"What?" Toller, who was built like a bear, was startled. He glanced at Klein, then looked into the guest room, and rushed in with an agility that shouldn't have been possible for him.
He pulled back the white cloth covering the corpse, carefully examined it a few times, and sighed in relief. "It's better than I imagined. This isn't too big of a problem."
Maybe I should pull out my revolver and put five demon-hunting bullets into Councilman Maynard to see just how serious the problem really is... Klein grumbled inwardly. Pointing outside, he asked, "There's nothing left for me here, is there?"
"No!" Toller suddenly shouted. "Wait a moment longer."
"Why?" Klein asked in confusion.
Toller explained very seriously and solemnly: "We have to prevent any accidents. Once we question Mrs. Sharon and have the statement recorded, I'll escort you back to Zouteland Street."
If Maynard, who had been dead for over ten hours, could "come back to life," what couldn't happen? What would I do if you left? Toller silently added in his mind.
"Alright." Klein rubbed his temple. "Find me a quiet room to rest."
Having only just advanced a day ago, his condition was unstable in many respects. He had just conducted several rituals, used two charms, and suffered quite a scare, so he had to meditate as soon as possible to purge any problems.
Klein was now exceptionally wary of "losing control."
Toller pulled the white cloth back up, visibly more relaxed. "No problem."
He led Klein into a guest room near the sunroom and pointed inside. "Inspector Moretti, you can rest easy. No one will disturb you. I'm going to find Mrs. Sharon first."
Klein nodded slightly, watching the other man leave before closing the door and drawing the curtains.
In the dim, quiet bedroom, he slowly walked to the rocking chair and lay down comfortably, letting his body sway back and forth rhythmically.
Countless illusory specks of light gathered in his mind, and the buzzing in his ears and the throbbing in his head gradually faded away.
Once his state was stable, he opened his eyes and looked at the furniture—the bed, the wardrobe—outlined in the darkness. With a peaceful mind and body, he began to summarize his previous attempts:
"My more exaggerated jokes haven't received any 'feedback' for now..." "Maybe I haven't truly controlled the power of the 'Clown' potion yet, and there are still negative effects... Of course, I can't rule out the possibility that this kind of acting isn't very effective." "Personally, I'm not too keen on acting as a 'Clown,' but since I chose this Sequence pathway, I have to bite the bullet and keep going..." "Actually, everyone in life is a bit of a 'Clown' to some extent, so I shouldn't reject it too much..." "I need to figure out what the core essence of a 'Clown' is as soon as possible..."
Out of habit, he wanted to divine whether the death of Maynard involved any supernatural factors.
This must be an occupational hazard... Klein shook his head with a wry smile, his eyes turning deep as he silently repeated, "John Maynard's death involves supernatural factors."
*Clang!*
Lying in the rocking chair, he flicked the half-penny coin, watching its bronze body tumble and glint in the dimness.
*Snap!* The coin landed squarely in Klein's palm, the number 1/2 facing up.
"Negation... meaning John Maynard's death does not involve supernatural factors... This guy really did just die from extreme pleasure, it seems... The dead are the greatest, so I won't use a Chinese saying to mock him..."
*Knock, knock, knock.*
Amidst the slow, rhythmic knocking, Klein tidied his clothes, put on his soft cap with the police badge, left the rocking chair, and walked slowly to the door.
Just as his right hand touched the handle, a sudden image appeared in his mind: Inspector Toller, built like a bear, stood outside the door, tugging at his collar, expression obviously agitated and helpless.
Turning the handle, Klein unhurriedly opened the door.
Inspector Toller appeared in his sight, adjusting his collar. "I'm terribly sorry to have kept you waiting so long." "We've already spoken with Mrs. Sharon and taken her statement. You can return to Zouteland Street now." "I really am sorry for wasting your precious time."
Klein didn't ask about the reason for the other's mood. Instead, he turned and laughed. "Mrs. Sharon admitted to being with Councilman Maynard last night?"
"Yes. She said that under the influence of large amounts of alcohol, she and Councilman Maynard couldn't control themselves for a moment. When she discovered he had died suddenly, she was very frightened. After doing a little to cover her tracks, she fled the room and hid in her own guest room. For now, we don't have enough evidence to charge her with a crime, so we had to let her go, restrict her movement a little, and wait for further autopsy results." Inspector Toller explained in detail.
Klein tilted his head slightly, smiling sharply. "Who are you explaining this to?"