Chapter 17 Chapter Seventeen: On "The Locked Room"

In the hotel where Pettis lived, the lights had been dimmed in the huge dining room, the coffee was on the table, the wine bottle was empty, and the cigars were smoky.Hadley, Pettis, Rimbaud, and Dr. Phil sat around the red light of the table lamp.In the leisurely time of this winter afternoon full of wine and food, the warm fire makes people feel extremely comfortable, and the snowflakes begin to pass by the window and fall like a sieve. At this moment, there are only a handful of guests at other tables, and the four of them can be regarded as staying. the longest.Under the shimmering light of the armor and shield badge, it is not an exaggeration to say that Dr. Fell looks like a vassal nobleman.The Doctor squinted at the small coffee cup, as if he would swallow it whole in one mouthful.He held a cigar and made a frank and irrefutable gesture.He cleared his throat before speaking.

"I am going to start my lecture," the doctor declared in a tactful but firm tone. "The subject is the so-called 'closed chamber' in detective novels. What I want to talk about is the development of the plot and the technique of generalization." Hadley couldn't help wailing when he heard this. "Another day," he suggested, "after such an impressive lunch, especially with work to do, we're not in the mood for a speech. As I said—" "I'm going to start my lecture," said Dr. Phil unimpressed. "The subject is the so-called 'closed chamber' in detective novels. I'm going to talk about the development of the plot, and the technique of generalization. Aha, there are objections Skip this chapter yourself. Aha, first of all, gentlemen, listen up! My mind has been matured by the reading of sensational novels for the past forty years, and I can say this—"

"Since we want to analyze impossible phenomena," Pettis interrupted, "why start with detective novels?" "Because," the Doctor confessed, "our situation is a detective story, and we cannot deceive the reader that it is not. Nor do we have to invent a high-sounding excuse in order to discuss a detective story. Pursuit of a Potential suspects are the noblest pastime, and we should be proud of our outspokenness. "Continuing the original topic: In the process of discussion, I do not intend to make any rules, so as not to cause controversy. What I want to talk about is purely personal taste and preference. We can refer to Kipling (JRKipling, 1865-1936, British writer ) into this: 'There are sixty-nine ways to build a murder maze, and every one of them is right.' Now if I say that every one is equally interesting to me, then I must--I try to be as humble as possible--to tell a lie. But that's beside the point. It's pure prejudice when I say that I think the most interesting story in detective fiction is when the chamber is closed. I I like the bloodthirsty, grotesque murderer, and he doesn't give up. I like the plot vivid and full of imagination, so in real life, I can't find such a dazzling story. I admit , these thoughts are a rational prejudice, but they fill me with satisfaction and joy, and require no half (or weighty) comments to be added to them.

"This is absolutely important, because some people who could not see any bloodshed have insisted on defining the rules according to their own preferences. They will use the word 'impossible' as a sign of condemnation. Therefore, indiscriminate people Just got bluffed by them, thinking that 'impossible' equals 'poor'. "I don't think it's an exaggeration to say that it is the most inappropriate thing to curse detective novels with the word 'impossible'. I like detective novels for a large reason because I like the impossible things in the book A is murdered, B and C are the biggest suspects, in this case, the innocent D is the murderer, this is impossible, but he is the murderer. G has a perfect alibi, And there are other people's guarantees to testify, but he is the real culprit in this case, which is called an impossibility; There are important clues hidden, which is also impossible, but the truth is. Simply put, you will find that the word 'impossible' will gradually lose its meaning as the story develops, and it can even be said to be a joke .Anything is highly unlikely until the event is over anyway. So, if you want the murderer to be someone with an extremely unlikely character (we old-school folks would think so), then it's a no-brainer. Complained, because of all the suspects, indeed, his motives were the least likely, unnecessary, and least obvious.

"Complaining about 'this doesn't happen!' or complaining about half-faced demons, hooded ghosts, and stunning blondes, all you're saying is: 'I don't like this story'. This kind of reaction is very normal. If you don't like it, of course you can say it outrightly. However, if you use this question of liking or not as a criterion for judging the value of a story, or even whether it is credible, then you It's like saying: 'This chain of events can't happen because I can't have fun with it.' "So what's really going on? Since the Chamber of Secrets storyline is the one most often criticized for being unconvincing, let's examine it thoroughly.

"I'm happy to tell you that most people love locked rooms. But—and here's the troublesome point of contention—even fans of the genre are often skeptical. I'm happy to admit that I am, too. ...so as things stand, I'm on the same side as you guys, let's see what makes sense. Once the secret of the locked room is revealed, why are we half-believing? It's not paranoia too much The emphasis is on causing trouble, and it is simply that we will be disappointed for no reason. In addition to disappointment, this feeling naturally develops an unobjective idea, and then says that this whole story is implausible, unlikely, or too much. Ridiculous.

"In short, it's true," Dr. Phil said loudly, raising his cigar. "The magic trick that Orloch told us today is actually being performed in the real world. My God! Gentlemen, even the real Events are ridiculed by us, so what is the treatment for fictional stories? Every fact that happens, every trick that the magician succeeds makes the deception more open. If this situation is left When it comes to detective stories, we would say that it is unbelievable; but if it happens in real life, although we still reluctantly believe it, we just can't help shouting 'the answer is too disappointing'! In fact, to put it bluntly, two kinds of disappointment However, the reason is the same - our expectations are too high.

"If you think about it, because the effect is so amazing, we unconsciously expect it to be amazing. So when we know it's not magic at all, we call it boring. That mentality It's not fair. Besides, the last thing we should condemn the murderer in the story is his bizarre behavior. The whole thing should be tested is whether this murderous plot can really be carried out? If it can, then it will not be executed in the future. would be executed, and need not be included in the discussion. Someone escaped from some locked room, didn't he? Since he can violate the laws of nature for our entertainment, he certainly has the right to behave violently! If someone voluntarily Performing handstands, it is really difficult for us to force him to stand obediently on the ground. Everyone, when you want to criticize, please remember what I said. You can put forward 'the ending is boring' and so on according to your personal taste. However, think twice before accusing the story of improbability and bullshit."

"Okay, okay," Hadley moved his sitting posture, "I personally don't have much opinion on the topic of your lecture. However, if you insist on explaining it, it seems that the topic is applicable to this case..." "That's right." "Then why did you cite the closed chamber as an example? You have said yourself that the murder of Grimaud is not the biggest problem. What bothers us the most is the shooting incident in the middle of the empty alley..." "Oh, that?" said Dr. Fell, making a contemptuous gesture that caused Hadley's eyes to widen. "That part? I knew what was going on when I heard the church bells. Spray, spit, that’s a signal! To be honest, the matter of escaping from the room now bothers me. Since there is no clue, let me first distinguish a few different types, and then give you a rough description of the murder in the secret room Various methods. The criminal pattern in this case must belong to one of the types. This is inevitable! There may be some differences in form, but no matter how big the difference is, it must be a variant of certain method types.

"Hmm! Ha! Now, your box has a door, a window, and solid walls. On the premise that the doors and windows are closed, before discussing the method of escape. The so-called secret corridor leading to the secret room and other low-level tricks (And, it’s rare now), so I won’t mention it. This kind of story design is unacceptable to readers, so any self-respecting author doesn’t even need to declare that there are no secret passages. As for some foul tricks , let's not discuss it, like the gap between the siding, which is wide enough to reach into the palm of a hand; or the bolt hole in the ceiling, which was actually poked with a knife, and the plug was filled into the bolt hole without anyone noticing. , and the upper attic floor was dusted and arranged as if no one had walked by it. Small as it is, it is equally foul. Whether the secret cave is as small as a tailor's thimble or as large as a grain The barn door, the basic rules will never change, everything is a foul. As for the reasonable type, you can just copy it down, Mr. Pettis..."

"Fine," said Pettis, grinning. "Go ahead." "First of all! There is a kind of secret room murder. The room at the scene of the crime is really completely closed. In this case, the reason why the murderer did not escape from the room is because the murderer was not in the room at all. The explanation is as follows: 1. This is not a murder, but a series of erratic coincidences leading to an accident that looks like a murder. First of all, before the room was locked, there may have been robberies, attacks and fights, some people were hanged and injured, and the furniture was damaged. The situation is enough to remind people of the struggle during the murder.Later, the victim is accidentally killed or left unconscious in a locked room, but all events are assumed to have occurred at the same time.In this case, the method of death, usually brain rupture.It is generally speculated that it was caused by sticks, but it was actually some part of the furniture, perhaps the corner of a table or the protruding edge of a chair, but the most common object was actually an iron fireplace mantle.In short, since the adventures of Sherlock Holmes (The Hunchback) came out, this cruel mantle has actually killed a lot of people, and these deaths have in a way appeared to be murders.Some of the most satisfying work of this type of plot, including solving the mystery of the murderer, is Caston LeHouard's "Mystery of the Yellow Room," arguably the best detective story in history . Two, it is murder, but the victim is forced to kill himself, or falls into a death trap by mistake.It may be caused by a haunted room, it may be induced, and more commonly gas is introduced from outside the room.Whether it is gas or poisonous gas, it will drive the victim mad and slam into the walls of the room, making the scene look like a battle of trapped animals, and the cause of death is the knife wound added to his body.Another example of a variant that extends from this is the victim piercing the spikes of a tree chandelier into his own head, or hanging himself from a wire mesh, or even strangling himself with his hands. 3. It was murder by means of an imperceptible mechanism installed in the room, concealed in some seemingly innocuous place above the furniture.The design of this trap may have been done by someone who has been dead for many years. It can work automatically, or it can be reset by the current user.It could be an evil new invention extended by modern technology.For example, the pistol mechanism is hidden in the microphone. Once the victim picks up the microphone, the bullet will be fired and pass through his head.There is also a pistol with a silk thread tied to the trigger. Once the water freezes and freezes, the original water will expand, so that the thread will be pulled.Let's take the example of the alarm clock again, and when you wind it up, the bullets shoot out; The terrible clanging bell device, once the noise sounds, when you want to close it to turn it off, as soon as you touch it, it will throw a sharp knife and cut your lower abdomen on the spot.Besides, there is a kind of weight that can swing down from the ceiling, so long as you sit on a high-backed chair, the power of this weight is sure to knock your head to pieces; there is another kind of bed that releases deadly gas; and A poisonous needle that mysteriously disappears, will— "You understand," Dr. Phil pointed at everyone with a cigar, "When we studied these various traps, we really entered the realm of 'impossible crime', and locked rooms can be regarded as Pediatrics. This situation may continue to develop, and there will even be a mechanism for electrocution. A string placed in front of a row of portraits can be connected to electricity; a chessboard can be charged; even gloves can electrify people to death. Between furniture Anything in it, including the teapot, can kill a person. However, these tricks seem to be used by no one now. So, let's go on: 4. This is suicide, but deliberately arranged to look like murder.Someone stabs himself with an icicle, and the icicle melts!Murder was presumed as no murder weapon was found in the locked room.Or someone shoots himself with a gun attached to the end of a rubber band—when he lets go, the gun is pulled down the chimney and disappears.In the case of non-secret rooms, this trick can be changed to a gun tied with a silk thread connected to a heavy object. After shooting, the gun is quickly pulled over the bridge railing and then falls into the water; in the same way, the pistol can also be slammed through the window. Then fell into a snowdrift. 5. This is murder, but the mystery is caused by delusion and disguise.For example, when the door is watched, the victim is murdered and left dead indoors, but everyone thinks he is still alive.The killer, dressed as the victim, or being mistaken for the victim from behind, hurried to the door and emerged.Then, he turned around, removed all disguises, changed his body, changed back to his original appearance, and immediately walked out of the room.Because he walked past others when he left, it caused the illusion.In any case, his alibi was established; because when the body was later found, the police presumed that the crime occurred after the false victim entered the house. 6. This is murder. Although the murderer did it outside the room, it looks like it was committed in the room. "For the convenience of explanation," Dr. Phil interrupted the topic of classification, "I categorized these types of crimes, commonly known as 'long-distance crimes' or 'icicle crimes', anyway, no matter how they change, they are all extensions of the basic prototype. I just said about the case of the icicles, and you all understand. The door was locked, and the window was too small for the murderer to get through; but the victim was apparently stabbed inside the room, and the weapon was missing. Well, ice The column was fired from outside the room like a bullet - as with the previously mentioned mysterious poisonous gas, we are not discussing its feasibility here - and then it melted without a trace. I believe that Anna Catherine Green (Anna Katherine Green, 1846-1935, American female mystery writer pioneer) is the first person to use this trick in a detective novel, her novel is called "Only Short Letters". By the way, some tricks It will develop into various genres, and she has indeed contributed a lot. In her first mystery novel published more than fifty years ago, she created the story of a murderous secretary killing her employer, and I think that from today's statistics, it can be proved that , the secretary is still the most common murderer in the novel. It has been a long time since the servant and the foreman were outdated as the murderer; The same is the case, and today they behave more and more according to the rules, unless they become mad scientists because of their fame. Lawyers are always cunning and dark, and only in certain cases can they be active and murderous. However, all things It is endless! Eighty years ago, Edgar Allan Poe leaked the secret, he used the name of 'Goodfellow' (Goodfellow) as the title of the murderer in his works; and today's most popular reasoning writer is just like him, Also known as 'Goodman' (Goodman) for his killer role. But these days, as long as there is a mansion, the secretary is still the most dangerous person. "Continuing the topic of icicles. Its practical use is thanks to the Medici (Medici, a prominent family in Florence, Italy, who contributed to the protection of literature and art from the fifteenth to sixteenth centuries), and in an article In the admirable story of The Flaming Stone, a satirical poem about war is quoted, referring to the fall of Rome in the first century AD, in which icicles provided the cause of the fall of the country. With the aid of the crossbow, the ice Pillars are fired, hurled, thrown, and in the adventures of Hamilton Courick (the fascinating character in Forty Faces) there are similar elements: dissolvable projectiles, salt-block bullets , and even bullets made from frozen blood. "The icicle crime theory proves my point: Murder inside, could have been done by someone outside. There are a few other possibilities here. The victim was stabbed, and the murder weapon could have been a stick with a thin blade inside, which could pass through summer The braid coiled around the villa, retracting as soon as the blow was received; or, the victim could have been stabbed with a blade so thin that he was unaware of the injury, and then collapsed as he walked into another room. Or, the victim was lured to stick his head out of the window; from below it was impossible to climb to the window, but from above the ice was able to fall and hit him hard on the head. The head was blown apart, but The murder weapon could not be found, because it had long ago melted away. "Under this heading (and indeed under a third heading, which is also appropriate), we might enumerate the use of poisonous snakes or insects to kill people. Snakes can hide not only in wardrobes and safes, but also with dexterity. Among flower pots, stacks of books, chandeliers, and walking sticks. I remember a very exaggerated case—the amber pipe handle, carved in the shape of a strange scorpion, the victim was about to put it in his mouth, carved The creature actually came to life and became a living scorpion. However, when it comes to the most amazing long-distance murder method in the locked room murder, I recommend you one of the most wonderful short stories in the history of detective fiction (actually , and several very fine and equally eponymous first-rate masterpieces, such as Thomas Burke's "Hand of Automota," Chesterton's "Man in the Corridor," Jack Futrell's "The Problem of Cell 13"). It is "Murder at Tudolph" by Melville Davidson Post - the assassin who strikes from a long distance, the sun. Sunlight passes through the window of the locked room and shines on the wine bottle placed on the table by Dudorf. Since the bottle is filled with unprocessed methanol liquor, it forms a fire mirror (that is, a convex lens that concentrates sunlight and generates heat) , and the shot of the gun on the wall through the light just ignited the detonator: so naturally the chest of the abominable guy lying on the bed was blasted to bloody flesh. And... wait! Aha, I'd better stop now; now , I will use the last title to draw a perfect ending for the classification work: 7. This is murder, but the method of operation of its tricks is exactly the opposite of the fifth heading.In other words, the presumed time of death of the victim was much earlier than the actual time of the crime.The victim was comatose (drugged, but uninjured) in a locked room.So banging on the door hard didn't wake him up.At this time, the murderer began to pretend to be terrified, forcing the door open first, and then rushed in first, stabbed or cut the victim's throat, and at the same time made other people present feel that they saw something they didn't see.Kudos to Israel Jangway for inventing this ruse, for posterity still uses his idea, albeit in different forms.This ruse has been used (often in assassinations) on boats, old houses, greenhouses, attics, and even out in the open air.In these places, the victim stumbles and stumbles, then falls unconscious before the assassin leans over him.so……" "Slow down! Wait a minute!" Hadley cut in quickly and slammed his fist on the table to get everyone's attention.Dr. Phil, who was full of ambition, was full of eloquence and couldn't stop. With a smile on his face, he turned to look at the criminal director kindly.Hadley went on to say: "Your analysis may be very good. You have studied all possible scenarios of the locked room—" "All the cases?" Dr. Fell said, eyes wide, snorting. "It's not far off. There are some very special types, I haven't caught them all, and I haven't figured out the mystery of them; this is just a copy." A rough outline for an extemporaneous presentation; but some day I will have it all sorted out. I was about to speak of other types: various deceiving windows and doors are employed in the means in order to keep them locked from the inside of the room. Humph! Ha! So, gentlemen, next I—" "Not yet," said the criminal director stubbornly. "I would like to question what you say. You say that we can get a clue from these various types of gimmicks. You stated seven points; but, according to None of the types you proposed can be applied to this case. You wrote the whole title: "The reason why the murderer didn't escape from the room was because the murderer was not in the room at the time of the crime", which is totally inconsistent with this case! Unless Both Mills and Dumo lied, otherwise the only thing we would know for certain is that the murderer was actually in the room! How do you say that?" Pettis moved forward a little, and when he leaned closer to the envelope, the red light from the table lamp shone on his bald head, reflecting a faint light.With a pencil of pure gold, he copied neat notes.Now, he opened his protruding eyes and stared at Dr. Fell, the eyeballs on his face seemed to be more prominent, more like frog eyes. "Er, yes," he gave a short cough, "but the fifth item is evocative, I think--use of illusion! Could it be that Mills and Mrs. Dumer didn't actually see someone come into the room?" Guilty; they were simply fooled for some reason; or, was the whole scene like a slide projector illusion?" "Trying to trip me up on delusional grounds," said Hadley. "Sorry! I've thought about that too. I've pressed Mills last night, and I've had him a couple of times this morning. Anyway, whatever He Fangsheng is the murderer, he is definitely not an illusion, he really walked into the room. He is so real, his lively shadow is projected on the ground, and the corridor is almost shaking when he walks. He is so real that he can say , can move, can close the door with force. Phil, do you agree?" The doctor nodded dejectedly.He puffed an empty puff on his dead cigar. "Oh, yes, I agree. It was a real person, and he actually walked into the room." "Actually," Hadley continued, calling for the waiter to refill the coffee, "even if what we heard was a lie, even if it was the shadow cast by the slide projector, the shadow never killed Gerry. Mo. The murder weapon was a hard gun, held in flesh and blood hands. As for the rest, God knows, Grimaud was not shot by a mechanism, and he did not shoot himself, let alone let the gun go. Go quickly through the chimney, as in your example. First, a man cannot shoot himself from a few feet away. Second, the gun cannot go through the chimney, across the row of roofs to Cagli Straw Street, then shoot Foyle, and finally fall to the ground when you're done. Shit, Phil, I'm talking more and more like you, too much like the way you're used to thinking! I'm waiting for a round call Phone, I have to wake up...what's the matter with you?" Dr. Phil's small eyes were fully opened, staring at the table lamp, and then his fist slowly landed on the table. "The chimney!" he said. "The chimney! Wow! Could it be . . . my God! What a fool I am, Hadley!" "What happened to the chimney?" asked the chief criminal. "We have established that the murderer cannot climb out of the chimney." "Yes, of course; but that's not what I meant. A thought flashed through my head, though it might have been only a little flash of inspiration. . . That chimney, I must look again." Pettis laughed softly and tapped his notebook with the gold pen. "In any case," he suggested, "you should summarize our discussion. I agree with what the criminal director said just now. You'd better give a brief account of how to manipulate the doors, windows, and chimneys." "The chimney, I'm so sorry," continued Dr. Fell, returning to his former air once he had concentrated his mind, "sorry, but chimneys are an unfavorable means of escape in detective stories; except, of course, secret passages. Let me give some important examples, such as a secret room behind a hollow chimney, the back of a fireplace, which can be unfolded like a curtain, or a fireplace which can be swiveled open, or even a secret room hidden under the hearthstones. In addition, many highly poisonous things can fall through the chimney pipe. However, it is rare for the murderer to escape by climbing the chimney. First, it is almost impossible, and second, such a move is less Of the two principal types, doors and windows, doors are obviously the more popular. Let us take a few swindles that have been modified so that they appear to lock from the inside. Technique example: 1. Move the key inserted in the lockhole.This traditional method is quite popular, but today, few people actually use it because its variations are so well known.One can take a pair of pliers to the handle of the key, and turn it; we have opened the door of Grimaud's study in this way.There is also a very useful little trick which consists of a thin metal strip two inches long, with a very long piece of strong string attached to one end.Before leaving the room, a metal strip is inserted into the small hole in the head of the key, one end up and the other down, so that leverage is used; the string hangs down to the floor and is pulled from under the door to the outside of the room.Then close the door from the outside.Just pull the string, under the action of the lever principle, the key is turned to lock the door; then shake the string to loosen the metal strip, once it falls to the ground, you can pull it out from under the door .Under the same principle, there can be various applications, but the string is absolutely indispensable. 2. Easily remove the hinges of the door without destroying the lock and bolt.This technique is neat and neat, and most of the male students are familiar with it, especially when trying to steal the contents of a locked cupboard; however, the premise is that the hinges must be installed on the outside of the door. Three, tamper with the latch.The string reappears: this time the technique is the clothespin and the patching needle. The clothespin is attached to the inside of the door and is designed as a lever device to close the latch outside the door. At this time, the string is pulled out of the keyhole That's it.I have to give my hat to Philo Vance (the detective of the mystery writer Van Dyne) for giving us the best example.There are also some methods that are relatively simple but not efficient, but a thin rope is indispensable.You can tie a loose knot at the end of a long string—a jerk will break the knot—and fasten it into a loop.The loop is wrapped around the handle of the bolt, and the string part hangs down and passes under the door.At this moment, the door has been closed. At this time, pull the string to either side of the left and right sides to lock the door latch.Then give the string another jerk so hard that the knot is released from the handle, and the string can then be pulled out.Ellery Quinn (American reasoning writer) has also demonstrated another trick, and he used the dead to play this trick.But his explanations of mysteries are too dry and grotesque to sound, so that the ruse does not do justice to the astute reader. Fourth, tamper with the slideable latch.The usual practice is to put something under the latch, then close the door from the outside, and then remove the underlayment, allowing the latch to slide off and lock.As for the support, the block of ice, which is at hand, is obviously the best tool, and the block of ice is used to prop up the latch; when it dissolves, the latch will fall down.Also, in one case, simply closing the door with enough force was enough to cause the latch inside the door to slide off on its own. Fifth, create an illusion, simple but effective.After killing someone, the murderer locked the door from the outside and took the key with him.However, everyone thought the key was still in the lock in the room.The murderer was the first to feign panic and discover the body, breaking the upper glass panel of the door, hiding the key in his hand, and 'discovering' the key in the lock, which opened the door .This trick also works when you need to break the siding on an ordinary wooden door. "In short, there are many other methods, such as locking the door from the outside and using a string to return the key to the house. But you can see that none of these methods were used in this case. We found that The door was locked from the inside. Well, the murderer had many ways to lock the inside, but none of them worked, because Mills had been watching the door. So the door was locked on the usual technical principle. It's under surveillance the whole time, so we're all gone." "I don't like clichés." Pettis frowned, "but now it seems that all the impossibilities have been ruled out, and what remains, no matter how small the possibility, must be the final truth. The door is out of consideration; are the chimneys also excluded?" "Yes," Dr. Fell muttered. "Shouldn't it be time to go back to the windows?" demanded Hadley. "You've gone to so much trouble, it's clear that none of the examples of tactics are going to work. Still, among these rather sensational-sounding methods, the only means of escape employed by the murderer , but you ignore..." "Isn't that a locked window, can't you see it?" Dr. Phil snarled, "As long as the window is locked, I can name several interesting examples. Like early false nail heads, to modern times The steel window covers that are used to bluff people can be used on the windows. You can also break the window, catch the window catch carefully, and then when you go away, you only need to replace it with a new window pane, and then go back to the window. Putty caulking is sufficient; as the new panes are very similar to the old ones, the windows appear to be locked from the inside. But the windows of Grimaud's study, neither locked nor closed, are utterly inanimate. You can ride." "I seem to have read somewhere that people can fly..." Pettis hinted. Dr. Phil shook his head. "Whether flying humans can walk on a slippery straight wall is not something we will discuss. I am very happy to see the method of flying to escape, and as long as there is a place to take off into the air, I believe it. It is feasible. That is to say, he had to take off from somewhere and then land somewhere, but he didn't; there were no signs of takeoff or landing on the roof or on the ground..." Phil Boss was thinking hard. "But in this regard, if you would like to hear other suggestions, I can tell you—" He was suddenly speechless and looked up.At the end of the quiet and deserted restaurant, the snowflakes attached to the entire row of windows were shining faintly.At this moment, a figure in front of them suddenly broke in. This person looked a little hesitant, his eyes searched around, and then he quickly walked towards them.When everyone saw that it was Mangan, Hadley couldn't help but let out a deep sigh.Mangan looked pale. "Nothing happened?" Hadley asked with his usual nonchalance.He pushed his chair back a little. "The coat hasn't changed color anymore, or—" "No," Mangan replied.He stood by the table panting, looking out of breath. "But you'd better go there. Dreyman's had an accident, it looks like he's had a sudden stroke. No, he's not dead, but the situation is not optimistic. When he first had a seizure, he was trying to contact you...he said all that Crazy talk about people in his room, fireworks, and chimneys."