Chapter 26
"Yes, it's true I was forced to steal. But I can't tell you who is behind it or what their weakness is. If I did, you'd think I was a madwoman."
"I won't. So tell me."
The woman was resolute at first, but eventually, she relented after repeated persuasion.
"Well, I don't mind if you think I'm a madwoman. But I'll tell you if you promise not to send me to a mental hospital."
"I promise."
The fact that he promised without hesitation made her trust him even less, so the woman demanded a written agreement. Only after Raven handed over the paper with his hastily scribbled signature could he hear her answer...
"The one behind it isn't human. G-..."
The woman stopped mid-sentence again.
"G-?"
It was only after Raven urged her several times that she reluctantly mumbled, wishing she could take back her words.
"G-god..."
"..."
"God."
"...God told you to?"
"Yes, God told me to. I don't want to steal, but if I don't, He makes people go mad. Then, if I'm caught and sent to prison, He kills me. Probably."
Is she crazy?
However, there was no madness in the eyes of the woman speaking such nonsensical words. Only extreme indifference and dryness.
So, is she mocking me now?
But there wasn't any hint of playfulness either. She managed a bitter sneer, but it was directed at herself, not at Raven.
"It doesn't make sense, does it? Then does my ability make sense?"
An umbrella that flies. Boots that can jump higher than his height. A knife that cuts anything, though it's not a diamond.
And the ability to make such bizarre objects appear out of thin air.
It didn't make sense, but it wasn't the first time the Thieving Crow had encountered someone with such surreal abilities.
Most were explained by advanced technology. But sometimes, there were abilities that far surpassed human comprehension.
A sorcerer. A magician. No, a psychic.
It was divine grace. No, it was the devil's trickery.
Each time, such fruitless debates arose because the ability users themselves didn't know where they got their powers.
"So you received that ability from God?"
"If not God, then what else could it be?"
She was the first person he'd met who knew where her abilities came from. But the woman didn't sound entirely certain.
"Is there any proof that it's God?"
"As soon as I receive a prison sentence and die, or become a completely different person, you can just say, 'Wow! It really was God!'"
So, there's no proof.
"But if someone uses your life as leverage to make you do evil deeds, isn't that the devil, not God?"
"Whoa, you're right? It's the devil!"
The woman suddenly clenched her fists and slammed them on the desk.
As the empty coffee cup leaped into the air, Raven swiftly snatched it mid-flight.
Next was the ice cream tub, where melted ice cream sloshed on the floor. As soon as Raven moved the tub, the woman melted and slumped into its place.
"Anyway, so..."
The woman mumbled weakly, her face buried in the table.
"Since you're not God, Inspector, you can't save me."
The more he talked with the suspect, the more tangled things became instead of unraveling. This was a first.
Could it really be the devil's work?
That's unlikely. It's more plausible that this is her delusion.
Should I request a psychiatric evaluation? Then does the relationship between two countries hinge on someone who is currently mentally ill?
This has become more troublesome.
As he touched his throbbing forehead, the woman suddenly lifted her head and looked at him.
"What is it?"
"Actually, there is one way for you, Inspector, to save me."
"I hope that way can save me too."
"Of course."
The woman sat up and grinned.
"Did you forget that I said I knew the culprit who stole the Scarlet Queen's Heart?"
"You're proposing a plea bargain."
"You're quick on the uptake."
"Enough pleasantries. State what you want."
The woman then clasped her hands together seriously and said,
"I'll tell you who stole the Scarlet Queen's Heart, so please don't send me to prison."
A suspended sentence would be fine, and a pardon would be even better.
Regardless of the enormous conditions the fox before him added as if they were nothing, Raven maintained his indifferent expression.
"Just revealing the culprit isn't enough. It would need to be more decisive cooperation."
"Then, would it be enough if I stole that ruby back from him? Stealing jewels is my specialty, isn't it?"
The police asking a criminal to commit a crime?
At first glance, it sounded absurd.
However, in the history of criminal investigations, it wasn't entirely unheard of for investigators to collaborate with criminals to solve other crimes.
But it was extremely rare. This was a last resort, sought only when all other means had failed.
So, this wasn't the stage to discuss it. What was important now was...
"So, who is it?"
The identity of the culprit.
"Rich Feller."
"Rich Feller? That Rich Feller?"
Raven asked twice, and each time, the woman nodded without hesitation.
He mentally reviewed the procedure for requesting a psychiatric evaluation and rephrased his question.
"Does that make any sense?"
Rich Feller. A man in his mid-fifties, a prominent financier and philanthropist in Eden City.
He was infamous for acting haughtily, as if he were nobility in a country without a class system.
Meanwhile, he was also renowned for his generous donations, as if he were nobility, making him a figure of mixed reputation.
Rich Feller was also present at the scene the night the Scarlet Queen's Heart was stolen. He was one of the honored guests invited to the fundraising gala. And...
'He also has financial ties to that large ruby.'
This was because the museum had taken out a substantial theft insurance policy with the insurance company owned by Rich Feller.
When the Scarlet Queen's Heart was stolen, Rich Feller would have suffered astronomical losses.
So, why would such a person steal the ruby? Why would he do something that would cause him personal loss?
"That's why I initially thought Rich Feller being the culprit made no sense either."
"Still, tell me why your opinion changed."
"Before the fundraising gala started that day, I saw something. I was passing through the corridor in front of the director's office, pretending to be staff..."
She said she was caught by the museum director who opened the door. Of course, it didn't mean she was apprehended. Thinking she was staff, he ordered her to bring champagne.
"So, I pretended to be staff and quietly listened to his order. While doing so, I glanced into the director's office..."
Feller was standing at the desk, his back turned. The Scarlet Queen's Heart was on the desk.
"It seemed the director was showing it separately to Mr. Feller before the event. And precisely then, Mr. Feller picked up the ruby."
Though it was obscured by Feller's body, she thought he was just admiring the ruby up close.
"Then, after receiving the order from the director, I glanced back that way as I left. But..."
"But?"
"The ruby on the desk was a fake. It was definitely real before."
She didn't ask the foolish question of how she knew. Raven, as the lead investigator, knew better than anyone that the Thieving Crow had the ability to distinguish between genuine and counterfeit items.
"At the time, I thought they might have deliberately swapped it with a fake for security reasons, so I didn't think much of it. Especially since Mr. Feller is the president of an insurance company."
"The museum director had no such plan."
"Exactly. So Feller is the culprit."
Seeing Raven's expressionless face, the woman raised her voice.
"No, he was wearing such a tall silk hat even though we were indoors. Isn't that suspicious? What about when the event started?"
"Mr. Feller was not wearing a hat."
"See? He swapped it using the hat and smuggled it out. The police knew I was coming to steal that day, so they wouldn't have searched middle-aged men. Right?"
That's right.
