"Sir, here's today's newspaper," respectfully said Casey to Monet.
In reality, Monet's breakfast routine used to involve eating while reading the "Daily News" on Anhui TV. However, since his time travel, he had to adapt to the era's customs and start reading newspapers. But the newspapers of this era were far less interesting than those of his past life, so Monet treated it as a way to pass the time. Yet, today's newspaper was clearly different. When he saw a certain news article, he couldn't help but exclaim, "Oh my! Could it be this coincidental?"
Nicole, sipping her coffee, was evidently startled by his reaction. "Tony, what's wrong?"
"I have a premonition that something terribly dreadful might happen. I have to go to the police station!" Monet declared, getting up to change his clothes.
"No need to rush like this. Finish your breakfast first!" Nicole advised from behind.
Inside the police station, Chief Klein was leisurely grooming his prided mustache when Monet burst in, startling him. "Tony, what's going on? Did something happen at home?"
"No, nothing happened at home. But, but something happened at this jewelry store!" Monet gasped for breath as he pointed to an article in the newspaper.
Klein glanced at the news and nonchalantly remarked, "This jewelry store didn't actually lose anything, just that a well-known robber paid them a visit."
Shaking his head, Monet explained, "But don't you find it strange? This Felton is a notorious robber. Your police have been after him for a long time, and yet he wouldn't just casually rob a jewelry store like this. Moreover, he fled after being frightened by the store owner and a few employees. What's even more peculiar is the phrase he uttered before leaving!"
"Oh, you mean the line that didn't match the pre-arranged signal. Well, yes, that line is quite odd. It's quite possible Felton had an accomplice inside the jewelry store. But you don't know Andre, the officer responsible for that district. He's a 'mind your own business' type. As long as the jewelry store didn't lose anything, he wouldn't bother," Klein remarked, adding a jest, "So, Detective, do you have a brilliant plan to catch this Felton?"
"Catch him? NO, quite the opposite. I'm worried he might die soon!"
"What? You think he'll die?" Klein asked, astonished.
Monet nodded and explained, "Exactly. If my estimation is correct, not only he but even the jewelry store's owner, Mondes, is likely to die!"
"Why, why would you say that?" Klein, the chief, curiously inquired.
Instead of directly answering, Monet posed a counter-question, "Do you remember a few months ago when my house was burglarized, and I told you that a few manuscripts were stolen?"
"I do, but what does that have to do with this matter?" Chief Klein asked, puzzled.
"Of course, it's related, and it's greatly significant. Because this strange robbery case at the jewelry store mirrors the plot of a lost manuscript of mine," explained Monet.
"You mean the thief is committing crimes based on imitation of your novel?" Klein asked, a bit uncertain.
"That's exactly what worries me, because this situation is so coincidental that it's almost unbelievable," Monet said with an anxious expression.
Klein nodded after hearing Monet's explanation. "It is quite a coincidence. However, can we really conclude that it's an imitation based on such limited evidence?"
Monet thought for a moment and then suggested, "How about this? You call the jewelry store again. If the store owner mentioned any plans of taking a luxury train ride through the tunnel at night in the coming days, then we can more or less confirm this."
"Sounds like a good idea. Let's go there right now." Klein stood up, accompanied by Monet, and they headed to the Mondes Jewelry Store.
On the way, they happened to meet Patrol Chief Andre. Seeing Klein's hurried appearance, Andre curiously inquired, "Klein, why are you coming to my side? Is something going on?"
"I need to ask Mondes Jewelry Store something. I was in a hurry, so I didn't have time to find you," Klein explained, as it was Andre's jurisdiction.
"Oh, then I'll go with you. Speaking of which, something's odd with Mondes these days. Not only did they face a robbery, but Mondes himself left on a trip at the busiest time for the business. I just can't understand his thinking," Andre muttered.
"What? You're saying Mondes went on a trip these past few days?" Klein asked in astonishment.
Confused, Andre nodded, "Yeah, it's said he went to Philadelphia. He took the Duke's train last night. Talk about Mondes being wealthy – he's even willing to take the luxury Duke's train. By the way, I've never been on it myself."
Meanwhile, Klein, more focused on the situation, looked at Monet in surprise. "Tony, Mondes actually took the train. It seems like what you've been concerned about might really be happening."
"Unfortunately, I haven't taken that Duke's train before. I don't know if it passes through a tunnel at night," Monet said with a furrowed brow.
Chief Klein recollected and then said, "Let me think. I think I've been on that train. It does pass through a tunnel, but I can't recall if it's at night. I was quite drunk that time and fell asleep early."
The conversation grew increasingly heated between Chief Klein and Monet, much to the confusion of Patrol Chief Andre. He finally couldn't resist asking, "Klein, what on earth are you guys talking about?"
"Oh, it's like this, Chief Andre. A few months ago, there was a break-in at my house, and some valuables were stolen, along with all the manuscripts in my study," Monet explained. However, in his heart, he regretted his words as he continued to explain. During that time, he tried to garner attention by writing a story featuring a detective's death. To achieve that, he adapted the story "The North Star No.3 Express Leaving Ueno" from the perspective of the character "Detective Conan." This marked the first instance of a detective's death. To his disbelief, the story seemed to be cursed – shortly after he completed it, the manuscript was stolen by a nighttime thief who intended to commit the crimes based on the novel's plot. This truly left Monet feeling utterly frustrated.