EXB 03 - Nightshade

Record 3:

The man finally agrees to let us in. The entrance of the "bungalow" is fascinating, all noble class decoration. Apparently, the whole interior is focused on one main large corridor with red carpet. Some of the textures of the carpet are quite recognizable. I've seen many of these in churches, Catholic ones specifically.

There are a variety of religious objects decorated throughout the hallway. The first of them caught my eye instantly, a set of quotes. I note down a typical line among them:

" Bless us, O Lord, and these Thy gifts, which we are about to receive from Thy bounty, through Christ our Lord. Amen. "

Then, over my head, I caught view of a chandelier, with all its candle already burnt out. Only low light from the sun radiating through the stained glass windows makes it visible from down here.

On one section along the edges of the hallway, Lucien calls me.

" Mon ami. Look. "

Lucien shows me a large platform, upon which lays three set of items.

The first one, on the left side, is actually a small "den" of statues. Very well crafted statue from limestone. Amiens is always occupied with master craftsmen with not many demands. But strangely, the city isn't near any limestone exploiting sites. Transporting it on a national scale may explain it, but it costs an arm and a leg, even admitted by several wealthy merchants.

But it has to be here for some reason.

Then, on the right side, I notice the large number of necklaces, all of which are attached to a cross, the symbol of Christ. They are not the kind of luxurious golden jewelries of the noble class though. They are just merely beads connected on a string. Black and white pieces of round-shaped glass. They sell these anywhere in the maze of the Amiens' s alleys.

In the middle lays a large cross on the wall, as well as a bible placed on the platform. Another noticeable feature is the picture of the family placed on the platform. On the back of the picture frame, there's a small note, most of the letters on which are hard to make out, except for a small line:

".... A new family, a new beginning. "

" It seems the owner of the place is quite some believer of the church. This must be the praying platform. It's not rare for religious family to pray at home. ", Lucien checks the items found on the platform.

Then, the man comes in our direction, bringing a tray of tea cups.

" Can you join me in the living room ? I may have something valuable to your work. "

We follow him to an adjacent room. It has quite some cozy decoration. A round table in the center, surrounded by sofa. The texture on it again is exotic to me.

This family truly adores foreign objects.

Lucien sits down, looking a bit worried.

He's finding a space for his beloved " Le Vin" bottle.

Then, Lucien starts with a calm tone.

" Monsieur, who do you think sent the letter ? Do you think of anyone among the workers ? "

" Why do you ask that ? "

" To be frank, the one who sent this file includes some really specific details about the case, unlike in other cases, with only obscure details. Your thought on this may help us. "

" Hmmm, I know that many workers here are really sorry about my wife's death, but my wife don't have those 'family' feeling with them, or even try to stay close with any worker. "

Lucien remains silent for a while. He then proceeds to ask:

" Who usually keeps the farmers around here under control, monsieur ? "

" Oh, it's my wife, actually. I only take care of the wine distiller and the animals around here. Most of us follow her schedule. "

The man then gives us an accounting book. The handwriting inside is definitely the victim's, rather different compared to the one found in the introduction letter.

" Monsieur ? May we keep it as an evidence for the case ? "

The man doesn't reply. He just slumped over, taking a nap for the time.

I quickly call Lucien out of the room to investigate other evidence. We have to whisper for a while.

" Do you think he is the guy ? ", I bring out my suspicion.

" Mon ami. My first rule in investigation is to delay my own doubt on the first person we meet at the scene. Even if he is truly the murderer, we don't have the evidence to do so. Plus, this family may have enough money to even tear down our noble titles. Play carefully in these environments, mon ami. "

Right, not even I myself want to lose the noble title. They provide a steady income even much more reliable than my current job.

The hallway flows to a central large room, presumably reserved for special occasion. The place still remains a debris, untidy. Some of the mobile tray stands have remaining stains of desserts and small cups with dipping sauces.

On one side of the room appears a granite platform, on which lays messy musical instruments. A violin without all of its strings, some tuning mechanisms already fall apart. A piano remains on the stage, still left unenclosed. A trumpet and galoubet (a type of flute) on the floor near the stage and a large cello found backstage.

On one table in the room, we found a wood-carved box, filled with the cream of an unfinished pudding. It is also signed: "For Mrs Dubois"

Lucien, despite knowing his eccentric personality, still grosses me out in the act.

He takes his finger...

Put it directly in the mess of the box.

Stir up the thing for a while.

He senses some soft piece of paper and pulls it out of the box.

" Dégueulasse (Gross), Mon ami. Still, merveilleux (marvellous)... ", I try to refrain from vomitting, ".... uhh.... How did you... ".

" Instinct, mon ami. ", Lucien looks at me, amused by my reaction.

" Can your instinct be anymore hygienic ? "

He only laughs at my remarks.

And I know I won't sleep well tonight

...

We come back to the man in the living room. He just woke up, beside the fireplace.

Lucien put the food box and the note he found on the table.

" Sorry but what does it say ?... (Yawning) .... I can't read. "

" It says: " A token of gratitude. Your friend. Antonio. ", does it remind you of someone, monsieur ? "

" I rarely come to Amiens. Maybe that's one of the merchants my wife traded with in the city."

Considering tons of ships approaching the dock northern of Amiens and hundreds of merchants who travel from and to France, that clearly does not help.

Maybe Lucien's "instinct" can helphere...