Cases Uncovered

29 | Enclosed Linkages

"There is always only one truth! 真 しん 実 じつ はいつもひとつ! "

- Conan Edogawa

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Chapter 29:
Enclosed Linkages

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ZANE

I sighed quietly, my gaze dropping to the table. "I'm really not good at that," I admitted, my voice barely audible.

"That's okay." She glanced at her phone as its insistent ring cut through the silence. "I just need to take this call." She stepped out of the room, her footsteps faintly echoing down the hallway.

Who could have called her this time?

I lowered myself into a chair. Studying the photo and the dress side by side, I searched for any possible similarities between the two.

I pulled on a pair of surgical gloves and reached out to touch them. The moment my fingers made contact, a cloud of dust billowed up, triggering a sudden sneeze.

Achoo!

"Apologies," I murmured, aware of curious glances directed my way. Samantha, however, remained absent from the scene.

"Silk and chiffon," I muttered, refocusing on the task. "Raine was right; this will handle changing temperatures well."

After repeatedly comparing the two, Raine finally returned. "Who were you talking to?" I asked.

"Why do you need to know who called me?" she retorted.

"Uh, perhaps because we've been receiving phone calls from anonymous people?" I sarcastically replied.

She sighed. "It was my sister," she answered, still scowling. "She's asking for an update on what she's looking for."

"What should I do about the Inorganic Chemistry assignment?" I whispered to myself.

"What did you notice?" she asked, looking at the dress I had placed in front of a microscope.

"Well, this dress seems handmade," I replied. "The stitching isn't uniform in some places, and there are slight differences in the fabric texture."

She just nodded at me, seeming different from her usual self around me.

"Should I continue... because I'm not sure if it's-"

"Go ahead."

"And also, look at this part near the bottom of the dress. There's some dirt, but overall, it still looks relatively new."

"Mud caused that dirt," she responded. "Looks like it's been on the mantle for a while, maybe about five years ago."

"Five years? How did you know?"

"The dirt on the fabric has caused the colour to fade in the muddy spots," she said. "It's a stain that suggests the dress has been around for a while. Still, it looks nearly new and shows no signs of mould, so it probably hasn't been taken out of that cardboard box."

I felt a tickle in my nose again. Achoo!

"Are you allergic to dust?" Raine asked, waving her hand in the air to disperse the floating particles.

"Not really," I replied. Achoo!

"So, it's an old dress that's been well-preserved?" I asked after wiping my nose. "Does it look similar to the one in the photo?"