The Shadow of Great Britain

Chapter 1059: Chapter 81: The Detective’s Trick

”Who?”

Victor turned his head and looked, and when his gaze fixed on that carriage, the expression of this Parisian Sleuth turned intrigued.

”Oh... Barthelemy, is it that bastard? Those damn raccoon eyes of his are unmistakably recognizable.”

For some reason, just seeing that carriage made Arthur feel hollow inside.

Years of serving in the detective department had given him a special intuition. Connecting it to the previous unpleasant encounter with the Paris Police in front of the detective agency, Arthur felt that the appearance of the police chief named Barthelemy at St. Pelagie Prison was somewhat suspicious.

Arthur and Victor exchanged a glance, these two top detectives from countries across the channel almost instantly reached a consensus.

Victor took out a gold Louis from his jacket pocket and slipped it through the carriage window, instructing the coachman, ”Follow the cart loaded with sacks ahead, make sure not to lose it.”

The coachman took the coin without looking back and only realized something was off when he held it in his hand. He looked down and felt his whip-wielding wrist suddenly gain an extra bit of strength: ”For the price you’re willing to pay, not only can I track a carriage, but even a Dragon Cavalry wouldn’t escape my grasp!”

Following that, Arthur also passed a cigar through the window: ”I hope you keep your promise like a nail in wood. By the way, it’s best not to follow too closely, because the one we’re tracking is not easy to deal with. If you can do this job neatly and cleanly, besides the deposit earlier, I’ll pay you an additional reward once everything is finished.”

”No problem!”

Suddenly picking up a big job, even the coachman’s driving state underwent a transformation. He held the reins tightly with both hands, gripping the cigar between his teeth, and deliberately lowered the brim of his hat by two centimeters to avoid being noticed by the tracked Barthelemy.

Seeing his wholehearted dedication, Arthur felt slightly relieved. He turned back to Victor and asked, ”Did you tell the police department about Francois dying in St. Pelagie Prison, other than yourself?”

”Heh... that’s the most interesting part.”

Victor sneered: ”I didn’t mention Francois to them at all. They don’t even know where I plan to start the investigation. To prevent these guys from tripping me up, I’m investigating separately from them. They do their investigation, I do mine, but our results will ultimately be compiled to Chief Jusco. And I don’t trust Barthelemy and company to be that smart. If they could think of starting with Francois, Jusco wouldn’t be in such a hurry to come to the detective agency to ask me.”

Arthur exhaled a smoke ring, ”Seems like that’s the issue, then.”

”What’s the issue?”

Arthur reached outside the window to tap off the cigar ash: ”The first principle of handling a case: The more people know the details, the more likely it is to leak. Mr. Victor, before things are settled, you shouldn’t have reported to Jusco. Even if he promised not to leak, it doesn’t mean the people around him won’t, or even he himself might not be trustworthy.”

Victor was hearing such a novel opinion for the first time: ”Brother, what riddle are you playing?”

Arthur hinted: ”Mr. Victor, do you think, if the assassination case is ultimately revealed by Breaux Detective Agency, would such a result be dignified for Jusco, the leader of the Great Paris Police Hall? A huge department, overseeing thousands and tens of thousands of people, yet its ability seems inferior to your created micro-enterprise. How would the King view him as Paris Police Chief?”

Victor stared at Arthur and suddenly laughed: ”I certainly understand this principle, so I promised him I wouldn’t covet this credit. And the most important thing is, now the case hasn’t been cleared, even if Jusco wants to take the credit, wouldn’t it be a bit early?”

Arthur slightly shook his head: ”It’s hard to say if the Paris Police have made any new breakthroughs. They just need to find the next clue from Francois’ words.”

”Hmm... I can’t rule out this possibility.” Victor turned and asked, ”Does that mean we have the same thought? You also think the sack in Barthelemy’s carriage should contain Francois’ corpse?”

”Perhaps not the corpse.” Arthur stroked his chin, analyzing: ”Aren’t you at odds with him? If he learned that Francois is your pawn, while completing his task he could take him out of prison and hide him, wouldn’t that be quite irritating for you?”

”Your speculation indeed fits that bastard’s wretched style, just like his previous department.”

”You were previously the Security Department chief, specializing in investigating and combating criminal activities. Then Barthelemy, what was he responsible for?”

Victor disdainfully replied, ”Most of his career was spent in the Moral Squad.”

”Oh.” Arthur instantly understood: ”Specializing in prostitutes?”

”Exactly, from your tone, it seems that internally Scotland Yard is much like the Great Paris Police Hall, looking down on these guys profiting off women.”

Victor ridiculed: ”In our detective department, we not only have to use our brains, but sometimes also engage directly with the most vicious criminals in face-to-face confrontations. The General Intelligence Department monitors political activities, social movements, the danger of demonstrations and rallies is beyond words; if the protesters discover you’re a cop, being beaten half to death would be considered lucky. As for the Security Patrol Department, although they deal only with street thugs, they walk so much each day, it earns them hardship points. Others like the Judicial Police Department, Passport and Foreign Affairs Office, City Police Department, Public Health Department, etc., all have their own challenges. Only Barthelemy’s kind of Moral Squad needs only to be a phony gentleman in front of prostitutes.”