He Opened A Matchmaking Agency In 18Th Century London [EN]: Chapter 147

147. The End of the Truth Game (1)

◈ St. James, Duke Garrett’s Townhouse.

The news that the suspect from South Carolina, USA, had arrived in London caused a stir in England.

The suspects, extradited to London, were ‘Olga,’ a Black maid accused of murdering Lord Dylan, and ‘Hogarth Fisher,’ a white plantation owner accused of selling Rio into slavery in Jamaica.

“I heard that Runners [Bow Street Runners, an early form of British police] has been conducting intense investigations since yesterday.”

Duke Garrett spoke with an indifferent expression at the office attorney’s words.

“There’s no need to make a fuss. We just need to stand back and watch.”

However, the office attorney couldn’t hide his worried expression.

“Your Grace, are you sure this will be alright? I’m concerned that the atmosphere is leaning too much towards a trial by public opinion. I’m worried that Your Grace might become a victim of public opinion.

And most of all, I’m uneasy about Lord Sanderson, who has absolute public support, participating in the investigation.

Isn’t this too dangerous? Shouldn’t Your Grace strongly object to Lord Sanderson’s participation in the investigation, even now?”

Duke Garrett shook his head.

“No, there’s no need for that. After all, it’s just public opinion inflated by a plausible novel based on lies. If clear evidence emerges and it’s revealed that Rio is a fake and has been deceiving everyone about his identity, the backlash will be unstoppable.

Not only the guy pretending to be Rio, but also Jeffrey and Sanderson, who meddled in the investigation… and even His Majesty the King will be utterly disgraced.

On the other hand, people will try to praise me for enduring the criticism and keeping my place silently, even though I’ve been wronged.”

“That’s why I’m even more worried. Isn’t Lord Sanderson someone with unseen, terrifying power? His Majesty allowed the suspects to be extradited to England based on Lord Sanderson’s words alone.

But if such a person takes Rio’s side and tries to obstruct the truth from being revealed during the investigation, who can stop him?

If the truth is revealed as Your Grace says, Lord Sanderson and His Majesty the King will be in a truly ridiculous position. Do you think they’ll just let that happen?”

“How frustrating. This case isn’t just a simple eviction lawsuit. It’s a very sensitive matter of finding the real culprit in the Dylan family murder.

If I step in and make a fuss about Sanderson’s participation in the investigation, wouldn’t that make it seem like I’m the real culprit?

Since it’s clear that Rio is dead, once Rio’s true identity is revealed, it becomes a matter that has nothing to do with me. No matter how much Sanderson interferes.”

“That’s true, but….”

“What’s the status of the investigation now? What did the suspects say in their statements?”

“According to the informant, they are vehemently denying all charges in the initial investigation yesterday.

The Black maid claims that she didn’t kill him and only ran away because he suddenly collapsed; she was scared and frightened. The plantation owner claims that he hasn’t seen Rio since the Dylan family all died.

They all commonly state that Rio Edwards is dead.”

“See? I told you I was right? Then what are you worried about? That’s probably the truth.”

“But, what if the police use torture, threats, or persuasion….”

“Are you worried that they’ll be persuaded to falsely accuse me of being the culprit?”

“There’s no guarantee that won’t happen. Look at what Lord Sanderson did. He cleverly wrote a melodramatic novel to sway public opinion and pushed Rio as the real heir, winning the eviction lawsuit, didn’t he?”

“Huhu. How can a lawyer be so foolish? Suppose you were a police officer and you persuaded those suspects. Then what would you use to attack me?”

“That Your Grace was behind it….”

“What’s the evidence for instigation?”

“Really… are you not involved at all?”

“Hey, what do you think of me? Did you believe that I did such a thing?”

“Ah… No, of course not, but….”

“Tell me in detail what the Black maid said about Rio.”

“She consistently insists that Rio is dead. She was so shocked to see the Dylan family suddenly collapse after dinner, and she was just afraid of being blamed, so she ran away.”

“That’s probably right. Dylan’s son, Rio, died that day, just like the Black maid said. If only that were revealed, everything would be over. Tsk, tsk. Everyone believes that the current fake Rio is the dead Rio, so these absurd farces keep happening.”

“But there are several people in the village who say they saw Rio come back to life. So, could it be that the plantation owner really sold Rio as a slave to Jamaica, just like in the novel?”

“My friend, don’t you understand yet? That’s the part where the fake Rio deceived everyone!

The current fake Rio, who knows the real Rio well, is pretending to be the dead Rio and deceiving everyone.”

“What about the witnesses in the village who claim that Rio came back to life?”

“That’s all just talk, isn’t it? There must be some reason for telling such lies.

I repeat, it’s a clear fact that Rio Edwards died with the Dylan couple that day.

If you look at this case with that clear standard in mind, everything becomes clear, doesn’t it?

Since there’s no accurate physical evidence, you keep getting swayed by vague people’s words and having absurd suspicions.”

“…….”

“Once the investigation progresses to some extent, I’ll send someone to Runners within a few days to testify and reveal the true identity of the current Rio. That will clear up a lot of suspicion.”

“Ah- You mean the slave ship captain you mentioned back then?”

“Yes, that’s right. Just watch. Sending that person will make everything clear.”

◈ Bow Street Runners Office

The Bow Street Runners were in charge of the Rio Edwards case.

The Bow Street Runners were a police force specializing in collecting evidence to submit to court, making them the most suitable organization for investigating this case.

William Townsend, the head of the Runners’ detective squad, strongly requested Tae-oh’s participation in the investigation from the start to the magistrate.

The magistrate, who had already confirmed Tae-oh’s abilities in the Gavin Murray serial murder case, found it difficult to refuse Townsend’s request.

Above all, public opinion strongly desired Tae-oh’s participation in the investigation.

And even Duke Garrett, who could be considered the opposing party, was not objecting, so excluding him from the investigation would only invite unnecessary criticism and suspicion.

Second day of investigation.

A Runners detective was questioning the suspect, the Black maid Olga.

“So, you’re saying that you have nothing to do with the death of Lord Dylan’s family?”

“That’s right! I was so surprised to see the master’s family collapse after dinner that I ran away.”

“Why did you run away without providing first aid or reporting it?”

“I checked several times that all three of them weren’t breathing, so first aid was meaningless, and at the time, I was too afraid of being wrongly suspected. There was a case in a nearby village where the mistress of a farm died, and I saw a Black housekeeper being blamed and hanged.

At the time, my child was living in a neighboring village. So, I couldn’t leave my child behind and die under false charges.”

Tae-oh noticed that Olga was lying.

The detective continued to ask.

“Your claim that Lord Dylan’s son, Rio Edwards, is dead remains unchanged, right?”

Olga nodded vigorously.

“Of course! I saw Lord Rio die with my own eyes. I clearly saw that he had completely stopped breathing!

The person who is now claiming to be ‘Rio Edwards’ is someone who is falsely pretending to be the dead young master. The villagers who say they saw the living Rio are all lying. Lord Rio is definitely dead!”

Townsend, who was watching Olga’s interrogation, quietly spoke to Tae-oh.

“Why is Mrs. Olga so sure that Lord Rio is dead?”

“It’s probably a phenomenon caused by the disconnection of information due to the circumstances in North America.”

“Disconnection of information?”

“Yes, as you know, the land in North America is unimaginably vast. On the other hand, the population is only 2.5 million. South Carolina, where Lord Rio lived, had less than 200,000 people. On the other hand, we have nearly 1 million people in London alone, don’t we?

If there are fewer eyes watching and the area is too large, the population density decreases, which means that there will be fewer credible rumors and it will be difficult to obtain quality information.

Mrs. Olga ran away as far as possible to avoid being caught, and of course, she lived her whole life believing only what she saw with her own eyes, without hearing proper rumors.”

Soon after, Hogarth Fisher came in for questioning.

“You don’t know a child named Rio? At the time, villagers saw Rio being used like a slave at Fisher’s house, didn’t they?”

“That’s a blatant lie!”

“Why is it a lie?”

“Detective! Do you know how big the village I lived in at the time was? I don’t know for sure, but it was probably at least half the size of London. But the village was only about 20 households in total. They were also living far apart.

The closest neighbor was Lord Dylan, but even Lord Dylan’s house was at least a 30-minute walk away. So who saw him being used like a slave?

If I think about it, there was a slave child in our house at the time, so maybe that’s who they saw. He had blonde hair and his face looked similar to Rio, so maybe the villagers who passed by mistook him.”

“So, you know a child named Rio Edwards, who is Lord Dylan’s son, but he died in that accident?”

“Yes, he definitely died at that time. The newspaper said that the whole family died. Did any public institution issue a document saying that the child was alive?”

“It seems that the state government lost the documents while consolidating and moving them during the war. Anyway, according to the villagers’ testimony, after Mr. Dylan passed away, you took care of Mr. Dylan’s farm under the pretext of taking care of Rio, right?”

“That’s ridiculous! Show me the evidence if you have it! It’s absurd that I sold Rio as a slave based on just a few people’s testimonies without any evidence.”

Townsend whispered to Tae-oh.

“What do you think, Lord Sanderson?”

“Mr. Fisher is also lying. He’s confident that all the data has been lost due to the war, after more than 15 years, so he’s talking big.”

“Lord Rio’s father-in-law found evidence in North America that Fisher sold Lord Dylan’s property and came here?”

“Yes, Mr. Robinson acquired it with difficulty just before returning to England. It’s a sales contract, and the signature record of Mr. Fisher selling Lord Dylan’s farm is clearly 남아 있습니다 [remains].”

“Hmm, well, we’ve definitely received a statement that he doesn’t know anything about the sale of Lord Dylan’s farm, so we’ll have to wait and see what other nonsense he’ll say when he sees the sales contract the day after tomorrow.”

“Yes, I think it will be very interesting if Lord Rio appears that day.”

Two days later, Rio Edwards was scheduled to visit the Runners office with the sales record.

“Chief, but I think we need to pay more attention to the security of the investigation from now on.”

“Security?”

“Yes, the current state of our investigation is probably being heard by the person who first planned and instigated this.

Well, it’s okay so far because it’s just a statement that everyone knows, but if Lord Rio confronts them, a completely different story will be told. Above all, a decisive clue to catch the mastermind who planned this crime in the first place may come out.”

“Lord Sanderson suspects Duke Garrett?”

“I won’t deny it. That’s right. I’m worried that the content of our investigation will be heard by that person.”

“Yes, I think so too. Then, let’s share the investigation details after Lord Rio comes the day after tomorrow only with me and Lord Sanderson, shall we?”

“Yes, I think we should.”

◈ St. James, Garrett Edwards, Duke’s Townhouse.

Duke Garrett’s study.

“It was as Your Grace said. They are investigating at Runners, but both suspects are strongly denying that Rio is alive.”

“That’s inevitable… Because the real Rio is dead.”

“Lord Rio and the suspects are scheduled to meet the day after tomorrow.”

“Huhu. That will be quite a sight that day. The guy named Rio will insist that he remembers the Black maid and the plantation owner, and the suspects will be dumbfounded and ask who he is.”

“Is there anything special we need to do?”

“Send Captain Cook to Runners that day.”

“Captain Cook?”

“Yes, we need to make him face Rio that day and put an end to it.”

“You mean to have the captain and Rio cross-examined?”

“Yes, that way, the identity of the current Rio will be revealed, and the real identity of Rio, the habitual pickpocket, will be revealed. The moment it’s revealed that Rio is fake, further investigation will become meaningless.”

“But, will that be enough? We still haven’t found the official document from North America stating that Lord Dylan’s family all died. We need that to be sure, but I’m afraid it’s all gone in the war.”

“If the official document stating that Rio died doesn’t come from North America, I’ll have no choice but to find it and bring it myself in the end.”

“No, how are you going to get that…?”

“There’s a way, so don’t worry.”

“……?”

◈ Two days later, Bow Street Runners Office

The scheduled cross-examination today was to be conducted by Chief Townsend and Tae-oh alone in the chief’s office.

This was due to concerns that the real culprit could be missed if information about the investigation was leaked.

Tae-oh was staring at Olga and Fisher, who were waiting for Rio.

‘If they see the adult Lord Rio, what kind of reaction will Olga and Fisher show….’

Even people who lie easily tend to show emotional changes when they face the person involved.

In particular, I was curious whether Olga, who firmly believed that Rio was dead, would be able to continue denying that Rio Edwards, who was actually alive, was fake.

Olga was a housekeeper who had also served as Rio’s nanny since he was very young, so she would have been emotionally close to Rio more than anyone else.

And unlike Hogarth Fisher, the emotion she had was not harsh.

She was a woman with abundant recognition and sensibility.

It was questionable how such a woman committed such a terrible crime.

Toc. Toc.

Thump-

“Chief? Lord Rio Edwards has arrived.”

“Really? Let him in.”

Soon the door opened and Rio Edwards entered the chief’s office.

At the same time, Olga and Fisher raised their heads sharply and looked at Rio.

Step. Step.

Olga’s eyes, which were casually examining Rio as he slowly walked in, gradually widened and then widened menacingly.

‘……!’

She, who had been complaining throughout the investigation, turned pale as if she had seen a ghost when she saw Rio.

“…Uh …uh….”

Olga, who was frozen in place and staring intently at Rio, seemed to have tears welling up in her big eyes, and then thick tears streamed down her cheeks.

Everyone watched her actions with surprised eyes.

Olga, who was unable to control her body and was trembling, barely parted her lips.

“D… Master! R… Really… Master… Are you really… alive? You were alive… Heuhueh-”

She buried her face in her hands and sobbed as if struggling.

“Ahheuhueh- I only lived knowing that you were dead… I really thought you died that day. Heuhueh- But like this… to be alive like this! Aaa- God, thank you! Thank you!”

Eventually, she knelt down and cried out as if she had lost her mind, stretching her hands towards the sky as if praying.

“Master… Madam… Master… Your son… is alive! Heuhueh-”

Olga’s overwhelming emotions were being conveyed to Tae-oh as well.

‘She’s completely changed into a different person.’

Olga, who faced the living Rio, threw away all emotions of hypocrisy and lies and began to reveal her hidden heart as it was.

‘It’s done! I have to get a confession now!’

Tae-oh approached Olga, who was crying, and patted her.

“Madam, calm down and tell me again. Is that person really Lord Rio Edwards?”

Olga, who barely stopped sobbing, slowly raised her body from the floor.

And after taking a breath, she answered in a calm and confident voice.

“Yes, that’s right! I swear to God in this place! That person is Lord Dylan Edwards’ son… Lord Rio Edwards!”

“The last time you saw Lord Rio was when he was only about 8 years old, so how can you be so sure after seeing him as an adult after 15 years?”

Olga’s eyes welled up with tears again at Townsend’s question.

“He’s the young master I’ve been taking care of since he was a baby. I lived with him more than my own child. But how can I forget after so many years? I knew it as soon as I saw him. The look of that time remains on the young master’s face.”

“Is there anything special that can objectively prove your words?”

Olga answered without hesitation.

“Please look at the right side of Lord Rio’s thigh. There will be a long, straight burn mark there. It’s a trace that was accidentally caused by touching a hot pot when he was a baby.”

In an era when scientific investigation techniques were lacking, physical characteristics that could not be easily seen by others could sometimes be important evidence.

Moreover, since she was a suspect who had been strongly denying the crime until now and consistently claiming that Rio’s existence was fake, her testimony could not help but have great credibility.

Townsend obtained Lord Rio’s consent and confirmed his physical characteristics.

“Lord Sanderson! Look here! There really is an old scar on his thigh, just like the lady said!”

Surprisingly, the physical characteristic that Olga mentioned remained on Lord Rio’s body.