Mystery: Gray Walker

Chapter 108 Curse and Coincidence

Inside the carriage, Green opened the case report and read it carefully by the gradually dimming light outside the window.

The report is brief: a description of the scene, preliminary autopsy findings (death by asphyxiation, consistent with suicide by hanging), and a summary of testimonies from family members and neighbors.

Suspicious points were highlighted: there were slight, discontinuous friction marks on the ligature groove around the deceased's neck.

The wooden crate underfoot was positioned in a slightly awkward spot;

According to Mrs. Hudson, the widow who lived next door, two days before old Bob died, a "familiar face" came to see him. The two spoke in hushed tones at the door. The person's hat brim was pulled low, so he could not see his face clearly.

"What do you think?" Alvin suddenly asked.

Green closed the report and rubbed his temples. "Too 'clean.' Like a... hastily staged scene. The sheriffs may have been prejudiced by the obvious features of a 'suicide.'"

"And I've met Bob Sr., and he doesn't seem like the kind of person who would commit suicide. I feel there's more to the story."

"Hmm, your intuition is good."

Alvin nodded, crossed his legs, and leaned back in his chair. "Many low-sequence extraordinary individuals commit crimes, or murders involving extraordinary powers, and often disguise them as ordinary cases. Because they know that anything too bizarre will attract our attention. So, details are key."

The carriage stopped in front of No. 32 Sailor Street.

This is a small, detached house that looks a bit old, with some peeling paint on the walls and a small garden in front that is not well maintained.

A simply dressed, middle-aged woman with a troubled expression was waiting outside the fence; she was Mrs. Hudson, the neighbor mentioned in the report. A couple of other neighbors were also peering out curiously.

Irwin gave Green a wink, then casually began to stroll around the street, scanning his surroundings.

Green stepped forward and showed Mrs. Hudson the investigation document bearing special markings:

"Good afternoon, madam. I am Green Morris, commissioned by the Sheriff's Department to conduct supplementary investigations into Mr. Robert Bob's case. Thank you for your assistance."

Mrs. Hudson nervously wrung her hands. "Oh, well, sir... poor Bob, all alone... it's so sudden. I've told the sheriff everything I needed to."

"I'd like to hear your description again; any details might be helpful."

Green said gently, "Could you take me inside and point out the location of that unfamiliar face you saw?"

Mrs. Hudson nodded, took out the spare key that the sheriff's office had given her, and opened the door.

A distinctive odor, unique to the homes of elderly people living alone, wafted over, a mixture of old items, dust, the smell of medicine, and a barely perceptible hint of decay.

The interior was simply furnished, but very tidy, which was indeed like old Bob's habits. A clean teacup sat on the small table in the living room, as if the owner might return at any moment.

Green first asked Mrs. Hudson to point out where she had seen the stranger.

Near the side gate, there is a small alley leading to the back street.

Green focused his investigation on the site.

The low roof beams, the hanging ropes that had been removed, the fallen wooden crates, and the white outlines on the ground.

The situation is basically consistent with the report description.

Green crouched down and carefully examined the marks left by the ropes rubbing against the roof beams, the wear on the edges of the wooden crates, the fine marks on the floor, and even gently ran his fingers over the distribution of dust on the roof beams.

"Too 'proper'," Green muttered to himself.

When a person determined to commit suicide kicks over the object they are using as a stepping stone, their body will instinctively struggle, causing the rope to swing and potentially leaving friction marks in multiple directions on the roof beam or other surfaces.

But the marks here... seem more like the result of someone being hoisted up and then slightly shaken.

He then carefully examined the ropes and knots left at the scene that the sheriff had placed in an evidence bag.

"The knot is a common slipknot, but the way it's tied..." Green squinted.

He'd seen plenty of these when he was a private investigator, and this knot was tied so neatly and cleanly, it was even a bit...professional?

"Mrs. Hudson," Green asked as he came downstairs, "were the doors and windows locked when you found Mr. Wilson?"

"Yes, sir. The side door was locked from the inside, and so was the front door. I was worried he was sick because I hadn't seen him leave the house for two days and he hadn't taken his milk bottle, so I asked the neighborhood supervisor to help me break down the front door..."

Mrs. Hudson recalled, a look of fear on her face, "And then...upstairs..."

"So, this is a 'locked room'?" Green said thoughtfully.

"That's what the sheriffs said too... so, so in the end they thought it was suicide..." Mrs. Hudson's voice trailed off.

Green then inquired about Bob's usual habits, health condition, whether he had any debts or grudges, and whether he had any unusual behavior or remarks recently.

Mrs. Hudson knew little about him, only that he went to work at the port authority on weekdays, occasionally went to the corner bar for a drink, rarely had close relationships with people, seemed to have some old health problems but not serious, had no debts, and had never argued with anyone.

The only unusual thing was the mysterious visitor two days before his death.

"Do you recall any details about that visitor? Height and build? Walking style? Voice? Did they bring anything?"

Mrs. Hudson tried hard to recall:

"His height...not very tall, a little taller than me, rather thin. He was wearing an old dark gray coat, and his hat was pulled down low, so I really couldn't see his face clearly. He was walking very fast, a little...a little hurried. I didn't hear what they were saying, their voices were very low. It seemed...it seemed like they handed Bob something small, like an envelope or a small notebook? I didn't see clearly, I was at my window at the time, a bit far away."

An envelope? A thought struck Green.

He thanked Mrs. Hudson and then briefly inquired with two other neighbors. The information they received was largely the same: they all emphasized that although old Bob was reclusive, he was not a misanthropic person, and his sudden hanging was indeed suspicious.

After leaving old Bob's house, they met up with Alvin, who was waiting on the street corner, and exchanged ideas on the carriage back to the base.

"How is it? Is there any spiritual activity?" Alvin asked.

"No, but there were signs of camouflage at the scene, the knots in the rope might be problematic, and neighbors confirmed that there was a mysterious visitor before the death, who may have delivered something. The scene was staged as a locked-room suicide, but it wasn't perfect."

Green quickly concluded, "The key point might be the visitor and the item delivered. Old Bob was a warehouse keeper; who would specifically seek him out and have him 'committed suicide' so soon after his death?"

"Moreover, the timing was shortly after you joined the Port Authority and came into contact with Henry," Alvin added meaningfully.

"You mean Henry?" Green asked.

"No, I'm just pointing out suspicious time points."

Green fell into deep thought.

Irwin's warning was correct. Why did Old Bob have to have this happen now of all times?

But judging from that notebook, he probably had no close relatives left, having spent decades mostly in that underground warehouse. I had originally planned to find old Bob and ask him about the voyage back then.

Is it a curse, a coincidence, or was the mysterious visitor an accidental intruder?