The Secret Code of Monsters.

Chapter 551: Danbach and the End of the Circus

Chapter 551: Dan Budge and the End of the Circus
"The body over there is still intact...ah, this one is broken like the broken heart of the girl who left me...it seems that our Mr. 'liar' chose to kill them in batches and then burn them all at once."

Roland and several police officers walked through the scorched earth.

The sheriff who spoke first was an acquaintance of Roland, Dan Budge, who had dealt with Roland in the case of John Shelley and Madeline Terry.

The old sheriff was in a bad mood today - the fire set by Mason Lyle not only burned a large area of grass and trees, but also spread to the homes of the wealthy who bought land in the suburbs for peace and leisure.

He had already taken a bath in the spit of those masters yesterday.

As for why he knew that it was Mason Lyle who set the fire...

Dan Budge admitted that some (most) of the dark gentlemen in Scotland Yard were indeed machines that produced feces, but there were also many smart people in this industry - especially those who could deal with "witches", whose brains were more flexible and cautious than normal people.

The scene left by Mason Lyle did look like a fire (caused by a kerosene lamp), but a closer look revealed too many suspicious points in the case.

First of all, this Mr. 'scammer' recently lost a large sum of money.

An investment that bankrupted him - it's not surprising what a gambler can do, is it?

At the same time, all the members and props of his circus were changed, and all items were given to another lady - by the way, this lady had "disappeared" for at least three days.

Then, when Dan Budge was looking through the record book, he found that not long ago, the Burns family's servant came to report to the police that a servant was "missing" from the house.

Through investigation, it was found that the maid had often gone in and out of a long-term rental house with a handsome middle-aged man - the woman living next door talked about it incessantly, and vividly described how "noisy" they were and how they "disgustingly" kissed each other at the door.

Dan Budge could almost conclude from her description that the 'peacock' was Mason Lyle.

At last.

It's the scene.

There is a world of difference between a fire and arson, and between someone accidentally burned to death and someone being murdered.

Mason Lyle's tent was clean, and they should have been able to find something of value from the items that had not been eaten away by the flames.

Unfortunately, this person didn't leave a penny behind.

To say he wasn't the murderer, Dan Budge would have dared to stick his nephew's finger into his eye and then suck it clean.

Poor nephew.

Poor little monsters.

Dan Budge's eyes were filled with a hint of sadness: Unlike those 'holy heads', he certainly understood that these 'monsters' that made people laugh with their deformities were actually no different from the insignificant 'dust' in the East End.

At best, it has more hands, or more heads, more hair, and is good at burping.

They satisfy the public's desire for voyeurism and curiosity, but they have no money in their pockets - this is in line with the current public's view of them: they should be whipped to make them repent of the curse on their blood or soul, and these evil offspring who should not have been born are not worthy of using the same things as them.

For example, currency.

This argument undoubtedly gives people like Mason Lyle a very good excuse.

'damn it. ’

The old sheriff muttered, took the handkerchief handed to him from behind, wrapped it around his fingers and wiped them.

When the bodies are burnt and it is difficult to distinguish their appearance and identity, it is difficult to proceed with the case - but there is a better joke: even if these people with congenital deformities are burned into black sticks, it is still possible to tell who is who.

The officers went through the pile one by one, picking up the odds and ends of overcooked meat into a pile, then sorting out which piece belonged to which pile.

A police officer came running over with a hunched back, muttered something to the old sheriff, and led them to a piece of scorched earth at the farthest point.

One body stood out.

Very tall, with two heads.

One of her heads was burned to a black coal, attached to her body, and the other had been cut off, with the neck still attached: the knife she had used for the performance was in her hand, as if she had done it herself.

Their bodies had long been carbonized, and among the broken pieces of debris, a heart that looked like it was pieced together from crystal was shining.

……

「Name」: Shining Heart

Type: Ritual (Human)

「Description」: A crystal clear sacrifice.

Pain, hatred, deep love.

Entanglement, struggle, torture...

sacrifice.

One body, two souls.

What is the highest expression of love?
Note: This heart from a 'monster' cannot be used in the Crowning Ceremony.

……

Roland's face was wooden.

Dan Budge turned his head to look at him, turned on his toes, and walked towards the body.

On the burnt tent floor, on the head that was almost cut off, you could see a dense mass of thumb-sized fishhooks:
They were firmly hooked into the flesh, including the face, lips, gums, between teeth, nostrils, eyeballs, eye sockets, and scalp.

These fish hooks were connected with wire, twisted into a thicker strand, and hooked on the iron pins used to fix the tent.

In addition, a thick iron chain was placed around the neck.

Dan Budge squatted down, took off his hat and put it on his chest, and gently grasped the chain with his other hand and shook it. "I know her."

Roland spoke behind him.

"Bodaily, the older sister of the two."

Obvious.

Someone hung fish hooks all over Bodelli's face and locked the two people's necks with chains, leaving only space for one head to enter and exit.

Perhaps for some reason, the two sisters were not killed immediately.

But, there was a fire.

Dan Budge could almost imagine the scene: flames and black smoke.

The older sister's head endured the pain and tore off the fishhooks on her face one by one, tearing herself into a bloody mess - however, the flames spread faster than anyone could imagine, devouring and melting all tangible objects in sight.

then.

The elder sister thought it over again and again, and used a dart knife to cut off her head bit by bit - but she didn't cut it all the way. Maybe she was too stupid and didn't consider the subsequent method of stopping the bleeding. Excessive bleeding led to the death of her sister and her.

Maybe it was her younger sister who stopped her. The two sisters entangled and struggled in the quagmire of flames, just like they were inseparable in their mother's womb.

Their souls melt in the most passionate emotions and die in a reborn way.

Dan Budge sighed and said, "It seems that your eyes..."

Roland: "Yes, we magicians always have a special way of observing the world."

Dan Budge: "That's not good news. I thought you were safe from all this filth."

Roland: "We are all the same, Mr. Budge."

"Sometimes I often think that I should not be called Sheriff Butch, but Criminal Butch." Old Butch's hard face forced out a self-deprecating smile, and his eyes were cold: "There is something fucking wrong with this world... Mr. Collins, if this world were a person, it would definitely be crazy."

Roland said nothing.

"I am older than you and have seen more cases... Of course, I don't want to teach you anything. You have special powers, and you don't need an old man to tell you anything... But."

Dan Budge said as he removed the fishhooks from her face one by one.

"But."

He paused.

"What's going on in this world?"

The old sheriff didn't understand.

"The richer they are, the crazier they are. Don't they have enough? Power, prestige, titles, fame, blood, gold pounds - nobility, convenience, respect, happiness. They have almost everything..."

Dan Budge's words were a little extreme under the circumstances, but his tone was as flat and slow as usual.

“Now, they are becoming contagious again.”

"Infecting those idiots who have no hope of sitting at the table with their own madness and ambition..."

Roland rubbed his face gently, as if some fishhooks had pierced his flesh invisibly.

“It’s in our nature,” he said.

"No, Mr. Collins, I can't agree to that." Dan Budge shook his head and stood up. "People are not like that, Mr. Collins. People are not like that."

He looked past Roland and towards the dark land in the distance.

The police officers held cigarettes in their mouths, cursed and fiddled with the charred bodies. Some of them even secretly put things that looked valuable and could be sold into their pockets.

"If one day people become crazy..."

"Someone must have done something wrong."

"Era? Or..."

Dan Budge pulled out the wrinkled cigarette, held it between his front teeth, and struck a few matches.

"Oh, by the way." He suddenly asked, "Since the case is closed, does that mean you have found Mason Lyle?"

"Of course." Roland nodded: "Our Mr. Liar, and all his belongings."

Dan Budge exhaled a puff of smoke.

"What will happen to him? Burn to death?"

Roland shook his head.

Before the old sheriff could show any disappointment, he turned around.

"I don't know," Roland said in a faint voice, "but the interrogator Mason Lyle met... probably used up all his bad luck in life."

Dan Budge understood what Roland meant.