“I know you took out the newspaper ad. Anyway, so what?”
“I changed my mind. I’ll learn from you!”
“Today is the end of learning.”
“uh?”
Max said, his gaze drifting away from Peach.
“The detective game ends today.”
“……”
“Mr. Peach, what I need is a colleague, not a student taking detective lessons.”
“Then why did you decide to teach me today?”
“I did it out of curiosity. I wanted to see if you had the qualities to be a detective.”
“… So, what’s the result?”
Max looked at Peach and put strength into his voice.
“I have the skills. I need someone to help me right now. Someone who won’t hold me back. If you don’t have the confidence to do that, just go to Pinkerton. Learn there.”
“…… You shouldn’t talk under the moonlight either. The kid has become strange.”
Max snorted, and the two of them remained silent until they reached Lawrence.
Creak, creak.
Max returned to the sheriff’s office to find Holiday sleeping in a corner.
“It doesn’t help.”
Max, who had been deprived of his bed, sat down in his chair with his legs up on the desk.
After a long day, all that remains is fatigue.
He lit a cigar and inhaled and exhaled the smoke.
And after a while.
The sleeping Holiday coughed and groaned.
Chijijik.
“Anyway.”
Max took a sip and blew the smoke away with his hand.
I fell asleep not long after closing my eyes.
*
A few hours later in the morning.
Max went to see Chairman Charles to dispose of the body.
“You’re taking the bodies to Delaware Town?”
“I found this among their belongings.”
The victim’s severed little finger. Precious metals were sticking out from their bosoms.
This was a fact known only to Max.
“That’s a place where a lot of pro-slavery people live, are you okay? If you’re not a murderer, you’re in trouble.”
“I’m just going to confirm.”
And a bounty too.
It’s nothing now, but the moment they’re confirmed as murderers, it’s a different story.
A bounty of $100 was offered in each of the two towns where the victims were found.
But Max’s real purpose lies elsewhere.
The victim’s father was an anti-slavery advocate and the chairman of a Delaware town.
He is also a businessman.
Max wanted to make a deal with him.
That afternoon.
Max loaded the body and headed for Delaware, fully armed with two rifles, six revolvers, a Bowie knife, and 300 rounds of ammunition in case of emergency.
Delaware town
One followed me on my way to Delaware.
George Brown of the Herald of Freedom newspaper.
He looked over at Max and asked.
“You’re not going to kill the villagers, are you?”
“What, what nonsense is that?”
“That’s because the armed status is no joke. You can go straight to the battlefield.”
“I’m preparing just in case.”
Brown nodded, then tilted his head and asked.
“But why would you bother transporting a corpse when you know it’s dangerous? You can just call the Delaware Sheriff and have him verify the bounty.”
“That’s not enough. Do you know what the biggest problem is in Lawrence Town right now?”
“Hmm. Logistics transportation?”
Max nodded.
Logistics from Leavenworth to Lawrence are suffering because of the Delaware town’s residents.
The town of Lawrence is being blamed for the murders, and the transport of goods is being delayed time and again.
Because of that, Chairman Charles was suffering from headaches over this problem, saying that he was losing all his hair.
“To solve this problem, we have to show them that it has nothing to do with our town. More precisely, we have to show them that the culprits are slave advocates like themselves.”
“How? Who are they?”
Brown asked with wide, small eyes.
“They are the children of a slave advocate in Jefferson City, Missouri.”
“Wow, really? How on earth did you know that?”
‘It’s a memory from a past life, you know.’
But I can’t say this.
“We already knew that. Anyway, we have to insist on that.”
“Is that a factual claim?”
“Why would I lie?”
If you look back at their memories from their past lives, it’s clear that they’re from Missouri. However, it’ll take time to figure that out.
Max’s taking George Brown along was meant to make it seem like the investigation had already been completed.
“But the Delaware town chairman, Grinter, is no ordinary man.”
“You’re the father of the sacrificed daughter?”
“I don’t know how he’ll react since he’s a deep-seated pro-slavery advocate. I just hope the logistics and transportation issues are resolved somehow.”
George Brown had that as his top priority.
But Max wants more.
Greenter has more than you think.
Bleeding Kansas, events that unfold during this period of chaos and conflict.
It is a clash between abolitionists and advocates of slavery, and the incidents are magnified by distinguishing between the parties’ tendencies over personal issues such as land disputes.
Therefore, the fact that Delaware unilaterally drove Lawrence into a corner was an issue that had to be addressed.
*
About 25 miles (40 km) from Lawrence to Delaware Town. Max and Brown finally arrived in town with the body loaded onto a wagon.
The town was named after the Indians who lived there, the Lenape or Delaware tribes.
Many place names in the United States are named after Indian tribes or their languages. The eastern state of Delaware was also settled by the early Delawares.
However, after they were robbed of their land by white people and the Indian Removal Act was announced, they were completely pushed west, ending up in what is now Kansas.
But that doesn’t mean that this Delaware town is their final destination.
The government had given the land south of Leavenworth to the Indians as a reservation, but now they were being pushed out again by settlers from Missouri.
And those settlers are now standing in front of Max and Brown, who have arrived with their wagon.
Even so, journalist George Brown said, the Delaware townspeople who saw Max looked sullen.
‘The Asian sheriff of Lawrence Town.’
‘They say he’s a little oriental kid, and it’s true.’
However, there are more than a few rumors about Sheriff Lawrence that can be ignored.
Unless the newspaper article was fabricated, there was a need to be careful. Besides.
‘What is that?’
Everyone looked horrified at the sight of the armed sheriff approaching.
There are only four revolvers visible on each chest and waist. Two rifles are placed within arm’s reach behind the saddle.
This is a weapon that can kill 28 people at once without reloading. If you add two revolvers hidden somewhere, it can be up to 40 people.
At Max’s imposing appearance, the Delaware townspeople exchanged glances as if waiting for someone to step forward. Finally, a few people stepped forward eagerly.
“If you’re a sheriff, you should be protecting the town. Why are you here?”
“They’re in cahoots with murderers, so what do they have to protect? Their village will be safe, so they can go around peacefully.”
Max opened his mouth, looking calmly at the mockers, still riding his horse.
“I have something to discuss with the village head.”
“Don’t be ridiculous. If you have something to say, say it here. Do you think our chairman has as much free time as you do?”
“What is that cart?”
Max said to the scoffers.
I didn’t feel the need to respect it.
“If you’re curious, go and see what’s there.”
As Max nodded behind him, several villagers rushed over.
And then he screamed.
“Eww! What is this?”
“Wow, look at that dead guy with his eyes wide open.”
Why didn’t they close the corpse’s eyes?
Everyone turned their heads to the gruesome corpse and looked at Max.
A cart carrying three corpses.
The indifferent eyes of the sheriff who brought it in look at them.
Some people’s hair stood on end.
“They’re the culprits of the recent murders. Now that we’ve caught the real culprit, they should compensate Lawrence for the damages they’ve caused him so far, right?”
Blocking and delaying logistics transport.
Because of this, we have to accept all the spoiled food.
“Ooh, that’s funny!”
“How can you be sure they are the culprits?”
Max said with a smirk.
“Are you sure these guys aren’t the culprits? I’m sure.”
“What are you talking about, you Asian kid?”
Most of the gathered townspeople are ordinary people. Some of them are carrying guns, but they are too overwhelmed by Max’s atmosphere to dare take them out.
And at this point, as the people were divided, the town sheriff appeared.
A middle-aged man was with him, and he asked Max with a rather excited expression.
“Is there any evidence that he is the murderer?”
‘The interest is green.’
A town mayor named Grinter who was influential in the founding of the town of Delaware.
You could tell his presence was there by the way he spoke, leaving the sheriff alone.
Max leisurely got off his horse and rummaged through his bosom. He then handed the man a small, sealed glass vial.
The men Max killed were roaming the Kansas towns, committing murders.
In addition, like a psychopath, he kept the body parts of dead bodies in glass bottles as trophies, and the glass bottle Max gave him contained parts of Grinter’s daughter.
“Black.”
As Greenter’s body collapsed on the ground, the townspeople finally realized that Max had caught the real culprit.
After a while, Grinter’s family came rushing in.
George Brown wrote an article sketching the heartbreaking mood.
Meanwhile, the sheriff who had checked the body opened his eyes.
“Aren’t these guys the ones who were propagandizing for the Free Land Party?!”
“Was it so?”
“I didn’t ask you.”
The sheriff frowned at Max.
An expression that said he didn’t even want to talk. The reasons were complex.
An Asian, a sheriff in Lawrence, a name known throughout Kansas, and even caught a murderer who didn’t even notice he was talking to him.
Contempt, inferiority, jealousy and envy. All these emotions were reflected in his eyes.
‘This guy gave the order to block the logistics transport.’
The sheriff ignored him and Max’s gaze turned to Grinter. He was looking at the body.
The look in the father’s eyes as he looks at the culprit who killed his daughter.
Those eyes, filled with anger, scan the corpse.
And soon a cruel smile appeared on his lips.
The sight of the corpses dying in agony with their eyes wide open is satisfying.
Grinter asked without taking his eyes off the corpse.
“Is there a reason you left them like that?”
“As you can see, it wasn’t an easy death.”
“You brought this to show me.”
“I hope this will be of some comfort to you.”
What the victims’ families want is revenge.
That also causes terrible pain.
To satisfy this, Max left his body in a stuffed form at the time of death.
Of course, the dead guy in the second haystack had his eyes closed. In the end, they forcibly rolled back his eyelids and touched his face to make it look as if he had died in as much pain as possible.
What you gain by doing this is the other person’s heart.
Now that the opportunity has come, isn’t it meaningful to create an ally in the enemy camp?
If you take a step back from the slavery position, you are ultimately the same people.
However, if there is no chance of that happening, it wouldn’t be a bad idea to filter it out now.
As Grinter sat lost in thought looking at the body, the sheriff intervened.
“We caught the culprit, but that doesn’t mean the town of Lawrence is free from its guilt.”
“I caught it myself, as the Sheriff of Lawrence Township?”
“That makes me even more suspicious. Who knows, maybe they’re trying to silence these guys by killing them because the situation is so bad?”
‘I definitely need to filter this guy out.’
“Can you take responsibility for that?”
“You dare hold me responsible?”
“Stop it.”
The sheriff’s facial muscles twitched as Grinter intervened.
“Do you know who these people are?”
“Of course. But before that, there’s one thing I need to point out.”
Max raised his voice so that the townspeople could hear.
“If the town of Lawrence is found not guilty, they will have to pay for the damages they have suffered and more.”
“That’s nonsense!”
“Stop talking nonsense! Who are you to say such things!”
Max looked around at the people and sneered.
“Then who are you to frame Lawrence as the culprit?”
“……”
Max turned his gaze away from the people and spoke to Grinter.
“These guys are from Jefferson City, Missouri. Naturally, they have a history of working on the side of the pro-slavery movement.”
“Are you sure?”
“This is what a reporter with a strong sense of mission found out after three months of investigation.”
Max turned his head to look at George Brown. He swallowed hard and stepped forward.
‘Fuck, this is why you brought me here.’
George Brown opened his mouth with a serious expression, even though he was about to curse.
“A reporter only reports what he has seen and verified. I swear on my newspaper, the Herald of Freedom, that these guys are definitely from Missouri.”
It would be revealed anyway when the federal marshals and the coroner showed up. Still, it was difficult to say that I would go as far as the newspaper office without being quite sure.
‘I don’t know, damn it. You wouldn’t lie to me.’
George Brown nodded, looking at Max.
The villagers who had been chattering had expressions of despair, while those who were far away were secretly cheering.
Abolitionists who live quietly in the town. They were people who lived here before the slavery conflict in Kansas.
They clicked their tongues at Sheriff Lawrence and their own sheriff.
‘Compared, compared.’
Isn’t that on a different level from the Delaware sheriff who just agitates without doing anything?
