Mystery Detective of the Steam World

Chapter 19: The Investigation Continues

Levi slept until noon the next day before getting up.

Although his lifespan was limited, it was precisely because of this that Levi would never wrong himself.

He slept when he needed to, ate when he needed to, only in this way could he ensure he was not wasting the enjoyment of each day.

His experiences before crossing over had already taught him—never think about suffering now in order to enjoy later.

Because the more you thought that way, the more likely you were to end up suffering now without being able to enjoy later.

When Levi changed his clothes and went downstairs, Irene had already placed a steaming breakfast on the table, including milk, white bread, tomato salad, ham, and fried eggs.

Levi ate while casually picking up the newspaper and flipping it open.

Hmm……… as expected, the fire at Splendor Club had become the top news report.

Of course, the content reported was no different from what Levi had imagined.

It basically just reported that Splendor Club had caught fire, the club’s owner Madam Durex had died in the fire, and the police were investigating whether there was suspicion of arson, etc………

Levi skimmed through it.

It only briefly mentioned Madam Clattie’s life, and that the police investigation was ongoing.

For now, it seemed Madam Clattie had likely fallen ill suddenly while preparing to sleep, collapsed on the ground, and the candle in her hand ignited the carpet, causing the fire………

Hmm, at least from the news report, there was nothing worth……… hmm?

Just as Levi intended to ignore this piece of news, he suddenly noticed the following line written afterward.

【However, according to the reporter’s investigation, on the day of the fire at Splendor Club, two newcomers joined the club. Among them was none other than the famous detective Mr. Levi, who previously solved the Courtesan Killer case. Could he be connected to this matter? Our reporter will continue to investigate for you…………】

“………………”

Levi stared at the newspaper, suddenly feeling as though the ham in his mouth had lost its taste.

These damned gossip reporters!

Where had they dug up this information?

But it was not surprising.

He simply disliked his affairs being splashed across the newspaper like this……… forget it, it was no real harm anyway.

That the reporters had uncovered his visit to that club was no surprise to Levi.

Since Splendor Club caught fire, those reporters would surely snoop around like detectives themselves, naturally finding its members.

And Levi and Katie’s appearance had clearly left the deepest impression.

It would have been stranger if they had not reported it.

Still, he had not come away empty-handed.

At that thought, Levi touched the cigarette case in his hand.

Inside was not tobacco, but some of Madam Clattie’s ashes.

Perhaps, in the eyes of the mastermind behind the scenes, killing Madam Clattie would sever Levi’s trail completely.

But in fact, for Levi, doing so had instead given him the opportunity to lock onto the culprit!

If you had not killed Madam Clattie and instead obstructed my actions step by step, perhaps I truly would have had no way to deal with you.

But now, as long as I used Soul Sight to find who was connected to Madam Clattie’s death, then locked onto them, that would be enough!

The only pity was that this ability still had a range limit.

From Levi’s experiments so far, it was about one hundred meters in radius.

And since it consumed his lifespan, he could not keep it on all the time.

Otherwise, he might not wake up the next day.

So unless Levi had a suspect in mind, he would not use it on just anyone.

“Ding-dong!”

The sound of the elevator bell rang.

Levi looked up and saw the elevator door open, followed by a figure in a peaked cap bouncing energetically inside.

“Mr. Levi! Did you see the newspaper? What on earth is going on?”

Hmm, the newcomer was none other than Katie.

Levi raised a hand, gesturing for Katie to calm down, then finished his breakfast.

Irene also served Katie a cup of tea before excusing herself with the tray.

Katie sat down on the chair, and only when Irene had left did she hurry to the desk.

“What’s going on? The news says Splendor Club caught fire, and Madam Clattie died? That wasn’t you, was it?”

“If it had really been me, that would have been better.”

Levi sighed, then recounted to Katie what had happened the previous night.

When she heard Levi say Madam Clattie had twisted her own neck, Katie’s face turned pale in fright.

“My God, isn’t that the kind of… black magic? Or some kind of curse?”

“Possibly. I’m not sure either. In short, they certainly possessed some extraordinary power.”

“So what do we do now?”

Katie frowned slightly, looking quite troubled.

“It’s not as though we’re entirely without clues.”

Levi explained to Katie his thoughts from the carriage last night, along with the report he had overheard from Madam Clattie.

“She told the mirror everything was going smoothly, that Doolittle’s sacrifice was within expectations……….”

“Mhm mhm……… hmm?”

Katie nodded repeatedly while listening, then suddenly reacted.

“Wait, we clearly stopped Doctor Doolittle’s plan. Emilia wasn’t resurrected. How could that be considered a success? It was obviously a failure!”

“That’s the problem.”

Levi snapped his fingers.

“Just as I suspected before, Madam Clattie lied to Doctor Doolittle. Maybe needing a sinner’s organs was true, but it didn’t necessarily have to be a courtesan. There were plenty of sinners in the Lower City. Compared to them, courtesans were the least harmful.”

At least they were laborers earning money through work.

“That’s true……… I know a few scoundrels, but there are far worse ones.”

“Therefore, I suspect, for Madam Clattie, whether Doctor Doolittle succeeded or not didn’t matter. What mattered was whether he carried out the ritual at all.”

“???”

Katie stared at Levi in confusion, completely baffled.

“It’s just a thought I have. I can’t really explain it clearly.”

Levi shook his head.

He had grasped a vague idea, but he was no expert in mysticism.

It was just a feeling he had, comparing it to the movies, animations, novels, and games he had seen before.

As for the exact truth, that was still unclear.

“By the way, last night Madam Clattie didn’t seem to recognize you?”

“Of course not.”

At this, Katie proudly raised her chest and lifted her chin.

“My disguise was flawless. Besides, I rarely met Madam Clattie face-to-face. Most of the time I only helped those ladies.”

“What did you help them with?”

“Running errands, buying things they wanted but couldn’t get, or driving away troublesome clients.”

Katie’s expression dimmed slightly.

“I always felt sorry for them, but there wasn’t much I could do.”

“Every little bit helps.”

Levi sighed, then stood up.

“Since you’re so worried, let’s go check on their situation now.”

“Alright!”

The news in the papers had not caused any commotion among the Pink Lady girls.

Or rather, they still did not know that the “Madam Durex” mentioned in the newspaper was their boss.

So when Levi and Katie returned to the Pink Lady, the place looked as calm as ever.

The doorman was still the same young strong man.

Levi greeted him, then used a penny to gain entry—perhaps the man thought Levi had come to see a courtesan again.

But this time was different.

“What are we here for today?”

“We’re going to check Madam Clattie’s room.”

Levi answered Katie in a low voice.

“Some things, she likely wouldn’t have kept at Splendor Club, but here instead.”

“You mean her office? Can you pick locks?”

“I don’t need to pick locks.”

Levi sighed inwardly.

“I have the key.”

As a detective, not having a lockpicking skill was really unqualified.

Perhaps because most people were resting off-duty, the Pink Lady was quiet inside.

Using the key taken from Madam Clattie, Levi easily opened the office door, and the two of them slipped inside.

“Ooh……… how exciting.”

Carefully stepping in, Katie’s eyes sparkled.

“It feels just like we’re thieves!”

“We’re not here to steal. We’re here to investigate.”

Levi corrected her, then began rummaging through the room.

Katie too looked around eagerly, like a player entering an NPC’s house hoping to loot everything.

“What are we looking for?”

“Anything useful. You can check the desk, drawers, or behind paintings. Maybe there’s a safe………”

Before he even finished, Levi saw Katie reach up and pull down a painting from the wall, revealing a hidden safe.

“There’s a safe here, Mr. Levi!”

“Ah, hmm……………”

Levi was momentarily speechless.

He walked to the safe and examined it carefully.

To his disappointment, it was a combination safe, one that required a code rather than a key.

And he did not have the code………

“What’s wrong, Mr. Levi?”

Seeing Levi stand silently before the safe, Katie asked curiously.

Levi nodded.

“I’m thinking about how to open it.”

“Eh? You can’t open it? Let me try………”

As she spoke, Katie flexed her arms and reached for the safe’s handle.

Seeing this, Levi quickly rushed to stop her.

“Wait, let me try first. Hmm……… I remember there’s a way………”

Levi recalled seeing somewhere that thieves opened such safes by placing a stethoscope against it and listening while turning the dial.

Though he lacked a stethoscope, his 【Investigation】 and 【Perception】 skills could serve.

So Levi leaned close to the safe, stretched out his hand, and slowly turned the dial.

Sure enough, he caught the faint “click” sounds from within the heavy safe door.

“Phew……………”

Thankfully, safes of this era were not too complicated.

Otherwise, he would have been helpless, and he dared not let Katie try to force it open.

Though Levi felt that with Katie’s strength, breaking it open would be easy, he did not want anyone knowing they had done so.

Leaving no trace was best.

After several turns, the safe finally opened.

Katie’s eyes widened in astonishment.

“Mr. Levi, you’re amazing………”

“Just a little trick, nothing impressive.”

Levi waved it off, then looked into the safe.

Inside was a money pouch, several punched cards, and a black notebook.

Levi took the notebook and flipped it open.

Inside were records of accounts, the Pink Lady’s income and expenses, and notes of smuggling and other crimes.

Normally, this would have been valuable evidence.

But now that Madam Clattie was dead, her shady dealings no longer mattered……… hmm?

Just as Levi was about to put the notebook back, he froze.

Something felt wrong!