Jeanne let out a sigh. Even though she was reluctant to get involved with the Special Detective Division, in the end she slowly shook her head. "I'm just observing," Jeanne replied in a restrained voice.
Her eyes scanned the bathroom, until her attention was drawn to the ventilation duct on the ceiling. When Jeanne tilted her head upward and stared at it, Eugene followed her gaze.
"Do you think this was an accident or a murder?" Eugene asked Jeanne, crossing his arms.
"Huh? N-No, I-I'm not involved in this," Jeanne refused instinctively, speaking in a hurried tone, slightly startled by Eugene's question.
Eugene chuckled softly. "Come on. This is your chance. Don't be shy," Eugene teased.
Jeanne clicked her tongue quietly. Once again, she let out a sigh. Without answering, she began to think about Eugene's question.
Slowly, she crossed her arms and touched her chin as she pondered. "This room… just as Eugene said… it smells like smoke. Was this an accident or a murder?" While thinking, Jeanne focused her eyes on the ventilation duct, then turned toward the female employee standing beside her.
As she glanced at the waitress, Jeanne was about to say something.
"Heh?" Selena, who had arrived and was standing outside the bathroom door, looked at Jeanne and Eugene.
Jeanne turned toward the voice. "Hello, Miss Selena," Jeanne greeted her softly.
"Hello, Miss Jeanne. I didn't expect you to be helping Mr Eugene with his duties," Selena said as she approached them.
Jeanne was about to deny Selena's words, but she stopped herself and forced a faint smile.
"Welcome, Selena. Could you examine the condition of this body?" Eugene gestured toward the deceased female employee.
Selena's expression grew heavy, sympathy etched onto her face. Then she nodded. "Understood."
Selena walked past Eugene and Jeanne, then looked at the woman's corpse, which was slumped on the toilet. She took out a notebook and pen from her coat pocket and began writing down observations, checking for signs of rigor mortis. After that, she measured the body temperature to estimate the time of death.
Jeanne watched Selena examine the corpse. "She really is an expert…" Jeanne thought to herself as she observed Selena carefully.
Eight minutes later, after Selena finished her initial examination of the body, she approached Eugene.
Before Selena could speak, Eugene glanced at the curly-haired female employee standing nearby.
"Could you explain what happened when you first found the body, Miss Qeelia?" Eugene asked calmly, glancing at the name tag necklace that read Nana Qeelia.
Nana nodded slowly. "When I arrived at the restaurant this morning, my schedule was to open the place with two other coworkers and clean the bathroom and the floors. When I was about to clean this toilet, I found Reena. I screamed and immediately ran out of the bathroom," Nana explained, mentioning the name of the deceased woman—Reena.
Her eyes looked as though she had been crying, slightly swollen. "Was she your friend?" Eugene asked.
Nana nodded. "Yes…" she answered quietly.
"I see. We will investigate her death. You may wait outside with the others, Miss Qeelia," Eugene said with a gentle smile.
"Thank you so much, Officer—" Nana's words were cut off by Eugene. "Not an officer. A great detective," Eugene said proudly.
"U-Understood. Thank you, Mr Detective," Nana replied softly, glancing at Jeanne and Selena. Both could only offer awkward smiles. Nana then left the bathroom.
"She must be devastated," Jeanne thought.
After Nana left the crime scene, Eugene turned to Selena. "Could you explain the results of your examination, Selena?" Eugene asked seriously.
Selena nodded and replied, "From what I've observed, there are no signs of physical violence or injuries caused by supernatural force. From a normal medical standpoint, she died due to her asthma condition," Selena explained professionally.
"Was she pregnant?" Eugene asked suddenly.
"What?" Jeanne questioned internally. "Why would you ask that?" Finally, she spoke out loud, confused. "Why are you asking something like that?"
However, Eugene merely glanced at her with a smile, then turned back to Selena, waiting for an answer.
Jeanne looked at Selena. Selena nodded. "Yes. This woman was pregnant. Based on my rough estimate, she had been pregnant for three months," Selena answered.
Jeanne froze in shock. "W-What?" Jeanne asked in disbelief. Her voice thinned at the end of her sentence. Jeanne clenched her fists. "This death feels far crueler now. Not just one life stopped beating in this cramped room," Jeanne murmured in her thoughts, as though her heart was being worn away.
Eugene laughed and placed his hands on his hips. "Don't underestimate the abilities of a great detective," he said proudly.
Jeanne stared at him with half-lidded eyes, expression flat, as if she couldn't be bothered to respond.
"So what's your guess about this case, Jeanne?" Eugene asked once more.
"My guess?" Jeanne repeated, touching her chin as she thought. Then her eyes shifted to the ventilation duct for the third time. "The answer is up there," she said, pointing at it.
"Interesting," Eugene smiled. Then he turned toward the exit and asked Eric Hood for a chair or folding ladder to inspect the ventilation duct.
A few minutes later, Eugene returned.
Eugene explained that Eric had told him the restaurant had no spare chairs. The restaurant used concrete chairs—built-in seating attached directly to the tables and floor. As for their folding ladder, it was broken and no longer safe to use.
"How are we supposed to do it…?" Jeanne asked quietly, thinking.
Eugene raised his hand. "I'll carry you on my shoulders," Eugene said casually.
Jeanne's face instantly turned red, like a kettle about to explode. She squeezed her eyes shut and immediately refused. "No, no!" she protested quickly.
Eugene's expression fell in disappointment. "It looks like this case will take a long time if we can't check the ventilation duct. Please forgive us, Miss Qeelia and everyone," he said quietly as he crouched down, his fingers moving as if he were scribbling on the floor.
Jeanne looked at Selena across from her, but Selena quickly averted her gaze toward Reena's body, pretending to examine it again while quietly scratching her cheek.
Jeanne lowered her head, clenching her fingers as she gripped the strap of her shoulder bag.
In the end, Eugene carried Jeanne on his shoulders. Jeanne lowered her head, her face burning red. Selena covered her smile with her fist, occasionally glancing at Jeanne as she tried to keep her balance.
Jeanne forced herself to focus. After receiving a pair of white gloves from Selena and putting them on, Jeanne began removing the ventilation cover, which happened to come off easily.
CLACK!
Jeanne examined the aluminum ventilation duct. "It's dirty… there's dark grayish-brown dust," Jeanne thought. Then she reached her hand into the duct and wiped away the dust clinging to the inside.
"P-Put me down," Jeanne pleaded softly.
"Roger, Captain," Eugene grinned as he carefully lowered Jeanne.
Jeanne removed the white gloves, now stained with grayish-brown dust. "Try smelling it," Jeanne said, handing the gloves to Eugene.
Eugene took them and sniffed carefully. "It's sticky, and it smells like oil. This is car exhaust," Eugene concluded.
Selena stepped closer as Eugene smelled the gloves. "If it's exhaust fumes, carbon monoxide binds to hemoglobin faster than oxygen. For someone with asthma, it would feel like being strangled from the inside—silently," Selena explained carefully.
Eugene placed the gloves into an evidence bag, then looked at Jeanne. "So what's your conclusion?" Eugene asked.
Jeanne crossed her arms and tapped her chin thoughtfully. "Exhaust fumes… exhaust… car…" Jeanne murmured in her thoughts, then continued reasoning. "The parking lot. If this is car exhaust, it wouldn't make sense for fumes from the street to enter the ventilation exhaust route. The only possibility is the parking lot," Jeanne analyzed.
Then she looked at Eugene and Selena.
"Where is the parking lot?" Jeanne asked. The two exchanged glances.
…
They decided to leave the crime scene.
Jeanne followed Eugene from behind, heading toward the area where the manager and restaurant employees had been gathered.
"Excuse me, Mr Hood. Where is the parking lot located in this restaurant?" Eugene asked calmly.
"It's located right to the restaurant's right side," Eric answered, wiping sweat from his forehead with a handkerchief.
Eugene nodded, then walked toward the employees lined up nearby. Jeanne followed him, along with Selena.
Jeanne could see Nana still deeply shaken, and several coworkers close to Reena were also crying.
"May I ask something? Is there anyone here who was close to the late Reena?" Eugene asked with a polite smile.
Nana stepped forward, followed by a male employee with neatly combed black hair.
"Was the late Reena married?" Eugene asked, even though he already knew Reena was unmarried—he simply wanted to confirm it more thoroughly.
The two employees glanced at each other, then back at Eugene. "Reena wasn't married," the man answered. His name tag read Antoni.
Jeanne frowned. "Reena wasn't married? That means she was pregnant out of wedlock…?" Jeanne wondered in disbelief.
Eugene nodded. "Thank you," he said, then turned to Jeanne and Selena. "Selena, please help transport Miss Reena's body with the autopsy team from Saint-Avelin City, and also run a DNA test."
"Understood. I'll take care of it," Selena replied with an easy smile. Eugene nodded. "See you at the office, Miss Jeanne," Selena said as she waved goodbye and left them behind. Selena then called the Autopsy Team from Saint-Avelin's Medical Division, and they headed to the hospital.
"At the office? I haven't even officially joined this Special Detective Division yet," Jeanne thought, waving back.
"Let's go to the parking lot," Eugene said.
Jeanne nodded and followed Eugene out of the restaurant.
As they passed through the exit, Jeanne saw the area sealed off with yellow police tape, along with reporters covering the news. Jeanne, unaccustomed to crowds, lowered her head and tried to hide her face. Eugene paused briefly to explain the general situation to the local police and show his identification.
The sound of camera shutters and reporters shouting made Jeanne's ears ring. She felt as if she wanted to disappear, yet Eugene's back in front of her gave her a small sense of safety—one she was reluctant to admit.
Soon, they made their way out of the crowd of reporters, until they finally arrived at the parking lot Eric Hood had mentioned.