13 Mingke Street

Chapter 19: The Killer!

"Look, it's this watch." Mrs. Seymour took out a black box, inside was a "Mifit" gold watch.

Not long ago, Mrs. Xius gave herself a "Monroe" for 2,000 Lu coins, while Mrs. Simor's piece was ten times the market price, which is 20,000 Lu coins.Next door, Piajie consulted for a fee of 20,000 Lu coins, and this time Mrs. Simor also directly gave a watch worth 20,000 Lu coins.It can only be said that the people living on this street are really wealthy.For ordinary people, their hard-earned income for a year is not even considered "net", but in the eyes of the truly affluent, it is just a small expense."It's very beautiful and delicate." Karen said."You like it, that's good." Mrs. Simor smiled."No, madam, it's too expensive, I can't accept it."Karen wasn't just pretending to be coy, he really didn't want it.In his previous life, he had gradually achieved material wealth through his own efforts from an ordinary boy. In this life, he didn't have to worry about food or drink in the Inmerleis family, so he could still maintain a stable view on money.Negotiating with a taxi driver is not because he can't afford the fare, but because he doesn't like the feeling of being taken advantage of.

Money, definitely like it, but it's not an extreme craving.If the Inmoleis family was an ordinary family, living in a cheap rental house with so many people, he would probably just accept this watch with a smile.In other words, it's still not poor enough.Mrs. Simor thought at first that Karen was thin-faced, so she persuaded her several times, but later found out that Karen really didn't want it;"Well, I heard that psychotherapists can also provide package treatments, right?""I am currently only responsible for providing services to guests at home. Of course, if Madam needs it, I can provide services for you.""Then this watch will be considered as my advance payment for your next year's consultation fee, okay?One month, you come to my house for a home visit. Or, when you are not busy at home, I can come to your house and ask you for psychological counseling.""Even so, this is too much.""I think it's worth it. Do you know how much I spent at my husband's funeral?"

Karen opened her mouth,He knew it was a set meal that could excite Aunt Mary,But he couldn't directly say the price.Because the prices on the menu at home are greatly inflated and then discounted according to the customer's reaction.Karen knows the bottom price, which is the specific cost, but he doesn't know the price that the family finally set for Mrs. Seymour.If he says it too low, wouldn't Mrs. Seymour realize that she was "slaughtered"?Doing business, there is a fluctuation in profits, and Karen can understand that no matter what, he doesn't need to smash his own corner."200,000 lu coins."Mrs. Seymour raised two fingers.Hoo...

Karen breathed a sigh of relief, Uncle and Aunt, they didn't overcharge, it's still within a reasonable range.This price is enough for Mr. Mosang and Jeff to burn it twenty times back and forth."So, you see, I'm even willing to spend 200,000 Lu coins for that dead ghost's funeral, what does it matter if I give you a watch?" Although Mrs. Simor's emotions have calmed down, her hatred for Mr. Simor is still there."I'm not afraid of you laughing at me, I'm just afraid, afraid that I'll be lonely from now on." When Mrs. Simor said this, there was no hint of emotion or desire in her eyes, and the words themselves didn't imply anything.She had already gotten used to being a virtuous wife, but her husband gave her a heavy blow to her worldview before he died."I understand, madam, I'm willing to provide psychological services for you, if you need it, you can call me directly." Karen said."That's great, come, let me help you put on this watch myself." The watch was put on,

Mrs. Simor took a few steps back and carefully looked at him, saying:"He's a handsome young man."...As he walked out of the Simor's house and waved goodbye to the enthusiastic Mrs. Simor, Karen headed towards the end of the street where he could easily catch a taxi. At the same time, he took off the watch on his wrist and put it away.The golden retriever bounced happily, as no one in the Inverleith's house wanted to take it out for a walk.Puer was perched on Karen's shoulder, and this cat wouldn't get excited and run around when it saw stray cats on the road, so there was no need to worry about it getting lost.Standing at the corner of the street, Karen waved and hailed a taxi."13 Mingke Street.""Okay, sir."Sitting in the car, Karen kept his eyes closed.

What first came to his mind was the situation at Piajie's house.Did Piajie start killing for fun after his schizophrenia?No matter how he thought about it, it didn't seem like it.Although the voice on the phone can be changed, for example, a male voice can be changed to a female voice, or a female voice can be changed to a male voice, this does not require a voice changer, because the "metallic" sound of the phone in this era is already heavy.But Piajie does not fit the psychological profile of the deranged killer, he may be a bit awkward in interpersonal relationships, but someone who can actively create a "split personality" for themselves is definitely not "stupid".So,Does that mean the few paintings she saw in her wife's studio were just a coincidence?But it doesn't seem like a real coincidence.Karen had a headache and couldn't help but rub her forehead gently;That feeling of nausea and dizziness, ever since she saw the third painting of the Order of the Divine Judgment, it hasn't completely disappeared.

"Are you feeling car sick?" The driver noticed Karen through the rearview mirror. "I can drive slower if you'd like.""No, it's okay. Please drive faster.""Okay."The taxi stopped by the side of the street and Karen paid the fare before getting out of the car.Suddenly, he felt like he could go get a driver's license and buy a car.Getting a driver's license wasn't difficult and buying a used car wouldn't be too expensive. The most important thing was that taking taxis in Luo Jia City was inconvenient and costly.Karen walked into the living room and saw Aunt Mary and Mrs. Hughes sitting on the couch. Mrs. Hughes had red eyes and was wiping her tears with a tissue while Aunt Mary was comforting her.It was too late last night for Mrs. Hughes to come into the house, so she came today seeking comfort from her best friend."Don't worry, I will make sure Mr. Darcy's funeral is well arranged. It's such a shame, the murderer is truly despicable. Poor Mr. Darcy."Hearing Aunt Mary say this to Mrs. Hughes, Karen couldn't help but remind her, "Please remember to speak kindly of the deceased."

"Yes, although the killer cruelly dismembered Old Darcy into dozens of pieces, Aunt Mary's abilities are definitely not a problem.""Damn Old Darcy!"Aunt Mary blurted out;She had just found out that Old Darcy had become Old Darcys.After cursing, Aunt Mary immediately changed her tone:"Damn killer for treating Old Darcy like this."Then,Aunt Mary couldn't care less about comforting Mrs. Darcy,She also took out a tissue and wiped her tears."What's wrong with you?" Mrs. Darcy looked at Aunt Mary, shouldn't you be comforting me?

Aunt Mary choked up a bit and said, "I feel sorry for Mr. Darcy, he's really...so miserable." Mrs. Hughes looked up and smiled at Karen, saying, "Karen, your aunt and I are planning to go out for barbecue tonight. Why don't you join us? It's a famous barbecue restaurant." "I think I'll pass," Karen declined. Aunt Mary looked up, her eyes slightly red, and said, "Go, I want to drink tonight, and you're the only adult man in the house who can accompany us." Karen suggested, "I can call Uncle." Aunt Mary almost lost control of her emotions and roared, "I won't give him the chance to carry both of us to bed while we're drunk!" "Okay, I'll go." "Wait for me, I'll go down and see off the guests first." "Okay, Mary."

Aunt Mary stood up and walked towards the basement, wiping her tears with a tissue. As she reached the bottom of the slope, she heard a loud shout from below:"***, poor old Darcy!!!"Mrs. Hughes on the couch let out a sigh of relief and even winked at Karen, saying:"Mary must have had a hard time. Oh, Karen, what about the watch I gave you? Why aren't you wearing it? Don't you like it?"Mrs. Hughes noticed that Karen's wrist was empty."I really like the watch you gave me, but I haven't gotten into the habit of wearing it. I always forget to put it on when I wake up in the morning. Maybe I'll get used to it in the future.""That's good. I thought you didn't like the Monroe watch I gave you.""How could that be? It's the most precious gift I've received besides my family."At that moment, the phone rang.Karen walked over and answered the phone.

"Hello, is this the Inmoleis family? I'm looking for Karen." The voice of Sheriff Duke came through the phone."Hello Sheriff Duke, this is Karen.""We have identified the body found under the stage at the Crown Dance Hall. His name is Cole and he is from the neighboring city. He came to Rojia three months ago to look for work. This is the information we received from the neighboring city police department.I have sent my officers to the neighborhood where he was active to gather more information. We should have more details soon, such as where he worked and who he was in contact with.""If we can get this in the newspaper, it might help us find more leads," Karen said."I have submitted a request, but it was denied. The reason given was that the condition of the body would cause public panic and could also lead to protests from the Berry Church.I really want to use my boots to kick those politicians' butts out of a second hole!They are just busy with the elections and want to keep things under control. If we can publish the victim's photo in the newspaper right away, we might not even need help from the neighboring city police department. We would have already found his connections in this city.Now, all we can do is pray for a faster outcome.I have already listed out Old Darcy's connections, just waiting for that unlucky guy named Cole. As you said, if our two networks overlap, we can narrow down the suspect's range, right?"

"Yes.""I still want to ask you, Karen, is the killer really that stupid, targeting people around him? Wouldn't he be easily caught?""My gut feeling and experience tell me that's how it is. And the reality is, you haven't found him yet.""Haha, are you saying that it's because we, the police, are too foolish that it makes the killer seem smart?""I didn't say that.""Sigh..." Chief Duke sighed on the other end of the phone, and the sound of matches rubbing together could be heard, probably lighting his pipe. "You said that guy will soon kill another person to complete his shitty artwork. I hope we can find and catch him before he kills again.""I hope so too.""Okay, I'll hang up now. I'll let you know if there's any news. I don't know why, but I have a feeling that your judgment is right.""Thank you."After hanging up the phone, Karen smiled at Mrs. Shus and pointed towards the direction of the basement.

"Madam, I'll go downstairs to help Auntie first.""Okay."Karen went to the basement studio, where there were three bodies lying. One of them was Mr. Seymour, from the Crown Ballroom, and the other was a victim brought in by the hospital.All three bodies were well taken care of and looked natural, as if they were sleeping.Aunt Mary was sitting on a stool, with her legs crossed and a cigarette in her hand, smoking angrily and forcefully.However, in this position, her skirt accidentally got caught between her legs, exposing almost her entire thigh.Karen closed her eyes and coughed.Then she opened her eyes and Aunt Mary had already changed her sitting position, fixing her skirt."Karen, you already knew that Old Darcy had turned into several pieces, didn't you?"

"Yes." Karen admitted."Do you know how difficult it is to piece together dozens of pieces into one? I have to search and gather each piece in a big tub, and then sew them together one by one.I would rather play Lunt's puzzle than do this!""I know it's hard, Aunt, but only you can do it.""Why didn't you tell me earlier? Do you know how much this job would pay if we negotiated beforehand? I just agreed to do it at the welfare rate!Damn it, damn it, damn it!Aunt Mary grabbed her hair,According to the previous prices, the starting price for this kind of restoration would be over ten thousand Lira!"Then Aunt Mary added,"Or it could be based on the difficulty and performance of the embalmer themselves!"

"Auntie, you've worked hard. But I think this bill can be included in the offer to acquire the Shius Crematorium." Upon hearing this, Aunt Mary's face looked much better. But soon, she thought of something and asked, "Wait, I asked you earlier, why didn't you tell me beforehand when you already knew?" "Grandpa instructed me not to." "Grandpa?" "I asked him if we should inform you beforehand about the difficulty of this job, and he said it wasn't necessary. He said you are the most outstanding mortician he has ever seen in his life." "Grandpa really said that?" "Yes." Aunt Mary's expression finally returned to normal, but then she glanced and clenched her fist, saying, "Let's talk about the acquisition later. Tonight, I'll get some good wine to make her feel guilty."

"Didn't we say we were going to have barbecue?" Karen asked."Yes, that's right, but it's at a winery where we'll have barbecue," Mrs. Shu said."But I don't drink alcohol.""You can have grape juice, I won't let you get drunk and then have to take care of us.""Also, your grandfather isn't home today, he'll probably be back tomorrow, so this is a great opportunity."At 4:30 in the afternoon, Karen and Aunt Mary got into Mrs. Shu's car and headed towards the east district of Luo Jia City.Since they were going east, Mrs. Shu turned onto Mingke Street and then had to pass through the row of houses.Karen wanted to ask Mrs. Shu not to go that way, because he still felt uneasy about the row house at 128 Mingke Street, where Uncle Mason's first love lived.

But Mrs. Xiusi drove very fast and had already come straight over. Karen hesitated for a moment but still didn't ask to change lanes."This family has moved." The road ahead was blocked by a truck, forcing Mrs. Xiusi to slow down.Karen saw that the family moving was at 128th Street.Uncle Mason had mentioned that because of Jeff's incident, the first love family would be moving soon. It seems that they finally moved today.Karen's gaze subconsciously looked towards the second floor landing window, but the curtains were completely closed and she couldn't see anything."Karen, what's wrong?" Aunt Mary curiously looked at Karen, "Are you feeling unwell?""No, I'm fine.""Mary, what do you think about me selling the crematorium and buying a house here? Then we can be neighbors and live close to each other.""Sure, that way when you're busy, you can come over and help me."

"Hahaha, aren't you afraid that I will cut off those male customers and steal them away to use at night?""Karen is still here, don't you have any shame?" Aunt Mary scolded Mrs. Xiu."Okay, okay, I know. Let me see which number is available. 128, remember that. I will ask the agent to come and check out this empty house and ask about the price another day."After about half an hour, they arrived at a winery in the outskirts, with a sign that read "Friday Winery"."Is business not good at this winery?" Karen asked when they got off the car."Of course not, that's why the owner chose to make money." Mrs. Xiu replied, and then said to the waiter who came to greet them, "I have reserved a table, table 7, and please bring up the wine I stored here.""Yes, madam."They had to grill the meat themselves, and the meat was good, but Karen didn't really like barbecue. In his past life, he had some stomach problems, and in this life, his body was weak, so he couldn't enjoy the happiness of eating large pieces of grilled meat.He only ate a small amount, and most of the time he helped Aunt Mary and Mrs. Xiu grill the meat. The two beautiful women drank and chatted about their past adventures, having a great time.Around 9 o'clock in the evening, at Karen's suggestion, the two women finally agreed to end their happy day, slightly drunk.

As they walked towards the parking lot, Karen was carrying one in each arm. Walking alone, they would only stumble and fall.This feeling of being crowded together was not a happy one;Both women were reeking of alcohol and occasionally retching, the air filled with a faint sour smell that was enough to wash away any thoughts that should not have arisen.Mrs. Xius opened the car door, wanting to sit in the driver's seat.But Karen didn't dare let her drive under the influence, and she didn't dare sit in the car if Karen drove."Madam, let me drive.""You...can...drive?" Mrs. Xius asked with a smile."I can.""You...are...really...amazing."Mrs. Xius threw herself into Karen's arms, her right hand naturally resting on Karen's chest, drawing circles.

Karen gently pushed Mrs. Shus away and settled her into the back seat, just like Aunt Mary. Then, he sat in the driver's seat and started the car. As the car was just leaving the Friday Winery, Karen saw a police car driving in. The two cars passed each other. "Huh, it's so obvious that they're using the police car for personal use." ... In order to familiarize himself with the car and also because it was his first time driving since he woke up, and most importantly, it wasn't an automatic transmission, Karen drove slowly. The two women in the back seat had already fallen asleep. Karen opened the car window and let the fresh evening breeze flow in. At a quarter past ten, Karen drove the car back to Mingke Street. He got out of the car first, helped Aunt Mary out, and then supported her as they walked through the gate and into the living room.

"Drinking so much." Aunt Winnie, who was sitting on the living room sofa and going through bills, quickly got up to support Aunt Mary and called for Mina upstairs to help."Where is Uncle?" Karen asked."He's not allowed to drive!" Aunt Mary, who was already drunk, suddenly sobered up. "He's not allowed to drive."Aunt Winnie was both angry and amused at the situation and said, "Mason received a call after dinner and went to pick up a client in a hearse. The Maronko family's funeral home had a falling out with the client, so the client wants to transfer the body here. He hasn't come back yet.""Oh, that's good."Aunt Mary nodded, then suddenly vomited on the floor.Karen took a few steps back, covering her nose with her hand and said, "Then I'll take Mrs. Shus back.""Can't you take a taxi? Oh no, taxis are not safe."It's really hard to trust a drunk woman taking a taxi home alone at night."The car belongs to Mrs. Shus, I'll leave it at her house after I take her home and then take a taxi back."

"Go, if you can't get a taxi, call me and I'll have Mason come pick you up.""Okay, Aunt."Karen walked out of the house and got back into the car.In the back seat, Mrs. Hughes was already lying down, her skirt spread out over her upper body.Karen glanced at her, shook her head and smiled, then started the car again...."Ring ring... ring ring..."

Duke Chief immediately opened his eyes and reached for the phone:"Hello, this is Duke.""Chief, we found it, we found it.""Quick, tell me!""Kohl used to work at a winery called 'Friday' in our city. The winery also serves food, and Kohl worked there as a waiter for a month before resigning.""Resigned?""Yes, according to his colleagues, Kohl boasted to them that he had hooked up with a widowed woman who often came here to drink and eat, and she was willing to support him as her lover.""Who is this woman, have you found out?""She is the owner of the Zeus Crematorium, Mrs. Zeus."Duke Chief stood up suddenly.

Cole...Old Darcy...One is my lover,One is my old employee,Actually, they only targeted the people closest to me.Sheriff Duke tightened his grip on the phone, his face filled with disbelief:Karen was right,This killer,Is really that stupid!------------There's more tonight.