"Moriarty?"
Upon hearing Mary mention this name, Russell clearly froze for a moment.
What does this mean?
Why is it about me again?
She still can't forget about Moriarty.
"Why bring him up again?" he asked. "Did Moriarty provoke you again?"
"Not exactly," Mary shook her head, speaking softly. "I was just wondering why Moriarty would choose the Roy family to target."
"Just like how I'm planning to eat a sandwich with double bacon and ham for lunch," Russell said.
"?"
The young girl cast a puzzled look his way, seemingly unable to comprehend any direct or indirect relationship between the two.
"The meaning is, there is no logic, nor is there any reason," Russell spun the pen between his fingers. "It's purely that he thought of it, so he decided to do it. Isn't that exactly that guy's consistent style?"
"That is what people say..." Mary remained noncommittal, but the confusion in the depths of her eyes did not dissipate. "But I still feel it's not that simple. After all, that was a Cabinet Minister."
She continued, "In the past, let alone Parliament, he rarely even paid attention to civil servants. Moriarty's targets were mainly concentrated on the rich or the nobility of London."
Pausing for a moment, she added, "Moreover, this operation has a fundamental difference from the previous ones."
"What difference?" Russell asked curiously.
"He made contact with other unrelated people," Mary stared tightly at Russell with her azure eyes as she said this. "Like you, for instance. He gave the love letter to you, didn't he? The old him wouldn't have done that."
"Who knows? Even Charlotte says he's a performance artist," Russell shrugged without changing his expression. "Or perhaps, he wanted to find an alias for himself?"
"Actually, on Sunday, I asked someone to investigate for me," Mary lowered her voice, as if sharing some unknown secret. "The name Clark Kent, and that so-called Daily Chronicle newspaper office, simply do not exist."
After speaking, her gaze fell upon Russell's face, seeming to expect his reaction.
However, Russell's reaction was much calmer than Mary had imagined. He merely raised his eyebrows, revealing no excessive surprise.
"You don't seem surprised at all?" she couldn't help but ask.
"Actually, when I learned that Clark Kent was Moriarty, I considered this possibility," Russell said. "Hearing you say this just confirms the conjecture; I'm not that surprised. Besides, even if he didn't fabricate a newspaper office, even if he directly claimed to be a reporter for The Times or The Guardian, I wouldn't be able to tell the difference, right?"
"That's true." Mary nodded slightly, then turned her gaze toward the blackboard.
Seeing her so concerned about his alias, Russell felt a faint sense of foreboding in his heart.
If she were to expose him one day, that would be a disaster.
If his identity as the Phantom Thief were discovered, his academic career would be over.
When that time came, there would definitely be a very loud noise (referring to the sound of legs being broken).
No, for the sake of the rest of my life, I must think of a way to lead her train of thought astray.
Thus, Russell remained silent for a moment, then spoke as if casually:
"Speaking of which, Charlotte's brother came yesterday morning."
Hearing this, Mary indeed reacted, turning her head curiously. "Mycroft Holmes?"
"Mm." Russell nodded. "He also came regarding the matter of Moriarty."
This statement instantly piqued Mary's interest.
"Now that you mention it, I recall that Mr. Mycroft and Ethan Roy seem to be political enemies."
"Remove the 'seem to be'; they are," Russell affirmed.
"Then what was his purpose in coming to find Charlotte?"
"He wanted Charlotte to help find Moriarty. As for the reason... naturally, it was the usual bureaucratic rhetoric. You know how it is."
Russell deliberately didn't say everything, leaving room for the girl to fill in the blanks herself.
"Let me guess... Mycroft escalated Moriarty's behavior from trespassing and burglary to a danger at the national level?" Mary said after thinking for a moment.
"Full marks." Russell gently clapped his hands.
The corners of the girl's lips hooked up slightly; she didn't seem surprised by this answer.
"Within expectations," she said. "Then I guess Charlotte refused, and said some... rather offensive words?"
"Sometimes I suspect you possess the superpower to peek into other people's memories," Russell laughed.
"If I did, the first memory I'd look at would be yours," Mary said with a smile. "That way, I could know what that Phantom Thief actually looks like."
A double entendre.
Russell smiled slightly and did not reply.
"But why would Mycroft do this?" Mary did not linger on the topic of superpowers, but turned back to the main subject.
"His political enemy has fallen. No matter which way you look at it, he is the biggest beneficiary. If it were me, I would definitely strike at Ethan Roy's colleagues immediately and expand my voice in Parliament. I wouldn't waste limited energy on a Phantom Thief with unclear motives and erratic movements."
"Unless—" Russell supplied the transition for Mary.
"Unless..." Mary paused, meeting Russell's eyes. "He is trying to dissociate himself from it."
"'There are no three hundred taels of silver here,' isn't it?" Russell said.
"What does that mean?" Mary tilted her head. "It sounds like an Eastern idiom again."
"It means, there was a guy who got a windfall. He found a place to hide this wealth. However, he was afraid of being discovered, so he specially put up a sign that read: [There is no money here]."
He explained. Hearing this, Mary chuckled lightly.
"A foolish approach."
"Isn't it just?"
Russell laughed along, very satisfied with his misleading.
But immediately after, he saw Mary's brow suddenly furrow again.
"No."
"What's wrong?" Russell was startled in his heart but maintained his composure.
"Mycroft is not such a stupid person," Mary said. "He is known as the walking British Government. Do you think with his capability, he would do something so full of loopholes? And right in front of Charlotte's face?"
"Now that you put it that way, it seems..." Russell frowned in coordination.
How do I spin this back?
Urgent, waiting online. [Note: Internet slang for seeking immediate advice]
Damn Mycroft, why does he have to be so smart.
"Unless... there is another possibility."
Just then, he heard Mary speak again.
It seemed this young girl had found an incredibly appropriate and self-justifying explanation for this theory herself.
"What possibility?" Russell asked impatiently.
Mary raised her head, looking at him, and said word by word:
"He is hinting at Charlotte."
____
________________________________________
If you want more chapters, please consider supporting my page on (P). with 50 advanced chapters available on (P)
👻 Join the crew by searching Leanzin on (P). You know the spot! 😉