Chapter 20

Case 2. Get Help from a Colleague.

He was walking through a dim alley. The glow of the gas lamps was faint, and nothing could be seen clearly. A chilly breeze blew from somewhere, brushing against the back of his neck. He shivered and looked around.

Gulp—the sound of him swallowing echoed like thunder. He glanced about nervously. The flickering shadows seemed like they could leap at him at any moment.

Rustle—

“Ah!”

Startled by a sound from behind, he slowly turned his shaking eyes and saw a cat rummaging through a pile of trash. He sighed in relief.

“Are you hungry?”

He crouched down, calling softly, “Meow~” to the cat. He searched his pockets for something to eat, but found nothing. Smiling sheepishly, he patted himself down in other places, but it was the same result. What now?

“Would you like some water, at least?”

He pulled out a water bottle from his bag, cupped his hands together, and poured water into them. At the sound of trickling water, the cat leaped down from the trash pile and cautiously approached him.

He didn’t move, letting the cat feel safe. After circling him warily for a while, the cat finally seemed to decide he meant no harm, and slowly lowered its head to his hand.

Lapping, lapping—a tiny tongue flicked against the water’s surface. The man smiled fondly at the sight.

“You’re really cute. You remind me of my own little ones.”

Thirsty, the cat drank all the water in his hand and then continued to lick his palm. The rough sensation made the man chuckle and pour more water.

Suddenly, as the water rushed in, the startled cat yelped and jumped away. Oh no, I should’ve been more careful. The man stayed still like a statue, but the cat showed no signs of returning.

He stood up with a resigned sigh. The cat meowed sharply and darted off. Smiling bitterly, he rummaged through the trash pile, eventually finding a chipped but relatively clean bowl. He poured the remaining water into it and set it gently in a corner of the alley, then gazed in the direction the cat had run off.

“You’re just as wary.”

He chuckled. The earlier fear and unease were now completely gone. He took a deep breath. The cool air filled his lungs, reaching up to his head and clearing away his tangled thoughts. With a refreshed mind, he resolved: I’ll just work harder. Tomorrow, when I see her, we’ll find a quiet place, just the two of us, and really talk.

He was so lost in thought, he didn’t notice someone approaching from behind. Just as he bent his knees to stand, someone struck the back of his head hard.

“Urgh!”

He let out a choked gasp and collapsed to the ground. The attacker held a blood-soaked brick in hand, dripping steadily. The man couldn’t move—he could only gasp for breath.

The assailant slowly stepped toward him. Under the dim glow of the gaslight, their face came into view. Despite the pain, the man’s eyes widened in shock.

“H-how did you…”

The attacker’s face twisted in rage. A low, grating sound of grinding teeth echoed. Trembling, the attacker raised their arm once more.

Thud—the sound of flesh crushed and bone shattered echoed through the alley.

* * *

After that incident, Charlotte changed a little. It wasn’t a dramatic change. Her fear of blood remained, and it was still chaos every time she performed an autopsy. But everyone at the facility had noticed something different about her.

“You okay?”

Eugene sat down next to Charlotte and asked carefully. She was drying her dripping wet hair with a towel and turned to him with a puzzled look.

“What do you mean?”

“You fainted again today.”

Ah. Charlotte shrugged and laughed as if it was no big deal. During today’s autopsy, blood had splattered onto her face, and she fainted without even screaming. She had just woken up, finished the procedure, and washed up.

“I’m getting used to it.”

Eugene’s eyes narrowed. He gave her an incredulous look and suddenly reached out, pinching her cheek hard.

“Ow ow ow! That hurts, senior!”

“Quit with the nonsense and spit it out. What’s wrong with you lately?”

“Wait, let go! Don’t pull!”

Charlotte clutched her cheek, which she barely managed to free, pouting. Ouch. That’s definitely going to bruise. Tears welled up in her eyes as she glared at Eugene. But his gaze had a sharp edge to it, and she quickly looked away.

“Everyone’s trying to accommodate your hemophobia, but why are you refusing help? It’s more exhausting cleaning up after you every time you faint, you know?”

“…”

“The director’s asking what’s going on too. Whether you really need to do all the autopsies. He’s wondering if we’re so short-staffed we need to hire more people.”

Charlotte said nothing, rubbing her fingers together. Eugene watched her quietly and sighed deeply.

“Is something going on? Hey, I’m still your senior, you know… I’ve been in this line of work a few years longer than you. Tell me. Maybe I can help.”

Charlotte smiled faintly at his words, grateful for his concern. But what could she say? That she got overconfident and let a murderer slip through her fingers? This wasn’t something she could share with anyone.

She only shook her head. Eugene clicked his tongue softly. But he couldn’t force her to speak, and if she was hiding it this hard, it had to be something serious—something she couldn’t tell just anyone. Maybe it was something related to her family. In that case, there was nothing he could do to help.

He patted her shoulder gently.

“Don’t overdo it.”

Even after Eugene left, Charlotte sat there for a long time. She leaned against the wall and stared up at the ceiling. The white ceiling spun and twisted until it formed a shape—the face of the dead Baron Turove.

Startled, Charlotte opened her eyes wide. Shaking her head and looking again, the face was gone. A hallucination.

Maybe I’ve pushed myself too hard. Dizziness welled up, and Charlotte tried to steady herself.

After visiting the Turove estate, she thought she would change completely. She expected to become cold, indifferent to the world, and emotionally numb.

But she hadn’t. After work, she still felt tired. At mealtime, she still got hungry. Bad food annoyed her, and sweet snacks cheered her up. As the sun set, she collapsed into bed and slept dreamlessly through the night.

Living… is like that.

But things weren’t exactly the same. Though her fear of blood hadn’t improved at all, she never backed out of autopsy work. She took on everything assigned to her, and even helped with other people’s tasks. Only by doing so could she forget her guilt—if only for a moment.

Just today, she had written ten reports first thing in the morning, eaten a piece of stale bread with cold tea for lunch, and completed another autopsy. Now, she had to return to the office to write the autopsy report.

Charlotte groaned softly as she got up. Her whole body ached, but there was no time to rest.

She was in the middle of writing the report when noise erupted outside. What’s all that commotion? She put down her pen and tilted her head in confusion.

Stepping into the hallway, she saw people gathered at the far end. Charlotte slowly approached. The murmur of voices became clearer.

“…I would appreciate your help.”

“We’re handling critical work right now, and it’s hard to leave our posts.”

“Then, if you tell me where they are, I’ll go directly.”

“Still, shouldn’t you first explain why you’re looking for them?”

It felt like sparks were flying through the air. Everyone wore polite smiles, but their eyes and mouths twitched, barely hiding their tension. Charlotte hurriedly slipped between the group, who looked on the verge of grabbing each other by the collar.

“What’s going on?”

“Charlotte! Why are you out here?”

“Miss Charlotte.”

Charlotte glanced at the man receiving all the attention from her senior colleagues. She saw gentle blue eyes curving with warmth. Henry bowed slightly in greeting.

“It’s been a while.”

“…Superintendent.”

Why is he here? Charlotte glanced around. Everyone at the autopsy facility was watching the two of them intently.

“W-What’s with all of you?”

Eugene stepped forward.

“Come on, Charlotte, let’s step aside.”

“Miss Charlotte, if you have a moment, I’d like to speak with you.”

“She’s busy, as I’ve already said.”