The night was getting darker.
Nights on the island were always romantic. For those who had lived in the big cities for a long time, being able to see the clear starry sky was enough to make them feel poetic.
However, for the natives, the sound of the waves and the starry sky were just part of their daily lives. Other than the weather, there was nothing else.
At 9: 30 p.m., Feng Bujue stepped into the bar on the top floor of the Alfred Hotel.
As soon as he entered the bar, he quickly scanned the entire bar and found Sam Herbert at the most conspicuous spot — the bar counter.
"So, he's here …" Feng Bujue muttered softly as he strolled over.
According to Brother Jue's speculation, Sam would definitely appear in a crowded place tonight and try to leave an impression on others. Seeing this, everyone must have guessed that Sam was trying to create an "alibi".
Considering that Kochi Koti was only so big, and it was the tourist season, this bar was undoubtedly the best choice.
First of all, regardless of whether there were customers or not, the bar would stay open until the wee hours of the morning. As for the other small bars on the island, when there were not many customers, the owners would probably chase the remaining drunkards home and close the bar.
Secondly, most of the customers in the bar were from other parts of the island. These people came from all over the island, and they did not know Sam. If something happened, the testimonies of these people would be much more reliable than the testimonies of the islanders.
Thirdly, and most importantly, there were many surveillance cameras in the Kochi Koti Hotel. Even if Sam could not use the testimonies of other people, he could still rely on physical evidence to prove his whereabouts.
Of course, it had to be said that Sam Herbert was not that lucky because there were two super detectives staying at the hotel that day — Feng Bujue and Vidocq. Both of them had already recognized Sam Herbert when they met face to face, and they had smelled the scent of a 'crime'.
"Do you mind if I sit here?" Feng Bujue walked to the bar and greeted Sam in a casual tone.
When Sam heard this, he turned his head and glanced at his Brother Jue.
After a brief hesitation, he suddenly revealed a warm smile and replied, "Of course, friend."
"Thank you." As Feng Bujue spoke, he shifted sideways onto the high stool and unhurriedly extended his right hand to the other party. "Feng Bujue."
Sam naturally reached out and shook Brother Jue's hand. "You can call me Sam."
At first glance, this was a very common meeting. There was nothing unusual about their gazes, words, and actions.
No matter who saw this scene, they would think that this was just a scene of "two strange men meeting by chance in a bar".
The bartender, who was walking up to them, thought the same.
"Sir, what would you like to order?" The bartender asked Brother Jue in a very professional manner.
Hearing this, Feng Bujue shifted his gaze to the bartender.
It was a middle-aged man who looked to be in his fifties. His hair was neatly slicked back, his beard was neatly trimmed, his shirt and vest, and … his age. All of these revealed one thing — this man relied on his professional skills and not his looks to make a living in this place.
"Get me something you think suits me." Feng Bujue gave a brilliant answer. He quickly caught the hint of a smile and the joy in the bartender's eyes.
"One moment, sir." The bartender replied and turned around to get busy.
Although Feng Bujue did not like to interact with people, if he wanted to, he could effortlessly curry favor with others.
This was because he understood human nature.
The best chefs would design their own menus. This was the same for "bartenders". People who had excellent skills and confidence in their creative field would not resist a request like "give me a surprise". Using their own creations to surprise people was the way these people obtained satisfaction. In many cases, this satisfaction was even greater than the satisfaction that money could bring them.
After the bartender left, Sam took the initiative to strike up a conversation with Feng Bujue. "Judging from your accent, you don't seem to be a local."
"Haha … Aren't people who come here tourists?" Feng Bujue replied with a smile. "Eh? Are you … a local? "
Brother Jue's reply made Sam realize that his first sentence was inappropriate. "Hmm … Haha …" He laughed, but there was a hint of awkwardness and regret in his laughter. "When I was young, I stayed here for a while. Later, I left for some reason. Come to think of it … I haven't been back for many years."
He was not lying, but he used a tone and way of saying that indicated that he did not want to delve into this topic.
"Oh …" Seeing that, Feng Bujue very 'cleverly' changed the topic. He shrugged and said, "Everyone has a time when they were young …" His tone was like that of a man in his forties, but his face revealed that he was definitely not yet thirty. "Those years are often accompanied by many memories and bad luck that even we ourselves find foolish."
"You're absolutely right!" Sam agreed with Brother Jue's words from the bottom of his heart. The expression on his face was as if he was saying, "I beg for poison chicken soup."
Feng Bujue's heart did not waver at all. He even wanted to laugh.
From the moment he walked over, he was aware of Sam's every thought.
The initial "hesitation" was Sam's normal reaction, but the subsequent "enthusiasm" was because he needed to "chat with a stranger." Brother Jue knew from the beginning that as long as he talked to Sam, the latter would definitely go with the flow and strike up a conversation with him. Therefore, he did not need to deliberately cater to Sam … He only needed to use the "most ordinary and natural" way to start the conversation.
If everything went according to plan, in the next few hours, there would be a "case" somewhere on this island. When that happened, Feng Bujue would become Sam's "alibi." With him taking on this role, he could naturally intervene in the "case" and even influence the police's investigation through his testimony.
In other words, this was killing two birds with one stone.
And this was something Zuo Yan could not do. Even if Vidocq, like Brother Jue, deduced that Sam might be at the bar that night and told this information to Zuo Yan, Zuo Yan would not be able to strut into the bar like Brother Jue did. This was because in this scenario, most of the countries in Western Europe only allowed people over the age of twenty-one to enter the bar, and Zuo Yan was nineteen this year.
However, Feng Bujue also realized that other than having 'people' investigate, the two had another method.
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.
