novelraw Chapter 106 : The Truth Is Not the Only One
Chapter 106 : The Truth Is Not the Only One
Chapter 106: The Truth Is Not the Only One
First, it was necessary to explain the layout of the entire first-class cabin.
Although both were first-class, the one Levi stayed in and the one Rosalie stayed in were different.
Rosalie’s first-class cabin was one of the two most luxurious suites, called the Ultra-Luxury Court Suite. It had a living room, two bedrooms with independent dressing rooms, two bathrooms, and a private promenade corridor as long as fifteen meters.
The living room was located in the middle, with the bedrooms and bathrooms at each end, connected to the promenade corridor.
But the problem was, this suite did not have only one entrance. The bedrooms and the living room each had their own entrance. In other words, on the corridor, the two bedrooms and the living room all had doors that were interconnected.
As for why it was designed this way, the reason was simple. According to the designer, it was for convenience in dividing the suite for sale. After all, not everyone could afford the Ultra-Luxury Court Suite. If no one was willing to pay a high price, they could directly partition it.
That way, such an ultra-luxury suite could be divided into two deluxe suites for use.
What could be said……… Well, it could only be called capitalism at its finest.
But this led to a very big problem—namely, where did the murderer enter from?
According to the maid, she lived in the servant’s room opposite. In the morning, she went to check on her mistress. She entered the room, passed through the living room, arrived at Bedroom A, knocked, and when no one answered, opened the door and discovered her mistress’s corpse.
As for the door lock……… Levi did not even need to think about it, because the room doors simply had no locks.
Yes, no locks (shrug).
This meant that anyone could have entered the room and fired a bullet into Rosalie’s forehead. But this was first-class. The people living here were all of high status, respectable and refined. No one would have thought a brutal criminal could appear here……… Well, now it seemed otherwise.
This also meant the murderer could have entered Rosalie’s room directly from the corridor, or through Bedroom B, passed through the living room to Bedroom A, or even passed through the living room from Bedroom B and then gone to Bedroom A via the promenade corridor.
By the way, the promenade corridor was completely enclosed. Even if one could scale walls, it was impossible to climb in from outside.
Moreover, on the starboard side where the Ultra-Luxury Suite was located, both staircases were guarded by two security personnel, to prevent second-class passengers from entering first-class. They testified that from night to morning, no one had entered or exited.
This meant the murderer could only have been one of the passengers on the starboard side cabins.
And as it happened, all the starboard-side passengers were members of the Porto family.
Well, that was very interesting.
Levi collected some prints from the doorknob, and at this time, the doctor’s examination report was ready.
“Time of death was between midnight and 2 a.m. One fatal shot. The caliber was 0.22 millimeters……… Hmm, this should be a kind of ladies’ gun.”
Levi looked at the report, then glanced at the others. Soon, old Howard nodded.
“Oh yes, that’s right. It’s a kind of self-defense weapon for ladies. At least, most of the women I’ve seen carry one with them. For them, it’s about the same as carrying jewelry.”
“Hmm……………”
Hearing old Howard’s answer, Levi pondered for a moment.
“In short……………”
“In short?”
“Let’s have breakfast first.”
Faced with the curious gazes of the others, Levi calmly gave his answer.
“After breakfast, I will question the others one by one. It would be best if you could find me a recorder……….”
“This……………”
Hearing Levi’s words, the marshal froze for a moment, while Howard chuckled.
“In that case, I do have someone to recommend to you.”
“Oh? Who?”
“You’ll know when the time comes.”
Old Howard sold the mystery with a smile and said nothing more.
Soon, Levi understood why old Howard had not told him earlier.
After finishing breakfast, when he returned to the lounge to meet the others again, he saw the white-haired, expressionless Annie Branson.
“Miss Branson is an elite from the Royal Master Academy, and I heard she is very good at typing. She should be able to help you.”
Seeing old Howard smiling cheerfully, Levi could only look speechless.
I’m your ally, and you still enjoy watching me suffer?
But fine, at least Levi had already investigated Annie Branson’s background. Her cabin was on the port side of Deck B. She was not a suspect, so letting her be the recorder was not a bad choice.
“Then I’ll leave it to you, Miss Branson.”
“…………………”
Annie looked at Levi, nodded slightly, and said nothing.
Next, Levi found a nearby reading and writing room—originally a place for ladies to relax and write letters, but now it became the interrogation room.
What followed, naturally, was the investigation of the passengers on the starboard side at the time.
According to the passenger register the marshal brought, besides the victim, the starboard passengers included the following.
The victim’s newlywed husband—John Porto.
The victim’s personal maid—Eliza Chris.
The victim’s butler—Linton Byrne.
The victim’s close friend—Elaine Declon.
The victim’s younger sister—Selena Porto.
And the security guards A, B, C, D responsible for both sides of the corridor.
Levi first questioned the on-duty guard.
“At what time did Miss Rosalie Porto return to her room?”
“Eleven o’clock, sir.”
“Are you certain?”
“Of course. That was our shift change time. We saw the lady storming back. We didn’t dare get in her way, so we said nothing and let her go upstairs.”
“Was she alone at the time?”
“Alone.”
“Her husband wasn’t with her?”
“No, he wasn’t.”
“After that, did anyone else return?”
“Madam Porto’s maid went up in a hurry not long after Madam Porto herself did. Madam Porto’s younger sister also came back, she looked like she had drunk too much, and another gentleman escorted her back.”
“You let them go upstairs?”
“Of course not. We took over Miss Porto and brought her back to her room. At that time she was already dead drunk… she quickly fell asleep once she returned.”
“Are you certain?”
“Of course. That pungent stench of alcohol is still lingering at my nose now. I have no idea how much that young lady actually drank.”
“Madam Porto’s husband didn’t return either?”
“I am very sure, no, sir. Though perhaps he went back before our shift change. That I wouldn’t know.”
“Thank you.”
After questioning the security guard, Levi fell into thought for a moment, then called for the Chief Inspector.
“Let Miss Chris come in.”
Soon, Madam Porto’s personal maid walked in. Her eyes were red, her face pale, as though she had just cried her heart out. Even seated on the chair, the young maid looked full of grief and pain.
“Oh, Detective sir, this is simply too terrible. Why… why would anyone commit such a cruel and vicious act!”
“That is precisely what we are investigating, miss. If you don’t mind, could you tell us what happened last night?”
“O-of course.”
The maid wiped her eyes, then clenched her teeth and spoke.
“I believe it was Mr. John who killed my lady. It must have been him!”
“Can you explain in detail?”
Levi leaned back against the chair, finding a comfortable posture.
After all, the next part was going to be entertainment.
“Of course. Actually, from the very beginning, I was against my lady’s marriage. That man had no money, no status, no ability. All he had was a pleasing face and some deceitful sweet words. What’s more, he was not even my lady’s husband at first! He was Miss Elaine’s boyfriend!”
Well now, that was interesting.
Levi immediately perked up, sorting through the relationships in his mind.
“Miss Elaine… if I recall correctly, she was Madam Porto’s close friend?”
“Yes. They were classmates at the girls’ school. Miss Elaine was a year younger, and she always treated the young lady as her elder sister. And the young lady cherished her like a younger sister as well. Even after graduation, their relationship remained very close. Back when the young lady was being courted, Miss Elaine even brought her boyfriend to visit—that boyfriend being Mr. John.”
“But now he is married to Madam Porto?”
“Yes!”
The maid nodded vigorously.
“At first he behaved decently, like a proper gentleman. But gradually, the young lady was captivated by him. She was in deep pain at that time. After all, Miss Elaine was her close friend—by reason and by emotion she should not have developed feelings for her friend’s boyfriend. But that scoundrel later sought her out, claiming that from the first moment he laid eyes on her, he had fallen in love. Though he knew it was wrong, he said he couldn’t restrain himself—thus the young lady was deceived by his honeyed words!”
“And how did Miss Elaine react then?”
“She was of course heartbroken, angry, and in pain. But the young lady even knelt and begged her. In the end, perhaps her affection for the young lady prevailed. Miss Elaine chose to forgive both the young lady and Mr. John. Afterwards, outwardly, they reconciled and became as close as before. The young lady even invited her to join her honeymoon trip…”
“What happened last night?”
Levi sipped his tea, pulling the drifting conversation back on track. The maid bit down hard, gripping the edge of her skirt tightly.
“Last night… actually, it was Mr. John’s birthday. The young lady had prepared a gift for him, intending to surprise him. After the ball, she went to find Mr. John. I saw her go into the adjoining room. Shortly after, she stormed out in a rage. Before I could react, she had already left. Then I saw Mr. John and Miss Elaine rushing out afterward. At that moment, I understood everything!”
The maid twisted the fabric of her skirt with her right hand, as if she were wringing someone’s skin.
“Clearly Mr. John and Miss Elaine wanted to do some shameless thing in private, and the young lady caught them! Afraid of being exposed, they murdered her! It must be so!”
“You’re that certain?”
“Of course. The young lady was a woman of principle, she would never allow herself to suffer such humiliation. And Mr. John is just a penniless wretch. Without the Porto family’s wealth, he is nothing! Now that they’re married, the Porto fortune is in his hands. If the young lady divorced him, he would return to being dirt poor, with nothing to his name! So he killed her. It must be so!”
“Hmm… I understand. Calm yourself. I would like you to tell us what you did afterwards.”
“Me? I… after that, I hurried back with the young lady. She locked herself in her room to cry. I knocked at her door for a long time before she opened it.”
“And then?”
“She said she wanted to calm down, asked me for a glass of brandy. I brought it, and after she drank, she seemed to settle. Then she said she wanted to be alone and told me to return to my room…”
“You left then?”
“If I had stayed, it would only have made her angrier. So I left.”
“Did she lock the door at that time?”
“This…”
Facing Levi’s question, the maid froze, then frowned.
“I recall that when I retrieved the glass, I closed the door. But… perhaps I didn’t lock it? I’m sorry, I can’t quite remember.”
“And afterwards?”
“Afterwards, I was so anxious I just lay in bed. I don’t know when I fell asleep. Only when the alarm rang was I awakened. Then I went to call the young lady, and… my God… I saw her…”
At this point, the maid covered her face with her hands, unable to go on.
“Thank you for your cooperation. Please sign and stamp this record, then you may leave.”
Levi glanced at Annie, who was typing beside him. She gave him a small nod, tore the record sheet from the typewriter, and handed it over. Hearing Levi’s words, the maid wiped away her tears, stood, and walked to the desk. She read through the record, then signed her name and pressed her handprint before turning to leave.
“Oh, one more thing.”
Levi’s voice halted her retreating figure. The maid stopped, turning back.
“What is it, Detective?”
“Did Madam Porto own a gun?”
“She carried a rose-red decorated pistol with her, but she never used it.”
“Where did she usually keep it?”
“In her handbag. She said the master told her one must be prepared when doing business.”
“And is that gun still there?”
“This… I’m sorry, I don’t know.”
“Alright, thank you. You may go.”
Levi gestured for her to leave, then looked at the Chief Inspector, who immediately nodded.
“I’ll send someone to fetch the bag.”
Soon, a sailor hurried away. Old Mr. Howard stretched lazily, smiling at Levi and the Chief Inspector.
“What do you make of this?”
“I’ve got nothing.”
Levi sipped his tea coolly, while the Chief Inspector shrugged.
“If my ex-girlfriend invited me on her honeymoon trip with her husband, I’d probably be thinking of killing them both. I really don’t know what Madam Porto was thinking. What could she possibly gain from this?”
“Perhaps peace of mind. Who knows.”
Levi shook his head with a low chuckle.
At that moment, the sailor returned with the handbag. Levi took it, opened it, and checked inside.
“Well?”
“Just as expected, it’s gone. Now the murder weapon can be determined.”
Levi showed the contents of the handbag to the Chief Inspector and Old Mr. Howard. Inside were banknotes, jewelry, and cosmetics, but no pistol.
“Then next, let us hear what Miss Elaine has to say about this.”