After Sebastian brought up the subject, we explained to him everything that had happened to Arthur and me and told him about the code we had found. He quietly listened to every detail of our story until we told him that our sister's name was Olivia. At that moment, his eyebrows furrowed, and everyone noticed it. It was as if he recognized the name.
Doubt immediately began to grow in my heart.
"Does Sebastian know Olivia?? Impossible. How could that be? Did he have something to do with her death??"
Before I could continue thinking, Sebastian spoke.
"In fact, that girl came to me before to ask for my help."
"And what did you do?" Arthur asked.
"I refused her request, of course. She asked me to do something beyond my ability," Sebastian sighed as he said that.
At that moment, I felt that something suspicious was happening. What kind of request was it that even a detective could not fulfill?
Curiosity took over me, so I politely asked,
"And what was that request, sir???"
Sebastian looked at me with a complicated expression before asking,
"Do you really want to know what that request was? You may be shocked by it."
A thought drifted through my mind, as if the world had frozen for a minute.
"What kind of request is surrounded by so much mystery? Could it be that she was involved in some kind of case?"
Suppressing my conflicting thoughts, I replied,
"Yes."
Sebastian frowned in disgust before saying the words,
"She asked me to kill someone."
!!!!!
The two brothers and their friend John were shocked.
Sweat poured down Edward's face as his thoughts collided while he analyzed Sebastian's words deeply.
"Impossible! Either this old man is telling the truth, or he knows something and has decided not to reveal it for now. The question is, is he on our side or not? And does whatever he is hiding serve our interests or the enemy's?"
Edward became even more tense. At that moment, Sebastian decided to say something after reading the atmosphere around him.
"Don't worry, my son. I do not harbor any ill intentions toward you. I am on your side, and that is my duty as a detective. Therefore, I can decipher the code for you, but it will take some time. As you can see, this code was created in haste. Although it is easy to solve, I still have to figure out the method by which it was created, or rather, what the code was based on when it was made. As for your sister, I would like to ask you for a photograph of her so that we can investigate the places she was known to frequent in order to obtain more information. You may leave now."
"Excuse me, sir. Did she tell you the identity of that person?" Sebastian asked nervously.
"No. As you can see, I did not try to ask about it. However, what is certain is that your sister was dealing with someone whom even the police failed to arrest—or perhaps failed to arrest them. Although she spoke about killing one person, I am certain she was dealing with an organization. How could a single person possess such influence? Still, you cannot rule out the possibility that this unknown individual is dangerous. Better safe than sorry," Sebastian replied in a cold voice that reflected the seriousness of the case.
Sebastian paused for a moment before continuing, addressing the young people before him.
"Listen carefully, young men. It will take me some time to find evidence related to the death of the young woman, Olivia. Even so, I cannot promise you anything. As you can see, this case is obviously very difficult. One could even say that it is impossible to find any evidence pointing to the culprit, especially now that it has become clear that the police are involved. Nevertheless, I will do my utmost so that I do not disappoint you. After all, I still have a debt to repay to an old friend."
After saying those final words, Sebastian looked at John. His words carried a trace of nostalgia for the past and gratitude toward that old friend.
It was obvious that he was referring to John's father.
After our conversation ended, the three of us left the place and drove back home.
During the drive back, I was lost in thought, which prompted John to ask me,
"What's wrong, Edward? Are you still thinking about what the old man said?"
"Well, yes, you could say that. Besides, he was definitely hiding something, and it certainly has something to do with the person our sister asked him to kill. We also cannot ignore the possibility that he is lying. Even if he is your father's friend, John, he could still manipulate his words and conceal the truth between the lines, just like any old fox skilled at lying," I replied while deep in thought.
Arthur suddenly spoke.
"Don't worry about it. In time, the truth will become clear sooner or later, and we'll find out whether that old man was telling the truth or not."