Hearing Mary's answer, Russell was momentarily stunned.
After a while, he finally laughed.
"What's so funny?" The girl looked at him with displeasure.
"Nothing, I just thought of something amusing," Russell waved his hand.
The girl pouted. Seeing Russell's slightly irritating smile return to his face, her dissatisfaction gradually faded.
"So, who killed Hanigan? Has Charlotte found out?" Mary asked.
"Not yet," Russell shook his head. "Actually, they still don't even know who the person is."
"Any particularly notable characteristics?"
Hearing this, Russell thought for a moment before speaking.
"Well… Charlotte mentioned the man might be a wanted criminal."
"A wanted criminal?"
"Mm." Russell nodded lightly and told Mary the situation and reasoning he had heard from Charlotte.
"The murderer met with Hanigan late at night, but Hanigan hadn't informed his servants beforehand."
This suggested the meeting was either private or illegal.
"Hmm…" Mary nodded lightly. "Anything else?"
"Furthermore, the culprit was wearing gloves and carrying a dagger," Russell added.
"This shows he had prepared for the worst from the beginning."
If his demands were not met, or if the two could not reach an agreement, he was ready to act.
"And in the end, that's exactly what he did."
Mary said.
"Exactly," Russell nodded. "After the crime, he stole cash from the study drawer. Feeling it wasn't enough, he planned to search the bedroom as well."
"So he found Moriarty's card in the bedroom?" Mary guessed.
"When the two met—or even before—Moriarty had sneaked into the bedroom, taken the smuggling ledger, and left his calling card there, just like before."
He had never expected Hanigan to be killed, nor had he imagined that the card he left would be used by someone, much less used to frame him as the murderer.
"Almost." Russell nodded. "Something like that."
"Hmm… that sounds a bit troublesome," Mary said. She put the last bite of her sandwich in her mouth and then elegantly wiped her lips with a tissue.
Based on the available information, the following can be inferred:
The culprit knew Hanigan, and the two had been in contact. He may have been involved in smuggling. However, the culprit is currently wanted, and the situation is extremely serious. He is desperately trying to escape London.
Hanigan outwardly ran a trading business but secretly dabbled in smuggling.
For him, arranging for someone to cross the border illegally was not a big deal, so the murderer contacted him.
Putting these points together, investigating Hanigan's social circle should quickly narrow down the suspects.
Mary counted on her fingers as she spoke.
"A wanted murderer desperately wanting to flee, who had contact with Hanigan—"
She suddenly stopped.
Then, a chilling light gradually appeared in the girl's eyes, as if she had thought of something.
"What's wrong?" Russell asked. "What did you think of?"
"N-nothing." Mary shook her head. The coldness that had briefly appeared in her beautiful blue eyes was perfectly hidden beneath her gentle gaze.
"I just suddenly thought… maybe I could do something about it."
"You?" Russell raised an eyebrow. "What can you handle? Catching the murderer?"
"Have you forgotten?" The girl smiled brightly like the sun.
"Thanks to the documents Moriarty sent before, my father's relationship with The Guardian is now very good."
"So?"
"So, what if I ask The Guardian to write an article to help Moriarty clarify the situation?"
Would they refuse such a small request that is entirely beneficial to them?
Mary said confidently.
"Think of it as repaying a favor to him."
Russell fell silent for a while, thinking it over before saying:
"There is absolutely no need for that."
"Hm?" Mary tilted her head. "Why?"
"Anyway, Moriarty doesn't care about something like this," Russell said. "There's no need to feel indebted to a newspaper over such a trivial matter."
"How does this count as owing anyone a favor?" Mary laughed.
"I'm providing them with inside information about the murder case. They are very grateful to me. This is just a basic transaction."
"But—"
"Be obedient." Mary interrupted Russell, gently placing her hand on top of his head. Her blue eyes gazed at him with kindness and reassurance.
"I'll handle it. It's decided, okay?"
She spoke softly, as if discussing something, but her tone left no room for argument.
Russell looked at her. For a moment, he was dazed by those eyes that seemed to see straight into the depths of a person's soul.
The sensation from above was soft and warm, carrying the girl's faint unique scent mixed with the refreshing coolness of white tea.
"What's wrong?" Seeing that he didn't reply for a long time and simply stared blankly at her, Mary tilted her head slightly and smiled faintly.
"Don't you like this approach?"
"N-nothing." Russell snapped out of his daze, moved his head slightly to pull away from Mary's palm.
"I didn't expect you to care so much about this."
Seeing this, the girl smiled and quietly withdrew her hand.
"Didn't I tell you? Think of it as repaying a favor."
Mary smiled and casually tucked the hair that had fallen behind her ear.
"If it weren't for him, my father and I would probably still be in the dark about Lloyds Bank, not to mention what happened afterward."
"Can't be helped." Russell ultimately chose to compromise. Or rather, he couldn't find a reason to refuse.
"I'll thank him on your behalf."
"Didn't you say you don't know him well?" Mary laughed.
"At least he helped pay my tuition and rent."
Russell shrugged.
"Once a connection is established, it's very difficult to sever it completely."
Hearing this, Mary was first surprised, then showed a meaningful smile.
"Yes," she murmured in agreement. "Once a bond is formed, it really is difficult to cut it off completely."
As she spoke, her body unconsciously moved a few inches closer to Russell.
The warm breath carrying the scent of white tea drifted faintly around Russell's nose again.
"However," Mary's voice rang out once more, and the two returned to a safe distance.
"I solved this problem for you. How are you going to thank me?"
"Didn't you say it was repaying a favor?" Russell asked reflexively.
"But didn't you say you'd thank me on his behalf?" The girl winked playfully.
Those blue eyes sparkled like stars shining in the countryside on a summer night.
"This…" Russell was momentarily at a loss for words.
"Or," Mary suggested as if she had just thought of something, "why don't we go to Phaeton Tearoom again this weekend?"
She said.
"This time, it's your turn to treat me."