Cherwood Borough, 19 Hope Street.
This place was close to the Tussock River that passed through Baekeland. Pedestrians could see the slightly turbid but abnormally wide water through the gaps between the houses.
The Daily Observer reporter, Mike Joseph, got off the carriage and pointed at the three-story grayish-blue building in front of him. He said to Klein, who was wearing a black double-breasted frock coat, half top hat, and gold-rimmed glasses, "That's Golden Rose.
It's the best legal brothel in Cherwood Borough and Baekeland Bridge. It opens at three in the afternoon every day and stays open until two in the morning. "
The best legal brothel in Cherwood Borough and Baekeland Bridge? That is to say, there are better ones in these two boroughs that aren't legal? Klein mumbled silently as he glanced at the building's entrance. There was a golden rose embedded in it, but it didn't have the so-called signboard.
"This shouldn't be considered a street girl, right?" he replied casually.
"Of course, it's of a higher grade." Mike led Klein to the building with great familiarity and pushed open the door.
The moment he entered, Klein smelled a slightly pungent mixed fragrance and heard a soothing but ambiguous melody.
He instinctively surveyed the area and discovered that there were thugs in black coats and half top hats standing on both sides of the entrance and in every corner of the hall. As a place that operated legally, these were clearly used to deal with drunkards and boorish men.
There were all kinds of sofas and chairs around the golden hall. There was even a piano, and there was a dancing area in the middle.
At this moment, ladies with blonde or brown hair, pale yellow or black dresses, and complicated, simple, or gorgeous dresses were sitting in different spots. Some of them were mature and charming, some shy and young, some youthful and alluring, and some rather beautiful.
These ladies were either holding their cheeks as they enjoyed the melody, chatting and laughing with each other, quietly flipping through newspapers and magazines, or dancing with the men.
Because it was only 3: 30 in the afternoon, there were not many customers. At first glance, it looked more like a formal ball than a brothel.
"If it's after 8 pm, you can see some interesting performances. Hehe, if you fancy a lady, you can invite her to dance and ask her how much to the beautiful melody. If both parties can reach an agreement, you can go to one of the rooms on the second or third floor and have a wonderful time. Hehe, as long as you're willing to spend money, you can sleep here for an entire night." Mike tilted his head left and right. Suddenly, he was no longer as calm and gentlemanly as before. He became slightly frivolous.
He walked into the hall with a smile and approached a young girl who was at most fifteen or sixteen years old.
Was he showing his true nature, or was this a professional performance? Klein was a little dumbfounded as he followed behind Mike Joseph.
"The victim, Sibel, was only 16 years old. Theoretically speaking, a girl of a similar age is more likely to be her friend and know more," Mike explained in a low voice.
He immediately raised his slightly sparse eyebrows and resumed his normal voice.
"Which lady have you taken a fancy to?"
"I'm just your bodyguard," Klein replied according to normal logic.
Mike nodded indiscernibly and suddenly smiled.
"I'm not used to people watching when I do that kind of thing."
"I'll guard the door." Klein understood what Mike meant and assumed a strict and professional posture.
Mike didn't say anything else. He came in front of the young girl, bent down, and extended his hand to invite her to dance.
To become a prostitute at this age, Baekeland is really glamorous and dirty … Hehe, there's actually a middle-aged gentleman with a good temperament visiting this place. His sideburns are all white … Klein lowered his hands and stood straight as he watched Mike and the young girl dance slowly in the middle.
After a few minutes, Mike walked back and said to Klein with a slightly vexed expression, "Don't worry.
"It's too expensive."
When the two of them got closer, he added in a low voice,
"That girl knows Sibell, but the boss here, Ms. Lopez, forbids them from communicating with others about this. Otherwise, they will be severely punished. Oh my God, that poor girl even shivered instinctively when she mentioned the punishment. I can imagine how terrifying it is."
Klein sighed sympathetically but helplessly. He suppressed his voice and asked, "So, what do you plan to do?"
"I don't want to cause trouble for those girls. I plan to go straight to Ms. Lopez." Mike patted Klein on the shoulder. "Protect me!"
Klein turned his body to the side and solemnly reminded him,
"If you encounter a dangerous situation, you must listen to me."
"Do you understand? Listen to me! "
"Okay, okay." Mike raised his hands to his shoulders and nodded.
As he spoke, he walked towards the single sofa in the corner. There sat a charming lady in a gorgeous dress with heavy makeup.
"If you don't want to give up after the dance and embarrass yourself in front of those girls, I suggest that you talk to Ms. Lopez first and figure out the price of different girls." Mike raised his voice.
When the lady heard their conversation, she turned her head and looked over. She slowly stood up and smiled.
"Good afternoon, gentlemen. I'm Lopez. Do you have any girls you like?"
"Yes." Mike suddenly sized her up and chuckled. "I admire you very much."
I admire you very much too … You act like you're at home in such a place … The corners of Klein's mouth twitched.
Lopez's expression froze for a second before she faked a smile and said, "Sorry, I'm not feeling well today.
"I'm sorry, I'm not feeling well today. You should know that women will feel unwell every month."
Seeing that he couldn't get Lopez to talk to him in the room, Mike fell silent for a few seconds before he suddenly turned serious.
"Ms. Lopez, I'm a reporter. I want to ask you about Sibell. This is my ID."
Lopez's expression immediately darkened as she replied impatiently, "I've already told the police what I know.
"I've already told the police what I know. You should go to them!"
"Sibel was a homeless orphan. She was adopted by me. That night, she accepted a guest's invitation to spend the night at the guest's house. She died on the way back in the morning."
"Alright, please leave! Or invite a lady to dance. "
As she spoke, Lopez waved her hand for the two thugs beside her to come over.
Klein took a step forward and stood in front of Mike Joseph, protecting him as he returned to the hall. When the two thugs saw this, they didn't rashly chase them away.
After taking a few steps, Klein lowered his voice and said, "She's lying."
"She's lying."
"Oh?" Mike turned his head in surprise.
"When she speaks, her eyes are wandering. She doesn't dare to look at you directly, but she will secretly size you up. This means that she's lying and observing your reaction. In addition, her standing posture is very defensive, and she looks very anxious." Klein gave his analysis.
Mike gaped and sighed after a few seconds.
"You really are a great detective. Only when you have both sharp observation skills and outstanding reasoning skills can you discover these useful details."
This is only because I activated my Spirit Vision and noticed that Lopez's emotional color isn't right … The rest are all excuses … Klein smiled and said, "Thank you for your compliment.
"Thank you for your compliment. We should go now."
Mike Joseph turned back to look at Lopez and realized that she was walking towards the side door of the hall, as though she was going to her lounge. And the side door was in a corner. It was very quiet, and many people in the hall couldn't see what was happening there. There were also two thugs guarding it.
"Perhaps, we should follow Ma 'am Lopez and observe her reaction. Perhaps her anxiety will make her do something …" Mike suddenly turned his head to look at Klein. "Can you quickly finish off those two thugs?"
"Sir, I'm only responsible for protecting you, and it's illegal," Klein replied with a smile.
"I'll pay more! If there's a fight, it'll be a total of five pounds! If there's still a fight when we escape, it'll be ten pounds! "Mike Joseph gritted his teeth.
"Deal!" Klein extended his hand and shook the other party's hand.
Following that, the two circled around, avoiding the two thugs from before, and quietly arrived near the side door.
"Guests, please leave this place." One of the thugs stepped forward and stopped Klein and Mike Joseph.
"Sorry, we'll immediately …" Klein bowed politely and apologized.
At that moment, his right fist suddenly punched out, landing heavily on the thug's abdomen.
The thug instinctively covered his abdomen and bent his body into a bow. As for Klein, who had straightened up again, he raised his left palm and struck the back of the thug's head.
Pa!
The thug fell to the ground and fainted. His companion clearly hadn't expected such a situation. He watched in a daze, unable to react in time.
Klein immediately slid over, covered his mouth with his right palm, and punched his abdomen with his left.
Bam!
The thug suddenly bent over and spat out the undigested food. Klein retracted his right hand in time and struck down vertically.
At the same time, he supported the other party with his left hand, allowing the thug to slowly fall to the ground without a thud.
After exchanging glances, Klein twisted the handle, pushed open the side door, and dashed in. Mike Joseph lowered his body and quickly followed.
Why are you so skilled … You're just a reporter! As Klein cursed inwardly, his footsteps were light but fast as he walked down the floor-covered corridor.
Suddenly, they heard Lopez's voice.
"Tell Capim not to send anyone over for the time being!"
Capim? Send someone over? Klein looked at Mike beside him and found that he was equally confused.
At that moment, they heard Lopez's footsteps coming down the corridor again.
"Let's go!" Klein grabbed Mike and ran toward the entrance without looking back.
In the process, he closed the side door and broke the lock so that the person inside wouldn't be able to come out for a while.
Then, the two of them pretended as if nothing had happened and quickly walked through the hall. They approached the exit and left amidst the indistinct sounds of anger.
When they reached the street outside, Mike heaved a sigh of relief and praised sincerely.
"I've experienced many similar situations, but none as simple and easy as today."
"Thank you. I have to go back and find out who Capim is."
As he spoke, he took out his wallet, took out a five-pound note, and muttered, "But frankly, your price is really expensive.
"But frankly speaking, your price is really expensive. It's equivalent to half a week's salary."
"But you can claim it, can't you?" The corners of Klein's mouth curled up in response, then he asked worriedly, "Aren't you afraid that Lopez will find your news agency based on your ID and call the police to arrest you?"
"That's a fake ID." Mike Joseph spread his hands in a practiced manner.
"…" Klein could only express his deep admiration.
After watching Mike get on the car and leave, he walked diagonally across the street and waited for the public carriage, paying close attention to see if anyone chased after him.
At that moment, a rental carriage slowly drove over and stopped in front of him.
A middle-aged man in a black coat walked out of the carriage and nodded at Klein.
He had blue eyes, a thin face, and graying sideburns. It was the old gentleman Klein had seen at Golden Rose.
He's not a customer of Golden Rose … Just like us … This realization suddenly flashed through Klein's mind.
"Hello, I'm Detective Eichinger Stanton, who is assisting the police in handling this case. Can we have a chat?" The middle-aged man pointed at the carriage.
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