According to the contract that Mr. Mendis signed with the late Detective Sparrow, when Mr. Mendis voluntarily announced the termination of the commission, in addition to the deposit, he would also have to pay an additional fee not exceeding one-third of the total amount based on the progress of the investigation.
Shard originally did not want the other party's money, and he would not return the deposit either, but Mr. Mendis insisted on paying. In the end, Shard received an investigation fee of 13 shillings and left Mr. Mendis's residence with Miss Maid.
It was four o'clock in the afternoon, and at this time at the end of summer, there was still no sign of dusk.
"This money, I think, should only be enough to cover our carriage fare for today,"
Miss Maid said to Shard on the carriage ride back to Saint Delan Square.