Chapter 392: Kolston's Statement (Part 1)
Chapter 392: Kolston’s Statement (Part 1)
(Note: Bracketed sections in this chapter represent Scofield Detective’s inner monologue.)
…………
Not long after, another knock echoed at the door. Dempsey’s voice came from outside: “Officer, Lord Kolston has arrived.”
“Please come in,” Scofield replied.
The door opened. Odette helped Lord Kolston into the room, supporting him as they entered.
Once inside, Kolston wasted no time taking a seat. After all, it was his home—Feng Bu Jue and the officers had already become uncomfortably dominant guests.
“We’d like to speak with Mr. Lovecraft privately,” Feng Bu Jue said to the lady of the house. “Would you mind stepping out for a moment?”
“Ah…” Odette glanced at Kolston with an inquiring look. He gave a slight nod.
Hesitating briefly, she turned toward the door. Before leaving, she paused, as if recalling something, and said, “Ah... Officers, Henderson the butler has woken up. The doctor says he’s fine. Since time isn’t getting any earlier, I’d like to ask Oliver to prepare dinner if that’s acceptable.”
“I have no objection,” Scofield said.
Feng Bu Jue turned to Kolston, who also seemed unconcerned. “Then we’ll trouble you, madam.”
After Odette left, Dempsey closed the door. The room now held only the three men.
Scofield remained in his original seat, but Feng Bu Jue began slowly circling around Lord Kolston.
“My apologies for disturbing you at such a time,” Feng Bu Jue began.
[Same opening line as before, huh.]
“It’s fine. You’re only doing your duty,” Kolston replied calmly.
[Wait… Now he’s using the exact same response? Only the tone’s different! The wording’s identical! Well… The next line should vary. Since Kolston’s already seated, Mr. Feng can’t possibly say “Please sit down” again.]
“I’ll get straight to the point,” Feng Bu Jue continued. “The killer is someone in this villa. Someone among us.”
[Wait—! He skipped a line but reused the same script! How’s that possible?!]
Kolston’s expression remained unchanged as he asked, “And who do you suspect?”
“I have some theories,” Feng Bu Jue said, feigning reluctance. “But before I confirm them fully, I’d like to hear your thoughts first.”
[This script’s memorized cold! I could ask the same questions following this pattern!]
Kolston lifted his gaze to meet Feng Bu Jue’s, his voice icy. “Are you asking me to accuse one of my own family?”
“They’re not all family members,” Feng Bu Jue countered. “Henderson, Oliver, Barton, Powell—none of them carry the Lovecraft surname.”
“In my eyes, they are family,” Kolston replied. “I refuse to believe any of them could be a murderer.”
[Oh… This old man’s actually got some heart.]
“Surely you must have at least one person in mind who had motive to kill Dennis?” Feng Bu Jue pressed.
“Plenty,” Kolston said. “Starting with you.”
[He flipped the script completely!]
“Me?” Feng Bu Jue chuckled, smirking. “Oh? Heh… Care to explain?”
“No special evidence,” Kolston admitted. “But your origins are suspicious. From what Carol said, you appeared out of nowhere on the mountainside road, suddenly blocking our carriage. Doesn’t that seem odd? You might be an impostor detective—a hired killer who murdered my son, then posed as an investigator to shift suspicion elsewhere.”
As he spoke, Feng Bu Jue had slowly approached the desk, picking up a small notebook and flipping through it. He gave no response until Kolston finished, continuing to turn pages with his back to him.
“Are you even listening?” Kolston demanded after nearly ten seconds of silence.
“Huh? What? Are you done?” Feng Bu Jue turned, eyes wide, his expression infuriatingly smug.
[You obviously heard every word—pretending you weren’t paying attention?! Still, this is probably a tactic to provoke him.]
“Apologies,” Feng Bu Jue said. “I stopped listening when you said ‘no special evidence.’ Anything after that’s just nonsense anyway.”
“Hmph… Young man,” Kolston sneered. “Trying to provoke me with childish games like deliberate ignorance? How laughable.”
“After spouting such ridiculous reasoning, you’re upset nobody’s paying attention?” Feng Bu Jue shot back with a similar sneer. “Guess I overestimated you after all.”
[He’s swearing now! Pretty harsh language too! Who was the one lecturing me just five minutes ago about maintaining ‘composure,’ huh?!]
“Let me show you what real reasoning looks like!” Feng Bu Jue’s eyes sharpened as he glared at Kolston. “I swear it by my Grandfather’s name! The mystery’s already been solved!”
[Wait… This line feels oddly out of place… Who even is your ‘Grandfather’? And didn’t you already rule out Kolston’s involvement earlier by claiming he couldn’t walk properly? You’re about to make wild accusations anyway? What about his legacy, huh?!]
“What exactly are you trying to say?” Kolston demanded, glaring.
“The killer… is you!” Feng Bu Jue declared, pointing an accusing finger.
“Have you lost your mind? Do you even know what you’re saying?” Kolston wasn’t rattled like Carol. He remained calm, even glancing at Scofield beside him. “Detective, is this man really an officer? What’s the police department’s stance on this?”
Unfazed, Feng Bu Jue continued, “I’ve already unraveled the Secret Room mystery. With the door locked from the inside, the killer used a steel wire or similar murder weapon to kill Dennis, then escaped through the window. From outside, they locked the window mechanism using the same wire.” He raised the notebook. “You told Officer Mark that an hour before the incident, Dr. Powell checked your Blood Pressure, after which you rested alone in your room. This means you had ample opportunity to sneak down to the guest room on the first floor, commit the murder, exit the building, discard the murder weapon, then return to your room.”
Kolston considered this for a few seconds before scoffing, “That’s your grand reasoning? Then let me ask—how exactly would a man who can’t walk without his cane manage to kill someone with a steel wire? Or climb out a window?” He slammed his cane against the floor for emphasis.
(End of Chapter)
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