Chapter 1 The Herbert Estate

Just like when they passed by during the day, the Herbert Estate's gates were tightly shut. The cold iron bars and well-trained security made this area, which occupied about 2% of the entire Coquet Island, seem untouchable.

This was the only place on the island more luxurious than the Alfred Hotel; even in Western Europe, the "Herbert Residence" had a renowned reputation.

Of course, the commoners on the island usually didn't have the chance to be guests here; at most, they came to work...

"Hello, can I help you?"

When Sam and Feng Bujue arrived at the estate's gate, the security guard in the booth immediately asked in a standardized tone.

Although the guard tried to appear calm, Feng Bujue immediately noticed something strange in his expression.

Everyone lies, but not everyone knows how to lie. Most people can control their tone and wording when lying, but subtle expressions and small movements are difficult to control... And excellent detectives can often use these details as a breakthrough.

"You don't recognize me?" Sam didn't answer the question, but raised the brim of his hat and stepped forward, bringing his face into the light.

"You are..." The change in the guard's expression showed that he recognized Sam.

"I need to speak with John. Please inform him," Sam said directly, not waiting for the guard to finish his sentence.

"This..." The guard hesitated for two seconds before saying, "Okay... Please wait."

With that, he picked up the internal phone on the desk, pressed a speed dial button, and turned his chair halfway around, preparing to talk to someone.

"The police are already here." Almost as the guard turned, Feng Bujue lowered his voice and whispered to Sam.

"What?" Sam seemed quite surprised. He immediately looked through the gate into the estate, but couldn't see any police car lights in the darkness.

"Don't bother looking; he didn't call the police," Feng Bujue said, knowing what Sam was looking for.

"But you said the police are already here?" Sam asked doubtfully.

"If you were John, after encountering some kind of emergency..." Feng Bujue said slowly, "would you directly call the police and have a team of police cars with sirens blaring come into your house... or would you call the police chief's office and have him bring some people to take a look discreetly?"

His words enlightened Sam.

Even Sam laughed to himself, "Ha... What was I thinking? The person in trouble is John Herbert, after all..."

No matter how advanced human society's systems become, the phenomenon of "a small portion of people with more resources having privileges" cannot be eliminated.

As the "island owner" of Coquet Island, John Herbert naturally didn't need to follow any conventional procedures. As long as he hadn't reached the end of his rope, he would never let a team of law enforcement vehicles drive into his house with sirens blaring and lights flashing.

At least on this island, John wouldn't leave behind the kind of fact that would allow people to "point fingers" behind his back.

"Uh..." After a while, the guard finished his call. He turned back and paused for a second before speaking, as if considering how to address Sam. "Mr. Herbert, you..." He glanced at Feng Bujue next to Sam, "...and your friend can go in. The chief is waiting for you..."

With that, he pressed a button on the console, opening the estate gates.

Sam didn't stand on ceremony with the guard, not even saying thank you, and turned to leave. Feng Bujue, however, tilted his head and gave the guard a mysterious smile as he passed, as if saying "sorry" for his companion's rudeness.

Just like that, the two quickly passed through the gates and walked along a pebble path (the pebble path was for pedestrians, the driveway next to it was asphalt) toward the mansion inside the estate.

The path wasn't too long or too short, and there were streetlights along the way, but they still couldn't illuminate the open space completely.

"Right, Feng," Sam said, as if remembering something. "You still haven't told me... how did you know the police were already here?"

"Of course, by observing the security guard," Feng Bujue replied.

"Oh?" Sam glanced at Feng Bujue. "What did you observe?"

"First of all, judging from his complexion and age, this is clearly a security guard who has been working the night shift for a long time." Feng Bujue didn't mind explaining his reasoning.

"I understand the complexion... but is there a direct connection between age and the night shift?" Sam's mind wasn't slow, and he immediately raised a question.

"Of course there is..." Feng Bujue replied in a very ordinary tone. "Everyone wants to put the young and good-looking security guards on the day shift because there are more people coming and going during the day, and having a more spirited guard can show off the estate's image. Besides, there are more things to do during the day. If the young guards encounter some trouble they can't handle, everyone is awake, and the young guards can always call to ask their superiors.

"But at night, for this kind of 'single-person post,' you must have an older, more experienced staff member to guard it. People of this age are more reliable, and if something goes wrong, they have some ability to handle it independently. Furthermore... there is less work at night, and it is even possible that nothing will happen all night, so it is perfect to have someone nearing retirement do it."

"Oh..." Sam nodded. "You seem to know a lot about this line of work."

"I know a lot about many industries," Feng Bujue said. "From low-level service industries to mid-level administrative industries to high-end creative industries... My profession requires me to understand 'people,' and everything closely related to 'people'... Obviously, 'occupation' is a very important part of that."

"Eh?" Sam asked, hearing this, "Speaking of which, I haven't asked... what do you do?"

"Detective," Feng Bujue replied very simply, and added a second later, "Maybe it's not appropriate for me to say this myself, but I must add... a very excellent detective."

As soon as he finished speaking, Sam's reaction... was as wonderful as Feng Bujue had expected.

This brother almost couldn't hide his gasp, and his face turned pale, and even his steps became unsteady.

At this moment, Sam was already regretting... He regretted finding such an "alibi," and even more, he regretted bringing this "friend" to the crime scene.