Marvel Magic Case Files.

Chapter 24 The Wizard Arrives (Seeking Investment!)

Salomon left the library and hailed a taxi in the town, heading to Angel Bay, located on the outskirts.

As Salomon got into the taxi, he made up a story and started chatting with the driver. He just didn't like socializing, but he would still lie when the opportunity arose. According to the taxi driver, he had lived in this town since he was a child. The town had a very ordinary name and no rare mineral resources. Apart from fishing, there were almost no other options. The town's public high school had very poor academic performance, and young people couldn't find a way out, so they had to go to big cities to make a living.

Overall, this town is just one example among countless ordinary agricultural and fishing towns in the United States.

But Salomon managed to subtly guide the conversation, leading the driver to mention the Collins family. This piqued the interest of the dark-skinned, mixed-race driver who had lived in the town "from childhood." According to him, the mistress of Port Angels was a heartthrob before her disappearance; she was a kind and beautiful woman, and he had seen Angelique Butchard when he was a child. He spoke fluently with his distinctive accent, gesturing wildly with one arm as he spoke, and if he weren't holding the steering wheel, he would have been even more animated.

"Hey bro, let me tell you, I've seen her, back when I was a kid. Damn, I've never seen such a beautiful woman before. I still dream about her all the time. Don't tell my wife about this. You're questioning me? Let me tell you, once you see her, you won't ask that anymore. I'll never forget the way she looked in that red dress. I'm telling you, you won't see a beauty like that in any big city. Even in New York or Los Angeles, I guarantee no woman is prettier than her..."

Salomon painstakingly pieced together some information from the driver's rhythmic words. The gist was that after Angelique Butchard's disappearance, the Collins family's Port Collins had once again taken control of the town's fishing industry. No one knew where Angelique Butchard had gone, and every older man in the town missed that elusive woman, like a dream.

"Haven't you heard where Angelique Butchart went missing?" Salomon asked casually. "I think the police would do their best to find a taxpayer like her, wouldn't they?"

"I don't know either." The driver shrugged. "It's said that the Butchart family suddenly appeared here, suddenly disappeared, which makes sense."

"Yes, it makes perfect sense..." Salomon looked out the car window with a worried expression. The vehicle slowly drove into Port Angel. Since Angelique Butchard's disappearance, the area had deteriorated, with resources frequently being taken over by Port Collins. Fishermen refused to sell their catch to Port Angel; the former canneries were now dilapidated, and the harbor was filled with rotting fishing boats and nets. Only hungry seagulls would visit, perching on wooden stakes extending into the sea, trying to scavenge for rotten fish.

Salomon felt as if a fine net of black threads extended from the Collins family, enveloping the entire town, much like a fine mesh net used to catch sardines, scooping up anything that couldn't pass through the mesh—the police, the media, for example. If Salomon hadn't found enough suspicious points and clues in the library's old papers, no one would have imagined that the Collins family, seemingly the town's economic lifeline, harbored such profound darkness.

Since 1972, murders have been occurring frequently in the small town, but police investigations and media reports always fizzle out and are hastily closed. At first, some people were interested in mentioning the gruesome state of the bodies, but later, no one was interested in the victims with their throats bitten open.

Salomon hired the driver at a high price, and he took him around the town all day until late at night. After agreeing to meet again the next day, Salomon opened a portal in a deserted corner and returned to Kamar-Taj headquarters. It wasn't night in Kamar-Taj now, but Salomon still went straight to sleep. Investigating and searching through the messy documents to find useful clues was simply too exhausting.

Upon waking, he began preparing for the challenges of facing vampires, including silver and specific spellcasting materials. Salomon hastily finished what he thought was one of his three meals, then reopened the portal and returned to Port Corinth.

There, the driver was waiting for him.

"Colin Manor." Salomon's first words from the passenger seat were cold and hard, as if he had prepared himself mentally. In fact, he planned to get clues about the witch from Barnabas Collins, and if necessary, he would also get rid of the vampire.

"They are cursed." Perhaps because Salomon had spent a lot of money, the driver was reluctant to let Salomon go to that gloomy place. Even though the Collins family supported many people in the town, they were still not well-liked.

"It's alright," Salomon murmured. "I went to them because of the curse."

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"Willie! Stop drinking! You bald, drunkard with not a single hair on your head! Clean the hall right now! Do you hear me?!" Caroline Stoddard shouted from the wide steps at one end of the living room. Even though it was daytime, the heavy black woolen curtains in the living room were still drawn tightly, with only a few rays of light filtering through, while the rest of the living room remained shrouded in shadow. Caroline was a woman with a graceful figure, slightly plump. Time hadn't lingered on her body for long; even in middle age, her figure hadn't changed at all, and she still possessed an extremely alluring bottom.

There was a reason she was yelling on the steps: her slightly autistic younger brother, David Collins, had dropped food on the carpet again. At her shouting, David, with his long, black curly hair, couldn't help but shudder, the curls on his forehead trembling.

"Calm down, Caroline," a silver-haired woman sitting on the sofa said after moving a chess piece. Although she was quite old, her mind and movements were still agile. She said, "Don't make David too nervous. Also, Willie is old too; be understanding of his slower movements."

“You still don’t want me to turn you into a vampire. I think you’ve already experienced the consequences of aging, Elizabeth.” Sitting on the opposite sofa was a pale-faced man with short, dark hair, dressed in classic 18th-century English attire. His black coat was adorned with numerous jewels of various colors, its cuffs and hem exquisitely ornate, and a white lace bow tie adorned his neck. After a moment’s thought, he moved a chess piece. He said, “We have rebuilt the Collins family. Look at everything in this living room. After that fire, these exquisite sculptures and collections were all acquired by you, and this too.”

He pointed to the crystal chandelier above him. "I hope you can keep watching and witness the Collins family's return to glory."

"Aging is a pleasure of life, something you can't understand. I'm tired now; I'll leave the rest to Caroline and David." Age hadn't diminished Elizabeth's elegance. She said, "Barnabas, it's your turn to go."

"Willy! Willie! Where are you!" Caroline raised her voice when Willie didn't appear in front of her.

Immediately following were hurried footsteps, and the hall door suddenly opened.

Willie, who had no hair on his head, ran in panting. "Master... huff, huff, huff..."

"Relax, relax." Barnabas picked up a glass with his hand, which had sharp nails, stood up, walked over to Willie, and handed him the glass. "Drink, Willie, and tell me, what happened?"

"Someone...is coming..." Willie downed his sparkling wine in one gulp, "Burp..."

"The police? Or the newspaper?" Barnabas turned away, no longer paying attention to Willie, and looked at Elizabeth. "I promise I've taken care of it."

"No, not the police, not the newspaper!" Willie exclaimed, his eyes wide with horror. "He looks like a... wizard!"

P.S.: I'm looking for investment!

Let's eat.

(End of this chapter)