Resuming Detective Works

At noon, a big coach entered the northern ring road of Sloten, pulling over at the closest Bushalte. Four people got off, and then the big vehicle continued driving further into the city. After a few more stops, it finally reached a big Bushalte on Paleisstraat, where ten people got off.

Among the people getting off the vehicle, one of them was a tall man wearing a dark brown trench coat and a similar colored trilby. The man was walking with a cane in his right hand and a large suitcase that he was dragging with his left. His green eyes were looking around the city with a joyful look.

"Finally, we are home, Val," said Graham Hymes. He was genuinely happy to be home, especially after hours of sitting inside a coach.

Graham stood by the road and waved his arm, stopping a public motor carriage. He got in right away after the driver pulled over for him and headed back to his apartment.

The black motor carriage drove on the street of Sloten, passing buildings after buildings. People were flocking the streets, going about their own businesses. The familiar crowd and the bustling of the streets filled Graham's heart with joy.

"Has anything big happened here lately?" he asked the driver, who was a middle-aged man with a friendly face.

"Huh? Let's see..." the driver seemed to be thinking.

Honk!

He then suddenly pressed his horn because there was a man who just crossed the street recklessly.

"Stupid people..." he complained, "Something big? I think so, Sir. The Police had recently caught the terrorist group. Remember the collapsed apartment building? They've caught the people responsible for it."

Graham knew about the collapsed apartment, but he didn't know the detail. He only knew it was done by the Pale Society.

"So the Police have managed to get rid of the Pale Society all the way to their root? The location that Emiel gave us must be real then," Graham muttered quietly.

"Also, Sir, there is another serial killer victim. That's what they said. The newspaper said the Police can't determine yet, but we all know it's the same serial killer. How can they not catch the killer yet? It's been a whole month!"

The driver then kept on talking about how the city was safer back then when he was younger, and how crime rates had increased lately. It made him feel not safe to drive alone at night, for fear of being mugged by a fake passenger.

"Don't worry, the Police will surely make sure the streets remain safe. It's their job, after all, isn't it?" replied Graham after the driver finally stopped blabbering.

"Let's hope so, Sir. Anyway, here we are, Vakbond apartment, right?"

The man pulled over right in front of an old apartment building with the sign 'Vakbond Apartment' hung above the door. After paying and thanking the man, Graham got out with his cane and suitcase and walked towards the apartment building that he had left for a while.

Suddenly, a man was running towards him, eyeing the large suitcase in his hand. He was wearing a facemask and a wool hat that covered most of his head. There were gloves covering his hands, most likely to avoid leaving fingerprints. The man appeared to be ready to commit a crime.

"I order you to stop moving!" Graham mumbled simply as the man was about to snatch his suitcase.

"!!"

The man was suddenly unable to lift his muscles, let alone move. He was frozen in place, and his eyes reflected his confusion and fear of the unknown situation befalling him. People around looked at him curiously, but Graham had no interest in the thief. He was already impatient to get home.

Creak...

The wooden door made a loud noise as he opened it. The smell of cleaning agents and the sight of wall paint peeling welcomed him home. Walking down the small lobby towards the stairs, the wooden floor shook under his weight, squeaking with his every step.

Upon arriving at the second floor where his apartment was, he noticed that there was someone standing in front of his door as if waiting for him. The person was a man, probably in his mid-thirties, wearing a pair of glasses and a trench coat. The man looked like a detective himself, so it would be weird for him to be waiting for Graham.

"Did we forget to flip over the open sign, Val? I don't think we did," he walked down the corridor, approaching his apartment that was also his office.

The man noticed the person walking towards him and his expression suddenly lit up. It seemed to really be the case that he was waiting for Graham.

Creak...

The door with the number 24 was opened and a young man wearing a black sweater came out. It was his neighbor and partner in crime, Luuk van der Meer. The young medical student with neat brown hair that was combed to the back saw his neighbor returning and greeted him with a smile.

"Mr. Hymes, you're back," he said, and then looked at the other man with a trench coat. Suddenly, there was a look of guilt on his face.

"What is this, Luuk?" Graham's voice was demanding. He wanted an explanation because it seemed that Luuk had something to do with him still receiving clients despite being away.

Graham then noticed that the sign on the door indeed showed 'open' instead of 'closed' like when he left it before. It must have been his neighbor's doing since he remembered clearly flipping it over before.

"Uhm... I needed the money, so I've been solving cases in your place," he answered while scratching the back of his head, "I'm not using your name, don't worry. I just told them I was your assistant, which I technically am, right?"

Graham shook his head and tapped his face.

"So, you are Detective Hymes? I've been waiting for you. It seems that I came at the right time," he looked at the large suitcase that the man with auburn hair was dragging, "If I had come a day early, I wouldn't have met you," he laughed and extended his right hand, "I'm Johann Bockhorst. Call me Johann."

Accepting the man's handshake offer, Graham replied with a firm grip, "Graham Hymes. Call me Graham. Let's all talk inside. And that includes you," he looked at his neighbor.

Luuk nodded awkwardly.

Click!

After twisting the key, the door was unlocked. Graham opened it and turned on the light once he was inside. Placing the large suitcase next to his desk and hanging his trench coat on his chair, he sat down leisurely and put his trilby on the desk.

"Sorry for the dust. I've been away," he apologized.

Johann took the seat opposite Graham while Luuk sat on the sofa after closing the door behind him.

Graham had had no real time to clean up his apartment back then, so it was rather messy and the dust had accumulated on the surfaces. He had planned to do some cleaning once he got home, but now that he had a guest, he had to put it off.

"Miss van Nostrand referred you to me, so we can start from there," Johann started speaking, not minding the state of the office, "That means I can trust you with the fact that I am also a Contractbound."

Johann's straightforwardness took Graham by surprise, but he quickly controlled his expression. He nodded, signaling at the man to continue.

"I am sure you've heard of the Pravitatem killer," he paused, observing the man's reaction to his words.

Graham raised his eyebrow and then nodded again, "Yes, I do. How did you learn of the name?"

A smile surfaced on Johann's oval face.

"That's because I'm a detective, just like you. And I also have a divination ability just like you," he replied; there was a slight tinge of pride in his voice.

"And I'm sure Agatha told you all about it?" asked Graham with suspicion.

"Yes, but that's all she told me. Anyway, I'm not here to talk about her. I'm here to propose cooperation, and that can include this young 'assistant' of yours as well," his tone humbled down, "Pravitatem had killed yet another victim and they must be stopped. With our power combined, I'm sure we can catch them."

Graham rubbed his chin.

"What makes you sure that we can catch a criminal group that even the Police can't catch up until now? And besides, what's in it for you?"

Luuk was looking at his neighbor who seemed somewhat different. His aura was somewhat more profound than before.

Meanwhile, Johann chuckled as if he had been caught red-handed. His jolly expression then turned grim as his light brown eyes were looking straight at Graham.

"If it will gain your trust, then I'll just be honest with you. The last victim was my Fiancée, so you can call this my act of revenge. And I cannot do this alone; I need your help," he said honestly.

There didn't seem to be any lies in his words. However, Graham was not Valentine, so he couldn't be sure until he used divination later.

"Oh, and Miss van Nostrand also promised to help in case we need her. We just need to give her a call and she'll be up and running."

Leaning back on his chair, Graham observed the man carefully. There was a hint of dry tear marks around his eyes that he wouldn't have picked up if not for his boosted eyesight. The man's nails looked like they had been chewed on recently, while his blonde hair, despite his effort to comb it neatly, still looked rather messy. It seemed that he was not lying about losing his dearest one-- at least judging from the subtle hints that his appearance let out.

"But what's in it for us?" Graham asked.

The man smiled bitterly.

"I can pay you a lot of money. After all, I don't need it anymore for my wedding, haha," he laughed, but there certainly was a pain in his voice, "Or you can have my artifact instead..."

Hearing the mention of money, both Graham's and Luuk's eyes lit up. However, the moment the man mentioned the word artifact, Graham became even more interested.

"What artifact is it?" asked Graham curiously.

Johann reached into the pocket of his trench coat and took out a big needle that was almost as long as Valentine's dagger. He placed the needle on the desk and took off the ring that he was wearing.

"That's an artifact? Not enhanced equipment?" Graham asked in surprise. To him, anything that could be worn would belong to the latter category.

Johann smiled gently.

"Tell me, do you know the difference between an artifact and a piece of enhanced equipment?"

In response to the man's question, Graham shook his head. He had come up with his own theory, but he had to admit that he didn't know the real difference.

"A piece of enhanced equipment can be forged by a human. It is usually, or mostly, to be honest, made of the remains of a Contractbound or a powerful supernatural creature. Enhanced equipment made from a Contractbound can be used as a ritual material for the corresponding Deity."

The man's explanation got him surprised for a second, but he remembered that he had used the Ring of Fire Divination as his ritual material. He then wondered if he could use Dr. Obtuse's Cane or Purloin should he need to. He had no interest in using Gloom's Redress because he didn't want to make a contract with the Deity of Stupidity and Hatred.

"As for artifacts, they are made by existence unknown to us. Some said they were forged by the Deities themselves, while some others said they were the remnants of dead Deities. We mortals will never know, but what we know is that artifacts are very powerful and usually they offer effects that are different from the abilities granted by the Deities. And they can't be used as ritual materials either," Johann continued explaining.

Graham and Luuk were both listening intently; the latter only nodding without saying anything.

"So what is this artifact of yours good for?" asked Graham, looking at the seemingly normal needle and ring in front of him.

"This is called the Needle of Sutekh. Dip it in a substance, and it will coat itself in the substance indefinitely while increasing the effect by twice. It means, if you dip it in venom, the needle will be a venomous needle with twice the venom's potency. You might not be able to see it, but there is actually a long thread connecting the needle to the ring, allowing the user to control it at will. This needle will make the perfect stealth weapon," Johann explained.

Graham was indeed unable to see the thread at all since it was invisible.

"But what's the catch?" he asked.

"Its negative effect is that it needs to be submerged in your blood at least once a week, and it will also increase your bloodlust, making you more eager to engage in killing. For someone with good self-control, the second negative effect shouldn't be too bad, while the first one is easily manageable,"

Graham nodded. Submerging the needle once a week in his blood did sound not too bad, although because of its size, it would need a lot of blood. The second side effect could be mitigated by using Thought Implant on himself to suppress the bloodlust.

Luuk didn't seem to be interested in the artifact at all. He was more interested in money since he seemed to be in need of some currently.

"I can agree to help you in that case. But, I need some time to gather materials for my next ritual first," Graham finally said.

Johann nodded.

"It's fine by me, as long as you don't take too long. I've found a clue, but it'll be too dangerous for me to go alone, or even just with Agatha. I need your help,"

"What about you, Luuk?" Graham asked his neighbor who had been sitting silently on the sofa.

"If the money is good then I'm in," he replied straightforwardly.

Johann seemed relieved to hear the reply.

"Then we have ourselves a deal," said Graham, offering the man a handshake.