Chapter 17
Chapter 17
Hunt's retreating figure disappeared beyond the garden gate. For now, it seemed he didn't suspect me.
"Good."
I failed to keep my visit here today a secret, but I succeeded in not arousing suspicion. I scrubbed my glasses and put them on.
"……."
Did I clean them too carelessly? My vision was blurry. The faint, fog-like smudges overlapped with the eerie landscape of today's crime scene.
'Oh… it suits the mood quite well?'
I looked up at the mansion. Beneath the sharp, pointed roofs, it was a mansion from which a swarm of bats seemed ready to take flight at any moment. Surrounding it, skyscrapers rose like an endless fortress wall.
'This must be why the sun doesn't shine here.'
In the garden, cast in deep shadow, only dead, ancient trees stood.
Looking at the old mansion, standing alone on a prime piece of land where others would have demolished it to build high-rises, a professional term naturally came to mind.
'Squatting?'
Squatting in the middle of Eden City's affluent district. There would be no end to those coveting it, and land prices would be soaring astronomically.
Yet, the reason this house remained unsold was that it belonged to a cursed family. And the reason the family was cursed was precisely because of the diamond they owned.
A 50-carat red diamond.
It had its own name, but it was also famous by the nickname "Blood Diamond."
It wasn't just because of its red color. It was because everyone who owned it met a tragic or miserable end.
Killed by bandits who coveted the diamond.
Went mad, ruled tyrannically, and then—snip!—off with their heads at the guillotine!
The less brutal ends included bankruptcy, alcoholism, and paralysis from a traffic accident.
They say the number of people who died or were ruined by this diamond's curse over a thousand years reached a staggering 100. Believe it or not.
Some people dismiss it as a fabricated story, but when a novel becomes too famous, people start believing it's real.
"They say it returns even if you throw it away?"
Of course, there are those who believe, like Sergeant Smith, that the diamond has a mystical power and returns to its place with a 'poof!' if discarded.
This is a distorted version of actual events.
A few years ago, a thief broke into this mansion. The thief, unaware, swept everything from the safe, only to discover later that the cursed diamond was among the stolen items.
Gasp! What are you doing here?
The thief, in a fit of panic, threw it into the trash, and a beggar picked it up. The beggar, humming happily, went to a pawn shop, but upon learning the jewels' identity, would have had another panic attack.
Gasp! What are you doing here?
The beggar immediately rushed back here and returned the diamond to its original owner. It was the curse's positive function.
In any case, because of that incident, the strange rumor that the diamond had legs spread, solidifying the "cursed diamond" theory.
And to top it all off, it's called the Hopeless Diamond, named after the family that owns it.
Hopeless. It means no hope, no dreams.
'The people in this house must really want to sever ties with the diamond.'
Still, they couldn't just throw away jewels bought at astronomical prices into the trash or a fountain. They put it up for sale, but apparently, no one would buy it.
The reason this prime land isn't selling is that the owner insists on selling the diamond and the land together.
What I intended to steal today was precisely that cursed diamond.
'A curse? What curse? What kind of power does a diamond have? I don't believe in that stuff.'
People who say such things often fall victim to curses, but the reason I confidently disbelieve is that the head of the Hopeless family, the owner, is still alive and well.
I stepped into the gloomy mansion. Unlike the monochromatic exterior, the interior was incredibly opulent.
'Alive and well, and rich too.'
As I entered the central hall, a young man, who appeared to be Mr. Hopeless, was descending the stairs carpeted in thick material.
Dressed in a high-end suit and wearing a bright smile, he looked less like a thief and more like someone welcoming a distinguished guest.
"Hic…."
The man looked down at the hall where police officers were coming and going, then suddenly burst into tears, covering his mouth with his fist.
"This day has finally come for me!"
His voice was filled with emotion. As expected, he had been waiting for the day he could bid farewell to the Hopeless Diamond.
"Thank you for coming to me, most beautiful thief in the world!"
Besides, I heard from Wesson that he had taken out a hefty insurance policy on the diamond. So, how grateful must he be to me for coming to steal it openly?
'If the owner feels this way, I guess I can steal it without any pressure today.'
Then, shall I begin my reconnaissance of the crime scene?
I looked down at my feet. The marker indicating the target's location was blinking below.
'They put it in the basement.'
I descended to the basement and followed the marker. After turning about two corners, I saw a door guarded by two officers.
'That's it.'
As I walked straight towards it, one of the officers asked stiffly, "What is it?"
"Is Sergeant Smith not here? I've brought something for him."
The officer, realizing I was from the Police Bureau, softened his expression and tone.
"Ah, this equipment is needed outside, not here."
The officer glanced into the bag I was carrying and pointed upwards with his finger, a apologetic look on his face.
"I'd like to escort you to the first floor, but we can't leave our posts..."
"Oh, no, it's not that heavy."
I smiled, turned, and headed back towards the stairs.
'I still haven't seen what's behind that door...'
I had hoped it might open while I was talking to the officer, but there was no such luck.
However, I couldn't linger around here and arouse suspicion.
I went straight upstairs. Smith was in the first-floor banquet hall, which was being used as a temporary investigation headquarters.
"Sergeant Smith."
"Whoa, Claire, thank you so much. You saved me. I was going to get severely scolded by the captain for forgetting this."
It was my fault for forgetting it in the first place.
Feeling guilty about him getting scolded, I took out some chocolate from my bag as an apology and asked, "By the way, what is this for?"
Inside the bag was an air pump. An electric pump for inflating large tubes or air mattresses.
Hmm… why an air pump for apprehending a thief?
"I don't know about that either."
I was curious, but asking around might arouse suspicion.
"Then I'll be going now."
"Yes, thank you so much!"
Smith waved goodbye and ran out into the garden through the terrace door. The sky outside was already painted with the sunset.
'So, I should look for a place to hide now?'
Leaving the banquet hall, I walked back down the corridor. The door to the staff-only passage opened, and a maid emerged, pushing a serving cart.
The three-tiered cart was laden with a coffee pot and numerous cups.
Rattle.
The maid pushed the cart past me and disappeared into the banquet hall with a tray from the first tier.
I took a tray laden with a coffee pot and cups from the cart.
A good idea had occurred to me.
"Coffee's here."
It was a plan to scout the basement without raising suspicion.
When I appeared with the coffee, the officers guarding the basement door greeted me with a joke.
"Did you get a job as a Hopeless family maid in the meantime?"
"They pay more here."
"Oh dear, Eden City government is losing such talent."
Could they have coffee alone while their colleagues were inside? As expected, the officer opened the firmly shut basement door.
"Coffee's here!"
I handed over the tray and quickly peeked inside. The room wasn't very large. There seemed to be no other exit.
A drop net was installed on the ceiling. A familiar sight.
There were four officers stationed inside, and one civilian.
'A civilian?'
I recognized the man sitting on a chair in the middle of the empty room and became even more perplexed.
