Lorien, Inspector Aaron Hastings, and Detective Winnie walked toward the missing boy's residence.
It wasn't far—
Just one street over, in a cheap apartment building.
They climbed the stairs to unit 514, where Winnie stepped forward to knock.
Knock, knock.
Inside, faint rustling sounds echoed.
There was definitely someone home.
They had heard the knocking—
But after a ten-second pause, no one responded.
"Hmm?"
Winnie frowned and knocked again.
"Is anyone there?"
No answer.
She raised her fist to knock again—
But Aaron held out a hand, stopping her.
Then, he pounded the door hard.
"Open up. Police."
No More Mr. Nice Guy
Unlike the modern era, 19th-century British detectives weren't particularly… gentlemen-like.
Brute force and intimidation were standard tactics.
While two recent police reforms had attempted to curb violent practices, London's law enforcement still carried nicknames like "Blue Devils" and "The Flayers".
Aaron Hastings, leading an enforcement squad, knew well—
Being too nice could cripple an investigation.
A few seconds later, the door creaked open slightly.
A gaunt, hollow-eyed man peeked through the gap.
When he saw Aaron's cold stare, he instinctively shrunk back, hurriedly undoing the security chain.
"S-Sorry, officer! I was asleep… I didn't hear you!"
He bobbed his head apologetically, then hesitated—
"You're here because…?"
No Time for Games
Lorien wasn't interested in watching this man act.
"We're investigating the missing child case. Start talking."
His tone was sharp and direct.
"O-Oh, right!"
The man—Vance—rubbed his hands nervously.
"My son, Walter, has been missing since yesterday afternoon. The little brat is always running around—I figured he'd come back by nightfall, but when it got late and he still wasn't home, I got worried. By then, it was already dark, so I couldn't search for him. I tried asking around this morning, but no one had seen him… That's when I went to the police station to report it."
Winnie narrowed her eyes.
Something about his tone felt off.
"What time exactly did Walter go missing?"
Vance hesitated.
"I… don't know."
His excuse?
"We don't have a clock at home, so I can only say it was sometime around noon."
Winnie blinked.
"Oh, uh… I see…"
She wasn't great at interrogations.
After a brief pause, she tried:
"Would you mind if we took a look inside?"
Vance hesitated.
His eyes flickered.
Lorien didn't wait for an answer.
He simply stepped past him and walked in.
Vance raised a hand, instinctively wanting to block him—
But when he remembered Lorien was with the police, he froze awkwardly.
A Closer Look
Lorien scanned the room.
It was cramped—filthy, cluttered with garbage and old clothes.
The air was thick with a foul, acidic stench.
Winnie frowned.
"Something wrong?"
Lorien glanced at Aaron before responding.
"Very."
More Than Just a Missing Boy
He turned back to Vance.
"You've been unemployed for months, haven't you?"
Vance blinked rapidly, visibly uneasy.
"Uh… Y-Yeah, about nine months… But what does that have to do with Walter's disappearance?"
Lorien's gaze was calm and unreadable.
"No job… yet somehow you're still able to afford food and shelter?"
Vance swallowed hard.
"I, uh… I had some savings from before…"
Lorien nodded—but didn't believe him.
Instead, he stated flatly:
"So regular workers make that much money now, huh? Enough to survive for almost a year? Even with spare cash for opium tinctures?"
Silence.
A thin sheen of sweat formed on Vance's forehead.
Winnie looked confused.
"Wait… are you saying he's doing something illegal?"
She immediately thought of theft or selling contraband.
"Absolutely not!" Vance snapped.
Then, in a desperate attempt to prove his innocence, he lifted his left pant leg, revealing a twisted, disfigured foot.
"See this? I got injured while working for Cornwall Company, crushed by a shipment. That's why they fired me—I can't even run properly!"
"How could I possibly be a thief?!"
Lorien's expression remained unreadable.
Then, he dropped the real bombshell:
"Walter hasn't just been missing since yesterday. He's been gone for much longer."
Truth Unfolding
Vance's face paled.
"W-What…?"
"If he had only been missing for one day, this place would still smell like him."
"But his scent is barely here."
Winnie froze.
"Wait—then why did he only report it yesterday?"
Lorien sighed.
"Because Walter was the one bringing in the money."
"And yesterday… he ran out of cash."
Winnie's eyes widened.
"Wait—Walter is just eleven or twelve, right? How was he making money?"
Aaron cut in.
"East London has a massive illegal child labor market. Some kids start working as young as eight."
"During the Great Depression, many families relied on their children's wages—because kids were easier to exploit and rarely got fired."
Winnie looked horrified.
"That… can't be legal, right?"
Lorien shook his head.
"One of the most common jobs for these children? Chimney sweeping."
"They're small enough to crawl up smokestacks and clean them."
"If they get a decent employer, they make decent wages. But the cost?"
"Severe lung disease—most don't live past thirty."
He turned to Vance, whose hands were trembling.
"Walter was a chimney sweep, wasn't he?"
Vance's Adam's apple bobbed.
"He… H-He chose to do it himself! The boss paid him fairly! You can't fine me for that!"
Lorien didn't bother responding.
"Where was his last job?"
Vance reluctantly gave them an address.
A New Lead
The three of them arrived at an upscale residence.
The front gate was open.
The house itself was a grand, red-brick manor.
"Could Walter be here?" Winnie asked, though her voice lacked confidence.
Lorien simply walked to the front door.
He raised his hand to knock—
Then paused.
His nostrils flared slightly.
Then, without hesitation, he pushed the door open.
The hinges creaked.
The three stepped inside.
"Smell anything?" he asked.
Winnie sniffed.
"Nothing."
Aaron's expression darkened.
"Death."
"The stench of a body long dead."
An Unseen Presence
As they split up to search the house, Lorien climbed the staircase.
His target was clear—
He walked to one specific room, then pushed the door open.
Inside…
A lifeless man lay on the bed.
But before Lorien could react—
A chilling voice whispered behind him.
"Hello."
To be continued…