The broad strokes of the modus operandi were now clear, though the finer details might differ from reality. This didn't hinder the immediate launch of a targeted investigation.
All that remained were the suspects' testimonies.
Three suspects—a classic setup. Luna planted her hands on her hips and glanced sideways at Chevreuse.
"Shall I handle the questioning, or will you?"
"Of course I'll handle this," Chevreuse replied. "Don't forget your current identity."
She wasn't the dreaded Phantom Thief White Cat anymore.
She was Turenna, her subordinate.
It was obvious which would be more intimidating: a team member asking questions or the captain herself.
"Alright, Captain," Luna said, leaning against the wall.
The following are the suspects' testimonies:
Delly the Stonemason: "Yes, I knew the victim. He was a good man."
"Huh? Did we have any issues? Not really. We always got along well... But I heard he had some disagreements with Chef Sheramo."
Chef Sheramo: "I didn't know Josen well. He was just a regular at my restaurant."
"That kid was decent enough and loved his family, but he had a temper and a loose tongue. I only got into a shouting match with him once after he got under my skin..."
"I think he was engaged to Miss Delly," he added in a hushed voice.
Noru, the young man in a wheelchair, spoke, "I... I used to be good friends with him. But he never thought things through and often angered people. They usually wanted to kill him for it. Maybe this is his karma, hehehe."
Chevreuse asked a few more questions.
The Maison Gardiennage investigation revealed that none of the three suspects had an alibi.
Typically, investigators would rule out individuals physically incapable of committing the crime, such as the wheelchair-bound Noru.
However, the method of the murder was becoming clear. Even without the use of his legs, he could have executed the plan once the victim was unconscious.
Chevreuse walked over to Luna and shared the information.
"What do you think? Who seems the most suspicious to you?"
Luna wiggled her fingers. "Looks can be deceiving, Miss Chevreuse. You seem to have already made up your mind. But if you need my opinion, I'll offer it."
With a flick of her wrist, she conjured three Mora coins.
Picking one up, she flicked it into the air.
Ting! The coin spun and landed in her other hand, which she revealed.
First coin: tails.
Ting! The second coin took flight and fell.
The second coin landed heads up.
The final coin landed tails up.
"Isn't that interesting?" Luna remarked, twirling the Mora with a smile.
Chevreuse sighed deeply. "This isn't funny, and it doesn't mean anything."
"I'm just mocking the culprit," Luna replied casually.
She lightly kissed the Mora and slipped it into Chevreuse's pocket. Then she patted the pocket and gestured for Chevreuse to inspect the suspects' feet.
Feet?
Chevreuse immediately ordered the suspects to stand still and sit properly. She then pulled up their slightly long pant legs.
Identical gold and silver anklets encircled the ankles of Delly and Noru. Each anklet was engraved with the other's name.
This alone was enough to establish a connection between the two suspects.
Just then, the melusine of the Marechaussee Phantom and the Maison Gardiennage officers returned.
"Captain Chevreuse, we found this in an abandoned workshop nearby."
A bloodstained knife was sealed within a honeycomb-patterned brick. The bricks were tightly bonded together, with two thick ropes threading through the holes.
It seemed White Cat's deduction had been correct.
Melusine continued, "There are clear signs of a hole being broken through the wall. We also found eight long nails and more rope buried in the ground, along with the murder weapon."
"And a large, bloodstained cloth, likely used to wrap the body."
The crime scene and the body's discovery site were separate locations.
"Most importantly—this!" the melusine held up an evidence bag containing a small amount of powder.
"What is it?"
"Metamorphic rock powder," the melusine explained. "This type of rock is often the preferred material for stone sculptures and artworks."
"It was found near the foot of a workbench in the workshop," Chevreuse added. "The culprit likely brushed against it and left it behind. But there's no metamorphic rock anywhere in the workshop itself."
Chevreuse glanced at the reactions of the two suspects.
Delly the stonemason looked uneasy, while Noru, the wheelchair-bound youth, remained silent.
Only the hem of Delly's trousers was dusted with whetstone residue.
"I killed him," Noru suddenly declared.
"Noru!"
"But I don't regret it! That man kept harassing Delly, even trying to force himself on her. I set a trap and killed him. Arrest me if you want."
Delly pressed her lips into a tight line, saying nothing.
Luna's smile faded. "Your acting is rather clumsy, isn't it?" she murmured.
Acting? The others looked puzzled.
Luna walked over to Chevreuse and raised a finger. "You two are clearly a couple. You're even wearing matching anklets."
Noru said softly, "It's because my leg is broken. I can't stand up anymore. Delly gave me this, vowing, 'If you can't stand, I'll be your legs. I swear it.' This is our pact."
The melusine's eyes welled with tears. "How touching..."
"Thank you."
"But according to this investigation report, Miss Delly was engaged to the victim," Luna pointed out, picking up the report. It clearly outlined the victim's relationships.
Delly averted her gaze. "I already broke it off."
"Really? There doesn't seem to be any evidence to support that claim," Luna said, flipping through the report.
"It's just... not recorded. I explained everything to Josen, and he agreed. Even so, he kept harassing me."
Chevreuse crossed her arms. "The dead can't testify. This statement alone won't clear you of suspicion."
Noru grew even more agitated. "I already confessed! I did it! Even I could have pulled off a trick like this!"
"Indeed. It seems Miss Delly intended to frame you from the very beginning," Luna said with a faint smile.
Noru froze, stunned.
Luna pressed her fingertips together and murmured, "Let me guess... One day, she suddenly burst into your home, terrified, and cried, 'I accidentally killed someone!'"
"How could you—" Noru blurted out, unable to stop himself.
"She brought you to the murder scene, where you saw the body lying on the ground, stabbed six times. Without thinking, you frantically asked her what had happened."
"'He tried to... so I...' she sobbed, recounting her tragic ordeal."
"Then you resolved to wait for the right moment to take the blame. Confessing later would lessen your punishment. Your feigned disgust for Josen was merely a ploy to attract others' attention."
"But the method of the crime didn't resemble an accidental killing. Still, you recklessly chose to take the blame for your beloved, unaware that—"
Luna smiled sweetly. "She'd planned to use you as a scapegoat all along."
That's why she chose a method that even someone with physical limitations could execute.
She advanced toward the trio, the chef hastily moving aside to watch the drama.
"Her concern, her care, her affection for you... perhaps it was all for this very opportunity."
Noru stared at Delly with disbelief and suspicion. Delly avoided his gaze, her lips pressed into a tight line.
"Of course, of course. Love often blinds us to the truth. But now you know the reality—everything you experienced was false."
"Now's your chance," Luna said, leaning down and snapping her fingers at Noru. "A golden opportunity to turn back, to save yourself from needless torment, and to let everyone witness justice finally served..."
"Do it for yourself, and for everyone who yearns for justice. Use your fists on her."
Chevreuse grabbed Luna's arm. "Stop. This isn't a stage. Don't forget you're working for me now."
She meant that Luna was merely playing the role of a subordinate.
Luna straightened up and let out a long breath. "Fine, Captain, I'll obey. But it seems the matter is already settled, doesn't it?" she said with a faint smile.
Chevreuse shot her a weary glance.
The Phantom Thief White Cat said she'd act as my subordinate, but she's clearly putting no effort into it.
"As she said, you can reveal the truth and mitigate your crimes, or stubbornly persist in protecting her. But if you choose the latter..."
"There's only one truth, and only one outcome!" Chevreuse declared.
Luna raised a finger, her smile widening. "The Fortress of Meropide extends its invitation."
For ordinary citizens, the mere mention of the Fortress of Meropide carried immense weight.
No one wants to spend a "wonderful," "sunny," "relaxed," and "pleasant" time in that underwater world, confined in a sealed space with the most vicious criminals.
Noru gritted his teeth and slowly nodded.
"She... she did approach me suddenly, just as you said, claiming she had 'accidentally killed someone'..."
"Why, Delly? Why would you do this? He never did anything to you, did he?" he couldn't help but question her.
On the contrary, she had lured Josen and tricked him into drinking a sleeping potion.
Delly, realizing she was cornered, turned cold.
"For the money. I wanted your money too."
Just as I thought, Chevreuse and Luna thought in unison.
"It always comes down to greed... You've gone too far..." Noru lowered his head, clenching his fists.
Chevreuse remained expressionless, having seen countless cases like this before. A significant number of homicides are committed by acquaintances, and over half of those stem from financial disputes.
"Is it my fault? If my family hadn't abandoned me so early..."
Criminals wrap themselves in layers of lies, desperately trying to convince themselves of their innocence.
Everyone makes mistakes; they were no exception. Their self-justifications invariably led to this conclusion, a reality Chevreuse had grown accustomed to.
"Then it wouldn't be wrong for me to execute you right now, would it?" Luna said, producing a pistol.
Delly's face paled instantly.
Chevreuse grabbed Luna's hand, narrowing her eyes. "What do you think you're doing?"
"Simply refuting her argument. Such a clumsy lie can be shattered with the simplest methods."
"Sometimes, bullets speak louder than words."
Chevreuse tightened her grip on Luna's wrist. "I told you already—"
Don't kill anyone.
Luna smiled faintly and holstered the gun.
"See, little Miss Goody Two-shoes? If you insist you've done nothing wrong, you must accept that others might also think, 'I'm not wrong either,' or even, 'I'm even less wrong.'"
"Perhaps one day, the young man you framed will press a gun to your forehead as you sleep."
"'I'm not wrong'—those will be the last words you hear before you drift into eternal slumber. Bang!"
Chevreuse released Luna's wrist.
She understood now: Phantom Thief White Cat was staging another performance.
Using her preferred methods of violence and the threat of death to intimidate her opponent.
To Phantom Thief White Cat, right and wrong were irrelevant.
"Take her and the young man away."
The Maison Gardiennage officers, who had been stunned into silence, snapped to attention and saluted.
"Yes, ma'am!"
Still reeling from the shock, Delly numbly allowed herself to be handcuffed and led away with Noru by the officers. The remaining officers stayed behind to secure the scene and take statements.
Chevreuse fell silent for a moment, then sighed softly. "There's nothing more for us here. Let's go, White Cat."
This was merely an interruption to their "date." The rest was now in the hands of the Maison Gardiennage.
"Yes, Captain!"
"Enough."
Chevreuse gave Luna a long, lingering look before turning away.
"...Why did you have to be a Phantom Thief?"
With those words, she left the alley without looking back.
Luna followed Chevreuse, grinning mischievously. "Missing me already?"
Chevreuse didn't reply, but glanced at Luna and held out her hand.
"My coat."
"Huh?"
"My overcoat."
Luna's eyes widened in realization. She quickly took off her coat and handed it to Chevreuse.
Chevreuse looked surprised. "You... didn't do anything else?"
"Were you hoping I would?"
"No. I just thought a perverted Phantom Thief like you couldn't possibly have resisted doing something." Chevreuse put on the coat.
"But I did."
Chevreuse froze.
"I've covered it with my scent. Care to take a closer whiff?"
"...Not interested."
She wanted to check, but then she remembered that Luna had been by her side the entire time, never leaving her sight.
How could she possibly have covered it so easily?
This has to be another tease, another lie.
"Miss Captain, are you thinking, 'How could she possibly have covered it right under my nose?'" Luna pulled a small perfume bottle from her pocket and shook it. "But how can you be so sure I couldn't?"
Luna's smile made Chevreuse's irritation surge. "What's the point of all this?" she asked, frowning.
"The point is—" Luna looped her arm through Chevreuse's. "I'm marking you. Miss Chevreuse is my treasure, and I won't allow you to look at anyone else." Luna leaned against Chevreuse and chuckled softly.
Chevreuse said nothing for a moment. Then, coolly, she replied, "Let's get something to eat. My treat—as thanks for earlier."