Becoming Professor Moriarty's Probability

Chapter 84: Behind the Veil

Evening, the day when the outcome of the bet with the professor and Charlotte was finally settled...

"Mr. Adler."

"Ah, I wondered who it was. It's you, then?"

Having finally gained his freedom and subsequently returning to his hideout in the back alleys, Adler greeted the first visitor after his release with a gentle smile.

"Do you have a moment to speak right now? I hope you can make time if you don't. It's very urgent."

"Well, I am a bit busy and have a prior engagement, but how could I refuse a request from my one and only girlfriend?"

The visitor, standing before him, was none other than Inspector Gia Lestrade.

"I think we need to clarify something before we start talking."

"Sure, what is it?"

"I'm not here as your girlfriend, but rather as an inspector of the London Metropolitan Police Department. Keep that in mind."

Lestrade, fully dressed in her police uniform and donned with a gaze of frigid ice, spoke, prompting Adler, busy tidying the papers in his antique desk, to nod quietly in acknowledgment.

"I understand."

"Then, let's not dilly dally and get straight to the point."

Taking another step forward, she began her speech.

"The bizarre disappearance case that occurred in Hampstead a few days ago, you're involved in it, aren't you?"

"... Hampstead?"

"I'm referring to the disappearance of Caroline Augustus Milverton."

Adler's eyebrows twitched ever so slightly, his head cocking to the side as he heard the name of the missing woman.

"The police have been keeping an eye on her for quite some time already. She is a villain of the worst kind."

"Is that so?"

"We were aware that she possessed a large number of letters intended to be used for blackmail, and more than half of those were the result of seducing young boys."

Seizing the moment, Lestrade began her interrogation; voice sharp.

"But a few days ago, when her house was searched following her disappearance, the documents that were presumed to be in the mansion's secret space had all vanished without a trace."

"........."

"And that's not the end. Valuable items were left untouched, and the servants have been reluctant to testify despite continuous questioning and interrogation by the police force."

Before long, she made her way right up to Adler's desk as she continued her speech.

"So, we are assuming that the person involved in this case either holds a high position or has a comparable level of influence."

"... I see."

"And I am aware of an individual who was transported from my house to somewhere else a few days ago."

"That's quite a leap. Am I the only suspect in this case?"

As she leaned against the desk with her hand placed on top, Adler casually posed a question to his official lover.

"Rumor has it that there were a few witnesses..."

"There were indeed a few suspicious people seen climbing over the fence and escaping from the mansion that day."