Chapter 243 Camilla, Are You Close With Marcus?
Camilla accepted it.
The temptation was too great to resist.
She thanked Marcus.
By the time they arrived in Imperial City, it was already 2 PM.
Camilla's family of three and Marcus were not in the same carriage.
After exiting the station, she was about to open a ride-hailing app to call a car when she saw Marcus standing not far away. He was tall and stood out.
He smiled and walked towards Alistair, "Alistair, my car is just outside. Let me give you a ride back?"
Alistair hesitated. "Thank you, but it's too much trouble. We can call a car ourselves."
"It's no trouble, it's on the way." With that, Marcus took Alistair's suitcase and started walking out.
"Oh, well, thank you, Marcus."
"You don't need to be polite."
Camilla quietly exited the app and put away her phone.
In the car.
Marcus sat in the driver's seat, skillfully turning the steering wheel. Camilla sat in the front passenger seat, while Bella and Alistair were in the back.
"Alistair, the book you're holding is an old edition reprinted in 2003, right?" Marcus glanced through the rearview mirror and asked.
Alistair immediately became interested, "You know this book?"
"My grandfather did some research on history, so I picked up a bit by osmosis. If I'm not mistaken, the editions after 2010 had some content removed. Before that, there was another round of cuts, right?"
Alistair's eyes lit up, "Not just once. This book has been cut three times in total! The most recent was in 2010, as you mentioned. The one before that was in 2004. The earliest one, I'm not too sure about. I remember the first time I read this book as a child, it had 36 chapters. The one I have now is from before the second cut, with 30 chapters. The last two cuts removed a total of 4 chapters, so there must have been another cut before that."
"1996," Marcus suddenly said.
"What?"
"If there was another cut, it must have been in 1996."
"Why are you so sure?" Alistair was curious.
"I wasn't sure before, but you mentioned a cut before 2004. That must have been the edition my great-uncle oversaw, which was in 1996."
Alistair was genuinely surprised, "What's your great-uncle's name?"
"Uriah Davis."
"Oh my! Uriah is your great-uncle!"
Marcus nodded, "Yes, you've heard of him?"
"Of course! Such a famous translator and scholar, of course, I've heard of him!"
Marcus turned the steering wheel, occasionally glancing at Camilla, then looking back at Alistair through the rearview mirror. "The editions before 1996 are no longer available on the market. However, when I was in high school, Uriah decided to move abroad. Before he left, he gave me all his out-of-print books. I'll look for it when I get back. I should be able to find it."
Alistair's eyes lit up, but he said, "Wouldn't that be too much trouble?"
They weren't related, and it was something left by his elder. Why would he let him see it?
Alistair wasn't a stupid man.
Marcus smiled. "It's no trouble. Finding someone who understands the book is more meaningful than keeping it as a collection."
Alistair was overjoyed. "Thank you!"
Marcus chuckled to himself, 'That's okay. After all, we will be family in the future.'
Bella, hearing them talk about books, glanced at Camilla in the front seat and asked casually, "It sounds like your family is quite scholarly, Marcus. What kind of books do you usually like to read?"
"Our family has more essays and novels. Personally, I like something more novel and exciting. I just finished your new book 'Seven Days' Discourse' a few days ago. The ending was unexpected but made sense. It was very impactful."
Bella didn't expect that he had read her book. "You know 'Seven Days' Discourse' was written by me?"
Marcus glanced at Camilla. "Yes, I know."
As for how he knew, Marcus didn't say.
Bella didn't ask either.
But Camilla felt scrutinized by the two smart people, as if they were examining her from all angles.
Marcus said, "So, the killer really was that seemingly honest physics teacher?"
Bella was a bit surprised, "Why would you ask that?"
In the book's conclusion, all the mysteries were unraveled, ultimately pointing to the physics teacher.
He used his knowledge of the subject to plan a perfect crime.
It was a clear indication that he was the killer, but Marcus asked if he really was the killer.
Bella looked at him with a deeper gaze.
Marcus said, "I remember there were a few subtle descriptions in the book..."
The first was the misaligned shadow in the stairwell.
The second was the mysteriously disappearing murder weapon. Although it was eventually found by the police, how it disappeared was never explained in the book.
The third was the appearance of two pairs of slippers in the home of a girl who lived alone. Although the book explained that they were for guests, why was one pair men's slippers?
Would a girl living alone frequently invite men over and even prepare a pair of slippers for them?
It didn't make sense.
Even if she were to prepare, it would be women's slippers, not men's.
"...All the hidden clues suggest that there is another killer. Of course," Marcus changed his tone, "this is just my personal guess."
Bella smiled. "When you raise these questions, you probably already have the answer in your mind."
Marcus also smiled. "So, there will be a sequel, right?"
Bella didn't answer.
But her smile said it all.
Marcus stopped at the alley entrance, and Camilla thanked him and got out with her parents.
Alistair said, "Marcus, thank you."
"You're welcome."
As they were going upstairs, Alistair suddenly stopped. "Wait, I never told him where we live. How did Marcus know to drive here?"
Camilla felt a bit guilty.
Bella rolled her eyes at him. Wasn't it a bit late to realize that now?
"You should ask Camilla, right?" Bella said with a knowing smile.
Alistair looked at Camilla, finally realizing, and asked, "Camilla, are you close with Marcus?"
Camilla said, "He has helped me a few times. We're friends, but not very close."
"Not close, but Marcus has helped you several times?"
Camilla said, "Maybe he is just a helpful person? Didn't he help you catch a thief today?"
Alistair thought about it and couldn't help but nod. "That's true."
Bella remained silent.
"Alright, Dad, stop asking. Let's go. The luggage is heavy."
"Give it to me, I'll carry it."
On the way back, Marcus was in a good mood. "Hey, Oliver, call Simon and let's go out for tea."
"Tea?!" Oliver almost thought he heard wrong.
Marcus replied, "Tea."
Oliver was speechless.
Tea in broad daylight?
He didn't get it.
At the tea house.
As soon as Simon walked in, he started looking around, clicking his tongue. "What's this new game?"
Marcus poured him a cup. "Here, try it. Just brewed."
Simon walked over, glanced at it, and looked disdainful. "No flavor."
Oliver, who had already had two cups, nodded vigorously. Simon was brave enough to say what he didn't dare to.
At that moment, Leopold walked in.
Simon and Oliver were stunned, their eyes darting between him and Marcus.
Then, they started winking at each other.
Oliver raised an eyebrow and gave a knowing look, as if to ask, 'Did you call him?'
Simon responded with an innocent glance, conveying, 'Would I dare?'
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