In the dead of night, the rumbling steam train continued racing forward. The peaceful night aboard the train was suddenly shattered by a sharp scream, revealing a gruesome crime scene before everyone’s eyes.
The dark-skinned conductor, who had been grooming his beard, was urgently summoned from his cabin by a train attendant. As he adjusted his cap, he was swiftly led through the train until they arrived at the crime scene—an enclosed compartment in the third carriage.
"Please step aside."
Pushing through the gathered crowd, the conductor reached the compartment door. Just as the train attendant had described, inside the compartment lay a blood-soaked male corpse.
"So, someone really is dead..."
Muttering to himself as he observed the corpse, the conductor’s gaze quickly sharpened when he noticed that there was another man still alive inside the compartment. The man was crouched over the body, carefully inspecting it and examining the crime scene.
"Hey, who are you?"
The conductor spoke bluntly to the man investigating the murder scene. Before the man could respond, the train attendant beside him quickly answered.
"Conductor, this is Mr. Ed. He claims to be a detective. As soon as he saw the scene, he declared it a homicide and insisted we call for you."
"A detective?" The conductor frowned slightly upon hearing this. At that moment, the man named Ed stood up, turning to face him."Good evening, conductor. My name is Ed. I am a detective. I have already conducted a preliminary examination of the scene and confirmed some details. I may need your assistance shortly."
Edrick spoke politely, prompting the conductor to pause for a moment before responding.
"Detective, what have you confirmed?"
"Just some basic information. For instance, the cause of death—the victim died from a fatal wound to the chest and abdomen. Judging by the wound, the murder weapon was a small blade, likely a dagger. Based on the state of rigor mortis and body temperature, the victim has been dead for less than an hour."
As he spoke, Edrick gestured toward a spot on the floor, where a few severed fingers and a pistol lay.
"The victim’s right-hand fingers were cut off, and a blood-stained pistol was found under the sofa. This suggests that the victim struggled with the assailant before dying. The victim tried to defend himself with the gun, but the killer severed his fingers, knocking the weapon from his grasp before delivering the fatal blow."
"I believe we are dealing with a ruthless murderer, conductor."
Standing at the compartment doorway, Edrick pointed at various details within the room as he explained, his expression calm and composed. His professional demeanor left the surrounding crowd, including the conductor, momentarily stunned.
"To think he was carrying a Hudson-24 and still got taken down with a knife… The killer must be quite the dangerous individual. So, detective, what should we do now?"
The conductor, slightly taken aback, turned to Edrick for guidance. It was his first time dealing with such an incident, and he had no idea how to proceed. Encountering a professional in such a situation was a stroke of luck.
Edrick’s expression grew serious as he asked, "Conductor, when is the next stop?"
"We’re approaching Firwood Town. We’ll be stopping there briefly for resupply."
The conductor answered candidly. Without hesitation, Edrick responded.
"We cannot stop there, conductor. If we do, the killer may escape through the windows. Until we reach a major city with sufficient police presence to take over the investigation, we must keep moving."
"Even if we cannot catch the murderer ourselves, we must at least ensure that he remains on this train. As citizens of the kingdom, it is our duty not to let evil go unpunished."
Edrick spoke with unwavering conviction. After a brief moment of contemplation, the conductor nodded.
"You have a point, detective. Then we won’t stop at Firwood Town. The next city is Montoya. If we continue without stopping, we should arrive in about four hours. I will send a telegraph to Montoya Station to alert the authorities and have the police ready."
The conductor’s decision was firm, and as he spoke, Dorothy, hidden among the crowd, smiled faintly.
"Now, you won’t be able to run so easily."
Still smiling, Dorothy continued to manipulate Edrick as he addressed the conductor.
"Conductor, having a murderer among the passengers is unsettling. I would like to try identifying the culprit. If possible, I would appreciate your train crew’s cooperation."
"It would be ideal if we could find the killer. But detective, do you truly have the ability to do so?" The conductor’s tone carried a hint of doubt. He wasn’t yet ready to trust a stranger who claimed to be a detective, let alone involve the entire train crew in assisting him.
Faced with the conductor’s skepticism, Edrick responded with a confident smile.
"Of course, you can trust me—Lieutenant, a veteran of the Ufiga Colonial War."
The conductor froze, visibly stunned.
"How did you know?" he blurted out.
"Because my corpse marionette found a framed military photograph on your desk, with all your details clearly written on the back…"
Dorothy smirked inwardly. She had anticipated that the conductor might need some convincing, so when she had sent the train attendant to fetch him, she had also dispatched a small corpse marionette to infiltrate his office.
"Oh, just a bit of minor deduction, nothing extraordinary."
Edrick responded with a light chuckle, prompting the conductor to press further.
"Incredible, Mr. Ed! I did indeed serve in Ufiga. How did you deduce that?"
"Ah… How did I deduce that, indeed…"
The conductor’s sudden question momentarily caught Dorothy off guard. She quickly manipulated Edrick to observe the conductor, crafting a plausible explanation on the spot.
"Conductor, the skin on your face and hands is slightly darker than the rest of your body, which suggests prolonged exposure to intense sunlight. Working on a train wouldn’t cause such a pattern, meaning you previously had a job that required extended periods under the sun. However, given your current role, it’s unlikely that you were a laborer or farmer.”
"Additionally, your demeanor is composed and unshaken—even when faced with such a gruesome murder scene. This indicates that you have witnessed similar sights before. Furthermore, you instantly recognized the make of the victim’s pistol, proving your familiarity with firearms.”
"From these details, I deduced that you are a military man—one who has served in a tropical region. Among our kingdom’s overseas colonies, only Ufiga fits that description. And considering that retired enlisted soldiers don’t typically become train conductors, you were likely an officer."
After much effort, Dorothy managed to reverse-engineer a deduction based on the conclusion she already knew, even resorting to mentioning “demeanor” and other subjective factors to support her reasoning. Thankfully, she had read Sherlock Holmes and other detective stories before, so she knew how to piece together such reasoning convincingly.
As her “deduction” concluded, murmurs of astonishment spread through the crowd, and the conductor nodded repeatedly.
"Ah… Yes, yes, I did serve as a second lieutenant in Ufiga! Mr. Ed, please forgive my earlier doubts. The train crew is now at your disposal in the hunt for the murderer."
"Phew… That’s settled. Other detectives deduce to find an answer, while I already know the answer and then have to make up the deduction. Does this still count as detective work? Well, it’s certainly much easier to figure out the process when you already have the conclusion."
Breathing a silent sigh of relief, Dorothy continued manipulating Edrick.
"Then, let’s begin by collecting every passenger’s ticket."