“eating.”
Ennis disappeared through the hole in the ceiling.
Szilard closed his eyes. His lips curved into a smirk.
“Yes… I’m Assistant Inspector Edward Noah.”
The salute Edward gave had more spirit in it than the one he regularly used for his superintendent.
The pair in front of him were special agents from the Bureau of Investigation. It wasn’t that they outranked the superintendent. It wasonly that Edward would begin his training with them next week, and they would be senior members of his new force. This, in combination with the fact that he’d longed for this promotion, made the two men seem several times more dazzling to him than his boss.
“Uh… Thank you for your service. Erm… I’m Bill Sullivan, and this is—”
“Donald Brown here.”
Brown, who stood beside the thin Sullivan, introduced himself while interrupting his partner. He had a powerful build, and the fist that lightly clasped Edward’s hand seemed twice as big as Edward’s own.
His supervisor had told him about this in advance. Apparently, these two had come in pursuit of suspects from a multi-state string of robberies. Edward had been ordered to cooperate with their investigation as a member of the local police force.
“So… I think you’ve probably heard, but I’ll give you a brief rundown. Uh… Take a look at this photograph…”
As a point of fact, all Edward had been told was that there
was
a string of robberies and thefts, which meant this would be the first time he’d heard any details.
The photo he was handed showed a man and woman who were wrapped in bandages from head to toe. He knew one was a woman, because she was wearing a wedding dress over the bandages. Parenthetically, the one who was probably a man wasn’t wearing anything except the bandages. He was wrapped up so well that the only things exposed were his eyes and mouth, so in a sense, there was no real problem, but…
“……………”
For several seconds, Edward was silent.
Was this a Bureau of Investigation–style joke?
When he looked unsure how to respond, Bill gave a wry smile and explained.
“Uh… How should I put this? Hmm… Those two really are the suspects. That photo was taken by a newspaper reporter, out of curiosity. Apparently they were quite happy to let themselves be photographed. Uh… And then, you see. I’m not sure how to put it…”
Donald, seemingly unable to put up with his partner’s hemming and hawing any longer, picked up the explanation:
“Right afterward, those two committed a robbery. When the police came running, all they found were the bandages and the wedding dress, dropped in an alley. The only thing all the witnesses said was ‘Bandages,’ see? They had no solid leads.”
I see.
It made sense; if they initially struck in flashy clothes then disguised themselves, their chances of making a successful getaway increased significantly. …If they managed to make their flashy outfits blend in a bit beforehand, that is.
“They’ve also worn black masks and cloaks, and top hats and canes—Anyway, weird outfits. So far, they’ve committed more than eighty robberies and burglaries.”
“Then…why hasn’t anyone been able to catch these jokers before now?”
He thought it was a rude question, but he really had to ask it.
“Uh… How should I put it…? Because the damage they did was, um, what it was…they hadn’t made it onto the Bureau’s investigation list until now. Uh… The first one was clocks, if I recall. Then chocolate and candy… Once they stole the doors from a museum. Just the doors.”
Edward sighed inwardly. Did the Bureau of Investigation detectives have to run all over the country chasing nuts like these?
“However, as you’d figure, the one they pulled in New Jersey last month was a problem. They stole the millionaire Mr. Genoard’s legacy, down to the last cent.”
Edward hadn’t heard of that particular incident.
“…But that wasn’t in the papers, was
Ennis disappeared through the hole in the ceiling.
Szilard closed his eyes. His lips curved into a smirk.
“Yes… I’m Assistant Inspector Edward Noah.”
The salute Edward gave had more spirit in it than the one he regularly used for his superintendent.
The pair in front of him were special agents from the Bureau of Investigation. It wasn’t that they outranked the superintendent. It wasonly that Edward would begin his training with them next week, and they would be senior members of his new force. This, in combination with the fact that he’d longed for this promotion, made the two men seem several times more dazzling to him than his boss.
“Uh… Thank you for your service. Erm… I’m Bill Sullivan, and this is—”
“Donald Brown here.”
Brown, who stood beside the thin Sullivan, introduced himself while interrupting his partner. He had a powerful build, and the fist that lightly clasped Edward’s hand seemed twice as big as Edward’s own.
His supervisor had told him about this in advance. Apparently, these two had come in pursuit of suspects from a multi-state string of robberies. Edward had been ordered to cooperate with their investigation as a member of the local police force.
“So… I think you’ve probably heard, but I’ll give you a brief rundown. Uh… Take a look at this photograph…”
As a point of fact, all Edward had been told was that there
was
a string of robberies and thefts, which meant this would be the first time he’d heard any details.
The photo he was handed showed a man and woman who were wrapped in bandages from head to toe. He knew one was a woman, because she was wearing a wedding dress over the bandages. Parenthetically, the one who was probably a man wasn’t wearing anything except the bandages. He was wrapped up so well that the only things exposed were his eyes and mouth, so in a sense, there was no real problem, but…
“……………”
For several seconds, Edward was silent.
Was this a Bureau of Investigation–style joke?
When he looked unsure how to respond, Bill gave a wry smile and explained.
“Uh… How should I put this? Hmm… Those two really are the suspects. That photo was taken by a newspaper reporter, out of curiosity. Apparently they were quite happy to let themselves be photographed. Uh… And then, you see. I’m not sure how to put it…”
Donald, seemingly unable to put up with his partner’s hemming and hawing any longer, picked up the explanation:
“Right afterward, those two committed a robbery. When the police came running, all they found were the bandages and the wedding dress, dropped in an alley. The only thing all the witnesses said was ‘Bandages,’ see? They had no solid leads.”
I see.
It made sense; if they initially struck in flashy clothes then disguised themselves, their chances of making a successful getaway increased significantly. …If they managed to make their flashy outfits blend in a bit beforehand, that is.
“They’ve also worn black masks and cloaks, and top hats and canes—Anyway, weird outfits. So far, they’ve committed more than eighty robberies and burglaries.”
“Then…why hasn’t anyone been able to catch these jokers before now?”
He thought it was a rude question, but he really had to ask it.
“Uh… How should I put it…? Because the damage they did was, um, what it was…they hadn’t made it onto the Bureau’s investigation list until now. Uh… The first one was clocks, if I recall. Then chocolate and candy… Once they stole the doors from a museum. Just the doors.”
Edward sighed inwardly. Did the Bureau of Investigation detectives have to run all over the country chasing nuts like these?
“However, as you’d figure, the one they pulled in New Jersey last month was a problem. They stole the millionaire Mr. Genoard’s legacy, down to the last cent.”
Edward hadn’t heard of that particular incident.
“…But that wasn’t in the papers, was
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