Russell listened carefully, sharpening his vigilance, alerting every nerve cell.
Charlotte considered Mary's question for a moment before answering.
"To satisfy his irresistible urge to perform."
Her answer didn't change.
"But that can't be the only reason, right?"
Mary kept pressing.
From Charlotte's standpoint, since she already knew about Moriarty and Mycroft's relationship, her reply was just a pretext to distance herself from that connection.
At the same time, shifting the topic to Moriarty helped conceal her own identity.
Right now, she was on the third floor.
"Moriarty has pulled off numerous large-scale feats before,"
Charlotte said.
"But this time, he deliberately wrote a public letter and started promoting it a whole week in advance."
Mary looked into Charlotte's eyes and spoke slowly,
"Is it really just to satisfy a thirst for performance?"
"I'm not interested in finding out what he wants to do."
Charlotte's tone was unchanged.
"Rather than try to deduce the logic and motives behind a thief's seemingly irrational behavior, I'd rather focus my limited energy on more important things."
Yes, that's how it ought to be,
Russell quietly agreed in his heart.
"However, since there's no new lead on the professor's whereabouts, shall we shift our focus for now?"
Mary smiled.
"In any case, I doubt you're interested in this upcoming class either. Maybe looking at the problem from a new perspective will help us notice something important?"
No, that's wrong,
Russell frowned slightly.
Moriarty, why are you still thinking about this?
Charlotte, having heard this, thought for a moment and finally said slowly,
"Maybe… just to distract attention."
"To distract attention?"
Mary raised her eyebrows.
"Moriarty?"
"Yeah."
Charlotte nodded lightly.
"Whose attention is he trying to distract?"
Mary was clearly intrigued, wanting to know more.
"Judging from Moriarty's past actions, his targets were primarily wealthy collectors and businesspeople."
Charlotte didn't answer directly, instead offering her own thoughts.
"They live in fancy neighborhoods, their homes secured to the teeth, not that it ever stopped him. For a burglar skilled in lockpicking, infiltration, and disguise, those places were no different from no-man's land."
"If he could break into Lloyds Bank, then a bunch of Kensington mansions must seem trivial, right?"
"In other words, if his targets were just ordinary people, he wouldn't bother with such elaborate tricks."
Mary picked up Charlotte's train of thought.
"That means his public warnings are probably a smokescreen, designed to make people overlook other real targets. He sets up a target in advance just to mislead."
It's so much easier talking with you than most people.
Charlotte still gave nothing away, glancing at Russell next to her.
Russell Watson didn't move a muscle.
"So what do you think his real goal is?"
Mary asked, turning her questioning gaze to include Russell.
"This brings us back to our original question—what does it even mean for a thief to do something utterly irrational, with no purpose in the act itself?"
Charlotte said.
"What I am certain of is that his true goal must be important, and it probably has some symbolic meaning, too."
"Like the Queen's crown?"
"Terrible taste."
Charlotte didn't hesitate to shoot the idea down.
"So what do you think it is?"
Mary nudged Russell's arm.
"Quit pretending to sleep."
At that, Russell reluctantly raised his face, glancing from Charlotte to Mary.
Under the sharp gazes of both, he said casually,
"The Rosetta Stone's at the British Museum, isn't it?"
"Possible, but not grand enough."
Charlotte shook her head again.
"That tablet is 114 centimeters tall, 0.73 meters wide, and installed on a pressure-sensitive plinth. How could anyone take it away without a trace and then return it just as quietly?"
"I'm out of ideas, then. I'm not Moriarty!"
Russell shrugged and slumped down again.
"If only it were that easy."
Charlotte commented from the side.
"But thanks to Mary, I just realized another possibility."
"What, you don't mean he's going to try to steal the crown, do you?"
"No, I'm talking about his real endgame,"
Charlotte said.
At this, Mary frowned.
"You mean Buckingham Palace?"
Charlotte nodded.
"If you're looking for somewhere in London that's big, secure, and symbolically meaningful, that's probably the only place."
!!!!
Russell's eyes widened.
"Seriously?"
"If it's Buckingham Palace…"
Mary hesitated,
"It makes sense."
Logically, it's the best hypothesis.
Charlotte said,
"He needs a stage big enough for his one-man show, and somewhere suitably grand to match his high-profile announcement. Buckingham Palace, in terms of security, symbolism, and public influence, is the perfect site."
"So what's in it for him?"
Russell couldn't help asking,
"What could he possibly steal from Buckingham Palace? Don't tell me it's the Queen's crown!"
"No one can be sure. Maybe he just wants to prove something."
"Prove what?"
"That there's nowhere in this world he can't reach."
"That does sound like something Moriarty would do,"
Mary replied, though still without a clear stance.
"So what's the actual target—royal secrets? Jewels?"
"I don't know, and I honestly don't care to guess,"
said Charlotte.
"What he steals doesn't matter. What matters is that he proves to the Citizens of London that he can break into Buckingham Palace. That's the whole point. Anything else is just a harmless prank. I honestly wouldn't even be surprised if he broke in just to steal an ashtray."
Mary was quiet for a while before asking,
"So, are you going to tell Mycroft about this?"
"Usually, he's the one to contact me first."
Charlotte muttered,
"Reaching out to him is too much trouble."
Just as Russell was about to sigh in relief, Charlotte abruptly changed the subject.
"But this time might be different."
"Why?"
"He gave me trouble, so isn't it only fair that I give him some in return?"
Charlotte said plainly.