The first rays of the morning sun brightened and penetrated the vast gardens of Weston Manor.
Several morning birds whistled through the trees in the garden, and the air was filled with a fresh smell of earth. The fog has cleared, but this piece of quiet peace is hidden endless conspiracy and uneasiness.
Karl Goodman, slowly sipping the bitter smell of coffee, stood by the window of his study, gazing at the scene in the garden. To his mind, he had had a copy of old Weston's will, and the paper shone faintly in the morning light. Last night, after asking for their consent, the lawyer sent the copy to Detective Karl . Several family members begged Karl to study the will and to find some of the unusual.
Today, Karl plans to work with his lawyers and the family members to discuss the will and how it affects every member of the Weston family.
In the party room of the manor house, the family members had gathered together early on and looked serious. Lady Madeleine sat in the center, her face still visible. Next to her, Arthur, Alice and Charlie also showed different levels of anxiety. The Wilson butler stood on one side of the room, with a deep anxiety in his eyes.
Karl walked into the reception room and nodded to the family members present. The lawyer put the will papers on the table, cleared his throat, and read the will in his face in a loud voice.
"Everybody," Karl 's voice is steady and clear, " we are now discussing the will of the old Weston. I believe the contents of this will are crucial to solving the mysteries we face."
The eyes of the family members were concentrated on Karl , and there was a tension in the air.
The will details the distribution of the family's assets, but it is extremely complex.
The old Weston decided to leave the estate to Mrs.Madeline, and most of her assets created a generous estate fund, which allocated a portion of the monthly cash to support her future life and charity. The beneficiaries of the estate fund are not clear. However, the will included a special clause stating that Arthur, Alice and Charlie were only under "certain conditions" to inherit major family property.
This special clause requires that the heirs complete a secret test, without only the need to be done "at a certain time and place."This vague description left Karl confused and confused the family members.
"We knew nothing about the clause before it was read," Arthur's face became grave, " the arrangement was obviously unusual, and I suspect someone coerced my father to write it."
This claim was immediately rejected by the lawyer, and claimed to be written by the old man in the tradition and the glory of the Weston family. Of course, it has been revised several times, but this version is the final one.
Karl is in no hurry to comment. After all, in his detective career, there are not a few financial lawyers. At this time, only by letting the parties fully express their views, can we find the flaws in their dialogue and grasp the handle.
Alice nodded, adding: " My father has always attached great importance to family tradition and responsibility. I have heard him say that he wished to test us in some way, to see who could truly inherit the glory of the family. But we have no clue what the test is."
Charlie, who looked impatient, stood up and waved the document: " What does it have to do with our current investigation? Can we only solve the cause of death of old Weston? Mr Karl ! Don't forget, you are we invited to solve this problem, do not need you to leave the problem to us!"
Karl 's eyes rested on the document and he said, lightly, " Aha, yes, Mr.Charlie, as Alice said, this test may be directly related to the cause of the death of old Weston. The 'specific moment and place' mentioned in the will may be the key to solving the mystery. We must deeply understand the details of this test in order to find the truth. Of course, I need your help."
The atmosphere of the reception room became more solemn, and the eyes of the family members were filled with complex emotions. Lady Madeleine rubbed the edge of the table with her fingers, looking tired and helpless. Her voice trembled: " We have never heard of the details of this test. My husband doesn't usually want to talk about these things, and his will is very mysterious."
Karl stood up and went over to Lady Madeleine, and said softly, " Madame, we can find clues through further investigation. I will try my best to help you solve the mystery of this will. But first, we need to learn about old Weston's recent activities, especially some of his special actions before his death. Maybe it was something, somewhere or something that led him to make the change."
The family members nodded in agreement. Karl carefully studied Weston's diary and schedule yesterday, and found that in the days before his death, he frequently mentioned a word in his diary: "Rabbit hole." He asked what does this mean?
At this time the family Chen officials have been embarrassed, originally this is a long time ago belongs to the old Weston a secret base, a hidden storage room in the basement. Karl smiled, aha, another fairy tale fan.
The storage room in the basement is located in the corner of the manor, and it looks ordinary. The Wilson butler and a servant took Karl to the entrance of this storage room. The basement door was locked by heavy iron locks and looked very old. Karl opened the door with his key, and the dark staircase stretched before his eyes, leading to the deep underground space.
The lights shone on the walls, casting mottled shadows. Karl led the crowd carefully down the stairs to the inside of the storeroom. The place was dark with dust and a little web. The storeroom is filled with a variety of antiques and books, including documents and objects that seem related to the family's history.
Karl searched through the storeroom and noticed a hidden bookshelf in the corner. The shelves were lined with several old books, one of which had a somewhat special cover and seemed to hide some kind of secret. Karl took the book from the shelf and found a piece of paper written behind the back cover of the book.
The note reads: " The real test is not only in wealth, but in whether you can face the truth hidden in your family. Those uncovered secrets, is the real test of the family."
The words on the note struck Karl a little bit, apparently a kind reminder that the old Weston left to the family. This should be a material test, but also a test of everyone's heart.
Karl began to feel more and more falling into the unknown abyss. When Karl , and the crowd left the storeroom, there was a preliminary judgment in his mind. He gradually realized that the death of Old Weston was not just an accident, but a manifestation of deep problems hidden within the family.
The next investigation will be even more complicated and difficult, but Karl is firmly convinced that once the real clue is found, the truth will eventually come out.