He Opened A Matchmaking Agency In 18Th Century London [EN]: Chapter 32

32. Hidden Trophies

◈ Beckenham

“Don’t you understand? You fools! His Majesty the King ordered me to kill Duke Manners himself! If you arrest me, you’ll all be dangling from the gallows!”

Gavin Murray, right up until he arrived in Beckenham, continued to harass the detectives with endless bluffs and lies, creating a commotion.

Lord Murray, who had been at home, was so shocked by the sudden arrival of the detectives and his son’s disheveled state that he was speechless.

Inspector Townsend removed the Bow Street Runners [early form of British police] identification from his cane’s crown and presented it to the Lord.

“We are Bow Street Runners detectives from London, assigned to secret investigation duties.”

“And so?”

“Your son is under emergency arrest and is being investigated on suspicion of attempted murder. We request your cooperation with the search.”

“Wh-what? Attempted murder? Search?”

The Inspector handed the bound Gavin Murray over to Detective Collingwood and said,

“Keep a close watch on this one in the living room. You never know what kind of trouble he might cause.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Now, let’s quickly find the evidence.”

The Inspector turned and asked Lord Murray,

“Where is your son’s room?”

“Look here! I think there’s been a misunderstanding…”

“If you don’t tell us where your son’s room is quickly, we may have to search everything as we please. Where is it?”

“Are these people serious?”

Inspector Townsend glared sharply at the maid standing behind the Lord and asked,

“From now on, everyone here is obligated to cooperate with the investigation. Where is Gavin Murray’s room?”

The maid was terrified by the intimidating attitude of the secret investigators, whom she was seeing for the first time, and by Inspector Townsend’s commanding presence.

Detective Hill shouted,

“Where is Gavin’s room? Don’t you know how serious this is?”

The startled maid pointed to a room with a trembling hand.

“T-that room inside is Master’s room.”

Theo and the detectives rushed straight to the room the maid indicated.

Thump-

Gavin Murray’s room was excessively tidy.

Everything in the room was arranged in perfect rows and angles. Even the various hunting firearms, knives, and stuffed foxes were lined up with absolute precision on one side of the room.

Detective Hill was dumbfounded by the sight.

“Goodness me. Just like Mr. Sanderson said, doesn’t he seem a little mentally unstable? Why is the atmosphere in this room so eerie?”

“There’s no time. Let’s hurry and find it!”

“Yes! Inspector.”

Theo and the detectives began to search Gavin’s room thoroughly.

They searched everything they could see, including the desk, wardrobe, drawers, and between the bookshelves.

During the search, a small box hidden deep under the bed caused a brief moment of tension, but it turned out to be just a toy box containing marbles and trinkets.

Lord Murray, barely recovering from the shock, sternly rebuked his son.

“Gavin! Attempted murder? What is going on! Why are these people doing this? Tell me the truth, now!”

Gavin Murray burst into a hearty laugh and acted nonchalant.

“It’s absurd, Father. I was enjoying the ball and saw some fruit trees in a large greenhouse, so I went in to sample them. But suddenly, unidentified men rushed at me, saying I was trying to kill the Duke?”

“Then they tried to kill me, stabbing my stomach mercilessly with a spear! Look at this wound on my side. I was so scared that I just ran away. I never dreamed they were real police.”

Lord Murray ran to the detectives who were searching and raged.

“What is all this nonsense? Why is matchmaker Sanderson here? Who is your direct superior? Which magistrate authorized this? You’re framing an innocent man! I will not let this go! I will request the Duke of Edinburgh [Prince Frederick, son of King George II] to ensure you all receive severe punishment, so be prepared!”

Inspector Townsend blocked the Lord and said,

“Do not interfere with the search. Gavin Murray lunged at our detective, who was disguised as the Duke, with a knife from behind. And Bow Street Runners detectives witnessed the whole scene. Don’t you know that our testimony is admissible in court? That alone is enough to punish him!”

“Is that so? Good! Let’s see what happens! We’ll see who gets punished! Just you wait!”

*

A considerable amount of time had passed since the search began, but there were no significant results.

No incriminating evidence was found in Gavin’s room.

Theo and the detectives were gradually becoming impatient.

They pushed aside the Lord’s fierce resistance and searched not only the daughters’ rooms but also the Lord’s room, but again, nothing was found.

Inspector Townsend quietly called Theo aside.

“Mr. Sanderson, what should we do? We’ve searched the house thoroughly, but there’s nothing. As you said, Gavin’s crime needs to be proven by finding the murdered victims’ belongings.”

“They’re definitely here, Inspector. Let’s look further for now. When I came in earlier, I saw a warehouse right next to the house. It looks suspicious, so let’s go there?”

Theo and the detectives, having finished searching the house empty-handed, headed to the external warehouse.

Creak-

Opening the door after picking the lock on the external warehouse, a foul odor assaulted their noses.

Detective Hill covered his nose and complained.

“Ugh, what is this smell? Doesn’t it smell like rotting corpses?”

The warehouse was cluttered with a large workbench, various tools of unknown purpose, animal skins, and fox-shaped wooden carvings.

“What is all this?”

Detective Hill asked Lord Murray, who followed behind.

“What else could it be? It’s for taxidermying hunted animals.”

“Taxidermy? Who does this taxidermy?”

“My son has a talent for taxidermy, so he does it himself. Why? Is that also a crime?”

They searched every corner of the warehouse diligently, but no particular peculiarities were found.

The more frustrated the detectives’ expressions became, the louder Lord Murray raised his voice, and the situation gradually turned in Gavin’s favor.

The detectives and Theo gathered to discuss what to do.

“Sigh… this is a big problem. We searched the house and the warehouse, but there’s nothing.”

“Could it be buried somewhere, like under the roof or in the ground? Then we wouldn’t be able to find it.”

Theo shook his head.

“It definitely wouldn’t be in such a place. Someone like Gavin Murray would keep his trophies close by and try to recall the thrill of that time whenever he thinks of it…”

At that moment, among the scattered fox skins, a stuffed fox caught Theo’s eye.

Judging by its clean condition, it seemed like a fox that had not been completed long ago.

As Theo stared intently at the fox, stopping mid-sentence, Inspector Townsend was puzzled.

“Mr. Sanderson? What’s wrong?”

Like someone possessed, Theo slowly approached the stuffed fox and quietly said,

“This… fox… doesn’t it seem like it’s preparing?”

“Preparing?”

“Doesn’t it seem like it’s waiting… to go to Gavin Murray’s room?”

Detective Hill was horrified by Theo’s words.

“Oh my, there were more than 10 foxes in the room, and you’re saying he’s going to put another one there? He must be crazy.”

“Gavin… was definitely preparing in advance to put one more there.”

Detective Hill glanced at Lord Murray and whispered to the Inspector.

“I guess he’s going to taxidermy it again and put it by his head. He’s definitely out of his mind. Does he want to sleep with the animals he killed by his head? But why is Mr. Sanderson like that?”

Theo slowly raised his head and met the Inspector’s gaze.

“Inspector, the foxes displayed in Gavin’s room. Why were there… exactly 12 of them?”

“……”

“This stuffed fox that is preparing to go up to Gavin’s room… belongs to Duke Manners.”

“!”

Detective Hill was confused about what it meant, but the Inspector’s eyes widened as frighteningly as Theo’s.

And Theo and Inspector Townsend rushed to Gavin Murray’s room without a word.

“Huh? Inspector? Mr. Sanderson? What’s wrong?”

Detective Hill and Lord Murray had no idea what was going on.

“Why are those people like that?”

*

Inspector Townsend asked as he ran.

“Mr. Sanderson? So, are you saying that Gavin has murdered 12 people so far, not 10?”

“Yes! I think so. The number of foxes must be the number of victims. Duke Manners was almost the 13th victim!”

As Theo and the Inspector rushed into the house in a daze, Detective Collingwood stood up awkwardly and asked.

“Inspector? What’s wrong? Did you find the evidence?”

“Later! I’ll tell you later. Keep a close watch on that serial killer!”

“Yes? Ah, yes!”

Gavin Murray, who was tied up and held on the sofa, glared at Theo and Inspector Townsend running to his room with menacing eyes.

*

As soon as they entered Gavin’s room, Theo and Inspector Townsend each grabbed a fox and groped around.

Theo’s hand stopped abruptly at the nape of the neck as he examined the hard fox body.

A thin, long gap was caught in the area covered by fur.

‘!’

When he carefully put his hand through the gap, there was something like a thin pocket, and something small was felt inside.

“Inspector! There’s something… here.”

“What is it?”

When Theo pulled his hand out, a small button came out.

“It’s a button?”

Inspector Townsend also groped the nape of the fox, following Theo’s lead, and took something out.

“Oh! It’s here too! This… seems a little bigger?”

What the Inspector held in his hand was a high-end wooden button with a unique shape.

But Theo shouted when he saw it.

“Inspector! That button! That button is the second button on the jacket that Count Burns was wearing when he was murdered! Even the thread on the button is the same!”

Detective Hill, who had run over, also joined in searching the stuffed foxes, and one item from each murder victim was found per fox. A total of 12 pieces of evidence were found.

It was the moment when the bizarre criminal acts of the psychopath serial killer Gavin Murray were revealed to the world.

◈ Two days later, London Royal Court of Justice.

The final trial of Count Anthony Burns was held at 10 a.m. in the House of Lords courtroom.

As the trial time approached, over two hundred nobles, dressed in robes befitting their rank and title, entered the courtroom one after another.

Young barons entered the courtroom first, followed by older barons and counts, who took their seats with gravity.

At the very end, dukes with dignified expressions leisurely sat in their prepared seats.

Composed of approximately two hundred people, they were the decision-makers in this trial, sitting in pairs on long chairs installed in the courtroom.

At the highest point of the podium was the seat of the Royal Chamberlain [official of the British Royal Household], and below that, high-ranking female nobles sat and watched the trial.

On the other hand, there was a place for witnesses, where Theo sat side by side with Maidstone Magistrate Lord Rodney, Court Attorney Lord Wilson, Runners Inspector Townsend, and others as witnesses.

Clang- Clang-

A magnificent bell rang in the courtroom, which had been buzzing and noisy, signaling the start of the trial.

Everyone sitting in the courtroom rose from their seats.

‘It’s starting now.’

Even with solid physical evidence, no one could be sure of the outcome yet.

Theo closed his eyes and earnestly prayed that Count Burns would be safely acquitted.

When he opened his eyes, the Royal Chamberlain had entered the courtroom and was in his seat. Soon, a royal guard in a splendid uniform took an oath of silence and handed over a document stamped with the national seal while kneeling. The Royal Chamberlain handed the document back to the clerk standing next to him.

The clerk who received the document began to read the contents aloud, and after that was finished, he took up time by calling the names of all the senators and nobles participating in the jury in charge of this case.

Theo was now annoyed.

It was not until the anxiety had almost disappeared that the trial began in earnest with the reading of the results of the local circuit trial on the murder charge of Count Anthony Burns.

Then, tension returned to the courtroom.

Following the declaration of the Royal Guard, the Black Rod [official in the British Parliament], the Gentleman Usher of the Black Rod holding a black cane, dragged Anthony Burns and Gavin Murray to kneel before the Royal Chamberlain.

However, unlike Count Burns, who knelt powerlessly, Gavin Murray did not kneel.

“Kneel down immediately!”

Even with the Black Rod’s shout in embarrassment, Gavin Murray did not comply.

Rather, he just glared menacingly at the Royal Chamberlain with a sneering expression.

“Huh? That person? What are you doing?”

Gavin Murray continued to stand stiffly, glaring with his eyes raised, and the Royal Chamberlain’s face twitched and turned red.

However, he soon waved his hand as if annoyed and ordered them to be sent to the defendant’s seat.

The Black Rod, who was instructed, roughly pushed Gavin Murray to the defendant’s seat.

“Go and sit down quickly!”

“Don’t push me! You bastard!”

The noble jury showed interest, gossiping about Gavin Murray’s absurdly confident behavior, but Theo paid more attention to the emaciated Anthony Burns.

‘Count Burns…’

Anthony Burns’ face, bowed and trembling, had become gaunter in just a few days.

Theo had given him hope during his last visit, but it would not have been enough to quell the Count’s anxiety before the potential hanging.

In contrast to the Count’s appearance, Gavin Murray’s expression was overflowing with shameless composure.

He even made eye contact with the gathered nobles and sneered at them.