Inspector Berg and Mei Ling entered the apartment. Both of them removed their hats and placed them on the coat stand.
"It looks like you've already made yourself quite comfortable," Mei Ling remarked, glancing at Galba.
"Yes, Ma'am. Some people can't stand to see us at ease. It bothers them," Galba replied harshly.
"He didn't mean you, Mrs. Mei Ling," Holden interjected.
Holden couldn't help but notice Galba's sudden change in behavior and body language. His enthusiasm for the case seemed to have vanished. Holden kept his thoughts to himself, thinking, *Why is he acting so strangely all of a sudden? Is he having trust issues with Luis, or maybe... No, that can't be. Galba's not like me.*
Miss Aurelia and Luis entered the hall from upstairs, and Galba felt uneasy seeing them together.
*Why is that pale, white-looking alien always by her side? That... Galba muttered to himself.
Holden could sense Galba's thoughts without even looking at him. He thought, *Why is he fixating on Luis all of a sudden? Does he have trust issues with him, or is there something else going on? Galba's not like me.*
Miss Aurelia brought up an interesting discovery during the post mortem, stealing the attention of everyone present.
"Please elaborate, Miss Aurelia," Mei Ling said curiously.
Aurelia explained, "The left side of the victim's body had a serious injury. The twist here is that neither the skull on that side was cracked nor did the skin show any signs of discoloration or even a scratch. This blow could also be the direct cause of the hemorrhage and death of Gilbert Mayer."
Luis supported her statement, saying, "This blow was done professionally. It's very possible that the culprit did it intentionally to mislead the investigation and make the case more complicated."
Galba couldn't take his eyes off Luis. "I don't think it was a single culprit. It seems like the work of at least more than one person. With so many bruises all over the body, a cracked skull, a broken arm, a knife in the neck, and the mysterious wound on his brain," Galba said with a poisonous tone of voice.
"We could easily determine which attack landed on him first. The stab in his throat is a blow that causes instant death. With his body lying down, it's impossible to deliver the blows to the body in that position. The culprit would have to kneel and then land the blows, making it impossible to cause the kind of damage we see on Gilbert's body," Mei Ling explained quickly.
Luis asked, "Why is it not possible, Miss Ling?" Inspector Berg nodded curiously.
Galba's eyes widened with admiration for Miss Ling. "You are absolutely right, Mr. Ling. I appreciate you for pointing that out."
Miss Aurelia also looked surprised, as Mei Ling and Galba were the only ones in the room who understood it.
"I'll act as the victim, and you can be the culprit and show us the demonstration," Galba said to Mei Ling.
Mei Ling replied, "Okay, sir. I've been waiting for this moment. Where is that big knife you use, Miss Aurelia?"
Laughter filled the room as everyone found the situation amusing. It was the first time Galba and Holden had seen Mei Ling and Aurelia smile. Mei Ling and Aurelia competed with each other to see who laughed the cutest, while Inspector Berg's black gums and teeth were exposed as he burst into laughter, enjoying his pipe tobacco.
The atmosphere lightened, and their synergy and bond grew stronger.
But in that moment, Galba opened his mouth and said "Why do I need a dagger? Your presence is enough to kill me, Miss Ling."
"Oh no..." Holden said, slapping his head with his palm. *He detonated his special weapon again, the bomb of awkwardness.*
Silence spread in the room. Galba instantly realized how doomed his fate was written by God.
"No... NO... I didn't mean it like that... I mean dangerously her presence was danger enough to kill me, not her, I mean..."
"SHUT THE HELL UP!" Holden screamed at him.
At that moment, Inspector Berg released a hard wheeze that was about to burst open his soul. Simultaneously, Luis couldn't control his laughter and released a heavy snort, which was complemented by Berg's awaited guffaw. "Haha... Wait... Gosh... Oh my... Hahhhahahhhhhh!!" Their laughter echoed and seemed endless.
Miss Aurelia, unable to contain herself, placed a hand on Miss Mei's shoulder and said, "Miss Mei... Hahhhh... I'm sorry... Hahhhhaa... and tried to repeat what Galba said, 'your presence is...' but failed to produce any words.
Galba also gave up his tough demeanor and joined in, emitting heavy wheezes and a laugh akin to a hyena. He wrapped his big arms around his neck and said, "Don't think he's too smart like Aurelia. He is too cringe, lame, and awkward at the same time."
Among them all, Miss Aurelia was the loudest in the room. Hearing her infectious laughter, Galba's mind was baptized with a sense of joy. The void he was stuck in disappeared into thin air. For that moment, Galba's brain hit the reset button. His eyes, mind, soul, and attention were solely focused on Miss Aurelia—her crinkled eyes, the elegant folds at the corner of her eyes, her perfect natural red lips. Luis, too, couldn't help but gaze at Miss Aurelia with a consistent gaze, internally pricking Galba.
Clouds of confusion hovered over Galba. Why did he care in the first place? It was a mysterious emotion of Galba towards Luis that he had never experienced before.
"Okay, hold down, hold down, folks... We were demonstrating something important... Gosh, what was it? I forget," said Berg.
Holden said, "Sir, Galba and Mei were recreating the crime scene and explaining which injuries took place first, possibly."
Galba continued, "So we are considering the fact that I'm the victim, and the murderer stabbed my throat first."
Galba lay on the floor, assuming his position. Miss Mei kneeled down beside him and began to throw punches, almost touching his chest and stomach. Galba was startled once again by her jabs and hooks.
Miss Mei slowed her hand movements and stated, "As you see, I have stabilized myself on the ground, and I'm punching him. Notice the distance between my arm and Galba's chest. It is not sufficient to build momentum, meaning the jabs thrown from this position and distance lack the power to even redden the victim's skin."
"That was really awesome explaining, Miss Mei," complimented Holden.
"Agreed," said Aurelia.
"But Miss Ling, what if someone else held his body from the back while standing, while the other connected those moves? The possibility of more than one murderer lingers," said Inspector Berg.
"That is highly unlikely, Inspector Berg. Similar bruises were found on both his arms, and the humerus bone of his left hand was entirely broken from the middle."
"Breaking the bones of a person who is dead is ten times more Inspector Berg said, "Then if Miss Aurelia says so, he was beaten before his death. The question is by whom and where. Why didn't anyone notice if it happened on the street?"
"So, even if we consider that the beatings were done before he died, it would involve hellish screams from Gilbert that could wake up the whole Maygynks. Not a single drop of noise was heard on the streets," stated Aurelia.
"I would like to point out one thing, Miss Detective. I've been working at Erwington's Bar for a year now, and I have never seen less than 6 guards on 12B Grimmauld. Why wasn't there a single cop?" interrupted Galba.
Holden thought, "Wow! He dug out a gem. I almost forgot to point it out."
"Mr. Galba, we have looked into that issue before we even went to see the body. It occurred because the horses on the buggy currently used by those 4 officers were missing," replied Luis in a cocky gesture.
"What? So it means the culprit took care of it and set those horses free?" asked Galba hastily, getting annoyed by Luis.
Holden joined the conversation, saying, "The story you told is complete bullshit, Luis. If you say where the horses were released, the first thing animals look forward to is escaping to a natural habitat where other humans lack their presence. The east end contains the rock-surfaced mountains where horses can't climb upwards. We have two lakes. One is a smaller one touching the south of Maygynks, where there is no chance of horses escaping. The bigger one is in the northmost region of Maygynks where the rich live. Behind them, there are police quarters where the horses can't escape. The middle town is a lively place where natives live, so horses can't escape there either. There is only one place where the horses can escape, which is the woods and the uphill terrain in the extreme west of Maygynks. All you had to do during the first hours was to inquire about the western side, which is the 16th street of Maygynks, loaded with varieties of fish markets lively till 10:00 pm at night. Considering the disappearance of the horses that night, it should have been between 7:00 am to 9:00 pm because the night shifts of those cops end at 7:00 am. The sellers in the fish market reach their shops at 6:00 am."
"No way the fish market opens at 6:00 am," exclaimed Luis.
"Dear foreigners, I live in 12B, and I know the area much more than you guys, as the fish sellers tend to wash the fishes, cut them, and apply saltwater to keep them fresh for a longer duration. To perform these actions, sellers need time beforehand. You can confirm by asking them. Coming to the point, your first job should have been to ask those fish sellers whether they had seen the horses escape from the time duration of 7:00 am to 9:00 pm. If they answered yes, it would clear the suspicion from those 4 officers completely. If they answered no, it directly points out their involvement in the murder, either they were bribed or they were directly involved, solving 90% of the case."
With this, Galba ended his monologue, leaving everyone in the room in a state of shock.
"That's a brilliant hole you found!" exclaimed Galba, breaking the silence.
"I'm sorry if I have to say this, Mrs. Aurelia, but how can you make such a big error! I have also overlooked it, but I ain't no big detective like Luis interrupted, "You must watch out how you are speaking, Miss Aurelia-..."
"Shhush... Quiet, both of you. It's not the time for it, honestly. We need to get back to the palace now... It would be better if we leave to reach early," said Miss Mei.
Galba kept looking at Miss Aurelia while her eyes were fixed on something else...
"I'll inform the rest of my team," said Inspector Berg.
Holden exited the room, followed by Galba and then Inspector Berg.
Since the room was now left with only three of them...
"Jesus, their mouths run like a machine, puupuupupupuuuppp. Come on, Aurelia, let's go. You didn't make any errors," commented Miss Ling.
"Yeah, Miss Mei, I'll follow. Just forgot something. You can proceed," said Aurelia as she rushed to her room.
Luis stood there for a few seconds and went upstairs.
Luis saw Aurelia just standing still in her room.
"Hey, they are just 20-year-old lower stinking rats of the gutter. Don't take their words seriously. It wasn't an error. The horses... forget the horses. We are going to find the murderer," said Luis.
Aurelia didn't react; her face appeared as if she had forgotten how to.
"Come here, sit down," Luis said, making her sit on the side of the bed, and continued.
"My enchanting goddess detective... Have you perhaps forgotten the unfinished desires that linger between us?" Aurelia's lips curved into a barely perceptible smile, her eyes sparkling with anticipation.
In that moment, Luis leaned in closer, gently tugging Aurelia by the arm and drawing her near. With a tender touch, he placed a delicate kiss upon her lips, igniting a spark within them both.
Aurelia jerked away and said, "I did warn you not to do it when I'm busy with a case."
"But what do I do if some disgusting slaves made my queen angry?" said Luis.
"Then you better grow some resilience, like those slaves, my dear."
"Next time, if they do something stupid like this, I will put their heads on a spear, decorating the gates of Buckingham's residence."
Without hesitation, he drew her even closer, their lips meeting in a passionate embrace. They found solace as their desires intertwined. Their lips only parted slightly, and a blissful smile escaped from the corner of Aurelia's mouth. They were completely captivated by their shared passion until a knock on the door abruptly broke the spell.
"Someone left the door open," Miss Mei stood in the doorway, her voice full of mischief.
Both Aurelia and Luis untangled themselves, and Luis hurriedly apologized for the oversight. Miss Mei couldn't help but burst into laughter, reveling in the moment. Aurelia playfully punched Luis in the stomach, playfully reprimanding him for their carelessness.
"Enough distractions," Aurelia commanded with authority. "We must act swiftly. They may already be closing in on us."
With determination, they gathered themselves and prepared to face the challenges ahead. The intensity of their love and their commitment to protect one another propelled them forward, leaving laughter and passion lingering in the air as they embarked on their next adventure.