The midday weather was quite hot. Jeanne glanced around the parking area, her eyes sweeping over several parked cars until they landed on an exhaust pipe on the wall at the corner of the area.
"Over there," Jeanne told Eugene. They walked closer, staring at the rather low exhaust pipe.
Eugene's eyes examined the exhaust pipe, and he chuckled. "Interesting," he said.
Jeanne turned to him, trying to digest Eugene's words but failing to understand. "What do you mean?" Jeanne asked.
Eugene crossed his arms over his chest and smiled. "Do you think this case is clearly a murder or an accident?" Eugene asked without answering Jeanne's question.
"This is clearly murder," Jeanne answered assertively.
Eugene snapped his fingers. "Correct, but can you guess how the murder was carried out?" Eugene asked once again.
Jeanne crossed her arms and touched her chin as she thought, imagining the scenario in her head. "I can roughly guess the perpetrator's motive. He didn't want the child Reena was carrying to be born. So he cruelly severed that bond. But who had a close relationship with Reena?" Jeanne asked in her mind.
"Reena was killed at night and found the next morning. The perpetrator carried out the act at night after working hours had ended," Jeanne said, her eyes fixed sharply on the exhaust pipe.
Then she continued, "As for how he did it, the method was inserting a hose into the exhaust pipe connected to the bathroom ventilation. Then connecting the hose to the exhaust of a car parked in this area," Jeanne glanced at the parking lot.
"The perpetrator knew very well that Reena was pregnant and forced herself to work late into the night. Reena must have frequently gone to the bathroom," Jeanne explained to Eugene.
"You're like a detective," Eugene praised with a soft laugh.
For a moment Jeanne seemed to snap back to reality and lowered her head. Awkwardness and embarrassment mixed together.
Seeing Jeanne's reaction, Eugene smiled and said, "You're absolutely right. But there's something you're missing now," Eugene added. "Can you guess who the culprit is?" Eugene glanced at Jeanne beside him.
Jeanne slowly lifted her head. "W-Why does it have to be me?" Jeanne asked, her voice slightly restrained and awkward.
Eugene raised one eyebrow and chuckled. "You've already come this far," Eugene said with a wide smile.
Jeanne let out a breath filled with sympathy and concern for Reena. Eventually, she began to think. "Who is the culprit?" Jeanne asked in her mind, recalling several people she had met. "The male employee named Antoni? No, I can't jump to conclusions. Judging from his expression, he looked sad and devastated… but in novels, murderers can hide their expressions…" Jeanne grew stuck in her speculation, slowly rubbing her forehead.
"How is it?" Eugene asked, breaking the silence.
Jeanne shook her head. "I don't know," Jeanne replied softly.
Eugene glanced at her and chuckled quietly before stepping closer to the exhaust pipe.
"If inserting a hose here and channeling smoke from a car's exhaust, your guess is correct. But is there only one exhaust pipe in this fairly large restaurant?" Eugene asked while observing the exhaust pipe whose cover had once been opened.
Jeanne examined the large restaurant building. "Right… if the perpetrator did it in this parking lot, it would be too suspicious, and there's not just one exhaust pipe," Jeanne seemed to realize Eugene's point.
Jeanne stepped closer to the drainage pipe and looked at the engraving written on it. "Exhaust Air -3A…" Jeanne read it silently. Then she closed her eyes as if trying to remember something. "The ventilation duct in the bathroom where Reena died was Exhaust Air -2C. It was written on the vent cover," Jeanne recalled.
"How many bathrooms are there in this restaurant?" Jeanne asked Eugene.
Eugene shook his head. "I don't know," he replied casually. "Let's go back to the restaurant and ask," Eugene suggested.
Jeanne nodded and followed Eugene. They decided to return to the restaurant and ask Eric.
In front of the restaurant entrance, where the crowd was now more stable than before, Jeanne felt slightly calmer.
…
Upon entering the restaurant, Eugene approached Eric, who was explaining the situation to the Saint-Avelin police.
"My colleague and I are conducting a further investigation into this case," Eugene informed the officer in front of him. "Alright," the officer replied.
"Colleague?" Jeanne muttered inwardly.
"Have the CCTV recordings been checked?" Eugene asked the officer beside him.
"We've checked them, but there's nothing unusual," he replied. Eugene nodded in response.
Then Eugene's eyes turned to Eric in front of him. "Mr Hood, how many bathrooms are there in this restaurant?" Eugene asked.
Eric Hood wiped his sweat with a handkerchief and turned. "There are five bathrooms here. Two for female and male customers, one for the manager, and two for the restaurant's female and male employees," Eric answered with a smile.
"Oh yes, where is the storage room for cleaning equipment and tools?" Eugene asked again, patting Eric's shoulder with a wide smile. "We'll solve this case, and the restaurant will return to peace," Eugene said casually.
Still smiling, Eric nodded while wiping his sweat. "The weather is quite hot today," Eric said, then added, "The storage room is right next to this restaurant building," Eric replied, handing the key to Eugene. "Here's the key."
Eugene nodded. "Thank you very much, Mr Hood," Eugene replied calmly.
Jeanne's eyes observed the restaurant employees who were still being temporarily held by the police for further questioning.
"Who is the culprit?" Jeanne thought carefully as she glanced at several employees. When Jeanne observed Nana Qeelia, her eyes carefully studied Nana's expression, body movements, and gaze.
"She looks devastated… but why do I feel like she's hiding guilt? Is she the culprit?" Jeanne asked herself. "You mustn't accuse someone carelessly, Jeanne," she told herself inwardly while letting out a soft sigh. "Cases like this are more difficult than I imagined, not like in detective novels…" Jeanne rubbed her forehead.
"Let's go to the storage room," Eugene invited. Jeanne turned and nodded softly.
They went outside toward the storage room beside the restaurant building. Midway through, Jeanne looked at Eugene walking ahead of her.
"Miss Selena is performing the autopsy, but why are you still continuing the investigation? Wouldn't the perpetrator be revealed once the DNA test is completed?" Jeanne asked, gripping the strap of her shoulder bag.
Eugene stopped and turned to look at Jeanne. "Why do you think a pack of wolves tends to abandon their weaker member who has been captured by a predator stronger than them?" Eugene threw the question back instead of answering Jeanne.
Jeanne was slightly startled by Eugene's question. "Survival instinct," Jeanne answered softly.
Eugene raised half his hand and snapped his fingers, then turned and continued walking. Both of his hands slipped into his pockets. "If you just let the wolves abandon their member, it's better for the predator to hunt the entire pack until the mastermind of that group," Eugene added.
"I don't understand what this strange man is saying," Jeanne muttered, lightly scratching her cheek with her index finger while lowering her face.
…
They arrived at the storage room door. Eugene unlocked it and slowly opened it. The storage room was dark, silent, and showed no obvious irregularities.
"Why are we going to the storage room?" Jeanne asked in confusion.
"There's a clue here," Eugene said casually as he entered, followed by Jeanne.
"A clue?" Jeanne wondered inwardly. Her beautiful blue eyes scanned the storage area filled with a damaged aluminum folding ladder, cleaning equipment, toolboxes, and other items.
Eugene walked toward the damaged folding ladder and examined it. "Come here," Eugene called.
Jeanne's eyebrows lifted in deeper confusion. Slowly she approached and stood beside Eugene. "What?" Jeanne asked softly.
Eugene pointed at four ladder steps that were broken in the middle and upper sections, rendering the ladder unusable.
Jeanne observed it closely, slightly leaning forward and narrowing her eyes at the hollow support frame of the ladder steps.
Still wearing gloves, Jeanne touched the broken ladder steps, which were scratched as if struck by a blunt object, with traces of soil still attached to them.
"Do you think this is broken?" Eugene asked with a smile.
Instantly Jeanne found the answer. "No… this ladder wasn't naturally damaged, it was deliberately damaged," Jeanne glanced at Eugene.
"Can you explain?" Eugene crossed his arms.
Jeanne touched her chin and thought slowly. "This ladder was deliberately damaged, that's clear. The steps were struck hard until they broke and the frame bent. If it had broken naturally, only the step itself would be damaged," Jeanne explained softly.
"One hundred for you!" Eugene added with a smile. "So who do you think the culprit is?" Eugene asked.
Jeanne lowered her head as she thought. "As far as I know, only the restaurant manager has the key to the storage room and access to it. Judging from the door, there are no signs of forced entry." Jeanne paused, then raised her head and looked at Eugene. "The murderer is none other than… Manager Eric Hood?" Jeanne answered in a restrained, almost disbelieving voice.
Eugene put his hands on his hips and laughed. "Sixty for you," Eugene said.
Jeanne felt slightly amused, but hearing the score was only half, she asked, "Sixty?"
Eugene nodded. "Let's go check the exhaust pipe that matches the crime scene," he suggested.
"W-What?" Jeanne asked in confusion at the sudden shift. She was also puzzled by Eugene's evaluation. "Why only sixty?" Jeanne asked softly, curious. But Eugene merely chuckled and walked out of the storage room.
Seeing that, Jeanne felt slightly annoyed by Eugene's strange personality. Then she followed him.
...
From the front road, the building looked ordinary. A large warehouse stood in the center, flanked by a restaurant on the right and another building on the left.
However, between the warehouse and the building on the left was a narrow gap—a passageway just wide enough for a single car. The alley stretched straight to the back, connecting to a rear road that was rarely used.
Eugene stopped at the mouth of the alley. Jeanne, who had been observing the road area, immediately bumped into Eugene's back.
She rubbed her nose, which stung slightly from the impact. Eugene turned and smiled. "Sorry," he said casually.
Jeanne merely nodded, then saw Eugene pointing toward the ground where tire tracks were visible. "Tire tracks?" Jeanne wondered to herself. She lifted her head and looked at the slightly moss-covered exhaust pipe on the warehouse wall. Her eyes narrowed as she read the marking softly. "Exhaust Air -2c…"
"So, can you draw a conclusion now?" Eugene asked, glancing at the exhaust pipe.
"A conclusion?" Jeanne repeated in confusion. Yet she understood what Eugene meant. "Eric Hood drove his car into this alley and sabotaged the exhaust pipe system using car fumes," Jeanne said, slightly uncertain of her conclusion.
"Not quite," Eugene replied calmly. Jeanne had already expected that.
"Th-Then what?" Jeanne asked, restrained yet curious.
"Eric Hood would not forget the structure of this restaurant building. It's impossible that Eric Hood would open the cover of exhaust pipe -3a. As the restaurant manager, he must have memorized the building's structure," Eugene explained calmly.
"Memorized?" Jeanne echoed. Then she finally understood the metaphor of the wolf pack that Eugene had mentioned earlier. Her expression stiffened slightly. "In other words, Eric Hood wasn't the only perpetrator?" Jeanne looked at Eugene for a moment before her gaze shifted to the tire tracks on the wet ground. "What mistake did Reena make for someone to plan her death…" Jeanne murmured inwardly. Even though she had never known Reena personally, she could feel a sharp ache in her chest.
Eugene nodded. He observed the heavy anger and emotion in Jeanne's expression. "Let's head back to the restaurant," Eugene said gently.
Jeanne nodded. "Alright," she replied softly.
…
Jeanne walked behind Eugene. She observed the now-quiet restaurant area and glanced at the yellow police line before her eyes drifted to the rather harsh afternoon sun. She took her phone from her bag.
"Two in the afternoon…" Jeanne thought.
Eugene stopped in front of the restaurant entrance and saw a police car arriving. Selena stepped out of the car, closed the door, and approached Eugene and Jeanne. "Welcome, Selena," Eugene said, glancing at her as she walked toward them.
As Selena was about to report the DNA test results from Reena, Eugene looked at her directly with half-narrowed eyes. Without saying a word, he raised his index finger to his lips—signaling her to remain silent.
Confused, Selena decided to follow Eugene's instruction. She glanced at Jeanne, who was lost in thought.
"Miss Jeanne," Eugene called, turning slightly toward her. Jeanne's thoughts snapped. She looked at Selena, who had just arrived, and tried to smile. "Y-Yes?" Jeanne asked, confused.
"Selena and I need to discuss something briefly. You may go inside first, observe the situation, and explain this case to the police," Eugene requested calmly.
Jeanne hesitated slightly but accepted. "Alright," she replied softly before walking in and entering the restaurant.
"What is it, Mr. Eugene?" Selena whispered.
Eugene chuckled lightly. "Nothing. I just want her to deduce the remaining perpetrator," he said while taking the autopsy report and DNA test documents related to Reena and slipping them into his coat.
"The remaining?" Selena raised an eyebrow before quickly understanding his meaning. She adjusted her glasses and glanced toward Jeanne inside the restaurant.
Inside, Jeanne stood frozen, her expression clearly awkward. "Observe… observe," she repeated inwardly, occasionally glancing at the employees and police officers on duty. At that moment, a male police officer investigating the crime scene approached her.
"Excuse me, Miss?" the officer asked, saluting. He assumed Jeanne was part of the Special Detective team.
"Jeanne Weels," she replied, introducing herself somewhat hurriedly.
The officer nodded. "We have finished examining the crime scene and found nothing unusual," he said.
"I am Yyge Loms, police inspector of Saint-Avelin. Miss Weels, could you explain from a detective's point of view? Is this case a murder or an accident?" Yyge asked, showing his identification card.
Sweat trickled down Jeanne's forehead. The confusion and awkwardness made her legs feel weak. Remembering the case, she took a slow breath, trying to steady herself and hide her tension. "This is a murder," Jeanne answered softly, her eyes lowered to the floor as she tried to remain composed.
She then added, "M-Mr. Vidocq and I have already found traces and evidence of the perpetrator." Jeanne explained the location of the traces. Then she added, "As for the physical evidence, it is with Mr. Vidocq." She had almost forgotten about the stained white gloves.
Outside, Eugene and Selena observed Jeanne. They smiled in amazement, even chuckling slightly at her tense expression through the glass.
"Could you roughly explain the perpetrator's motive?" Yyge asked.
Jeanne took another slow breath, her fingers brushing the ends of her bangs. "The motive was to terminate the victim's pregnancy, and there was more than one perpetrator. This was premeditated murder. It is evident from the way the staircase was destroyed and from the tire tracks in the alley beside the warehouse. It was carefully planned," Jeanne explained, her voice forced to remain calm.
"Do you have concrete evidence regarding the victim's pregnancy?" Yyge asked.
"Dr. Royle already has documentation from the victim's DNA test," Jeanne replied.
Yyge nodded, stroking his mustache. "Very well, we understand. We will secure the evidence and the traces. Thank you, Miss Weels." He bowed slightly before leaving to secure the evidence according to Jeanne's explanation and instructions.
After Yyge and the officer left, Jeanne finally breathed properly. She stepped back slightly and leaned against the restaurant wall. "It's been a long time since I interacted with strangers… I was too tense and afraid," Jeanne muttered, wiping her forehead and closing her eyes to steady her breathing.
Realizing that Eugene and Selena had not yet returned, she decided to observe the restaurant area. As she walked, her gaze fell upon the employee shift schedule board mounted on the wall near the cashier.
She stepped closer. Standing before the board, Jeanne read the names listed for today's schedule in her mind.
"Deania, Geudo, Nana, Layla, Henry, Ozi." Jeanne narrowed her eyes slightly. "That's today's schedule. Nana is assigned to clean the restroom, warehouse, and tableware with Layla. Deania is assigned as cashier. Henry, Ozi, and Geudo are assigned to deliver food," she read seriously.
Eugene and Selena entered the restaurant and approached Jeanne, who was focused on the board. "Sorry to keep you waiting," Eugene said casually.
Jeanne turned slightly. "It's fine," she replied.
"Let's continue the investigation, Detective Jeanne," Eugene said with a teasing smile.
Jeanne shivered at his tone but chose to ignore the teasing.
She glanced at Selena, who smiled gently at her. Then they followed Eugene toward the restaurant seats.
…
They sat at a concrete table in the restaurant, drinking the coffee that had been provided. Shortly after, Eric Hood approached, having been summoned by one of the officers at Eugene's request.
Eugene tapped the concrete table casually.
"Sorry to keep you waiting," said Eric Hood, the heavyset man, as he slowly took a seat.
Eugene pointed at Eric. "How many new employees are working here?" he asked calmly, without cornering him.
Sweating, Eric wiped his forehead with a handkerchief. "There are four," he replied, his eyes seemingly avoiding Eugene's gaze.
"Who are they? And how long have they been working here?" Eugene asked. He smiled, though the smile felt intimidating to Eric, even without direct eye contact.
Jeanne glanced at Eugene. She could also feel the air thinning, as if it had become difficult to think clearly. She lowered her head slightly and glanced at Selena beside her. "She looks calm…" Jeanne closed her eyes briefly.
After steadying herself, she opened her eyes and looked around the now-empty restaurant. The employees had been moved to the kitchen by the police under Eugene's instruction to detain the yet-unidentified perpetrator.
Jeanne observed Eric's tense expression. She took her cup of coffee and sipped it. Eric forced a smile. "Qeelia Nana—she has been working here for one month. Hani Tya has worked here for two weeks. Louis Town for about three months. And Layla Dovsky for two months," Eric explained.
"Four new employees…" Jeanne touched her chin thoughtfully.