The end of the exam slowed down the tense life, but the next 15 practical credits, Holy Prayer, almost filled the schedule for next week.
Shad didn't have time to give himself more opportunities to relax.
Early on Sunday morning, after breakfast, Xia De went out. After a whole week's delay, Mrs. Lemaire's acceptance of the inheritance could finally proceed.
This middle-aged woman, who is not very courageous, believed the horrific rumors from her neighbors. After the martial law in the city ended last Friday, she took her children to live in the countryside temporarily.
Seeing that nothing else happened in the city of Tobesk, Mrs. Lemaire finally returned to the city, and according to the original plan, accepted the inheritance of the dead crew member on Sunday morning at her home.
Mrs. Le Maire had an unhappy marriage. Her husband left at an early age, and she raised her two children alone. A family of three lived in a narrow rental apartment in the north of the city. After Xia De jumped out of the rental carriage and found Silver Ash Lane based on the house number, he was also amazed at the dirty and messy living environment here.
This is a slum in the standard sense, and it is the life scene of the lowest class citizens in this era. Foreigners from other places only come from their own imagination to the impression of the slums in the backward era, and they only took a look or two when they passed by in the past. Now that I walked here in a real sense, I realized that everything was worse than I thought.
Even though it hasn't rained recently, the ground is still muddy. Taking a deep breath, the muddy floor was sprinkled with a strange-smelling liquid, which mixed with the smell of the narrow and rugged alley itself, making people sick. The damp, dark and even weird alleys are different from the streets of the city. Even the police officers of Ridwich Field who are patrolling will not easily walk in.
Compared with this prosperous and crazy era, the Tobesk slums seem to be an anomalous area that has lagged behind the time for three hundred years. Last night at the Queen Maria Opera House, Shade had seen the best of this era, and now he also saw the worst of this era.
"Maybe it's not the worst here, I just can't see the places that are far from the city... what's that soft thing I just stepped on..."
He's glad he chose to wear boots today.
Mrs. Lemaire lived in a loft at 6 Silver Lane, sharing a kitchen and bathroom with people in a building. After knocking on the greasy door downstairs, a fat woman with a wig opened the door.
After explaining his purpose, he was allowed to enter. Xia De stepped on the narrow stairs. At the corner of the stairs, he had to wait sideways because he had to avoid the young man in patched clothes holding a pile of books.
The first floor is where the landlord's family lives, and the dark and damp second and third floors are divided into more than ten areas for rent to different poor families. A huge gas meter hangs on the dark stairway, and rusty gas pipes as thick as wrists climb the moldy walls and lead to every house on the floor.
This old-fashioned gas meter will make a very clear click~ sound every time it beats. Although he knows that this old product that should have been eliminated long ago is still being used, there is a high probability that the landlord has no money to replace it with a new one, but Xia De still believes that the clicking sound of the old-fashioned gas meter is also a warning to the poor people living here. , and every gas use they make means pennies slipping from their hands.
The musty smell in the air was mixed with a variety of strange smells, and every time the stairs under my feet creaked, there would be a creaking sound.
Even if Shad was only here for the first time, he was very sure that this kind of place must be a place with high incidence of diseases and parasites. Not to mention humans, even animals that are accustomed to living in the wild, it is difficult to live for too long in a similar environment for a long time.
The simple stairs at the end of the corridor on the third floor lead to the attic. After Xia De knocked on the door, the person who opened the door was a middle-aged woman whom he hadn't seen for more than a week. Seeing that the detective arrived at the agreed time, she smiled and let Xia De enter.
Xia Deming came ten minutes earlier, but he didn't expect Lawyer Locke Laurel to come earlier than him.
"It's you!"
The lawyer stood up and wanted to say hello, and then recognized the young man who had played Rhodes with him. Surprised, he immediately thought of his abnormal behavior that day:
"Wait, you approached me that day, didn't you come to investigate me?"
"I have the right to keep the secrets of my clients."
Xia De said with a smile, then stepped forward and shook hands with the lawyer:
"But this time, I really came to help Mrs. Le Maire accept the inheritance."
"I know . . . I also know that you've made more money this trip than I have. Are detectives always paid so well?"
The two shook their arms lightly, and Lawyer Laurel did not mention the money lost to Xia De last time.
At work, the image of Mr. Rock Laurel today is very different from the image in the tavern that morning. At least, he didn't propose to play another game with Shad after work.
The children were not at home, and Madame Lemaire entertained the detective and the lawyer with well-washed teacups.
The three of them sat down at the dining table whose legs were padded with old newspapers. The three chairs were of different styles, and there was reason to believe that they were all second-hand goods from unknown hands.
The house was cleaned up very cleanly. Maybe the life of the family was very difficult, but this middle-aged woman maintained an optimistic attitude. The sun shines in from the windows of the attic, and the stains on the floor that cannot be removed all the year round are reasonably covered by the furniture. There are no rooms in the attic. When you enter the door, there is a dining table, and then there are two mattresses that are placed directly on the ground.
The family needed money, and although it was a cruel thought, the crew member who died because he messed with the mermaid statue died at the right time.
Everything on the dining table has been taken away. Although there is still a pungent rancid smell, at least it looks tidy. The lawyer took out the kraft paper bag from his briefcase, and solemnly took out the documents inside. Passed it to Mrs. Lemaire first, and Mrs. Lemaire handed it to Shade after changing hands.
She was not very literate, and the advertisements for the Hamilton detective agency were read to her by neighbors.
That document was the text of the will, handwritten in blue ink, signed a year ago, and the crew members who often went to sea had thought that they would encounter accidents sooner or later.
"If there is no problem with the will, the transfer of the estate will begin now."
Lawyer Laurel said that Shad asked him to wait a moment, and then read it carefully:
"no problem."
Madame Lemaire was pleased with the detective's earnestness.
"The inheritance is divided into three parts, the first is the cash part. Mr. Jonathan Le Maire has deposited 53 pounds and 4 shillings in cash with his friends. Because the inheritance tax is involved in the notarization of the estate, you can get 49 pounds and 16 shillings. 7 pence."
The lawyer pushed the envelope containing the money and the tax return to the middle-aged woman on the other side of the table. She took the envelope at a loss and counted the amount of banknotes inside, while Xia De took the tax return and read it.
If the inheritance is only transferred privately, then of course there is no tax declaration involved, but this kind of inheritance notarized by the city hall must be taxed. Now is not the war years, so the tax rate is not very high. The inheritance tax of about 5% is actually mainly due to the transfer of property in different places.
"no problem."
Xia De whispered to his employer, who nodded nervously, the banknotes in front of him had been sorted and stacked according to their face value, and it was indeed that number.
"The second part of the legacy is Mr. Jonathan Lemaire's personal collection, mainly some souvenirs from the New World, as well as items obtained during sea voyages. It is difficult to estimate the value of these items, because... ..Most of them are worthless. So there is no tax issue involved. In addition, Mr. Le Maire did not leave a manifest to record what he had. These were handed over to me directly by his friends, so I cannot guarantee everything It's all here."
As the lawyer said, he bent down and carried a black suitcase at his feet to the table. Clap~ After unlocking the lock a few times, he opened the lid of the box, and pushed it to Mrs. Lemaire vigorously. The suitcase is marked with red ink, but the contents are put together casually and not neatly arranged:
"By the way, this box is also a relic, and I didn't provide it."
Presumably, the lawyer added, the box itself might be worth more than its contents.
The crew’s collection is very rich, including dark ore, fish specimens, colorful masks with strange smiles, invisible badges, pendants in the shape of anchors, wooden toys, UU reading www.uukanshu.com, etc. etc. It looks like sundries, but if it is a travel souvenir, it can be accepted by people.
Xia De was originally worried that there would be something dangerous in the relic, and even worried that the mermaid statue belonging to the crew was also sent to Tobesk. But until the box appeared in front of him, he didn't feel any whispering elements.
After obtaining Mrs. Lemaire's permission, he took out the items in the box one by one to check, and when he touched them with his hands, the voice in his head did not give any hints.
"Sure enough, it's so easy to come across the [relic]."
"Distant relatives", "seafarers who died in shipwreck", and "inheritance" combined together, it seems like the beginning of a classic horror novel, but at least it seems that everything is normal this time, so Shade indicated to the lawyer that he could The last part of the legacy is read.
"The third part of the inheritance belongs to Jonathan Lemaire's personal items. He went to sea all year round and left some personal items with his friends, roughly diaries, clothes and some books. These relics are also not subject to tax, but There is also no list."
He struggled to lift the last suitcase to the table, opened it and pushed it to Mrs. Lemaire.
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