Old days, dice and investigator's manual

"At the time, I thought that the customer was probably just being polite, or that he had a poor sense of smell, so I didn't think much of it. But later, two more customers came, and when I mentioned the strange smell, each of them said that they didn't smell anything strange."

"In the days that followed, I could still smell that odor, and it not only didn't dissipate, but it got stronger and stronger. I cleaned the back office thoroughly again and even replaced the shelves, but it didn't work. The smell wasn't just in the store; I could smell it at home and on the street... It was like it was growing in my nose."

"I asked my wife and son, and they both said they couldn't smell it either, so I was sure that I was the only one who could smell that stench."

Isaac frowned. From the description, it seemed that only the shop owner could smell the odor, while others were completely unaware. This meant that the smell affected only the shop owner's senses, and the source was a piece of clothing that had been deliberately returned, after which the person who returned it disappeared without a trace.

Why didn't you report it to the police?

The shop owner sighed: "I thought about it, but I didn't go. It would be bad for my reputation if word got out. If other people heard about it, they would feel uncomfortable and think my shop wasn't clean."

"Besides, this smell only affects me. It's just a strange odor, nothing serious. I've been smelling it for almost half a month, and I'm starting to get used to it. I'm even wondering if I'm getting old and my sense of smell is deteriorating..."

Isaac understood. From his previous observations, he could tell that the shop owner was the type who neither liked to cause trouble nor wanted to ruin the shop's reputation. When faced with something that wasn't extremely bad, he probably just wanted to bear it alone.

If Isaac hadn't shown a reaction of "noticing a problem," the shop owner probably wouldn't have mentioned it at all.

...But how did Carlo discover it? Did he smell it too?

Isaac hesitated for a moment: "Do you remember what that customer who returned the clothes looked like?"

The shop owner thought for a moment: "Around thirty years old, medium build, brown hair and eyes, not particularly good-looking. Both times I met him, he was wearing an old dark green coat, all bundled up, and he spoke with a... I can't quite put my finger on where the accent came from."

"When he came to buy and return clothes, did he do anything unusual? For example, did he touch anything else in the store, or linger for an unusually long time?"

"I don't remember the time I bought clothes, but the time I returned clothes, I remember he put the clothes on the counter and said he wanted to return them. I picked them up and looked at them, and smelled that odor, so I told him I needed to confirm before I could return them. He didn't argue, just said, 'I'll come back another day,' and left."

Isaac asked a few more questions about the details of the garment: style, color, size, and label. The shop owner answered each question, but the information was very limited. At least in the shop owner's view, it was just an ordinary black ready-to-wear garment.

"Sir, what do you think about this..." The shop owner adjusted his glasses.

Isaac didn't immediately agree: "I need to... well, I'll have to ask the boss first."

The shop owner nodded, and Isaac turned back to Carlo's side: "Boss, what do you think?"

Carlo tilted his head: "I've found out the details, but how did I get to the job-taking stage so quickly?"

"Uh..." Isaac touched his nose, thinking to himself that he didn't have much experience in getting information out of people.

In this situation, the best way to get the other party to talk is to guide the conversation from the perspective of someone capable of solving the problem. Saying "I'm just asking around" is too unreliable, and going around in circles is unlikely to get the shop owner to reveal the truth. Saying "I'm from the FBI" would be too serious. In comparison, "a private investigator willing to take on the case" is a more suitable option.

Carlo didn't say anything more, yawned, and walked towards the counter.

When the shop owner saw him coming, he instinctively stood up straighter.

"What you've encountered involves a curse," Carlo said bluntly.

The shop owner's expression changed: "A curse?"

"That stench that only you can smell is a characteristic of the curse. If it continues like this, it's hard to say what will happen in the end."

The shop owner opened his mouth: "Well... can you gentlemen handle this?"

"It's not that we can't take on this commission," Carlo said, "but there are different levels of quality."

"What's the difference?"

"The difference between highly skilled professionals and cheap labor."

The shop owner clearly didn't understand. Carlo explained, "It's just a matter of whether I or he is in charge of handling it. If it's me, it'll be over quickly. If it's him, it'll probably be a bit more complicated."

The shopkeeper's gaze darted back and forth between Carlo and Isaac, then hesitated for a moment before asking, "Well... how much would it cost if I asked for your help?"

"100 pounds, just a small token."

The shop owner's expression froze.

Isaac calculated that 100 pounds is roughly the annual income of a middle-class person in a typical industry. Although the shop owner should be able to afford it, judging from the shop's business situation, he probably felt quite the pinch.

As expected, the shopkeeper glanced at Isaac, a hint of hesitation and probing in his eyes: "And... what about that gentleman?"

Carlo glanced at Isaac: "That's cheap labor, so naturally it's not as expensive as mine. Just ask him how much it costs."

With a complicated feeling of embarrassment, the shop owner turned to Isaac. Isaac hadn't expected to be given the pricing power so easily, and he pondered for a moment.

He was new to the business and didn't really understand the pricing standards for this type of commission, but Carlo's seemingly casual price of £100 actually clearly outlined the pricing framework.

The £100 cap is a "significant price" for "highly skilled professionals," indicating that in his view, the severity of the incident is only worth that amount.

At the same time, he also offered the option of "cheap labor," which means that, at least in Carlo's evaluation system, it falls into the category of allowing newcomers to practice.

He can't quote too low a number, because that would seem unprofessional and make people think the job is worthless, making his labor seem cheap.

"20 pounds," Isaac said.

The shopkeeper relaxed a bit; compared to the previous 100 pounds, 20 pounds was within his acceptable range: "20 pounds... then gentlemen, I'll leave this to you."

Isaac spoke his mind, but he wasn't sure if he was worth the 20 pounds. Carlo tapped the counter: "Pay half the deposit first."

The shopkeeper took out a 10-pound note and handed it to Carlo. Carlo took it, pulled out a notepad from his pocket, took out a pen, wrote a line on the paper, and threw it on the counter.

The shop owner picked up the note, unfolded it, glanced at it, and his expression became somewhat subtle: "This is..."

"This is proof that if things don't go smoothly, the deposit will be refunded. If you can't find me, come to my office. If you're still worried, contact the FBI."