Nighttime, inside the Soaring Theater.
The extraordinary performance had just concluded, but the audience was still buzzing with excitement, passionately discussing the breathtaking show they had just witnessed.
Most of the audience was talking about Adèle’s astonishing dance skills, which seemed to have improved even further. Some were discussing the dance itself, titled "The Crimson Mother," debating its meaning and the unexpected "assassination" scene that turned out to be part of the performance. Others were curious about the young, unnamed dancer who had accompanied Adèle. Many were impressed by her ability to keep up with Adèle’s intricate steps and saw great potential in her future as a dancer.
As the audience continued to chatter, the host returned to the stage to praise the performance.
Behind the grand curtain, Adèle, still dressed in her crimson dance costume, walked over and picked up a small white flint knife from the floor. She traced its intricate patterns, particularly focusing on the symbol of a circle enclosing a triangle, her expression grave.
"Have you found Maria?" Adèle turned to ask a theater staff member, who quickly replied.
"We’ve searched the entire backstage but haven’t found Maria yet. We’re now checking other areas of the theater."
The staff member, dressed in a white shirt and suspenders, answered. He then glanced at the flint knife in Adèle’s hand, his expression tinged with concern.
"Miss Adèle, should we stop the performance because of this incident?"
"No need. Everyone has worked hard and prepared for this performance for a long time. We shouldn’t stop just because of something that happened to me. The next act will go on as planned. We’ll handle this."Adèle replied calmly, and the staff member nodded.
"Understood."
After responding, the staff member left the stage. Adèle took one last look at the flint knife in her hand, then tucked it away and walked backstage. The next act was about to begin.
…
In the audience, Dorothy was no longer paying attention to the performance. She was focusing on the faint spiritual thread she had left on the corpse marionette, Maria, trying to sense its location. According to her senses, Maria was still inside the theater, somewhere outside the auditorium, near the audience seats but far from the backstage.
“What’s going on? The marionette hasn’t moved since it got there. Is the marionette’s controller there? What are they doing to the marionette now?”
Dorothy thought to herself. In her perception, the marionette had been stationary in the same spot for several minutes. The hidden controller might be there.
To avoid alerting Maria’s original controller, Dorothy had left an extremely thin spiritual thread on the marionette, too fine to transmit visual or auditory information—it could only sense location. To confirm the marionette’s current state, Dorothy quietly opened her magic box and took out a gecko corpse marionette.
Dorothy controlled the gecko marionette to quickly scuttle out from under the audience seats, darting out of the auditorium and rushing toward Maria’s location.
The gecko marionette scurried along the walls of the corridor outside the auditorium, soon approaching Maria’s position. As it got closer, Dorothy heard a piercing scream.
"Ahhh!!"
Hearing the scream, Dorothy was momentarily stunned, then immediately sped up, rushing toward the source of the sound. What she saw was an open restroom door and a middle-aged woman slumped in front of it, her face pale with terror.
Seeing this, Dorothy felt a sense of foreboding. She continued to control the gecko marionette to crawl along the wall into the restroom, where she saw the scene inside.
The small restroom was splattered with bloodstains on the walls, and a pool of blood covered the floor. In the blood lay a familiar figure—Maria. Her face was pale, her eyes wide open, one of them a hollow, bloody socket. Deep gashes marred her face, and blood gushed from her mangled abdomen. Her finger pointed forward, and on the floor in front of her, several crooked letters spelled out a name Dorothy recognized.
“That guy… actually pulled this off…”
Dorothy thought to herself as she observed the scene through the gecko marionette’s eyes. Back in the auditorium, Dorothy stood up from her seat. Nephthys, sitting beside her, asked curiously.
"What’s wrong, Miss Dorothy?"
"Nothing, I’m just going to the restroom. I’ll be back soon."
After briefly responding to Nephthys, Dorothy quickly left the auditorium. Once she stepped into the corridor and closed the soundproof door, she immediately headed to a secluded corner, opened her magic box, adjusted the exit size, and controlled a figure to crawl out.
…
Back at the restroom where Maria "died," the old woman’s scream had drawn a crowd. These were audience members who had stepped out during the intermission to use the facilities. They gathered at the restroom door, gasping in shock at the scene before them.
They were not only horrified by the gruesome state of the body but also by the death message written in blood: "Adèle."
"Hey… hey… someone’s dead! There’s a dead body in here!"
"Isn’t that the dancer who just performed with Adèle on stage? How did she end up dead here…"
"This blood message… could it be…"
The crowd at the restroom door was in a panic. Just as they were at a loss, a deep, steady voice rang out from behind them.
"Ladies and gentlemen, please remain calm."
Hearing the voice, the crowd turned to see a man walking toward them. He wore a dark gray trench coat, a short-brimmed hat, and carried a cane. His tall, lean frame, hooked nose, and deep-set eyes gave him an intense, commanding presence.
"Unfortunately, it seems a murder has occurred. I’ve informed the theater staff to maintain order and call the police. Please step aside and do not disturb the scene. As the discoverers, please stay over there and do not leave until the police arrive."
The man pointed to the side with his cane as he spoke. One of the crowd members looked at him and asked.
"Who are you?"
"Me? My name is Ed, and I’m a detective."
The man, controlled by Dorothy, smiled as he answered.
…
Outside the Soaring Theater, nighttime.
Several carriages rushed down the street toward the theater. Although the roadside in front of the theater was already packed with carriages, these new arrivals rang their bells and pushed their way through.
Seeing the carriages approaching, the coachmen waiting in their carriages initially wanted to shout and wave them off, but when they saw the police insignia on the carriages, they quickly moved aside to make space.
The police carriages pulled up smoothly in front of the theater, and several officers in iron helmets and uniforms stepped out. The highest-ranking officer, a middle-aged police chief, led the way.
Chief Douglas stood at the entrance of the Soaring Theater. After receiving the report, he glanced at the giant poster hanging above the theater, taking in the image of the beautiful woman, then led his men inside. At the theater’s main entrance, a doorman was anxiously waiting.
"Did you report the murder? Where’s the body?"
Seeing the doorman, Douglas asked directly. The doorman replied eagerly.
"Officer, you’re finally here. The crime scene is in the restroom on the third-floor corridor. I’ll take you there."
The doorman opened the door and led Douglas and his officers into the theater. As they entered, they heard the sound of melodious music still playing inside. Hearing this, Douglas frowned.
"What’s going on? There’s been a murder, and you haven’t stopped the performance?"
Douglas sternly asked the doorman, who nervously replied.
"Officer, a detective asked us not to stop the performance. He also instructed us to monitor every windowed corridor to prevent the killer from escaping."
"A detective?"
Hearing this, Douglas pondered for a moment, then continued.
"Take us there."
Following Douglas’s orders, the doorman led them up the stairs, bypassing the auditorium and heading to the third floor. There, they found several theater staff members standing guard, preventing unauthorized people from passing.
Seeing the police, the staff members immediately stepped aside. Douglas, guided by the doorman, arrived at the restroom door, where a large group of theater staff had gathered. Their faces were grim, and a few dancers still in their costumes were quietly sobbing.
"It’s inside, sir."
The doorman pointed to the restroom door. Douglas instructed his officers to take over the guard duties from the theater staff, then entered the restroom. The sight of blood splattered everywhere made his heart tighten. As he looked at the body, he noticed another figure crouching beside it, holding a black necklace around the dead woman’s neck, seemingly examining something.
"Who are you? What are you doing? Take your hands off the body and stop touching things!"
Seeing the figure beside the body, Douglas shouted angrily. Hearing Douglas’s words, the figure stood up and smiled at him.
"Hello, Officer. My name is Ed. I’m a detective. Since I discovered this murder early, I took charge of the scene, conducting preliminary investigations while waiting for your arrival."
The man named Ed removed his white gloves and walked over, extending his hand to shake Douglas’s. However, Douglas coldly snorted and ignored the gesture.
"So you’re the detective they mentioned. A murder has occurred, yet you told the theater to continue the performance. What’s the meaning of this?"
"To prevent panic, rumors, and to minimize the impact. Also, to ensure the killer doesn’t escape. It’s as simple as that, Officer."
Ed replied calmly, but Douglas immediately retorted.
"How do you know the killer hasn’t escaped?"
"Because there’s no way to escape. The theater is currently hosting a performance. To prevent ticket fraud, all doors are guarded. For soundproofing, all windows are locked, with only small ventilation windows open—too small for anyone to crawl through.”
"Before you arrived, I questioned all the doormen. No one has left. I also checked all the locked windows—none have been damaged. Therefore, I can confidently say the killer is still in the theater, most likely still watching the performance in the audience."
Ed spoke with confidence. After hearing his explanation, Douglas was momentarily stunned, then continued.
"Even if the killer is still in the theater, we should stop the performance! Monitor and control all the audience members. With a murderer mixed among them, isn’t that dangerous? What if they take the opportunity to harm other unsuspecting innocent people?"
Douglas spoke sternly, but Ed remained composed.
"Monitor and control all the audience members? Officer… there are thousands of people here. Even with the theater staff and your officers, it’s impossible to control that many people. If the audience finds out someone has died, panic will ensue, and no one will be able to control the situation. It could lead to a serious accident with terrible consequences. It’s better to let them stay quietly for a while longer. If we can’t identify the killer soon, we’ll let them go home."
"Then don’t tell them the truth."
"The rumors they’ll come up with might be even more terrifying…"
Ed said calmly. Douglas wanted to argue further but found himself unable to refute Ed’s logic. Still, he was displeased with the detective’s arrogant demeanor.
"Fine… you make a fair point. But detective, now that we’re here, we don’t need you anymore. Get lost."
Douglas dismissed Ed, but Ed showed no intention of leaving. He continued to speak calmly.
"Officer, I believe I can assist you in solving this case."
"Assist us? Hmph, on what grounds?"
Douglas snorted coldly. At that moment, a melodious voice rang out.
"On the grounds that he is Detective Ed, who once solved a train murder case in less than a night."
Hearing the voice, everyone turned to see a stunning woman in a red dress with golden hair standing at the restroom door. Everyone present knew her name—Adèle Briouze.
Seeing Adèle’s appearance, the crowd was momentarily stunned. An elderly theater manager quickly stepped forward.
"Adèle… why are you here? This situation is not good for you…"
"I know, Uncle Jack, but Maria was brutally murdered here. How can I hide away?"
Adèle replied to the old man, her voice tinged with sorrow. Seeing Adèle, Douglas’s eyes widened.
"Miss Adèle, I offer my condolences for the tragedy that occurred during your performance."
Douglas spoke respectfully to Adèle, who replied softly.
"Thank you for your kindness, Officer. But I believe the best way to ease the sorrow is to catch the killer as soon as possible. I’ve read in the papers that Detective Ed is quite capable. Perhaps you could let him assist."
Adèle suggested to Douglas, who nodded after a moment of thought. He then looked at Ed and said.
"So, you’re the Ed from the newspapers a few months ago. If the papers are to be believed, you do have some skills. Very well, you can stay and observe."
"Thank you, Officer. Thank you, Miss Adèle."
Ed thanked both Douglas and Adèle. When he looked at Adèle, a faint smile appeared on her lips. Douglas then continued.
"Alright, since you’ve been here investigating for a while, what have you found?"
Douglas asked Ed, who replied directly.
"I’ve found quite a few clues. The victim’s name is Maria Dokana, 18 years old, a dancer and member of the Soaring Dance Troupe at the Soaring Theater. She had a performance today and had just danced with Miss Adèle on stage not long ago.”
"The cause of death appears to be multiple stab wounds from a small knife, leading to massive blood loss. She was stabbed seven times in the abdomen, her face was slashed, and one of her eyes was gouged out. The killer’s methods were extremely brutal. The body shows no signs of rigor mortis, so the time of death was within the last hour."
After finishing, Ed paused briefly. Just as Douglas was beginning to think the detective might have some skill, Ed continued.
"Before her death, the victim seems to have left a death message in blood, pointing to the killer’s name."
"A death message? Why didn’t you mention this earlier? With a death message, this should be straightforward. Let me see who the victim identified as the killer."
Hearing Ed’s explanation, Douglas quickly entered the restroom and carefully examined the scene. When he saw the blood message on the floor, he froze.
"Adèle…"
After reading the message, Douglas turned around, his expression turning stern as he looked at Adèle standing outside the door.
"Maria’s death message seems to point to you. Do you have anything to say about this?"