Baker Street Charterers

The light was very dim, but Nora could still see the furnishings inside at a glance-a long table full of messy things, test tubes of medicine placed everywhere, even residual liquid inside, distillers, drinking cups, stacked Glass slides, flasks, huge fiberglass that looks like fish farming, microscopes...

It was actually a place like a laboratory.Microscopes in this era are still expensive instruments that are difficult for ordinary people to get access to. She never expected to see microscopes and professional distillation equipment in such a dilapidated small clinic.

She had to doubt the identity of her employer again.

The next room was full of refrigerators used for storing corpses. She touched it with her hand, but it was cold and still powered on.The refrigerators in such a large room are all powered, and the daily power consumption is not small.She exited the room and opened the third room, which turned out to be an incinerator with fine ashes still remaining inside.The last room is not unexpected, it is an anatomy room, with a metal dissecting table in the center, all kinds of shiny metal tools and a cabinet next to it, and on the table is a Pale and cold corpse, male flesh.

Seeing a corpse at first glance was a terrifying picture, but Nora was unmoved. She stepped forward curiously, and looked down at the corpse that had obviously just arrived—there was no obvious wound below the neck, but there was a wound on the side of the head. A piece was sunken, and coagulated red, white, and white blood and brain tissue flowed out, mixed with the messy hair full of debris, which was extremely disgusting, and the unique stench of blackened blood permeated the entire room.

She pressed the dead man's cheek with her hands, which was cold but very elastic. Then she opened the other's eyelids to observe his pupils and whites carefully, propped her chin to look at his mouth, looked at his stiff fingertips and palms, and finally did not Shamefully inspecting the man's hidden parts, he probably came to a conclusion before washing his hands, rolling up his sleeves, carefully cutting off the hair on the wound with special scissors, and putting it into a nearby metal vessel.

She took this job so seriously that when a ghostly voice came from behind her she jumped, and nearly plunged the scissors into the dead man's head to deliver another fatal blow.

"I don't know your name yet."

"..." Nora took a breath, turned her head patiently, faced the young man's stiff face, and replied as calmly as possible, "You can call me Nora."

"Cleveland Hawk." He introduced himself sluggishly, then suddenly looked at the treated wound, his eyes suddenly became flexible and vivid, "Your technique looks very professional, are you a doctor's assistant?"

"My father also opened a clinic." Nora lied fluently.

"Oh." Cleveland replied dryly.

"..." Nora stood awkwardly on the spot holding the knife. Seeing the other party staring at her blankly, she had no intention of leaving at all, so she could only break the silence, "Mr. Hawke, maybe you have other things?"

"No." He replied bluntly, staring at the wound that needed to be treated as a matter of course, and had no intention of leaving at all.

Nora had no choice but to turn around and continue the unfinished work, and when she was earnestly carrying out the work in front of her, she no longer noticed the existence of other people.She shaved off the dirty and congealed hair carefully, and accidentally found a small shriveled corn kernel in the red, yellow and white lump, mixed in the disgusting mucus and almost ignored.

She picked up the corn kernel, as if thinking of something, she stood silent.

"What did you find?" The unsightly person suddenly asked lightly.

Nora hesitated for a while, and then showed a somewhat ashamed smile, "Found? I didn't..."

The lie could not continue in Cleveland's deadly corpse-like eyes.

She looked at the other person's slightly expectant face, and finally said her guess, "My guess...it's just an unfounded guess—the deceased should be an ordinary worker in a factory."

Cleveland opened his eyes slightly, motioning for her to continue talking.

"The deceased was about 45 to [-] years old. He was bloated, with fat on his abdomen, but his arms, especially his forearms, were strong. He should have been a person who sat for a long time but often worked with his hands. There were obvious burn marks on the back of his hands and face, but his skin was very serious. Pale, the little finger of the right hand is unsound, and the fracture is very neat. It should be an accidental injury caused by the machine. There is a smell of unwashed engine oil and small abrasions between the fingers. Judging by the color of the lips, the deceased should suffer from heart and lung diseases, but I am not. have no idea……"

When she said this, Cleveland also listened carefully. After she paused, he was not very satisfied. He raised his chin, implying that she hadn't got to the point.

So she continued, "The fatal wound was located on the side of the brain, and it was extremely severe, and the wound was sharp and concave. It was fatal with one blow. The murder weapon should be something like a pickaxe. I found a stick in his hair. Corn kernels, there can be only one such fine thing, mixed in the hair, then someone has cleaned up the dead body in advance..."

Speaking of this, she paused, calm but very sure, "This is murder, and the murderer didn't hesitate to do it. It should have been plotted for a long time. I suggest starting with people who have old grievances with the deceased. The place where the incident happened should be Near the mill or the fields."

After finishing speaking, she suddenly realized that she had slipped her words, so she immediately shut up and glanced at Cleveland.

The other party's bright eyes made her startled—it was different from what she expected. Her speculations and thoughts had far exceeded the common sense that women in this era should have. He didn't doubt it at all, and looked very happy?

Sure enough, both the boss and this clinic are very strange.

After she said this, Cleveland lowered his head and thought for a while, then raised his head, still without any obvious expression on his rigid face, and said slowly, "You are not bad."

Nora bowed her head and humbly praised.

"It's worth two quid," he went on.

"..."

"There is a Miss Quinn outside who needs your reception." Cleveland said naturally, "Remember to treat her well."

This very strangely worded sentence was explained after she saw a female body brought by the police outside the door.

"Miss Quinn?" Nora pointed at the female corpse with a strange expression.

The middle-aged policeman was very surprised that a neatly dressed young lady appeared in such a place, but he didn't say much, just nodded to Cleveland behind him in awe, "Mr. Hawke, sorry to trouble you again, policeman Someone will pick you up tomorrow." He took off his hat and saluted, "Good afternoon, sir."

Cleveland nodded blankly.

As a police sergeant of the Metropolitan Police Service, she would be respectful to a strange doctor who opened a private clinic. This incident made Nora realize again that the boss is unusual.After the police left, Nora put "Miss Quinn" on the dissecting table, and looked at the other party with puzzled eyes. There was no emotion on the other party's stiff face, and she seemed completely unaware of the violent surge in her heart. thoughts.

Reminiscent of the brand-new clinic with its dilapidated exterior, the expensive tools and the sheriff’s respectful attitude, Nora had to guess that Cleveland might be a well-known expert in a certain circle, or a descendant of an aristocrat.

She guessed the distant place in her heart, but Cleveland pointed at Miss Quinn very professionally, just like a mentor treating an outstanding student, lovingly and persuasively said, "Norma, guess this?"

"...My name is Nora." She corrected patiently, and the other party nodded perfunctorily, still pointing at the female corpse with expectant eyes.

She noticed Cleveland's excited emotions, like a lonely genius who accidentally meets a soulmate who understands him. She is both excited and uneasy.Nora paused for a moment, and did not choose to refute. Instead, following his wishes, he carefully observed the body of "Miss Quinn" from beginning to end. He lowered his head and thought for a while, and then slowly opened his mouth——

"The deceased was about 65 to [-] years old. The fatal wound was a penetrating wound on the back. Lung laceration and bleeding caused traumatic hemothorax, which affected normal breathing and caused suffocation due to lack of timely help..."

"I know how she died," Cleveland said dryly. "I want to know who she is."

"Miss Quinn." Nora responded naturally.

"..." Cleveland stared at her, bewildered by his lack of vocabulary and unable to reply.

Well, the employer is everything, and Nora compromises.Because it involved her field of interest, it made her emerald green eyes brighter and more compelling, and her face, which was slightly pale due to lack of nutrition, was full of vitality at the moment.

"She is a personal maid who serves ladies—I guess." Her fingers brushed over the hair, collar, fingers, knees and feet of the female corpse, "over sixty years old, but there is not much gray hair, and the skin is shiny , life is not difficult. Although the clothes are ordinary, the dead body is fat, the cut fits well, the collar is embroidered with rolling lace, it should be a tailor-made skirt, and the rich man has a pair of rough clothed clothes. There are many puncture marks on the fingertips of the calloused hand, which should be caused by getting old and unable to see the sewing needle clearly."

When she said this, she licked her dry lips, "The deformation of the knee is a symptom of rheumatism. It is very likely that she sleeps in a relatively damp place all the year round. The slightly swollen ankle is probably due to walking around all day——A A well-maintained old lady who makes custom clothes but has a lot of work? I can't think of any other possibility besides a maid."

"Lady." Cleveland listened with relish, and at the same time did not forget to remind her omission, "Why is it a lady?"

"It's very simple." Nora was a little helpless, and the new employer was curious and excited, "Although the smell of blood is very strong, I still smell a mixture of bergamot and rosemary, which is only available to wealthy ladies nowadays. Miss Quinn's age is unlikely to wear perfume, so it can only be her daughter or the master-I am inclined to the latter."

Cleveland nodded again and again, seeing that Nora stopped talking, a little unfinished, "Finished?"

She twitched the corner of her mouth and nodded.

Cleveland was obviously a little frustrated, sighed insignificantly, pointed at "Miss Quinn", and said, "Anatomy?"

Nora immediately shook her head, "I only deal with it briefly, and never learned to dissect, sorry." After all, her previous occupation was not a forensic doctor, but her scope of work was crossed.

Cleveland snorted and waved her out.Nora froze for a few seconds, realized what he meant, and asked with some uncertainty, "My work today...?"

"It's over for now." Cleveland said succinctly. He put on his gloves and picked up the scalpel. Halfway through it, he suddenly remembered something. He took off his gloves and went to the cabinet, opened the drawer, rummaged through it, and finally handed her two pounds. , with a flat face and a serious tone, "Pay in advance. I hope you can tell me about every corpse like today, and tell me its story."

She froze for a moment, took the salary, looked at Cleveland's miserable face, suddenly smiled, and began to have a good impression of this weird but generous employer, and said softly, "Of course, Mr. Hawke."