"Mr. Holmes, I bought the passenger list and compartment layouts." One of the train attendants said, bringing Casper a notebook with detailed lists.
Casper flipped through it, reading the entries carefully before closing the book with a satisfied smile.
"Thank you," he gratefully said. The attendant nodded with hesitation, "Your welcome, Mr. Holmes. I hope you find the culprit in time."
Casper merely acknowledged the attendant before leaving to check the washroom where the plump businessman had met the culprit earlier.
The corridor rattled with the soft whistles of the train that swayed slightly. The lights flickered along the burgundy walls as he reached the washroom door.
Pushing the door open, he was faced with the faint smell of disinfectants.
Casper walked over to the basin and a slight smear marked the edge of it. It was half-rinsed, almost invisible under the dim lighting.
Casper stepped back and paused for a moment, his eyes were intently fixed on the stain in front of him and carefully observed the scene.
After a long while, Casper let out a shaky grin. His eyes lit up with excitement as he licked his lips. It seemed he had something to ask from the attendants
…
Klein took a seat at the dining cart. He leaned back and relaxed—truly relaxed for the first time in what felt like eternity.
The past two weeks had been a relentless whirlwind. Although Mr. Emperor—no, Casper had taken his mind off of what had conspired in Tingen.
He still had to face what had happened with Captain Dunn, he couldn't run away forever.
For a second, Klein confronted his problems.
But then, he shook his head.
Now wasn't the time for such reflections, a man's life had just been taken. He couldn't delve into his own problems that had long since passed and put that on the backseat.
I suppose Casper is conducting some manner of methodical inquiry…. Then I should probably go about it in a different manner.
Klein carefully thought as he rapped the edges of the table.
After a long pause, he smirked—he thought of a way of pursuing the case that was different from the Emperor's
While Casper was chasing down leads, he was going to construct a psychological profile of the culprit.
…
Casper met with the awkward attendant from earlier and offered a pleasant smile. "I have a few questions to ask of you."
Hearing his blunt statement, the attendant hastily answered politely. "I shall answer to my best abilities, Mr. Holmes."
Casper's smile didn't falter. "Splendid. Then tell me," he said delicately, "Are your uniforms standard issue with no variations."
"Huh?" The attendant asked in surprise before quickly realising his mistake, "Uhm—I'm sorry, sir. And to answer your question, yes. The uniforms are standard issues with no variations other than size."
Casper nodded in acknowledgement and asked another question, "Do you all carry an extra uniform with you?"
"No, not really. Our uniforms are to be kept in our lockers after every shift unless to be cleaned or dry-cleaned. We only get one pair—if we want to replace it we'll have to file an official request." He replied calmly.
"Thank you," Casper said with a tip of his hat and began to walk away while the attendant was left in a daze.
Is this what he called me for? The man thought, puzzled upon the bizarre line of questioning.
Just before Casper turned the corner, he backtracked. "Is it the same for shoes?"
The attendant blinked, clearly caught off guard. "Huh?"
Casper tilted his head slightly, "The shoes," he repeated patiently, "is it standard issue too?"
"Ah—yes! Yes, they are," the man quickly answered, still trying to process the question. "Same design for every attendant, just different sizes based on order—why do you—"
"Alright," Casper interrupted with a brief nod, that faint, knowing smile tugging at the corner of his lips again. "You've been most helpful."
…
"So that's how it is," Klein murmured to himself, glancing at the trail left behind by an attendant.
He soon got up and stretched his body. After a moment, Klein relaxed his body and sighed heavily, I suppose the Emperor's rounding up all the attendants but before he does that…. I have something to do. He slyly thought
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A/N - Belated Merry Christmas guys. I was hella busy yesterday and so I didn't upload a chapter yesterday. Btw, I also changed Casper's honorific name because the last one was straight ass and I've been meaning too for a while. Tell me your thoughts on that.