Chapter 12
'Got it! I can steal this!'
The moment I chose to accept the mission, the door to the executive office in front of me burst open. A man who strode out of the doorway stopped short the moment our eyes met.
Hunt had been avoiding me since my 'confession'. Thanks to that, I had less room to arouse suspicion even if I destroyed evidence like before.
'Then I'll make it even more awkward.'
It was time to show off my acting skills, rivaling Elizabeth Taylor.
I pretended to be embarrassed, lowered my eyes, and fumbled through the documents on the desk. Then, I deliberately knocked over a coffee mug.
"Ah, what am I going to do?"
I laughed inwardly as I did this. Even though I'd spilled it on the evidence, Hunt walked past me without a word.
'Now that Hunt has left the investigation headquarters, my acting is over...'
...or so I thought. The door burst open again, and a flood of unfamiliar men in sharp black suits poured in.
'Who are they?'
The tall, dark-haired man at the front stopped in front of Hunt.
"You..."
Seeing Hunt furrow his brow as he said that, I wondered if he knew the person.
The other man, as if he knew Hunt, flashed a sinister smile before quickly erasing it and pulling out a business card, which he offered to me with a professional demeanor.
"Clive Chase. I'm from the Central Investigation Bureau."
The Central Investigation Bureau?
Clang.
Somewhere, a mug fell to the floor and shattered.
It must have been the clumsy Chief Smith.
The Central Investigation Bureau.
An investigative agency under the central government, it handles cases with nationwide repercussions beyond a single region.
It was inevitably a rival to the Police Bureau, which belonged to the local government.
What they called joint investigations was, in reality, the hijacking of local police work.
'The Central Investigation Bureau solved in one go a case the local police couldn't crack for years!'
This was how they treated local police as incompetent monkeys, by intervening in investigations and claiming credit once a case was solved.
Perhaps it wasn't wrong to say the police were incompetent.
However, the public's perception that Central Investigation Bureau agents were absolutely competent was mistaken.
Didn't the Central Investigation Bureau ultimately solve cases by utilizing the investigative records painstakingly compiled by local police bureaus?
And yet, the representative of those who came to hijack Raven's work, officially...
"Inspector Hunt, it's been a while."
The fact that he was also someone who had tried to hijack his work privately further ignited Raven's competitive spirit.
"It's a different sight to see you in uniform this time."
Chase deliberately hinted at their personal connection, flashing a sly smile that seemed more suited to a criminal than an investigator.
Raven remained expressionless, offering no reaction or response.
"Ahem, well, that's enough pleasantries. Let's get to the reason for our visit."
When his provocation failed, Chase finally reverted to his role as a Central Investigation Bureau agent and explained why they had been deployed to Eden City by the central government.
"The Central Investigation Bureau has, until now, respected the independent investigative authority of the Eden City Police Bureau and entrusted the Thieving Crow case entirely to them, but..."
The long-winded preamble, in essence, meant: 'You couldn't catch them, so we will.'
"'The Scarlet Queen's Heart' case has escalated into a diplomatic issue, putting pressure on the central government, so our Director has determined that we can no longer leave it entirely to the Eden City Police Bureau."
It was a reprimand for what they had been doing until then, failing to catch the culprit.
"Therefore, from now on, the Central Investigation Bureau and the Eden City Police Bureau will jointly investigate the Thieving Crow case."
Although the word 'jointly' implied an equal footing, the police, who had extensive experience with the Central Investigation Bureau, knew better.
We're about to be reduced to incompetent sidekicks for the Central Investigation Bureau.
The gazes of the police investigation team, seated across from the Central Investigation Bureau agents at the long conference table, were fierce.
Since everyone else was keeping their mouths shut, the sound of Claire Kent's pencil, diligently taking minutes at a desk in the corner, was jarringly loud.
Scratch, scratch.
It sounded like the ticking of a ticking time bomb amidst the tense, volatile atmosphere.
"Then, first..."
Chase stood up. He adjusted his suit jacket and walked forward, his posture the epitome of arrogance.
He stopped in front of a corkboard. It was covered with evidence, hypotheses, and other information gathered by the Special Investigation Unit, all connected by red string.
"Hmm..."
Chase rubbed his chin with one hand, scanning the board as if evaluating it, and muttered.
"Interesting."
The agents' faces contorted with wounded pride at his words.
'Interesting.' It was a phrase used when there was nothing to praise.
Furthermore, since an agent from the Central Investigation Bureau was not their superior, the police were not in a position to expect praise.
Yet, Chase treated them as if they were his subordinates, looking down on them.
"And quite classic, too."
'Classic' sounded like 'outdated' to them.
"Anyway, it's fine. However..."
Chase suddenly turned around to face everyone, spreading his hands wide and resting them on the edge of the table.
"As the investigation has entered a new phase, shouldn't we try new methods? Let me introduce you to our Central Investigation Bureau's new technology."
After all his grandstanding, the great new technology unique to the Central Investigation Bureau turned out to be...
"Criminal profiling."
Raven was already familiar with it. The Police Bureau simply hadn't adopted it yet due to its conservative nature.
He was very interested in this new investigative technique. He had consulted with psychologists and criminologists from renowned universities and read their works extensively.
That's why he knew. Chase's profiling was completely flawed.
"Why steal only jewels? Because jewels are profitable? You wouldn't be thinking that simplistically, would you?"
No one was thinking that, yet Chase openly treated the agents like fools.
"If you think about it carefully, the Thieving Crow has never sold what it has stolen."
They had scoured every jewelry store, pawn shop, and fence across Eden City and the entire country, but not a single stolen jewel had been found.
It was the police who discovered this, but Chase acted as if he had.
"That means they aren't desperate for money. So why steal jewels?"
"Diamonds are a girl's best friend."
When one of the Central Investigation Bureau agents made a flippant remark as a joke, the woman sitting in the corner, Claire Kent, glared daggers at him with her eyes.
"That's not entirely wrong."
Yet Chase nodded, treating such nonsense as a sharp observation. It was a spectacle.
"The commonality among the stolen jewels is that they were all items that couldn't be bought. 'I want that!' But if it's not for sale? You have to steal it. They've gone mad with jealousy and possessiveness."
"That's correct, Agent Chase. However, why would they write a warning note and announce their crimes? It only makes the crime more difficult."
"Agent Miller, that's an excellent question. In my opinion, isn't it because they want to show off their abilities?"
"Ah, indeed. That's right. Sharp analysis, Agent Chase."
The Central Investigation Bureau agents exchanged nonsensical remarks and self-congratulatory praises. It was nothing short of a farce.
"To summarize, it's like this."
They don't sell the jewels. They have space to store all those jewels.
Therefore, the Thieving Crow is rich.
A jewel collector, someone who deals with jewels frequently, belonging to the upper class and living in a large house.
They would display all those jewels in their home, satisfying their vanity by admiring their spoils.
"In short, the Thieving Crow is an upper-class wealthy individual with a lot of vanity, a desire to show off, and jealousy."
With that, Chase closed his mouth and looked around at everyone. As if expecting a standing ovation.
It was just as the Central Investigation Bureau agents were starting to rise from their seats, perhaps about to applaud.
Cough.
A scoffing sound came from the corner.
"Stop that dog barking."
It was Claire Kent.
