Yankawa, as the inn’s owner, thought for a moment and decided to join Brandon and the others.
The travelers didn’t bring much luggage; most of them felt it would be a short trip and wouldn’t need to stay at the inn for too long.
The original room design was very simple, featuring a narrow single bed, a wardrobe, and a desk, with very little space for storage.
Brandon checked each room one by one.
Unfortunately, the search yielded little result.
When he reached Duncan’s room, he saw a few black boxes.
Duncan readily had someone open the boxes for Brandon to inspect.
“There’s only some change of clothes, a few bills, and checks in here,” Duncan said calmly, “along with a bit of camping food.”
Brandon approached cautiously, checking everything with vigilance.
Yet, there was nothing of significance there either.
“How did it go?” Yankawa asked, standing at the doorway waiting for Brandon to come out.
The young officer shook his head.
“It’s possible the murder weapon was discarded,” Brandon suggested, “On a rainy day, if it was thrown into the forest, no one would know…”
Yankawa could only nod in agreement.
Since they couldn’t find any clues in this direction, they would have to begin questioning relevant people.
After Brandon went downstairs, he walked straight toward Lina, who was crying and covering her face.
The second-floor staircase was the main path for travelers returning to their rooms. Under Brandon’s earlier approval, the muddied footprints had been cleaned up, since it was impossible to tell whose footprints they were, and they couldn’t be preserved before support arrived from the police station.
At this moment, the inn was spotless, and the only remaining trace of Hans was a spot of blood in the room.
Of course, there was also Lina.
Yankawa watched as Brandon approached her.
He furrowed his brow slightly, thought for a moment, and followed him.
Brandon paused.
He took off his hat, expressed his condolences to the deceased’s family, and then began to ask questions.
“I’m very sorry, ma’am,” Brandon said, raising his hands helplessly, “I need to ask you a few questions to gain a deeper understanding of the deceased’s situation.”
This was key information for the investigation, as Lina was the only person traveling with Hans, and Brandon could only inquire about Hans directly through her.
Lina nodded through her sobs.
“Go ahead,” she replied. After crying, her emotions had stabilized somewhat; tear stains remained on her cheeks, and her lips were tight, though her expression still hinted at some despair. “Maybe I can answer.”
Her response sounded a bit cold.
Brandon glanced at her in surprise.
“Can you tell me what kind of person Hans was, aside from being a pickpocket?” He remained diligent and pulled out the typical questions for the deceased’s family.
Lina shook her head.
“Officer,” she said, “Hans was not a good person. He was a pickpocket, a casino thug, and didn’t have much schooling; he was a complete social scoundrel.”
There was no expression on her face as she spoke these words, showing an extreme indifference.
It was as if Hans, who had been her boyfriend just yesterday, was already a figure of the past in her eyes.
Yankawa felt a bit puzzled as he stood nearby.
Brandon paused before continuing to ask, “What was your relationship with him? Why did you continue to date him?”
Lina sighed deeply.
Her wrist trembled slightly, like someone with Parkinson’s disease, as she shakily pulled out a pack of women’s cigarettes from her pocket.
“Mind if I have a smoke?” Lina unconsciously took out a menthol cigarette and lit it with a lighter. “It’s a long story.”
The smell of menthol cigarettes lingered in the air, and Brandon nodded silently.
Lina took two deep puffs and let the ash fall onto the table.
After a few puffs, she seemed to have calmed down, and her tone relaxed a little.
“I was married to him,” Lina used the cigarette as a pick-me-up, taking only occasional puffs and mostly letting it burn on its own. “But we got our marriage certificate in Las Vegas.”
Brandon responded, “A casino?”
Lina nodded, tiredly closing her eyes. “Yes, it has no legal standing; we can only say we were a couple.”
Brandon thought for a moment. “So what brought you to Misty Mountain Forest?”
Surely, they weren’t visiting the abandoned gold mine forest for leisure?
Upon hearing this, Lina opened her eyes.
“He started gambling again after getting out of prison, winning some money at first,” she said flatly, as if recounting something unrelated to her: “But soon he started losing money; all that he had won was gone…”
“This time we passed through Misty Mountain Forest,” Lina explained, “I was supposed to go to the casino with him to get a divorce.”
Yankawa blinked in surprise.
Then why, he wondered, were they temporarily staying in Misty Mountain Forest?
His question was quickly answered.
“He said he found a way to make money,” Lina said flatly, “By panning for gold in the abandoned gold mine forest.”
Lina considered for a moment. “Hans said he had met someone while gambling who could potentially help him get rich through the gold mine; I didn’t believe him, and when I asked who it was, he wouldn’t say.”
By the end of her statement, she finished her cigarette and put down the remains.
“That’s it,” Lina said, looking drained, “I intended to come here to divorce him at the casino, so my sadness… I’m sorry, it won’t last long.”
Brandon fell silent for a moment.
Yankawa looked up at Lina; her expression was utterly fatigued.
There was new progress regarding Hans’s identity.
A desperate pickpocket, a gambler, deep in debt, unable to repay, who listened to someone’s ‘advice’ to come to Misty Mountain Forest in search of gold.
The script had filled in a very… complete story for this NPC’s identity.
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