Old days, dice and investigator's manual

"Maurice?"

Carlo held up a finger: "First, he came too fast. Bourne's men hadn't even arrived yet, and Morris showed up. You just took a carriage from the Oak Club to the FBI, so you must know how long that journey takes."

Isaac recalled that it normally takes at least twenty minutes to travel from the FBI to the Oak Club.

But from the discovery of the problem with Colotte to Maurice's arrival, only about twenty minutes had passed, which was indeed very fast, as if he knew in advance that something would happen at the Oaks Club.

"Secondly," Carlo held up a second finger, "that zombie-faced Morris isn't the type to chat people up, especially since you're my assistant. As the saying goes, the offspring of evil are the offspring of evil, so he probably doesn't have a good impression of you."

"But he proactively asked for your opinion and even gave you a 'warning' guess, which is like trying to force a certain line of thought into your head."

Isaac nodded. Morris's mention of Captain Burns' lack of vigilance and Corlotti's infamy did seem to be deliberately guiding him toward the idea of ​​"using a deserving man to issue a warning."

"Third," Carlo held up his third finger, "of all the people you know, Maurice is the most likely to be the killer."

"...The first two points sounded plausible, but the third one seems to be a case of acquaintance reasoning."

"For you, you only know a few people, so just guess among those few. If no one fits the criteria, forget it, but Morris happens to fit." Carlo shrugged. "He's an expert in death magic and familiar with the ghoul cult's maggot-walking techniques; he has access to all sorts of information and could find out that Bourne will be playing cards at the Oak Club tonight; as for his motive..."

Isaac smirked. "Boss, you're not going to say your motive was revenge against you, are you?"

"Not really." Carlo put down his pen. "Bourne isn't my mistress. Covering Bourne in maggots won't affect me much."

Fortunately, things didn't go too far off track... Isaac followed up on the line of thought that "if Morris is the murderer": "If Morris is the murderer, and his purpose is indeed a 'warning,' using radical methods to force the FBI and the NYPD to join forces... that makes sense to some extent."

"As the head of a section, he was well aware of the impact of the friction between the two sides on his work. He used an attack to break the deadlock. Although the method was radical, it was indeed effective."

"So, if it really was Maurice's idea, do you think it was his own, or was he instructed to do it?"

Isaac was taken aback: "Boss, you mean...?"

"Who most wants the FBI and the NYPD to team up?" Carlo threw the question back at him. "And who really knows that ordinary negotiations won't work on that old dog Bourne, and that only sufficiently dangerous methods will make him come to his senses?"

Isaac pondered for a moment. If Maurice was also just one part of a plan, and there was someone behind it all, then that person would have to meet several conditions simultaneously:

He has the ability to get Maurice to obey orders, the willingness to push the FBI and the NYPD to stop interfering with each other, he knows that conventional negotiation methods are ineffective against Bourne, and he can keep the situation under control...

"...Chief Patrick?"

"Tsk tsk, Asa, isn't it a bit inappropriate to directly guess that the FBI director is the mastermind? If someone hears this, you'll be in for a world of trouble later."

"Well……"

"But since we've already guessed in this direction, let's be a little bolder." Carlo chuckled. "In my opinion, the person most willing and capable of making this happen is, of course, Grand Duke Ogilvy, the master of Vista."

Isaac paused, realizing that the guess was too far off, but if the Grand Duke was placed in the position of the mastermind, many points would actually connect.

The Grand Duke undoubtedly hopes that the NYPD will cooperate with the FBI. The expansion of the FBI's authority is part of the Grand Duke's push for a new order, and the NYPD, as a traditional law enforcement force, will become a stumbling block if it cannot work in coordination with the FBI.

The Grand Duke must have tried normal means to mediate the relationship between the two sides, but judging from Burn's contemptuous attitude towards Patrick, those efforts were probably not very effective. After all, many prejudices cannot be changed by a leader's reprimand.

“If I were the Grand Duke, even if Bourne hadn’t considered that possibility, I would have had to comply,” Carlo said. “If he’s sensible, he’ll understand that he needs the FBI’s cooperation, and he can stay in his position as Captain. If he’s still going his own way, then that’s fine. ‘Captain Bourne is getting old and has suffered a vicious attack. He is physically and mentally exhausted. With the Grand Duke’s permission, he is allowed to retire for recuperation.’”

"If the Grand Duke wants better personnel in the city police force, can't he just replace Byrne?" Isaac asked. "With his power, it shouldn't be difficult for him to do so."

"It's that word I've said many times: dignity. Back then, Byrne was a member of the Grand Duke's faction. Although times have changed and he's become a stubborn old man in the wave of the new order, directly pulling him down from his position will inevitably make other veteran ministers uncomfortable."

"Besides, although the Grand Duke holds great power, dignity is not just a matter of appearances. At the card table, if you can't be sure that your hand can crush your opponent, don't rush to buy them a cappuccino. Those nobles have been able to sit comfortably under the waning sun until today, not because they are docile and obedient."

Isaac nodded, though he didn't know what a cappuccino was.

"However, there is no evidence for any of this; perhaps I'm just making things up."

"...But boss, what you just said sounded very confident."

"Because someone secretly passed on a message, didn't you realize? Maurice would rather avoid me than talk to me, so he had you pass on the message."

Isaac understood. Maurice wasn't one for idle chatter, yet he had taken the initiative to ask him what he thought of tonight's attack and even offered his judgment—it seemed abrupt at first glance. But under Carlo's deductions, a clearer purpose emerged.

Morris wasn't just speaking to Isaac; he was also passing it on to Carlo, knowing Carlo would understand. He revealed in the card, "Our purpose is to warn; the dead have been chosen, you don't need to worry about it."

Carlo chuckled: "Anyway, if things go as I expect, we'll see Bourne take the initiative to shake hands with Parker and make peace tomorrow. As for the murderer, we might investigate for a long time and eventually catch someone from the Ghoul Cult, then conveniently pin the blame on him. Anyway, they are indeed active."

He stood up and stretched: "Alright, there's always tomorrow. Didn't Verka ask you out?"

"...I went to her place to choose some unusual items."

"Anyway, it's none of my business. You can go by yourself when the time comes."