Demon Sage

Two hours away, the road under the donkey cart finally changed from a muddy dirt road between the woodlands to a stone path filled with flat stones. The surrounding jungle is no longer disordered and in a mess, but in an orderly manner. Arranged on both sides of the road, birch and ash, mostly these two, the natural white trunk and green branches and leaves complement each other.

The farm is some distance from the town. Donald glimpsed some town buildings on a hillside he passed by, but the donkey cart turned around and headed directly to the farm. Soon Donald was watching from the side of the road. When we reached the wooden fence, there were faint sounds of cattle and sheep nearby.

The only pity is this still gloomy sky.

“It’s been a rainy month in Preston City recently, and it’s expected to rain in these two days, which is a big obstacle to the investigation.”

Sherlock will The powder in the cylindrical stone bowl was poured into the narrow-mouth bottle, complaining about the weather, the rain can wash away too many things, and the disappearance happened three days ago. Yesterday’s heavy rain left them with not many clues.

The trees gradually sparse, and some warehouses and farm buildings such as cowsheds began to appear on the right side. Donald and Sherlock went directly to the three-story house in the middle of the farm. The red brick is the main material. , The foundation at the bottom is very thick, similar to Italian architectural style, there are many convex windows on the front of the house, and there are balconies in the middle.

At this moment, there is someone on the balcony of the second layer. It is a woman in a skirt. She is leaning against the window sill and seems to be looking at the distant mountains and forests. She can’t see the expression on her face.

“I don’t know which shed it was in the previous case of shredding the corpse. If there is a chance, I must go to the scene to see.”

Golem went to the house to report the letter, and the two of them went to the house. Standing outside, Sherlock’s eyes were on the farm building in the vicinity, and Donald was watching the building in front of him.

In every way, the owner of this farm should be a rich man.

The remuneration should be quite a lot…

“Two gentlemen, Bartley Boss, please come in.”

When you come out again, it’s not a geek He is a well-kept steward.

Meet the owner of the farm, Zier Bartley, in the living room, a man with a big belly and a bloated figure sitting in a dark red single table. He was sitting on the sofa, with a wooden pipe in his hand, his face that should have been covered in oil now looked very haggard, and he had heavy bags under his eyes. It seemed that he had not slept well in the past few days.

Introduction to each other, Donald and the two also took their seats.

“My request is very simple. Find my daughter as quickly as possible. It doesn’t matter if the cattle and sheep are missing. The compensation is negotiable and I promise not to disappoint you.”

Sitting face to face, Donald saw that Bartley’s eyes were bloodshot, and his face was abnormally flushed, while speaking had the smell of alcohol.

“Okay, I have some questions to ask you next. In order to find Miss Audrey as soon as possible, please answer truthfully.”

The general situation is on the way It was already known through old Hooper, and there was no need to ask here. What Sherlock wanted to know was something that only the parties involved would know.

“For my daughter, feel free to ask.”

When Audrey was mentioned, Bartley’s face darkened.

“What are the conditions of the kidnappers?”

Sherlock’s question is straight to the point. Since it is kidnapping, the other party must have demands. By analyzing their demands, we can To achieve a certain anti-tracking effect, even if the other party asks for money, there must be a transaction location, which is also a countermeasure.

From Detective Minutes Chapter 3: Key Elements of Kidnapping!

“…”

No response.

“Mr. Bartley, what are the conditions of the kidnappers?”

Perhaps because of drinking too much alcohol, Donald, who was the narrator, repeated it.

“No conditions! That damn bastard, shit! He made no conditions, we’ve been waiting for three days, no news at all… Don’t you understand, if he If I want money, I have already prepared gold pounds. Even if I don’t have enough money at home, I can borrow money from the bank immediately. Relying on this farm, I can redeem my daughter first… But we have not received any reply. , he only left a note telling us not to call the police!”

The golden ring on Bartley’s stout finger as he spoke proved his financial resources, he wasn’t joking, the reason why it took three days He didn’t call the police and hire a detective because he really planned to spend money to redeem his daughter first.

No matter what the shape, this is a competent father.

‘Without any conditions, what to do with kidnapping others, is it fun? ‘

Donald and Sherlock looked at each other with this meaning in their eyes, but Sherlock didn’t say that now is not the time for jokes.

“Mr. Bartley, have you been in a feud lately? For example, the recent acquisition plan, which has done something not so…reasonable.”

The kidnapper did not make any obvious demands, which does not mean that the other party has nothing to ask for. Naturally, it is not really for fun to kidnap people. The other party’s purpose is likely to be in other aspects, perhaps involving Zier Bartley’s energy, Make it unable to deal with other things in a short period of time.

“I don’t have any recent acquisition plans. With such a big thing happening on the farm, I don’t have the energy to think about it. As for grudges… in business, no one will be offended. , Impossible, but I can guarantee that I have never forced anyone to a dead end. Even if it is an acquisition, I will offer a reasonable price according to the situation, at least it will give the other party a way to survive, so that it will not come to kidnap me. Daughter? If you let me know who the bastard is, I’ll make him pay the real price, do I really think I Zier Bartley has no temper?” control is greatly reduced.

“Your daughter may have behaved abnormally recently. Has she ever quarreled with you?”

Some of the kidnapping cases are self-made, that is, kidnapping yourself, in this way. This is a way to achieve a certain purpose. If Audrey did this kidnapping herself, then she really has a reason to leave a note that she can’t call the police, because Bartley definitely knows what she wants to achieve.

“Anomalous behavior…I don’t know, I was busy dealing with the disappearance of cattle and sheep on the farm some time ago and didn’t pay much attention to her, Douglas, go and call my wife down, she Staying with Audrey all the time, I think there will be some clues.”

A father who is busy with work pays less attention to his children, which is understandable, but Donald is a little strange, why they are sitting here so much After a long time, Mr. Bartley’s wife has to send someone to look for it?

Shouldn’t I come down early to be with my husband?