unusual afternoon tea invitation must have something to ask for. "And please be frank. If it is within my ability, Professor George, I will be at your service."

This is said without hesitation.

Working together for more than five months, the atmosphere in the laboratory is very harmonious.

Everyone has different opinions on the research conclusions, but they are all limited to academic analysis and debate, and there is no other intrigue.

People gather in kind, and things are divided into groups.

Mary thanked Darcy again, regardless of whether he initially introduced himself to Research Room C of the British Museum with a tentative purpose, but the working hours there are flexible and the atmosphere is really good.

Therefore, now Mary is willing to take the initiative to ask Professor George what is the difficulty.

Professor George took a big sip of coffee and finally revealed what happened.

"I want you to investigate a murder case. The deceased Ben Oliver was a student I taught. After graduation, he stayed in the London government to work and deal with some financial chores. Last Saturday, he came home at night. He was killed on the way."

Today, Tuesday.In other words, ten days had passed since the death of the deceased.

Given that the deceased was a civil servant, it seemed a little late to find someone to investigate after ten days.

If no one found out about Oliver's accident on Sunday, how could his colleagues not inquire about it when he didn't go to work on Monday.When it was learned that a public official was missing, Scotland Yard could not ignore it, so it was time to investigate the case.

So why are you looking for foreign aid now?

Most likely, the progress or outcome of the investigation is not ideal.

But Mary had another question, Oliver was killed, didn't he have family members in London, why did he need Professor George to ask someone to investigate the case on his behalf?

"God! It actually involves a murder case. Human life is so precious, Professor George, please tell me exactly what happened? Is Scotland Yard making no progress?"

Listen, what a kind and caring tone this is!

George couldn't help feeling ashamed for a moment.He did teach Oliver, but the other party graduated five years ago, and he almost forgot about that student, so how could he care about his life and death.

Today's commission is actually Matthew who wants to investigate the cause of Oliver's death, but it is not convenient to come forward in person.

"Oh, yes, Scotland Yard has caught the murderer. Oliver went to the Turkish baths that night and was killed by Peter the coachman on his way home."

George concealed his complicated emotions and said, "The motive and process of the crime seem to be clear at a glance. The wallet on Oliver's body was found at Peter's house, and the murder knife was also discarded near Peter's house. Peter was promptly arrested by Scotland Yard on the fourth day after the incident. Arrested and detained in a detention center."

Mary is sure that someone is suspicious that Peter is the murderer. "And then? Peter pleaded not guilty, do you think the murderer was someone else?"

Then?

George repeated what Matthew said yesterday, "We all know that many murderers who were caught did not shed tears until they saw the coffin, and some people refused to plead guilty in front of the evidence. Scotland Yard believes that Peter is that kind of stubborn person."

Mary was thinking about whether to ask her to find out whether Peter's confession was true or false, but Professor George's expression was not very good.

I only heard George say, "There is no chance for Peter to plead guilty or defend himself. Last Wednesday, he died the night he was taken into custody."

"died?"

Mary finally became a little interested, "How did he die? Could it be a riot in the detention center?"

George shook his head, "According to the autopsy results, it was acute throat edema, which caused death by suffocation. I asked an authoritative doctor friend for advice, and Dr. Henry Jekyll speculated that Peter might not be suitable for eating peanuts. Killed him. As luck would have it, the prison meal that day was bread with peanut flour."

Peanut allergy can cause facial redness and swelling in mild cases, and shock and death in severe cases.

Mary remembers a set of survey data from her previous life.

About 200 in [-] people in the UK are allergic to peanuts, most of which are mild symptoms, which are discovered from childhood and last for life. ①

However, allergies were not clearly understood in the 19th century.The only recognized allergic condition today is hay fever, later seasonal allergic rhinitis.

As for the food allergies that people are familiar with later, it took until the 20s to become widely known. ②

In this era, it is possible to speculate that eating peanuts is the cause of death. That Dr. Jekyll is indeed well-informed and highly skilled.

George continued, "As for Oliver's relatives, I am not familiar with them and have not contacted them yet. According to the records, his parents should live in the outer suburbs of London.

Mr. Minton, if you are willing to take over the investigation, I am afraid I need to trouble you to visit Oliver's hometown.I already got the address and the like from his department. "

"One life is involved, oh no, it's two lives now. Why should I refuse your request?"

Mary's words are sincere, as if she is really dedicated to justice and the truth. "Professor George, I am willing to investigate. But you also know that whether you deal with Scotland Yard or ask the government department where Mr. Oliver worked before, they may not deal with an unknown person."

Be confident!

Professor George was suddenly at a loss for words.If his good assistant had stopped at Socrates or Whitehall, who would dare to think that this person was an unknown person, and he would not make such a judgment based on the price of this suit.

That being the case, George had already made up his mind to find a helper.

The real client, Matthew, has no objection to this. He found a serious and serious lawyer, Mr. Utterson, who both of them knew.

"Attorney Utterson is very familiar with the judicial process and has dealt with government departments a lot. Although he is silent, he is indeed a good helper."

George said, "With him here, the investigation will not encounter difficulties in the process. Mr. Minton, I hope you can cooperate happily. Of course, I have made it clear to Lawyer Utterson, and everything depends on your judgment. "

This is also what the client Matthew meant.

"As an aside, Attorney Utterson is acquainted with Dr. Jekyll."

George added, "As for the autopsy of the deceased, you can go to the University of London Medical School and ask Dr. Jekyll."

Very nice, well organized.

Mary nodded with a smile. This orderly manner was very much like Professor George's usual style, but she still suspected that the real client was someone else.

George didn't say much more, and in fact he didn't know much.

Except for asking Dr. Jekyll about the cause of the death of the suspect Peter, other known investigations are based on the information given by Matthew.

"Please also accept the investigation fee."

George didn't forget the key, and he attached a check for one thousand pounds when he gave the information bag.

Mary scanned the numbers, would any teacher spend two years' salary to investigate the cause of a student's death?

Even if George is also working on projects in the research room of the British Museum in addition to working at the university, a thousand pounds is not a small amount.

"Professor George, this is too much."

Mary shook her head with a smile, "I don't think there is such a need for such a large amount of money for this investigation."

George: Don't save him money, it's not him who pays for it, it's Matthew that rich man!

But this cannot be said clearly.

"Mr. Minton, don't give up. I'm the one who has caused you trouble this time. If you're tired, you'll have to run around and get tired."

George said it sincerely, even if Matthew said it was just to find a smart person to investigate the cause of his subordinate Oliver's death, he always felt that the inside story would not be so simple.

Matthew is in a high position and can't find a spy?Why choose Mr. Minton again?

George vaguely felt that the reason was related to the work of the deceased Oliver, and Matthew had to find a smart person outside the government department and without too many personal connections in London to investigate the case.

At this time, the treasury robbery case happened to be solved, and the "M" who made the meritorious service happened to be the assistant of the research laboratory, so Matthew came after him.

Unfortunately, George now needs to conceal who the real client is, and he can't tell the inside story of his guesses.All he can do is absolutely not to save Matthew money.

"Mr. Minton, I still feel that a thousand pounds is a little less. This will delay your serious work in the laboratory. You don't need to ask for leave. I will make it clear to the public that you are the one who collects data. Please don't refuse, okay?" ?”

George couldn't be more sincere, and all he wants is to get the money out.

Mary accepted it with a helpless smile, but she was even more sure in her heart that the person who cared about Oliver's death was not Professor George.

This is even more interesting.

It's a homicide case, there's no need to wait until tomorrow to start the investigation.

So I left Professor George's house and went directly to the "L&P" law firm to find a helper, Lawyer Utterson.

The two of them headed to Whitehall together today, hurrying up just in time for the civil servants to get off work after five o'clock in the evening.This just happened to find the deceased's colleagues to understand the situation.

At 05:30, the setting sun melts gold.

The civil servants left the office building in twos and threes, ready to board their carriages and go home.

The second floor of an institution.

Mycroft was walking out of the office holding the "U Ji" black long-handled umbrella, and walked through the corridor alone.

On one side of the corridor, a row of glass windows was half-opened.

The setting sun slanted in through the panes of the window, leaving soft light and shadows on the ground.

Mycroft looked sideways out of the window. The sunset was of course beautiful, because it meant that he could go home and rest after get off work.

The next moment, his gaze swept across the street in front of the office building.There were actually two people walking in the opposite direction, and they wanted to go to the office building when they got off work.

One of them had a relationship once.

Mycroft cast a quick glance down at the long-handled umbrella, and for the first time doubted the size of London's population.

Is this still a big city with millions of people?If so, what is the probability that two people will meet unexpectedly at this time.

Coincidence?

It's impossible for someone to return the pure gold bookmark in "Sweet Foods", right?