Part 2 The Faceless Man Chapter 140 – Times Are Different Today
Finally, that middle-aged man with graying temples took a sip of tea and sighed with a smile:
”Actually, this is already much better than before I was, better than many people here, such as ……”
He gestured out the window at the hobos cowering in the corner.
Klein and Mike followed and looked over to see a dirty place where they could get out of the wind lying a field of huddled bums, men and women, old and young.
They may not wake up again in this cold late fall.
At this time, Klein noticed an old lady in her sixties standing by the street, her clothes were old and tattered, but relatively neat, and her hair was meticulously cut.
The gray-haired old woman had the usual trampy look on her face of a homeless person, but still insisted on not going to crowd with the pile of people, but walked slowly on the curb, looking numbly and deeply into the cafe every now and then.
”That’s a poor man, too.” The ex-tramp who ate the rest of the black bread also spotted the old lady and uttered a few exclamations, “She used to be said to be doing quite well, her husband was a grain merchant and she had a very spirited child, but alas, then she went bankrupt, and her husband and child died not long afterward, she wasn’t like the rest of us, really, one can tell at a glance… . hey, she shouldn’t last much longer, unless she gets into the poorhouse every time.”
As he listened, Mike’s expression changed from stoic to somber, and he exhaled slowly:
”I’d like to get an interview with her, could you invite her for me? She can feel free to eat and drink anything here.”
The middle-aged and elderly man didn’t feel strange about this request, he just gave Klein and Mike a look respectively, as if to say, you guys are really coworkers.
”Okay, I’m sure she’d be happy to.” He took a sip of his tea, got up and walked out of the greasy café.
It wasn’t long before the old lady with the outdated but neat dress followed him in, her greenish-white face fading slightly as the warmth of the café melted away.
She shivered constantly, as if trying to radiate a little bit of the chill from her body and draw on the relatively high temperature inside the café, and even after sitting down in a chair, it took her a full minute or so of extra time before she really eased up.
”Feel free to order something, it’s payment for the interview.” Klein spoke for Mike.
At Mike’s nod, the older woman haughtily ordered toast, bad butter, and coffee, then smiled:
”I’ve heard you can’t eat greasy things when you haven’t gotten food for too long.”
Very polite, very self-control, ah, not at all like a vagabond …… Klein sighed silently.
Before the food was brought over, Mike asked casually:
”Can you talk about how you became a wanderer?”
The old woman revealed a look of reminiscence and smiled bitterly:
”My husband was a grain merchant, mainly buying all kinds of grain from domestic farmers, and since the Grain Act was repealed, we went bankrupt quickly.”
”He was not young himself, and being struck down by the affair, his health rapidly broke down, and he died not long afterward.”
”My boy, who was a splendid young man, and had been following his father in business, could not take such a blow, and jumped into the Tassock River on a moonless night.”
”He was unsuccessful in his first suicide, and was brought before the magistrate’s court, where the police and the judges were impatient, feeling that he was delaying them.”
”If you are going to kill yourself, do it quietly and successfully, and don’t trouble us …… Well, that’s what they probably wanted to say, but thought it was too direct.”
”My boy, who was put in jail, didn’t take long to kill himself a second time, successfully.”
The old woman spoke calmly, like it wasn’t something that had happened to her.
But for some reason, Klein felt an intense sadness.
There is no greater sorrow than the death of the heart …… He suddenly remembered this sentence that he had heard in his last life.
In this world, suicide was not only an act prohibited by the major churches, but it was also the subject of legal punishment.
As for the reason, Klein knows very well what it is, first of all, many suicides choose to throw themselves into the river, in the case of not being discovered in time, there is a certain probability that they will become water ghosts, and secondly, the suicides are often in a very wrong emotional state, in this state, the end of their lives is tantamount to “sacrifice”, and there is a possibility that it will be resonated with some weird and terrible existence.
As a result, their dead bodies or certain objects around them can carry strange curses that can harm others.
The “Muppets of Doom” behind the door of Channis in Tingen City probably came from this.
Therefore, the seven major churches of the orthodox gods all prohibited the suicide of believers from their own doctrines, and the royal family also pushed for the corresponding legislation.
Of course, this seems a bit ridiculous to Klein, a person who wants to commit suicide will still be afraid of the law and punishment?
Mike brushed his notes and was about to say something, but the owner of the café had already brought the food over.
”Fill your stomach and we’ll talk later.” Mike pointed to the toast.
”Okay.” The old woman took small bites of her food, looking very educated.
She didn’t order much and finished it quickly.
After taking a fond last sip of coffee, she rubbed the corner of her forehead and pleaded:
”Can you let me get some sleep before we talk? It’s too cold outside.”
”No problem.” Mike replied without hesitation.
The old woman gratefully said several thank you’s and sat down in her chair and just curled up and fell asleep.
Mike looked over at the middle aged man next to him and said:
”You seem familiar with this place? I’d like to ask you to be our guide, how about 3 Soules a day? Sorry, I forgot to ask your name.”
That middle-aged and elderly man shook his head in a hurry:
”No, no, no, that’s too much, I’m at the docks, and a lot of the time, I only earn 1 Soule a day.”
”You guys can just call me Old Kohler.”
”Then, 2 Soule a day, that’s what you deserve.” Mike hammered it home.
Klein finished seeing out this strange bargain, hummed some snot on a piece of paper, and intended to refill his coffee, but suddenly he sensed something was wrong, and twisted his head to look at the old woman curled up in a chair, sleeping.
Her face, reddened considerably by the coffee, was once again green and white, the aura color and emotional color having disappeared.
”……” Klein stood up and subconsciously reached out to probe the old lady’s nostrils.
At Mike and Kohler’s surprised looks, he said heavily:
”She’s dead.”
Mike opened his mouth and nothing came out, while Kohler nodded three times on his chest and laughed bitterly:
”I knew she wouldn’t last long ……”
”It happens every day in the East End.”
”At least she filled her stomach and died in a warm place, hopefully, heh, hopefully I’ll be like that in the future.”
Klein said after a moment of silence:
”Kohler, you go get the police over here.”
”Okay.” Kohler nodded three times on his chest again and ran out of the café.
The owner looked this way and didn’t come over, as if it wasn’t something to be too concerned about.
After a while, a policeman in a black and white checkered uniform, carrying a short stick and a pistol entered the café.
He looked at the dead old lady, asked Mike and Klein a little, and then waved his hand and said:
”It’s okay, you guys can leave when I get someone to collect the body.”
”That’s it?” Mike uttered in dismay.
He obviously wasn’t familiar with the East End.
The cop heckled:
”This kind of thing happens so many times a day in the East End!”
With a twinkle in his eye, he looked over at Klein and Mike:
”You guys don’t look like you’re from here, what’s your name? What are your identities?”
Mike took out his press card, while Klein said he was a private detective protecting him.
The policeman instantly slammed his face and looked at Klein and said:
”I suspect you are illegally carrying a gun!”
”I’m going to search your belongings, please cooperate or it will be considered as resisting arrest!”
Mike became worried all of a sudden, as he knew that private detectives commonly carried guns illegally.
Klein spread his hands expressionlessly and said:
”Okay.”
He let the policeman search his body, but the other party found nothing.
When the old lady’s body was taken away and the disappointed cop left with it, Mike clenched his fist and pounded the table:
”A living, breathing person died here, and all he thinks about is checking for illegal gun possession!”
Speaking of which, Mike looked sideways at Klein, puzzled:
”You don’t have a gun?”
Klein shook his head, drew his gun pouch and revolver from under the table, and said calmly:
”As a detective, I have a lot of experience in this area.”
As a “magician”, he was able to put the pistol in front of the other party’s eyes, but the other party could not detect it.
Moreover, since he didn’t buy ordinary bullets, and the extraordinary bullets were temporarily thrown into the gray fog, his left wheel was currently empty, but this didn’t prevent him from using the pistol to shoot, he only needed to use his mouth to simulate a “bang” when pulling the trigger.
Seeing this, the old Kohler beside him whispered:
”So you’re a detective.”
Klein pointed at Mike and casually explained:
”I was also commissioned by this gentleman last time.”
Mike sat there without retorting, and after a moment of silence, said:
”Although I have investigated gangs and seen the miserable lives of some prostitutes, I don’t know much about the East End, so you guys help me see if there are any problems with this investigative interview program.”
As he spoke, he took out a few sheets of paper from the inside pocket of his shirt and unfolded them on the cafe table.
Klein glanced at it and said:
”Interviews with East End residents of different age levels?”
”That’s too much trouble, I think it could be broken down by location, nicer apartments, apartments with five or six people crammed into a room, sheltered corners of the street, park benches, and bars, soup kitchens.”
”Also, it could be divided into working hours and breaks.”
Mike listened carefully and nodded:
”Not a bad thought, Kohler what do you think?”
The older Kohler pinched his nose:
”I don’t know the words …… but I think what Mr. Detective said is fine.”
Mike thought about it, revised his plan, and then said:
”Then let’s go to the neighborhood apartments first and pick one at random.”