"Who is it?"
Klein, thinking about the body's previous owner's mysterious suicide and the potential danger, instinctively grabbed his revolver from the drawer. He asked cautiously.
After a brief pause, a sharp voice with an Awwa accent replied, "It's me, Bitsch Mountbatten. The police."
Bitsch Mountbatten, the rough, intimidating policeman in charge of Klein's street, was known for keeping local troublemakers in check. Recognizing his voice, Klein responded, "Coming!"
He hesitated to return the revolver to the drawer, concerned the police might search the room. Instead, he hid it in the stove beneath coal, quickly tidying up before answering the door.
Bitsch Mountbatten stood with three other officers, all wearing police badges indicating higher ranks. The lead inspector, sharp-eyed and intense, asked, "Do you know Welch McGovern?"
Klein, startled, replied, "What's happened to him?"
"I'm asking the questions," the inspector shot back sternly. Another inspector, more gentle, added, "Just routine."
Klein composed himself. "Yes, we were classmates. I recently helped him with a Fourth Epoch notebook. Did something happen?"
The gray-eyed inspector broke the news. "Welch has passed away."
Klein, shocked, asked, "What about Naya?"
"She died too. They both committed suicide."
The unsettling details followed—Welch had bashed his head against the wall, while Naya drowned herself in a basin. It felt surreal to Klein.
The inspectors asked about his last encounter with them. Klein recalled seeing them on June 26, preparing for his interview. As they searched his room, Klein nervously watched the young inspector flip through his notes.
The gray-eyed inspector then revealed, "An expert will help you recall your memories in a few days."
Before leaving, the youngest inspector commented, "You're lucky. Usually, everyone involved dies." This final remark sent a chill through Klein, making the afternoon feel even more ominous.