Chapter 296

Chapter 271 Investigation

Ed said this, and he could tell at a glance that Adele’s clothes were extraordinary because of Nephnis’ contribution. Earlier, when Dorothy and Nephnis watched Adele’s performance together, Nephnis, who was very interested in various fashionable items, immediately noticed that Adele’s clothes were expensive and unusual. During the performance, she excitedly explained to Dorothy.

“Hmm…”

Listening to Ed’s words, Douglas pondered for a moment, then nodded.

“What you say makes some sense. We will verify the situation immediately. However, a high-end boutique like Silver Moon Star might have already closed for the night, so verification might have to wait until tomorrow. Until then, Miss Adele is still our top suspect. To prevent her from escaping, we should detain her at the police bureau.”

“There’s no need for that trouble. Today, Miss Adele won’t be going anywhere,” Ed responded to Douglas, continuing with confidence. Douglas looked at him with a frown and spoke with a hint of dissatisfaction.

“What do you mean, detective?”

“My point is that your investigative methods may have some issues. In my opinion, the possibility of Miss Adele being the murderer is extremely low. Our current priority isn’t to debate whether Miss Adele is the murderer but to take advantage of the fact that the performance hasn’t ended yet. We can use a legitimate reason to keep these thousands of audience members here. While the real killer is among them, we can find them quickly.”

Dorothy controlled Ed to speak seriously, while Douglas responded with a disdainful smile after hearing Ed’s words.

“How arrogant, detective. Even if Adele’s suspicion is not yet cleared and even if the real killer is indeed among the audience, how can you find them so quickly within such a short time?

“I remember correctly, Adele’s performance lasts from six to nine twenty. It’s now seven fifty, and there’s only an hour and a half left until the end of the performance. At that point, there would be no reason to keep so many people. I don’t think we can solve this m*rder case in just an hour and a half, so it’s better to proceed step by step.”

Douglas stated frankly, based on his past experience. Ed smiled slightly after hearing this.

“I don’t agree, officer. Personally, as long as all the officers and theater staff cooperate with me sufficiently, I guarantee that I can catch the truth within one and a half hours.”

Ed confidently said, and everyone, including Douglas, showed a look of disbelief. Douglas directly said:

“Find the real killer in one and a half hours? Hmph, I admit you have some ability, but saying this is a bit too arrogant.”

“Arrogant or not, let’s see. After all, one and a half hours isn’t long. Let me give it a try.” Ed finished and silently looked at Douglas. Douglas stared at him for a moment before speaking.

“Alright, since it’s not long, I can let you try, detective. During this period, we will cooperate with your investigation as you wish, acknowledging the ability you’ve shown earlier. But don’t try any tricks with me; I’ll be watching you.”

Douglas looked at Ed and said, while Ed laughed softly and responded:

“Thank you for your support, officer. I will not disappoint you.”

Hearing Douglas’s words, Dorothy, who was controlling the zombie puppet in the audience, smiled slightly. Now that she had the cooperation of both the theater staff and the police, with ample resources, she could finally fully commit to catching the killer.

After officially obtaining the investigation authority, Dorothy immediately began working on the case. She controlled Ed to ask the theater manager:

“Excuse me, sir, do you have the floor plan of this theater?”

“Floor plan? Let me think… Oh, yes, yes, the building plans should be in my office. I’ve kept them ever since the construction was completed.” The old theater manager replied to Ed, and Ed continued immediately:

“That’s great. Could you please take me to your office and find those drawings for me? I need them.”

“Of course, detective. Please follow me.”

As they walked, the old manager headed off in the distance, and Ed followed closely behind. Many people present were confused by the situation, especially Douglas, who furrowed his brow.

“What does this kid want the floor plan for? Is he reconstructing or investigating?”

Ignoring the puzzled looks behind him, Ed followed the old manager to his office. There, the manager pulled out several folded large blueprints from a drawer and spread them out on the ground.

These were the floor plans of the theater, several in total, marking each floor, corridor, room, and even every seat in the main hall. Seeing the detailed floor plan, Ed nodded.

“Everything is here, detective. Do you need anything else?”

“Very good. Thank you. Now, I need to borrow your office. I prefer to work alone in a quiet room when I’m deducing.”

“Of course, detective.”

After a brief response, the theater manager left his office. Now, Ed—or rather, Dorothy—finally had ample space to conduct deductions.

Of course… If ordinary deduction could solve such a case…

It was clear that such a case couldn’t be solved by ordinary deduction. On the surface, it seemed like a regular m*rder case, but in reality, it involved hidden and extraordinary elements.

Douglas would never believe that the victim likely stabbed themselves seven times, blinded themselves, and created the entire crime scene themselves.

He also wouldn’t believe that the true time of d*ath wasn’t between seven-oh-five and seven-twenty-three, but much earlier. It happened during the interval between the first performance of the Flying Dance Troupe and “Crimson Mother,” when Maria was still alive during the first performance, but became a zombie puppet after the choral program.

She was murdered between these two performances, and the killer hung a “Shadow” necklace on her, hiding her zombie characteristics, allowing her to stab Adele in “Crimson Mother.”

“A case committed using extraordinary means requires equally extraordinary methods to solve.”

Dorothy thought, then she controlled Ed to take out a gold coin, a string of crystal pendants, and a piece of paper with a divination array.

Indeed, Dorothy was about to use her strongest method of solving cases: divination.

After advancing to the rank of Simulation Puppet Master, Dorothy’s control over spiritual threads greatly improved. Not only could she perform simple rituals with zombies, but she could also make her spiritual vision effective through a zombie’s eyes. Just now, she used the zombie’s spiritual vision to see that the black necklace around Maria’s neck was an extraordinary item called “Shadow.”

Now, Dorothy was going to use the pendulum divination method to locate the true killer.

Placing the coin on the divination array, Dorothy made Ed squat in front of the theater’s floor plan, letting the crystal pendant hang down and silently reciting the divination chant in her mind.

“The location where Maria Dokana was killed tonight…”

After finishing the recitation, Dorothy started swinging the crystal pendant. As the gold coin’s luster dimmed, the crystal pendant began moving on the paper.

During the movement, Dorothy felt no pull on the pendant, which eventually stopped completely, hanging vertically on the paper, falling outside the boundary of the floor plan, making it impossible to determine the direction.

This situation clearly indicated that Dorothy’s divination had been blocked.

“It’s useless. Those guys probably allocated a lot of anti-divination resources for this operation. Don’t expect to find them with divination, detective.”

At that moment, a familiar voice with a gentle tone echoed in the office. Dorothy controlled Ed to look in the direction of the sound, seeing Adele Briouze leaning against the door, holding a slender cigarette, looking at Ed in the center of the room.