Chapter 20: The Silent Predator and the Restless Heart

“…?”

“Give me some of those,” Clint urged him.

Caught off guard, Simon pulled out a few silver coins—whatever his hand landed on first—and handed them over. Since he had been spending more time outdoors lately, he had recently started carrying loose change instead of just checks.

“Wait right here.”

Clint strode away and approached the man handling civil complaints. At first, the man responded with a listless, annoyed expression, but as soon as Clint held out the silver coins, his eyes changed. He began searching for something with sudden fervor, then stood up and vanished somewhere.

What was going on? After a short wait, the man returned and said something to Clint. Having heard him out, Clint walked back to Simon to deliver the news.

“They say the person in charge of the wanted posters bulletin board isn’t in right now. Since they’re public handouts, they told us to go check Warehouse No. 3.”

Is this magic? Simon was still dazed. “How did you do that?”

“The magic of silver. There’s nothing you can’t get done with this,” Clint replied as if it were no big deal and led the way.

Warehouse No. 3 was located in a secluded, neglected spot. The door wasn’t locked. Perhaps because it was a place used only for storing public handouts that anyone was free to see, the warehouse was filled with piles of dust-covered papers.

“So we have to find it here?”

“…It’s an overwhelming amount. But they should have gathered them in one section at least.”

Clint, who had a small frame, navigated through the warehouse and eventually found a stack of wanted posters. Having accumulated over three years, it was quite thick. Dust billowed as he lifted the stack. Simon let out a series of coughs. He was sensitive to dust, and his eyes had already begun to redden.

“Give that to me and go wait outside the warehouse.”

“No. Let’s look together.”

“It’s fine, just go.”

Pushed by Clint’s hand on his back, Simon was ushered to the doorway. Only when he hit the outside air did his coughing subside. Clint watched Simon for a moment before turning his gaze back to the wanted posters. He flipped through the pages one by one, rapidly.

“Oh. Look at this.”

Clint pulled out one wanted poster and showed it to Simon. Upon seeing the poster, Simon smiled in unison. Though the hair was a bit fuller, the portrait was identical to the face Simon had seen. Beneath it, the name was clearly written: Peter Mattison. The crime he had committed was explicitly listed as ‘Murder.’

My memory was right.

A thrill ran through Simon, and he clenched his fist tight. “Let’s report him quickly.”

“…….”

Clint had a bewildered expression. Simon’s claim that Ashley was Peter Mattison was correct. If so, that would mean Simon’s claim of returning to the past was also true—but that was supposed to be impossible.

“Mr. Clint?” Simon urged him.

Let’s think about that later. Clint pushed his thoughts aside and stood up. For now, reporting this heinous criminal came first. “Let’s go report it.”

Clint strode ahead once again. The two of them sought out the relevant department, handed over the wanted poster, and explained the situation. They relayed the story that the wanted fugitive Peter Mattison was masquerading as Ashley Lewin and going around killing animals.

“Ah, is that so?”

That was the first thing the duty officer said after hearing the whole story. Simon was momentarily stunned. What kind of reaction was this? Did he understand or not?

“I’m telling you a wanted fugitive is in this neighborhood! He’s going around killing animals.”

“Ah, right. But according to the poster, this guy kills people. Why would he kill animals?”

“Excuse me?”

The policeman frowned and scratched his head roughly. “No, I mean, what I’m saying is, couldn’t you be mistaken about something?”

“No. I’m not mistaken.”

“Think about it carefully. There’s no way such a heinous guy would be in a neighborhood like this. What is there to gain in a backwater place like this?”

Only then did Simon realize. This policeman was simply being lazy.

“Regardless, I’m telling you I saw this person! I’m making a report.”

“Tsk, ah, there’s no way… You aren’t trying to frame an innocent person just for the reward money, are you?”

What is he talking about? Simon’s chest felt tight with frustration. He had never been treated like this in his life.

“Do you know who this is? This is Mr. Simon Grayan. He isn’t someone who would be desperate for pocket change.”

Clint cut in for Simon, who was lost for words. Hearing that, the policeman looked Simon up and down. Simon was draped in a high-end suit, and his face was so pale it looked as though it had never touched the sun. He looked like a wealthy gentleman who lacked for nothing.

“Well, if you say so.”

Ahem, the policeman coughed dryly and looked away. Simon was so angry that the back of his neck felt stiff.

“So, when can we actually file the report?”

“Ah, understood. You just need to fill out this report form here.”

As Simon spoke sarcastically, the policeman’s tone became slightly more polite. Even so, his brusque and bothered attitude remained.

“Peter Mattison is a heinous man, and there is a high possibility he will commit the same crime again. Please arrest him quickly.”

“Yes. I understand that, but we have our procedures. We’ll take care of it, so please head home and wait.”

Is it my imagination, or is he actually saying ‘Get lost already’? The policeman took the report, sat at his desk, and pointedly turned his back to them. Left with no choice, Simon and Clint left the police station.

Despite taking a carriage to return to the office, Simon’s mood didn’t improve at all. No matter how much he thought about it, the police were untrustworthy. Why did he feel more anxious after reporting it? Would the police move immediately? He had to hope so, but….

“We have to catch Peter Mattison before he commits another murder. Isn’t there anything we can do?”

“Hmm, let’s see.” Clint took on a thoughtful expression and spread his fingers. “We found out he’s a wanted fugitive, we found out his alias and where he lives, we reported it to the police, and you’re worrying like this….”

As he spoke, he folded his fingers one by one, then showed his closed fist. “You’ve done everything you can!”

He smiled and waved his hand. What, he’s cute. Simon let out a sharp intake of breath. Between Clint’s words and his cute behavior, his worries seemed to blow away.

“You’ve done everything a citizen can do, Mr. Grayan. Let’s leave catching the criminal to the police.”

“I suppose so.”

It was just as Clint said. Simon had done everything he could. Simon let out a sigh and stared out the window. As he watched the flowing landscape, the roadside trees flashed by.

Roadside trees… trees… apple trees… Nora…!

Only then did Simon remember the thing that had been nagging at him. He had been so distracted by seeing Ashley and realizing his identity that he had forgotten about Nora.

“Nora! What do we do?”

Nora’s collar had been found in the pit where Peter Mattison buried the rat carcasses. Circumstantially, it was highly likely that Nora was already dead, but since a body hadn’t been found yet, Simon wanted to hold onto the hope that she was being held captive. If she had been taken around dawn yesterday, not even a full day had passed yet.

“Since Peter Mattison was at the candy shop since morning, he wouldn’t have had time to deal with Nora. Doesn’t that mean Nora might be safe?”

Clint nodded lightly at Simon’s reasoning. “That would seem so.”

“Then shouldn’t we look for Nora? Even if we leave the criminal to the police, Nora is our responsibility. We took the request!”

“…Are you saying we should go to Ashley’s house and look for Nora?” Clint noticed what Simon wanted to say before he could even finish his sentence. His brow furrowed delicately. “No.”

He refused flatly.

“Why? I don’t think the police will care about an animal! They’re more likely to just throw her away!”

“The police certainly would, but… you know Peter Mattison is a heinous murderer, right? That’s a very dangerous thought.”

“That’s true, but….”

“You’re saying you want to walk into the house of a man people should be running away from. What if you get caught by him?”

“…….”

There was nothing wrong with what Clint said. Simon couldn’t offer any rebuttal and looked dejected. Seeing this, Clint coaxed Simon with a softer voice.

“I feel bad about Nora, too. I’m worried. But now is not the time to step forward like that. It’s truly dangerous.”

“Yes….”

“Besides, if you break into a house, you might be misunderstood by the police. Do you understand?”

“…….” Simon nodded reluctantly.

Soon, the carriage arrived in front of Clint’s office.

“You look tired, so go home and rest today. Don’t think about anything else. It would be good to think about something pleasant. Like the Kenyon Masquerade Party.”

Clint gave his earnest advice as he stepped out of the carriage. The carriage set off again toward the Grayan estate. Now alone, Simon leaned his head against the carriage wall and sat hunched over. Fatigue seemed to wash over him.

…Clint is entirely right.

His head understood, but his heart couldn’t accept it. It might be dangerous, but I already accepted the request to find Nora, didn’t I? No matter how trivial the request, a detective is someone who doesn’t give up on a case once they’ve taken it, even if it’s dangerous!

At least, that’s how his favorite novel protagonist, Detective Sebardo, was. It was precisely because he had that kind of spirit that Simon couldn’t help but love him.

Of course, Simon knew that fiction and reality were different. However, even when he tried to think about giving up on finding Nora and waiting for the police to arrest Peter Mattison, the grandmother of the apple tree house kept coming to mind. She had been living alone for a long time. To a grandmother who had endured day after day alone in a quiet house, Nora must have been the joy of her life.

How much pain must she be in after losing Nora, who was like her own child? He knew without even asking. The grandmother kept all the windows open so Nora could return at any time, and as if that wasn’t enough, she lingered in front of the gate every single day. Simon could empathize deeply with her heart.

What happened to the grandmother and Nora before Simon returned to the past? Nora must have died at the hands of Peter Mattison. And not knowing that, the grandmother would have kept looking for Nora, and kept waiting…?

He could easily imagine that scene.

“Uuuugh.”

Simon let out a groaning sound. Clint said it was dangerous… but… but…!

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