Klein met Jurgen Cooper in an office at the Rice Police Station. The young solicitor was still dressed very formally, as if he was ready to attend a dinner party in high society.
The double-breasted black frock coat, white shirt with a stiff collar, large bow tie, and shiny leather boots made the police officers very polite to him.
Jurgen held his half top hat and looked at Klein with his blue eyes.
"The paperwork is done. You can leave after paying the ten pounds bail."
"Thank you." Klein didn't say anything else. He followed the good-looking but old-fashioned Jurgen to the police station's finance office, took out his wallet, and drew out two five-pound notes.
At this moment, he was glad that he had brought all the cash — 95 pounds — with him. Otherwise, he might have had to borrow it from his good neighbor, Jurgen.
Of course, the most serious thing was that if he had left the cash at home, Klein wasn't confident how much would be left after the police searched the scene. However, he couldn't put it above the gray fog, because he might have to rely on bribes to get out.
At present, many newspapers and magazines had been vilifying the police, believing that they lacked supervision, did things crudely, were corrupt, often extorted, and were vicious. Klein didn't dare to believe them all, but he didn't dare to not believe them either. After all, Meursault's money could very well be taken advantage of by the people at the police station.
After paying the bail, Klein followed Jurgen out of the police station, shivering from the moist, cold wind that blew in his face.
"After the case is closed, your bail will be returned to you. Of course, you can't expect them to take the initiative to inform you. Hmm … In a week, if no one comes to bring you back to the police station, you can come here to ask for the bail. In theory, you can still receive the corresponding compensation from the other party's estate, if there is any. "Jurgen walked towards a carriage parked beside him.
The continuous rain during the day finally stopped at night, but the crimson moon was still covered by dark clouds, and the streets were only lit by the light of the gas lamps.
"Okay." Klein almost thought that he wouldn't get the 10 pounds back.
He could not help but calculate the commission from Ian. The reward was five pounds, but many of the furniture and tea sets in the room were damaged. He would have to buy new ones or find someone to repair them. In addition to the materials used, the cost of the carriage, and the repair of the clothes, it seemed that he would probably suffer a loss …
If he couldn't get the bail money back, it would be a huge loss! Hmm … The Beyonder characteristic left behind by Meursault is worth quite a bit of money … Klein boarded the carriage and frowned.
He had always thought that a private investigator who used his own residence as an office would at most not have any commissions and would not suffer any losses. In the end …
Klein turned his head to look at Lawyer Jurgen, who was sitting upright, and sincerely said, "I'm sorry.
"Thank you, thank you for coming to bail me out. How much should I pay you for this?"
Jurgen nodded formally.
"This order is free."
"I've heard about you from Sergeant Faxine. I believe we'll have many opportunities to work together in the future."
There will be many opportunities for cooperation in the future … Klein laughed.
"Lawyer Jurgen, I think you're cursing me."
Jurgen shook his head solemnly.
"No, it's not what you think. It's very normal for a private investigator to have a regular lawyer to work with."
Sir, you really have no sense of humor … Although you look very young … Klein silently lampooned and smiled.
"It just so happens that I'm looking for a lawyer to help me draft an investment contract."
"Investment contract?" Jurgen asked in a slightly surprised tone.
"I know this isn't the hobby of a private investigator, but I happened to come across a good investment opportunity." Klein simply explained, "Lawyer Jurgen, according to your rates, how much would such a contract cost?"
"It's usually based on the total amount of the contract and the difficulty," Jurgen replied strictly.
"The total amount is 100 pounds, and the terms required are …" Klein described his requirements in detail, including preemptive rights, and the right to refuse.
Jurgen thought seriously for a few minutes before saying, "Two pounds.
I'll give it to you on Monday morning. "
"Alright." Klein didn't elaborate on the matter and instead asked about the information Jurgen had gathered regarding tonight's case.
On the way back to Minsk Street, Klein took the initiative to pay three soli for the carriage rental. He bade farewell to the young but serious lawyer and walked to his house.
When he opened the door and saw the messy scene, Klein felt mentally exhausted.
His start as a private investigator was actually a loss.
Just as Klein took off his coat and was cleaning up the mess, the doorbell suddenly rang.
Puzzled, he opened the door and saw the maid next door, Julienne, in a black-and-white dress.
"Hello, Mr. Moriarty. Mr. and Mrs. Sammer would like to invite you over to talk about what happened," Julienne said with a hint of fear.
Here it comes … The problem of compensation … Klein smiled.
"Alright."
He changed into a clean coat and followed the maid next door. Luke Sammer and his wife, Stelyn Sammer, were sitting on the sofa in the living room, waiting.
The burly Luke, who had a beautiful mustache, stood up and extended his hand. He chuckled softly.
"Good evening, Mr. Moriarty. I didn't know you were a private detective until now. How disappointing of me to be a neighbor."
"No, it's my own problem, because I don't know if I'm suitable for this industry. Maybe I'll find another job at some point." Klein shook the man's hand and said, "I'm very sorry about what happened tonight. I will compensate you."
"It was just an accident," Luke reassured.
The blonde, blue-eyed, and beautiful Stelyn asked curiously, "What's going on?
"Did you really kill an intruder? Ha, I know you want black tea, right? "
Klein nodded.
"Maybe it's just a thief."
He did not say that the matter stemmed from the commission he had accepted, lest the Sammers hold a grudge.
Since the police didn't tell them, there's no need for me to do anything unnecessary … Klein silently added.
Luke Sammer smiled.
"You definitely have outstanding combat skills. As a neighbor, I feel very safe. Perhaps we will have matters to entrust to you in the future."
Klein gave a self-deprecating laugh in a half-genuine manner.
"Actually, I was nearly killed."
"No matter what, the final winner is you," Luke said.
After chatting on this topic for a while, Stelyn picked up the white porcelain cup with gold inlaid teacup and took a sip.
"I'm very curious. How many commissions can a private detective receive in a week, and how much money can he earn?"
Klein didn't hide the truth as he chuckled.
"That depends on the situation. Just like how there are times when there are bumper harvests and times when there are poor harvests, I earned five pounds and five soli last week, but after what happened last night, I might even incur losses."
Stelyn didn't seem to hear the latter half of his sentence as she continued speaking.
"If you can maintain this income, five pounds a week will allow you to have a pretty good life in Baekeland or Cherwood Borough. You won't need to rent a room, and you can hire a maid to do chores. You can attend a concert or watch an opera every other week, play tennis or squash once a week, participate in a reading salon, or go to a nice restaurant … Of course, if you're already preparing for marriage, you'll need to scrimp a little. A weekly salary of five pounds is still a little lacking from being truly respectable."
"Then, what's the weekly salary needed to be truly respectable?" Klein asked cooperatively.
"Seven pounds. At least seven pounds." Stelyn raised her chin slightly.
Klein turned to look at Luke and casually said, "I heard from your wife that you work at the Coim Company.
"I heard from your wife that you work at the Coim Company. May I know what your main business is?"
"Anthracite and charcoal," Luke replied with a smile.
It's no wonder you're a member of the Soot Reduction Association … Klein pondered for a moment and said, "What's the salary of a manager in Baekeland? The newspapers and magazines I've read rarely mention this. "
"Haha, it depends on the industry, company, and the exact position. The top manager of Baekeland Bank earns 5,000 pounds a year, and including my bonus, I only earn between 430 to 440 pounds," Luke said casually.
That's about eight pounds a week … No wonder … Before Klein could say a word, Stelyn Sammer grumbled, "Actually, we can live in the suburbs.
"Actually, we can live in the suburbs. I'll have a garden and a lawn, and Luke will get a stable. He'll be able to buy the brand-new carriage and two young horses that he's been dreaming about for a long time. But that will waste too much time on the commute, which is even more valuable."
A new carriage with horses is about a hundred pounds … A weekly salary of eight pounds is indeed impressive. Unfortunately, it didn't take long after I got a raise … Klein could only smile in response.
After exchanging a few more pleasantries, he bade farewell and sighed inwardly.
Mr. and Mrs. Sammer are good people at heart. If it were a harsher landlord, they would've deducted my fees and asked me to scram after tonight's incident …
When he returned home, Klein began working. He wasn't in a hurry to go above the gray fog to examine the warm current on the back of his hand, nor was he in a hurry to do a divination. This was because he was worried that the military's special department was still watching him in secret.
He decided to go to the bar Ian had described to buy a gun tomorrow night, so as to deal with a possible attack by someone out of desperation.
Klein even planned on using this opportunity to hire a bodyguard, a Beyonder bodyguard, a powerful Beyonder bodyguard. Firstly, he could take the opportunity to come into contact with Beyonder circles without exposing himself. Secondly, he was afraid that the subsequent attackers that the ambassador found would have the ability to hide from the military's special department.
Although it was rather comical for a Sequence 8 Beyonder, a vengeful evil spirit, to need a bodyguard, safety was of utmost importance to Klein.
If the price is too expensive, I'll blow the copper whistle to find Mr. Aztec. Of course, that might be even more dangerous … I don't know enough about Sealed Artifact 0-08 … As he tidied up his room, Klein silently mumbled.
…
After the purification ritual was over, the man in the white mask said to Xio and Fors, "No matter what evil spirit it is, I've already exorcised it.
Heh, if it reaches the level of an evil spirit and I'm unable to exorcise it, then it would've reacted, but it didn't. "
As he spoke, he poured the water droplets condensed from the Sun badge into a small metal bottle and handed it to Xio.
"Sprinkle it in the room when you're back to eliminate any remnants."
"Thank you." Xio paid the money with her heart aching, but she also felt a lot more at ease.
Just as she and Fors returned to the living room, an attendant handed them a note:
"Miss Arbiter who bought the Sheriff formula, would you like to have a chat in the study? I might have something you need. "
You've already exceeded your reading limit for today. If you want to read more, please log in.
Login
Select text and click 'Report' to let us know about any bad translation.
