At two in the afternoon. Outside of a three-story building at the middle street.
Selina looked at the drawn windows before shifting to the growing weeds of the lawn.
"How did this man navigate with all of the dead weight on him?" she asked her doubts, sensing how some things did not quite add up.
Leonard approached the iron gates and said, "Captain explained that his movements is limited but not to the point it stops him from actually escaping. My guess is that he had an ally helping him or perhaps using the Express Company to move each furniture for him."
"Then shouldn't we target the Express Company instead of going to his house?" Selina added.
His residence should be empty by now...
"The thing is. Those luggage exceeds the maximum quota for passengers to bring when boarding a train. Thus he needs time to bring these furniture one maximum quota each trip and in order to do that safely, he needs to relocate", Leonard explained as though he was lecturing.
"Klein is capable of tracking him just by having any sort of items that he made a mystical connection with, including the time he spent in one location."
"I see..." Selina muttered.
So just by determining where he's at the most. A seer can increase the chance for a divination to succeed...
"If there aren't any traces then we can shift to the company that was responsible for the delivery", Leonard smiled and took one step back, allowing Klein to come close to the building.
Klein raised a topaz pendulum. He entered a half-Cogitation and began murmuring:
"Ruther Huddsman's accomplice left an evidence here...
"Ruther Huddsman's accomplice left an evidence here...
"Ruther Huddsman's...
...
At that moment, the brightly colored pendulum that was suspended in the air suddenly began turning.
The wind around it stirred, turning on a gradual clockwise motion.
Klein opened his eyes and confirmed the revelation.
"It's a positive, but it's not entirely an evidence itself."
"Well it's better than nothing..." Leonard said dismissively as he opened the gates.
There is the delivery company you just mentioned and the boarding records from the trains... What do you mean nothing? Selina was left perplexed by his use of an idiom.
She watched Klein enters the gates before following.
As Leonard open the door. Selina leaned over to his side to strain for a peek.
Once the wooden pane was pushed aside, they saw a completely empty corridor.
There were no photo frames, clocks, vase or carpets. It seemed like it had been ransacked by greedy thieves knowing that the owner hadn't returned.
"It's what Captain had described. That man really took all of his belongings with him", Leonard said as he helped himself in.
Selina and Klein followed suit.
"Why would he take all of it?" Klein began suspecting as well.
Selina felt a hint of fear as she gave her own opinion, "It's truly harrowing. To think he would attempt to escape when he couldn't even refrain himself from taking all of his belongings..."
I can't lie to myself... If our house is under fire while Benson and Melissa are in a safe place. I wouldn't mind diving just to retrieve the most of what I can from the inferno... Klein criticized himself inwardly as he continues his steps.
For the remainder of their time. They have inspected each and every room the house contains.
From the dining hall, kitchen, library, bedroom and basement. The trio failed to find any sort of valuable leads that might helped in divination.
Moreover, evert room was truly devoid of anything.
Returning to the entrance hall. A cold air of emptiness swept Selina's skin. She reached her hand from both sides of her body, trying to stay warm.
"I guess that's all of it..." a pang of disappointment lingered in Leonard's voice.
Klein turned away from the door and onto the hallway.
Since they have included the rooms upstairs, going all the way to the rooftop. He began to suspect that the divination may have been referring not inside of the house but on the lawn.
"Let's try searching outside", he suggested.
After arriving at an arm's length between the two gentleman. Selina thought for three seconds before saying, "Why don't you use dowsing to look for it?"
"I have tried it earlier", said Klein as he slightly lifted his cane. "But it seems it's not picking up anything at the moment."
I wonder what's causing the disruption... He added inwardly.
This may have been the work of much higher sequence... I'll need to carefully monitor Ms. Roy in case this situation is the one from her destiny...
Klein tried to steal a glance at Selina, only to met by an oblivious smile, prompting him to turn back.
Mr. Moretti seems to be very attentive of me today... Is it perhaps because of the dream? That's quite thoughtful of him... Selina watched Klein retract his head from her before exiting the door.
Outside was still alit. The lawn had several weeds, evident of its lack of care.
This time, Klein used his divination again.
From his palm, he widened his grasp of the cane in order for it to fall slightly.
He caught the cane almost immediately and sensed that it tried to fall over a certain direction.
It worked! Klein was surprised.
This confirmed his hypothesis that the cause of his dowsing divination's failed attempts was due to the setting, being inside of the house.
With this realization. He began feeling a certain horror bloom in his heart.
Perhaps the beyonder they're dealing with is of a higher sequence. Capable of disrupting divinations!
Klein turned to Selina again and saw her looked back at him and smiled, forcing him to retract again before saying, "The dowsing rod was successful. It points in that direction."
He pointed at the other building across the street.
"So the possible evidence isn't in the house but here, referring to the area", Leonard chuckled at their small mistake.
"Divinations are very cryptic", muttered Selina as she gaze at the direction Klein was pointing.
After the short distance. They arrived at a two-story building.
Unlike the residence of the man from early. This establishment features a cafe by the first floor and cluttered apartment rooms at the top, allowing entrance by the balconies.
There were two signs over them.
"Ford's Coffee Shop."
"Pua Doe's Resting House."
Leonard sized up the establishment and said, "It seems to be a normal commercial-residential building. Where should we begin searching? At the apartments or at the coffee shop?"
"I'll let Klein do the decisions", Selina answered with modesty.
Klein nodded and loosened his grasp over his cane.
However, unlike before. When the cane was about to fall, it suddenly halted and suspends itself onto a direction.
After confirming the cane's intention. He pointed toward the second room farther left of the apartments.
"There."
The trio went up the iron stairs and arrived at the conjoined balconies on the second floor.
Soon they arrived where the dowsing cane had led them.
Before entering, Klein briefly ensured that there was no inherent danger through divination.
Regardless of this, he still readied his hand for the revolver as he opened the door.
It was locked.
"...How surprising", Leonard smiled and threw both of his hands up. "Of course it would be locked regardless if there was a tenant or not."
Thud! Thud! Thud!
Klein knocked a few times, only to met with silence.
"Should we ask the cafe owner below if they know the landlord?" Selina suggested after watching Klein.
"Alright", Klein pulled away from the door.
Downstairs was a humble coffee shop. With its front walls replaced by a wide bay windows that reveals the interior.
A signboard was placed by the entrance, presenting the beverages they could offer written in a chalk.
Ding! Dong!
The chime was triggered by the customers entering from the glass, wooden framed door.
"Welcome!" An old lady's voice spoke with delight.
Leonard walked over to the counter, gazed around and said, "Uh, excuse me. My name is Leonard Mitchell."
He placed his palm over his chest as a form of courtesy.
"If it's alright with you. May we know who is the property owner of the resting apartments in the upper floor." He said a respectful tone.
The old woman, wearing a barista clothing composed of a simple tunic and a green apron, replied while smiling, "Oh, then what can I help you?"
"You're the owner of Pua Doe's Resting House?" Leonard asked in confirmation.
"Mhm", nodded the lady. "I'm Pua. Doe was my husband's surname."
"I see... I should've expected it", said Leonard in excuse before adding, "Anyway, may we know if there was an occupant at the second room in the past, located from the farther end?"
Pua thought for nearly ten seconds. Her wrinkles contorts.
Finally she said, "Yes, there was, but he left just a week ago."
A week ago... Is it perhaps that accomplice who tried to escape? That's odd, why didn't he bother relocating himself across three districts?
Selina made an acute analysis over the fact that this person, suspected of a member of the Rose School of Thought would dare to move not only just move with all of his furniture but do so just one street away from his residence.
Leonard presented a note to the lady, drawn with the image of the man they're after.
"By chance. Does the man look like this?" He said.
The lady took a careful inspection of the paper. She shook her head and answered, "Unfortunately no. The man that came before was an elderly. He had quite a gentle demeanor."
Leonard turned to look at Klein and Selina before saying, "Did he disclosed a name?"
"I'm sorry but he only stayed in for just a couple of days so I do not know his name", The lady said in a lowered tone.
"It's alright", said Leonard as he tucked the drawn photo back.
"In any case, can we have a look inside of the apartment?"
The lady examined her potential customers again and realized that they wore a badge. She asked, "Are you all officers?"
"Yes", Leonard simply answered with a smile.
"Alright, could you wait for me while I fetch the keys?" The woman's voice was hoarse, her gait was a bit loose.
The main support of her entire walk depends on her right foot while her left staggers ever so often.
"Let me help you", Selina walked over to her side and reached for her arm.
The lady's wrinkled face smiled, "Thank you dear."
Selina turned toward the two gentleman and said, "Look after the shop. I'll accompany Mrs. Pua."
Klein nodded and watched her guide the elder to a room, at the far corner of the area.
Minutes later. Elder Pua and Selina returned. The lady was patient over the elder's small but gradual steps.
When they arrived at an arm's length. Pua handed a ring, dangling with multiple keys onto Klein's hand.
"My memory is beginning to grow dull dearie. Even I entrust a service to be responsible of the maintenance of the whole apartment..."
"If it's alright with you, use all of the keys available. I'm certain one of them will turn the handle."
Klein nodded, "We'll return the keys once we're done."
After guiding the elder woman back to her counter. Selina ordered a plastic coned milk-tea with a straw, she had been eyeing before when they entered.
This wasn't entirely because of desire but rather, she saw that it would be rather rude not to purchase anything especially since they occupied a couple of her time.
Without wasting anything. Selina and the duo left the coffee shop.
The potential customers that had been passing by finally had the courage to enter as the three individuals sporting a police badge exit the establishment.
Upon arriving at the second room, starting from the far the end of the balcony. Klein used the ten keys that were attached to the ring.
Six of it failed on opening the door but upon the seventh attempt, the lock loosened.
Klein took a quick inhale and pushed the wooden pane ajar.
Inside was a spacious room. It had a counter for a kitchen, a small living area and another room for the bed.
Overall, there's nothing suspicious about the room. The furnishings were intact, the aura was clear and there a scent of drifting lavender, evident that the room had just undergone a maintenance and a clean-up.
"We can't expect to discover anything if we just observe by the door can we?" Leonard lightly teased their unexpected method of investigation.
He was the first to enter, passing Klein over the entrance.
Sipping her plastic cup of milk-tea. Selina suddenly thought of how the taste was quite nostalgic.
This world was able to produce this kind of mixed beverage?
Amid their own thoughts. Klein silently entered a half-Cogitation, muttered a few lines and strained to feel his cane fall from his loosened grasp.
This... He confirmed where the cane intends to fall and guided the group toward a corner of the room.
From there, they saw a golden surfaced bit. It had a round body and easily portable.
It was a gold coin!
Just then. Upon witnessing its appearance. A strong surge of desire suddenly invoked.