Chapter 2564 Dear Mr. Detective 15
Alric told Goodwin explicitly, "From what I can see now, Master Vincent's death could not have been suicide."
This sentence was like a pardon, and Pastor Goodwin breathed a sigh of relief.
He slumped into his chair, repeating himself mutteringly.
“Thank the Lord… Thank the Lord…”
Jinchen's gaze lingered on Goodwin for a moment, then he slowly stood up and began pacing in the small room.
He glanced at the furnishings in the room and looked at the inconspicuous wooden cabinet in the corner, on which were placed several bottles of wine.
"Reverend Goodwin," Jin Chen suddenly spoke in a gentle, casual voice. "You seem to... really enjoy drinking wine?"
Goodwin was stunned for a moment, then answered subconsciously, "Yes, yes... I drink a little occasionally to relieve myself..."
He didn't finish his words, but as if realizing something, he lowered his eyes nervously, his fingers twisted nervously with the cuffs of his divine robe.
Jinchen didn't ask any further questions. He walked to the cupboard and picked up a bottle of red wine that was more than half drunk. There was a thin layer of dust on the bottle.
Jinchen casually shook the dark red wine, and then looked at Alrick sitting opposite him through the slightly twisted dark glass bottle.
Alric leaned back in his chair leisurely, his green eyes looking back at him calmly.
Jinchen blinked at Alrick through the bottle and said cheerfully, "Look what I found."
Then he moved the bottle, revealing a collection seal with the Olga family emblem printed on the bottom of the bottle.
Jinchen picked up the seal and turned to Goodwin, whose face turned pale instantly.
"Oh!" Jin Chen shook his head in admiration. "Master Vincent must be very impressed by your pastor friend. He is willing to share such a precious wine sealed with the family crest with you."
Goodwin's lips trembled and his eyes darted around in panic. He didn't dare to look at the seal, let alone respond.
Alrick received Jinchen's gaze and was very happy to cooperate.
He leaned forward slightly, his eyes fixed on the cuffs of Pastor Goodwin's robe, which were decorated with silver cufflinks of quite good quality.
"Your cufflinks are very beautiful, but perhaps my salary as a curate is not enough to afford a pair of exquisite silver buttons on your cuffs. Well, Mr. Goodwin, are these also gifts from the generous Master Vincent?"
Goodwin: "..."
He opened his mouth, but a gurgling sound came out of his throat, and no words came out.
He raised his hands in pain and grabbed his hair hard, falling into extreme struggle and anxiety.
But the sense of oppression from Jinchen and Alrick was too strong, even though they were not angry at the moment, they just looked at Goodwin calmly.
Goodwin could no longer bear this silent pressure, and coupled with the huge guilt in his heart, he raised his head and shouted in despair, "No! No! It's not Vincent at all! It's Degas!"
Jinchen showed a surprised expression at the right moment. "Could it be that Mr. Edgar, the butler, gave you the wine?"
He asked guidingly.
"It's not a gift! It's a theft!" Goodwin collapsed, his tone filled with intense shame and anger.
He opened the drawer of his desk, pulled out a thick stack of letters, and slammed them hard on the table.
"It was theft! Edgar...used his position as butler to secretly transport the fine wines from Olga Manor's cellar and sell them at a low price! I accidentally discovered this...but he threatened me, so I had no choice but to accept the wine."
After Goodwin finished speaking, his entire face and neck turned red. He buried his head deeply in his arms, and his shoulders began to tremble violently.
"Oh... I am also a sinner of greed... The Lord will not forgive me... No..."
"A curious development," Alric remarked. "In the long list of suspects I hadn't considered including this Mr. Edgar."
-
The two returned to the cylinder room with new clues obtained from the collapsed Reverend Goodwin.
While they were organizing their thoughts, they were waiting for Sheriff Bruce, with whom they had agreed to split up and exchange intelligence today.
Little girl Doshi brought them a simple lunch of fried eggs, bacon and toast.
As she set the tableware, she couldn't help but ask curiously, "How's the investigation going? Have you found the murderer of Master Vincent?"
Jinchen smiled when he heard this and fiddled with the fried eggs on the plate with a fork.
"Good progress. Two more names have been added to the suspect list."
Duoxi's eyes widened in surprise. "Oh my God! This can't be good news, right? Why are there more and more people the more we investigate?"
"Two?" Alric looked at Jinchen.
At this time, Jinchen naturally handed him a piece of bacon bread with sauce on it.
Alric paused, then took it and asked casually, "Besides the butler Edgar, who else is there?"
Jinchen supported his cheek with one hand, watched Alrick bite off the bread, and then spoke slowly.
"Think about it, the steward can't leave the manor at will all year round. Assuming that he's really stealing and selling wine, and it's become a large-scale business, then he'd definitely need a reliable accomplice who can frequently enter and exit the manor without arousing suspicion, to help him transport the stolen wine."
Jinchen picked up the small notebook and pen he carried with him and scribbled on them while thinking.
"This person obviously can't be the threatened Reverend Goodwin. Doesn't that mean there's one more suspect?"
Alric nodded in appreciation. Cyril's mind was always so quick.
"That's a very reasonable analysis. Do you think this person is among those we've met?"
Jinchen shrugged and tapped the paper with his pen. "I have my doubts."
[How unfathomable.] Ling Gungun was also deep in thought and took a bite of bread.
【…】
Jinchen: [Whose fault is it that the plot is too little?]
"Isn't this just for you to play with?" Ling Gungun said confidently, chewing and chewing. "Actually, I haven't grasped that part of the plot yet."
Shortly after lunch, Sheriff Bruce and John came to visit.
The day before, Jinchen generously shared the clues of the traces outside the study with Sheriff Bruce. Sheriff Bruce changed his previous doubts about the new detective's ability and immediately said that he would find John to question him.
But Jinchen didn't expect that what Sheriff Bruce brought back from his investigation was not a clue, but John Olga himself.
Jinchen looked at the two people who walked in side by side, turned his head, and whispered to Alrick beside him, very distressed, "You are right... Sheriff Bruce is indeed not very smart."
Alric couldn't help laughing when he heard his complaints, and he felt that Cyril was becoming more and more adorable.
He ruffled Jinchen's golden hair again, then put his hand down as if nothing had happened.
John Olga sat down on the sofa opposite them, gently leaning his finely crafted cane against the side.
His face was still shrouded in a lingering sadness, and his voice sounded slightly tired. "Hello again, Inspector Alric, Mr. Cyril."
Alric nodded, skipping unnecessary pleasantries.
"Mr. Olga, I'm surprised to see you here. I believe Sheriff Bruce should have already explained the situation to you."
John sighed softly, "Yes. Sheriff Bruce acted... decisively, without giving me much time to prepare."
"It nearly made me fall out of the study window."
Sheriff Bruce coughed awkwardly, his beard no longer curled up, and he picked up the tea that Doshi had just poured for him and drank it in one gulp to hide his embarrassment.
Jinchen's gaze lingered on John for a moment. "So, you were the one who climbed through Vincent's study window?"
"No, it wasn't me," John answered quickly, looking quite relaxed. "I can't think of any reason why I would have to climb through my brother's study window in such an unseemly way."
"I want to see him... There's no need to do this, I can see him anytime." John said, with a look of nostalgia and sadness on his face again.
Jinchen listened and tilted his head slightly.
...something feels weird.
[Really, full of gay love.] Zero Gungun was equally perceptive.
