Chapter 1
Chapter 1

“Hah…” After closing the door, Zuo Yan let out a long breath and muttered, “This whole day with planes and boats… I can finally rest for a bit…”

As he spoke, he consciously tilted his right shoulder, letting the gym bag on it slide to the ground.

At the same time, Vidocq crawled out of the gym bag and, with his usual sarcastic tone, poured a bucket of cold water on Zuo Yan: “But I doubt you’ll be resting for long.”

“Huh?” Zuo Yan’s expression changed slightly when he heard this as soon as his butt touched the bed. “Why?”

“Remember that guy we met at the elevator entrance?” Vidocq didn’t answer his question directly, but instead threw one back at him.

“You mean… Jue-ge?” Zuo Yan replied.

“Are you an idiot?” Vidocq jumped onto the bed, squinting his cat eyes, and responded irritably, “I said ‘elevator entrance,’ didn’t I? We only met that Feng Bujue after we got ‘inside the elevator,’ didn’t we?”

“Entrance?” Zuo Yan looked puzzled. “Did we meet anyone before we got into the elevator?”

His reaction was only natural…

Although there weren’t many people in the hotel lobby at that moment, there were still more than a dozen employees and guests coming and going; if you had to say how many people Zuo Yan “met,” then everyone who appeared in his line of sight, or within a ten-meter radius of him, could be counted in the category of “met.”

However, as a normal person, we can’t possibly remember the faces of every passerby who has appeared around us, even if we wanted to… we probably wouldn’t have the ability.

From the time Zuo Yan left the front desk until he reached the elevator area, he didn’t speak to anyone, or even make eye contact; when he got to the elevator, he just happened to see an elevator door about to close, so he shouted and rushed in.

Therefore… he didn’t notice that a middle-aged man brushed past him when he ran towards the elevator.

“Let me help you remember…” Vidocq licked his paws as he continued speaking to Zuo Yan through mental dialogue, “A white man around forty years old, about six feet tall, dark suit, brand new Panama hat…”

“Hmm…” Zuo Yan muttered as he listened.

After all, it was short-term memory. With Vidocq’s reminder, Zuo Yan seemed to recall some vague impressions: “Now that you mention it… there does seem to be such a person.”

“Forget it…” Vidocq continued, “Don’t bother trying to remember, just listen to me…”

Vidocq didn’t let Zuo Yan think any further, because he could see that Zuo Yan hadn’t paid any attention to that person at all. Considering the memory distortions that the “fuzzy trace theory” could produce, it was better to give Zuo Yan reliable information – that is, the information that Vidocq himself had observed – than to let Zuo Yan try to recall in this state.

“Although that guy pulled his hat down very low, I could still see his whole face from my perspective, so I recognized him at a glance…” Vidocq continued, “…he’s Sam Herbert.”

“Herbert?” It was the first time Zuo Yan had heard the name “Sam,” but he had naturally heard of the surname.

“That’s right,” Vidocq replied, “It’s Herbert…” He paused. “Sam Herbert is John Herbert’s younger brother.”

“Uh…” Zuo Yan thought for a moment, “I do know his brother’s name; he’s the current president of the Herbert Corporation, but how do you know this ‘Sam’…?”

“I don’t know him,” Vidocq said, “I just saw his picture in a news report once. It was an article about an inheritance dispute, the content was quite cliché. I think you can basically guess the plot when you hear me say ‘inheritance’…”

Zuo Yan thought for two seconds and replied, “Is it… after old Herbert died, he left all his inheritance to his eldest son, so the second son refused to accept it, sued his brother, and ultimately lost the case?”

“Hmm…” Vidocq also muttered, then said, “…no.”

“Eh?” Zuo Yan was immediately stunned; he obviously hadn’t expected that he would guess wrong.

“On the contrary,” Vidocq continued, “After old Herbert died, a will found in his safe deposit box showed that he left all his property to his second son, and the eldest son didn’t get a single cent.”

“So…” Zuo Yan followed the other’s train of thought and said, “John actually sued Sam?”

“Yes,” Vidocq said, “John hired a very good lawyer who claimed that the will was forged by Sam and demanded that Sam be stripped of his inheritance.”

“Judging from the current situation… he seems to have succeeded,” Zuo Yan replied.

“Yes,” Vidocq paused for half a second, then said, “Although the will had old Herbert’s signature on it, and the key to the safe deposit box was always carried by old Herbert, in the end… John still won the lawsuit.”

“That’s possible?” Zuo Yan asked doubtfully.

“Ha!” Vidocq lay down on the bed sheet, comfortably started licking his fur, and laughed at the same time, “Why not? Only the signature part of that will was handwritten, and the rest of the content was typed on an old typewriter. John’s lawyer only needed to make a fuss about ‘Sam imitating the deceased’s signature.’ As for the key to the safe deposit box… that wasn’t a problem at all; the Herbert family’s mansion is very big, and both of his sons could go back and live there at will. If they wanted to duplicate a key… there were plenty of opportunities.”

“Even so… the lawsuit wouldn’t be so easy to judge, right?” Zuo Yan replied.

“Hmm… you’re right. In theory, the court’s judgments are quite cautious in cases like this involving huge inheritance,” Vidocq replied, “In addition to the existing physical evidence, they also consider many other factors, such as… as early as five years before old Herbert passed away, John had already opened his own investment company and was already a young talent with a small reputation in the business world; while Sam had always been a well-known playboy, and he only spent one or two months of the year at home, and spent the rest of his time traveling around the world spending money. Coincidentally… it was during the month that Sam last returned home that old Herbert just happened to die, and then, that will appeared before everyone’s eyes.”

“That is indeed quite suspicious…” Zuo Yan said, “The time he stayed at home was obviously enough for him to forge the will.”

“That’s what the judge thought too.” Vidocq’s story wasn’t over yet. In fact, the most exciting part was just about to come. “So… after obtaining the consent of the Herbert brothers, the police used the most advanced technology at the time to appraise the will…”