Alexander frowns: "What do you want it for?"
I want to solve the case ... Frank says in a low voice: "At least get what happened before I leave, or I don’t think I can sleep well from now on."
Alexander probably assumes that he is out of mind at this point if he claims that he wants to solve the case, so he has to switch another saying to get what he needs.
After all, his cousin is extremely stubborn.
Alexander muses for a short moment and says, "I have seen the dossier, I can tell you now ..."
In the last couple of days, Alexander has been desperately looking for help around Rome City. The case catches eyes of almost all roman so no one dares to reconcile. Alexander had no choice but to change the direction and tried to break the predicament in terms of retaking the tax.
Relying on family network and his personal relationship with Felix Brutus, Alexander bribed the scribe in police and got a copy of the case file.
However, he has no practical experience in case investigation and analysis, so eventually he had to give up.
Frank interrupts him by uplifting his right hand, "You gotta write it down, oral expression does not make too much sense."
All the details of the case are usually in the text, which needs scrutiny to catch up every single possible valid point for analysis. So Frank doe not wanna separate concentration on listening lest he is unable to completely focus on thinking and analyzing at the same time.
His logic and reasoning ability has always been the best in last incarnation, which is why he feels a little bit confident at this point.
Usually, Alexander would not respond such a weird nonsense, but this may be the last time to say goodbye.
So Alexander replies to the last request from his cousin.
"One moment." he whispers and then scurries away.
The walking sound fades in the corridor, Frank sits down with his back against the fence, getting a complicatedly uneasy feeling.
He does not have full confidence to turn over the hassle. It is the desire to survive that drives him forward, which may also include a little competitive sense.
It is the only way I could think of for self salvation, I have to try it even if it is just floundering.
Crime scene investigation, surveillance and autopsy are three core components in modern criminal investigative regime. There is no death in the case, no monitor in ancient Rome, and now he is stuck in prison, so all three necessary elements of crime investigation are unable to touch.
Fortunately, the dossier of the case can revert the crime scene to some extent.
While digesting the identity owner's memory, Frank forces himself to get rid of all negative emotions but only leave a calm brain which can provide clear thoughts and stringent reasoning.
"live or die, count on it..." he murmurs.
The time goes by gradually, finally Alexander returns in a hasty, handing over him a reel which still has damp ink on it.
"Time is up, I gotta go." Alexander hesitates a sec and says it again, "you take care."
If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.
Frank does not respond, currently his eyes are already attracted by the words on the reel.
Time is precious, and the handwriting on the reel is Latin. Frank would not be able to know what is taking about if he had not followed his cousin stealthily to hear the lecture of Felix.
"Education still works. Well, if this guy is illiterate ... then game over." Frank prefers self deprecation for relax.
The case happened as follows:
[It was 6 am in last third day, Marcus Sun escorted a taxation team including 20 carriages with chests full of denarii toward Rome City. 7:30 am, the team moved close to South Gate of outskirt. Just before passing the draw bridge, a strange gust suddenly blew, and the startled horses rushed into the moat.
Shortly after, a deafening explosion sounded, and the water in the river was blasted up to 70 to 80 feet high creating turbulent wave.
The escorting equestrians dived into the river to search all chests loading the tax money, however, only 21,125 denarii were gotten back, and the rest disappeared...]
In addition to the process record, there are also the testimony of bystanders and escorting soldiers.
Frank noticed that a sentence was outlined in the testimony: Monsters manifest.
"Monsters showing up ... ?!" With pupils shrink abruptly, Frank’s heart sinks to the bottom.
......
Rome City Police Force headquarter, commissioner’s office.
After consecutive investigation and research in the last three days, three official superintendents in charge of the case gather in the office.
Grant Tito, the commissioner, holds a tea cup in his hand, with the lid gently knocking on the rim, and the tea water reflecting his grim face.
The official who wears white toga with a narrow purple stripe, says eagerly: "Only two days left. Princeps ordered us to search all tax back before the decapitation of Marcus. Guys, we must hurry up."
One of the other two mentioned by Grant is a middle-aged man in the black uniform and dark cloak, with high nose bridges, slightly sunken eye sockets, and light brown pupils. Looks like he has half blood from barbarian.
The other one is an oval-faced girl in a yellow stolla, with beautiful blue eyes and fairly white skin. She gets a seat, grabbing a sugarcane in her hand, there is a small deerskin pouch and a compass tied around her waist, and under the dress is a pair of white delicate boots swinging occasionally.
They are coming to assist in dealing the case. The middle-age is Claudio Marius. He is from an institute extremely dreaded by Roman officials: Rome Vigile (R.V).
Rome Vigile is usually engaged in monitoring, arrest, interrogation and other relevant errands. It also participates in reconnaissance, assassination, spy or other military deployment.
It is a royal intelligence organization which belongs to neither central government nor military, but only follows the order of emperor straight. Roman Police is more like its outer sub-agency.
In other words, it is a Sword of Damocles over the head of all Roman officials, or all Roman.
No Roman does not know the saying in Rome: Justice may delay, but Vigile never.
Roman believe that Rome Vigile agent has authority to view any dossier or search any place in Rome Empire, well, except the bedroom of emperor I guess.
As for the girl with the yellow stolla, a member of Rome Special Talent(R.S.T), which is allegedly an unofficial organization established by Senate. Probably, she has some special abilities to deal the case.
Glancing at the bagasse spit by the girl surrounding his own feet, Claudio frowned a little bit, and swirl his palm quickly. All the bagasse are then gathered in a small space as the air current nearby twists.
Claudio nods slightly with a transient pleasure.
Then he replies to Grant with a dignified face: "The case is very odd. Maybe we are in the wrong direction."
"What do you mean?" Grant is confused. After all the analysis, it has been basically concluded that monsters have appeared and robbed the tax.
"Look, we just have two days now, so what we should focus on is to catch up the monsters ASAP, no time to waste." Grant says.
In recent years, Treasury has run out of financial reserve and kept a high amount of deficit due to various nationwide disasters such as famine, flood, drought, war, etc. 18 million denarii equals to the annual tax income of a wealthy province at this point.
Now the fury from the emperor could be understood.
Your goose deserves to be cooked in such an annoying dilemma.
Grant took over the case diligently, and the burden on his shoulders has made him lose sleep over it all day long.
Claudio shakes his head, no arguing, but asks, "Any new info from Marcus?"
Grant also keep shaking his head: "Just a reckless hothead yelling not me, I am innocent. He doesn't even know how he lost the tax."
The yellow dressed girl says gently, "I have observed his 'Aura', not a liar."
Both Claudio and Grant nod and do not continue to mention Marcus.
As a criminal, Marcus is the 1st one to interrogate and investigate for his background information, such as personality, social network, financial situation, etc., all of which were checked. Plus the corroboration of aura observation spell cast by the girl, he has been removed from suspicion list.
But of course, so many denarii have been lost, death penalty is inevitable for Marcus due to his negligence.
Claudio and Grant stand there with grim faces and depressed mind.
The only one free from stress is the happy girl, who is dedicating on nibbling the sugarcane in a casual pace.
At the point, the walking sound comes close, a messenger hurries in, with a sealed small bamboo tube in his right hand and a bag of raisin in on his left.
he hands over the tube first.
The girl does not pick it up, just looks at the bag of raisin with her shining eyes.
The messenger changes the order and wisely hands the bag first, the girl happily chews the raisin, and then picks the tube.
There is a note inside after unsealing it, the girl begins to read:
"My man said that there is no odour of monster in water or any relevant trace on the shore observed in 20 miles along the moat."
"Wham!"
The depression finally bursts, Grant is blue in his face and smacks the table angrily: "Where can 18 million denarii be? The chests and coins have to return ashore, move out of the river. It's been three days, we even don’t get any clue of robber."
"Damn it! What kind of monster dares to raid money of Rome Empire, I am gonna slaughter all of these mean filthy creature as long as I find them!"
He would have to take accountability as well if the tax could not be retaken, the ruler of Rome Empire does not care if it is his fault, sometimes taking the fall is also the job on his position.
After all this is officialdom. Hard to mount, easy to fall.
Claudio exhales deeply and resumes his own opinion: "is it possible that our investigation goes wrong, maybe it's not monster."
Grant looks at him, takes a deep breath, and responds with anger refrained: "Then how to explain the weird gust? How come all the denarii dropped into the river and then disappeared? Have you ever seen the water spray rising up to 70 feet there?”