Chapter 21
“Ugh, it’s so humid today. Is it going to rain?”
Isabel stepped out onto the street, watching as gray clouds slowly spread across the sky. Even though it was usually the busiest time of day, the streets were oddly quiet.
If it suddenly pours, that’ll be trouble. I’d better head back to the inn early today.
It wasn’t just the gloomy weather. After what had happened yesterday, Isabel had realized all too clearly how dangerous it was to move around alone. On top of that, Kezef, Hutman, and Adolf had all disappeared somewhere since early dawn, leaving her unable to share the important conversation she’d had with Amanda.
And she still had to make the unpleasant request of asking Hutman to accompany her to meet Denver.
“I don’t know if that man will actually listen to me…”
But what choice did she have? If it was to save Adolf, then Hutman would just have to agree—whether he liked it or not.
Shaking the worries aside for later, Isabel turned her steps toward the plaza, where she expected to find more people gathered.
Before going back to the inn, she wanted to dig up whatever she could about Dr. Morus. If her hunch was right, Kezef and Hutman had left the inn for that very reason.
The night before, when they’d heard the news of Isabel’s abduction, the two men had grasped the gravity of the situation and spent the whole night in grim discussion. Isabel had expected Kezef to be shocked, of course, but Hutman’s reaction had been surprising.
His face had gone pale, then instantly hardened into a serious look as he sank deep into thought. Sometimes he’d ruffle his hair roughly or slam his scabbard against the ground in frustration.
So he was secretly feeling guilty after all?
Considering how he always picked fights with her, Isabel had never imagined Hutman would react that way. But it was a good thing. She might even be able to use this as leverage to secure his help.
“Hm, but I wonder if Adolf has eaten properly. Lately he hasn’t been eating well at all…”
Flipping open her notebook to jot down her plans, Isabel suddenly froze mid-step, startled by where her thoughts had drifted. Since yesterday—no, for quite a while now—her mind had been filled entirely with Adolf.
Of course, she was working on the case he had entrusted to her, so it wasn’t strange to think of him. But wondering whether he was eating well or sleeping properly? That was going too far.
Even if he’s the key to getting back to my own world, this is crossing a line!
Thanks to Adolf constantly hounding her every day, she hadn’t been able to sleep properly for nights on end. Dark circles now sagged beneath her eyes, and her already thin frame had grown even more gaunt. With this much overtime work, she deserved not only extra pay but also medical expenses!
It was all Adolf’s fault—yet here she was, worrying about him. A rush of resentment welled up inside her.
“Just wait. I’ll solve this case as fast as I can and cut ties with that man once and for all. I always keep my word!”
Clutching the notebook in one hand as if she were crumpling it, Isabel marched off with a grim expression.
“So you’re saying you’ve met Dr. Morus before?”
“Oh my… not exactly met him, but I’ve heard stories.”
The woman’s cheeks flushed bright red as she gazed up at the man before her with an enraptured expression. Matilda had run a flower shop in this village for thirty years, but she swore she had never seen a man so handsome in all her life.
And his voice… how could it be this sweet?
As if bewitched, Matilda babbled on in response to the man’s question, nervously fidgeting with her long, slender fingers.
“Could you tell me what kind of stories you’ve heard?”
“Ah… yes, you asked about Dr. Morus. Well, he’s famous around here. They say he cures incurable diseases. I even know of someone—well, through several acquaintances—who was treated by him. That person couldn’t walk, but thanks to Dr. Morus, they could walk again!”
“Would it be possible for me to meet this person who was healed?”
“Ah, well…”
Her confident tone faltered. Avoiding Kezef’s gaze, Matilda trailed off awkwardly.
Another dead end.
It was the same response they’d gotten from several others. Kezef sighed quietly and shook his head.
Rumors about Dr. Morus were indeed rampant throughout the village, but no one who claimed to have been healed could actually be found.
Which only made the whole thing more suspicious. Gossip was everywhere, but the supposed source of it all was nowhere to be seen.
If the person who kidnapped Miss Isabel is connected to Dr. Morus, then the other disappearances in these small villages are likely tied to him as well.
But why would Dr. Morus commit such grotesque acts? That part, Kezef couldn’t guess.
Was he just a madman driven by insanity—or did he have some special purpose?
Let’s hope it’s the latter.
Just then, a sharp, lively voice called out behind Kezef, who was stroking his clean-cut jawline.
“Matilda! What are you doing here? Oh my, who’s this handsome young man? Good heavens, there’s another one too! What are two fine gentlemen doing in a little village like ours?”
The curly-haired woman who approached Matilda took one look at Kezef and then nearly jumped out of her skin when she spotted Adolf standing a distance away.
“Oh, Tully, you’re here? Um, these gentlemen said they were here to investigate something…”
“Investigating? Then you must be the ones asking around about Dr. Morus, right? Word of that has spread all over town.”
Narrowing her eyes, Tully looked back and forth between Kezef and Adolf. Hastily pulling his hood lower, Adolf shot Kezef a look that said let’s get out of here.
Kezef gently pulled his hand back from Matilda’s and stepped away.
“Haha. Well, if you don’t have any more information, we’ll take our leave. Thank you for your cooperation.”
He was just about to turn away with a polite bow when Tully spoke again, her words stopping him in his tracks.
“Matilda, did you tell them about Mr. Heibert? You know, the one who lived just down the street.”
Both Kezef and Adolf immediately turned back toward the two women.
Matilda gave a start and smacked Tully’s shoulder.
“Why on earth would you bring that up? Mr. Heibert wasn’t even one of our villagers!”
“So what? It doesn’t have to be only villagers going missing, does it?”
“Oh, honestly! Stop spouting nonsense!”
Flustered, Matilda clamped a hand over Tully’s mouth, then forced an awkward smile at Kezef. The scene looked suspiciously unnatural.
From the moment he had entered this village, Kezef had sensed the people were hiding something. Now, from this exchange, he was certain that the secret involved Dr. Morus—and Heibert.
Adolf seemed to have reached the same conclusion, for he leaned close and murmured into Kezef’s ear.
“It’s clear now—Dr. Morus is tied to these incidents. Find out exactly what happened.”
“Understood.”
At once, Kezef curved his lips into a charming smile, gently lifting Matilda’s chin as he fixed her with a deep, alluring gaze.
“Madam, if you wouldn’t mind… could you tell me what exactly you and your friend were just talking about? I truly must hear it.”
