Chapter 13
Chapter 13
“Oh my, I’m so sorry. I was lost in thought and it just slipped out.”
Kent scratched his reddened cheek as if it were a genuine mistake.
Wesson gave Kent a thumbs-up under the table, unseen by the agents from the Investigation Bureau.
As the head of the investigative team, Raven should have reprimanded his subordinates for their inappropriate behavior, but he pretended not to see it. He felt the same way as those two.
Chase’s analysis was nothing but dog barking.
No, that wasn’t right.
When dogs bark, they have a reason, so calling that baseless nonsense ‘dog talk’ would be an insult to dogs.
‘Still, even the clumsy Kent can be helpful sometimes.’
His tactless action, like a calculated ploy, had interrupted Chase’s flow.
Thanks to it, the Central Investigation Bureau’s brazen attempt to seize control faltered, creating a perfect opening for Raven to step in.
“Agent Chase, thank you for your input. It was a most interesting analysis.”
Raven used the same expression Chase had employed to belittle the Eden City Police Bureau, turning it back on the Central Investigation Bureau.
‘Our captain really had a plan!’
As the captain opened the door for their counterattack, the faces of the Police Bureau personnel already lit up with triumph.
“However, it’s a shame it’s not an entirely correct analysis.”
“Then, in what aspects is it incorrect?”
Raven didn’t answer immediately. He deliberately put on an apologetic expression and paused.
“Oh dear… there’s so much wrong from beginning to end, I’m worried about where to start without offending Agent Chase’s feelings.”
He treated Chase as if he were a child who would sulk if his mistakes were pointed out, and Chase’s feigned smile cracked slightly.
But Chase quickly reverted to being a seasoned fox.
“Please, speak freely, Inspector Hunt.”
He spread his arms wide as if to show the breadth of his magnanimity…
“Opinions are always welcome.”
Even though his analysis was being completely refuted, he deliberately downplayed Raven’s counterarguments as mere ‘opinions.’
‘He’s trying to save face.’
That only made me want to tear him down even more.
“The Thieving Crow is from the upper class? Incorrect.”
“What’s your basis?”
“While her tone is haughty, her vocabulary and accent are far from those of the upper class.”
Raven recalled the brief conversation he had with the woman on the night the Scarlet Queen’s Heart was stolen.
“I can vouch for that, having spoken with her face-to-face.”
Raven, in particular, was well-versed in the language of the upper class. Chase knew this and couldn’t find fault.
“Isn’t this something one could tell even without speaking to her? The Thieving Crow’s speech patterns are clearly evident in the ransom note.”
The agents from the Central Investigation Bureau began shuffling through copies of the investigation files they each held. They were looking for photos of the ransom note.
“I assume the Central Investigation Bureau also grasped that much, of course.”
If you had seen the ransom note, you would have known the Thieving Crow didn’t use upper-class vocabulary and grammar. To miss such a basic detail.
As Raven’s indirect criticism was too much to bear, one of the Investigation Bureau agents interjected.
“Of course, we know that, but we cannot overlook the possibility that she deliberately used commoner’s speech to conceal her identity.”
It was a pathetic excuse.
“While that possibility exists, people tend to revert to their native speech when they are in a hurry.”
Raven cited the moment he had the Thieving Crow cornered at the museum that night as his evidence.
“Hey! Are you crazy!”
Even then, her direct speech was far from that of the upper class.
“Therefore, the Thieving Crow is not from the upper class.”
No one could refute it any further. As the awkward gazes of the Investigation Bureau agents turned towards him, Chase offered a fake smile and nodded.
“Inspector Hunt is correct.”
Raven was surprised that the man who detested losing to him would so readily admit defeat…
“It seems there was a misunderstanding. When I say ‘upper class,’ I mean the wealthy. Let me correct my phrasing to ‘wealthy.’”
He played word games, claiming it was merely a matter of phrasing, not his analysis.
“The Thieving Crow appears to be a nouveau riche from the common class, harboring inferiority complexes towards the upper class. She became rich overnight, but no matter how much money she has, she cannot enter high society, thus developing an inferiority complex.”
He even subtly altered his analysis.
“That’s why she steals the possessions of the upper class, those jewels that money can’t buy, and derives a twisted pleasure from it.”
Chase didn’t stop there, rambling about unfulfilled inferiority complexes, vanity, and a desire to show off.
‘Isn’t he describing himself?’
At this point, Raven felt a pang of pity for Chase.
He’s desperately trying not to lose, unaware that his struggle is only digging his own grave deeper.
“I won’t bother pointing out that the Thieving Crow hasn’t only stolen jewels from the upper class, as you would know if you had reviewed the investigation records.”
That statement had already pointed it out.
“Rather, the assumption that she steals jewels out of inferiority is more shocking.”
Chase asked, crossing his arms.
“Then, Inspector Hunt, what do you believe is the Thieving Crow’s motive for stealing jewels?”
“Coercion.”
Thud.
At that moment, Claire Kent dropped her pencil.
“The Thieving Crow is stealing jewels under someone’s coercion.”
However, Raven, engrossed in the power struggle with the Central Investigation Bureau, didn’t notice.
“I also believe she’s being coerced into stealing.”
Officer Wesson chimed in, supporting his superior.
“It makes sense if she doesn’t sell the stolen jewels because she’s offering them to someone.”
Raven nodded in agreement and moved on to his next point.
“If, as Agent Chase assumes, inferiority, vanity, and a desire to show off are her motives, then she would need to flaunt the stolen jewels to others to satisfy those deficiencies. Why doesn’t the culprit show them off?”
“Because she’d get caught if she did?”
“Even so, humans eventually cannot overcome such desires and will show them off in some way. However, in the past ten years, there have been no eyewitness accounts of seeing those jewels again.”
“She could be showing off something other than jewels.”
“Please elaborate, Agent Chase.”
“What if she’s compensating for her deficiencies by showing off her ability to evade capture and her audacity? Isn’t that brazen ransom note itself proof of her desire to show off?”
“There’s some logic to it, but unfortunately, it’s flawed reasoning.”
“Please elaborate, Inspector Hunt.”
“The ransom notes sent by the Thieving Crow have always contained false information.”
For example, the location and date might be correct, but the item to be stolen would be wrong, consistently causing confusion for the police.
“In other words, this person was trying hard not to get caught even while writing the ransom notes. If she were writing them to show off her abilities and audacity, why would she confess in them, ‘I am a coward’?”
“……”
“The ransom notes were also written under coercion.”
“What’s your evidence?”
“The last ransom note.”
Immediately after being nearly caught at the museum, when she should have been cautious, she wrote everything honestly. Despite not wanting to be caught.
“This means someone who forced her to write ransom notes has now ordered her to write them accurately.”
Raven had been on the Thieving Crow case for three years. That meant he had spent three years searching for a motive that could explain the numerous contradictions of this peculiar criminal all at once.
“There is only one hypothesis that fits all these nonsensical actions into a single puzzle. This person does not want to steal, but is doing so under someone’s coercion.”
His hypothesis was further strengthened by Mrs. Doris Hunt’s keen observation.
“I’ll give you this…”
The Thieving Crow had refused to accept the Emerald necklace for free.
“You cannot give it to me.”
She couldn’t accept it. In other words, it had to be in the form of a theft.
At the time, the Thieving Crow’s reaction was like that of a subordinate employee afraid of being scolded by their employer for breaking rules.
In other words, she was being blackmailed into committing unwanted crimes…
