Chapter 2567: Dear Detective Mr. 19

Two days later, Buke Port welcomed the April rain.

The persistent overcast rain dyed the sky a gloomy leaden hue, and the damp moisture seeped into the stone seams of every street.

Vincent Orga's funeral was held on such a oppressive rainy day.

In the annex chapel, countless candles were lit, attempting to dispel the chill brought by the rainy day.

Jin Chen and A'eruike wore solemn black formal suits, standing shoulder to shoulder behind the crowd attending the memorial service.

They watched the priest prepare the final rites before the altar, as the Latin prayers echoed in the somewhat empty chapel.

Yet at the funeral scene, what surprised many family members and local gentlemen who had come to pay their respects was the unfamiliar young man beside Count Eugene Orga.

He appeared to be a youth in his early twenties, his visage bearing a faint resemblance to the Orga family, but his demeanor was more refined and even somewhat shy.

Yet the Count kept him constantly by his side, almost never leaving him, and introduced him to several important family members.

"That is Julian," A'eruike's voice was low, only audible to Jin Chen beside him, "the son of the Count's deceased sister, who has been studying at a southern academy."

"It seems the Count has already chosen a new heir," his tone flat.

Jin Chen gave a slight nod, but his gaze swept past the crowd to rest on John Orga, who stood alone by a black marble gravestone not far away.

John did not look at the altar, nor at his father and the newly arrived cousin.

He stared blankly at Vincent's name on the tombstone, the rain soaking his shoulders unnoticed, his face devoid of its usual arrogance or anxiety, replaced by a near‑numb emptiness and fatigue.

As if sensing the gaze, John turned his head and happened to meet Jin Chen's eyes.

He froze for a moment, then twisted his lips into an extremely bitter arc, shook his head at Jin Chen, and turned back to continue staring at the cold stone slab.

At this very moment, John finally understood completely.

Even though Vincent was gone, that position—the status he had once craved, envied, and even believed should rightfully be his—would never fall to him.

【How terrible.】Ling Gun Gun lamented, 【Opium is really bad as well.】

Jin Chen nodded in agreement.

A'eruike happened to catch this brief exchange of glances; doubt flickered in his green eyes, and his brow furrowed.

How could he not know that Cyril and John's relationship was this good?

Just then, Sheriff Bruce also pushed his way over from the side, rain dampening the brim of his police cap.

His face bore an irrepressible smugness and eagerness as he leaned close to the two, lowering his voice:

"Damn it! You two, guess what I've found out?"

Bruce first glanced at A'eruike, rather smugly, "Admit it, A'eruike, sometimes investigations can't rely solely on your mysterious intuition; they also need my sleuthing! You wouldn't know what clue I've uncovered!"

A'eruike calmly returned his gaze, his tone equally indifferent.

"You can choose not to say."

Bruce: "……"

Jin Chen, on the other hand, was quite accommodating; he promptly pulled out a small notebook and pencil from his inner pocket, adopting a pose ready to take notes.

"Sheriff, is there any important new discovery?"

Bruce then caught his breath, gave a light snort, and continued: "I reinvestigated Joshua Clain! This respectable gentleman from Beyaer City."

"From five months ago, that is, shortly after he first arrived at the Orga Zhuang Yuan, his family began receiving several sizable sums of financial aid! At first, those newly arrived idiot inspectors…" Bruce did not forget to sneer at a colleague.

"They thought it was relief from Count Orga out of friendship, and never bothered to investigate further!"

He paused, watching Jin Chen's pen scratch away, then lowered his voice, speaking with the excitement of exposing a secret.

"But after I cross‑checked his family's accounts with Vincent Jr.'s transactions, I discovered that all that money had been transferred out from Vincent Jr.!"

Jin Chen's pen tip paused for a moment; he lifted his eyes to Bruce, "Does this count as… evidence?"

"Oh! Of course there's more!" Bruce's little moustaches nearly twitched upward, "The bigger discovery is that I checked the station records! On April 10, the day of the incident at noon, Vincent and Joshua each bought a train ticket for that evening to London's Main City!"

His voice rose slightly with excitement, then he quickly lowered it again.

"But neither of them boarded that train! We've investigated this long, asked so many people, and Joshua refuses to mention it—isn't that suspicious enough?"

This is indeed an extremely important and suspicious clue.

Even A'eruike's gaze shifted slightly; after a moment's contemplation, he looked toward Bruce.

"So, what do you plan to do?"

Bruce straightened his back, "Once this damned funeral is over, I will formally invite Mr. Joshua Clain to court."

"I wonder if he'll still be able to put on that pitiful, helpless act once he's in court!"

Having said that, as if already envisioning himself dragging out the true culprit and scoring a great merit, he tidied his uniform and strode away ostentatiously.

Jin Chen closed his notebook, slipped it back into his pocket, and slightly turned his head toward A'eruike, "What do you think, Inspector? Is the killer really Joshua?"

As he spoke, he pinched A'eruike's finger hanging at his side.

In such a solemn setting as the chapel, with everyone around, this hardly counts as proper gentlemanly conduct.

A'eruike's fingertip curled slightly, a faint tremor.

He gave Jin Chen a warning glance, telling him to behave.

Jin Chen, however, instead tilted his head slightly, his blue eyes shimmering with an innocent yet aggrieved look, his voice lowered even further, almost becoming a breath.

"A'eruike, are you going to yell at me again?"

A'eruike: "……"

【Villain Heartthrob Value detected +5, total 43!】

He still didn't pull his hand back, stiffly allowing that warm touch to linger, while steering the conversation back on track.

"Indeed, it's highly suspicious."

At that moment, the priest's prayer rose in pitch, and the formal memorial service began.

The two ceased speaking; A'eruike removed his cap and slightly lowered his eyes.

A discreet manservant approached Jin Chen's side and whispered, "Mr. Cyril, I am John's personal attendant. The young master asks you to come to the garden; he says… he wishes to speak with you again about last night's events."

Jin Chen was somewhat surprised, then immediately nodded, "Alright, please lead the way."

He thought that Yuehan might have recalled some clue inconvenient to speak of publicly, so he lowered his voice to explain a sentence to A'eruike beside him.

"Young Master Yuehan is looking for me; I'll be back soon."

A'eruike watched Jin Chen's back as he followed the male servant away, his brows furrowing again.

"The previous night? The night Cyril left alone, he actually went to meet Yuehan·Ao'uerjia?"

"What happened between them?"

"But looking at Cyril's attitude, it doesn't seem like he's suspecting Yuehan."

"An inexplicable feeling of concern quietly arose; A'eruike unconsciously rubbed the fingertip that Jin Chen had just pinched."

"He discontentedly withdrew his gaze, then looked ahead again."

"His face pallid, he could barely stand by leaning almost all his weight on the male servant Silas beside him; Joshua, sobbing softly."

"Eleanor's eye sockets were red, she covered her mouth with a black gauze handkerchief, looking heartbroken."

"Julian carefully supported Count Youjin's arm, whispering something, appearing especially attentive and caring."

"A'eruike silently took in these people's reactions."

"He stood alone at the rear of the crowd, his visage appearing calm and aloof in the flickering candlelight."

"The cold rain occasionally blew sideways into the corridor by the wind."

"A'eruike's gaze lightly shifted, landing on the newly erected black tombstone engraved with the name Vincent·Ao'uerjia."