The Bizarre Detective Agency

“400 shillings! Please, you must save my son.”

Lu Li stopped in his tracks, his expression serious. “Mr. Tolkin, the ghost possessing Henry is far too strong for me to handle. I recommend hiring a more experienced exorcist.”

Tolkin pleaded desperately, “But I don’t have that much money… 500 shillings! I’ll give you 500 shillings, just please save Henry…”

Lu Li had no intention of taking unnecessary risks. He moved to walk around Tolkin and leave. However, just then, a strange feeling of being watched crept into his mind. He turned his head instinctively.

At the end of the hallway, near Henry’s room, a shadow slipped back behind the door, its edge disappearing.

“…?”

Lu Li’s thoughts stirred.

“Exorcist?” Tolkin’s voice was filled with hope, thinking Lu Li had changed his mind.

And he had. Lu Li hesitated briefly before speaking. “I can give it a try, but I can’t guarantee it will work.”

“Thank you!”

Accompanied by Tolkin, Lu Li made his way back to Henry’s room.

The figure lying on the bed remained completely motionless, as if the shadow Lu Li had seen earlier was just an illusion. Henry’s pale lips moved faintly, as if muttering something, blending with the whispers that echoed in the room.

“Henry… Henry…” Tolkin called softly to his son, but Henry gave no response. His lifeless eyes stared blankly at the ceiling.

Lu Li didn’t rush into the room. He stood at the doorway, his gaze sweeping over every corner.

He quickly located the source of the whispers. The low, prayer-like murmurs were emanating from a cabinet at the foot of the bed.

Taking a deep breath and exhaling slowly, Lu Li stepped cautiously into the room under Tolkin’s worried gaze.

Approaching the cabinet at the foot of the bed, Lu Li split his attention—part of it focused on the figure lying on the bed, part on the cabinet where the whispers originated, and part on the curtained window.

If anything supernatural happened, Lu Li was ready to jump out of the window without hesitation.

Yet, even as Lu Li reached the cabinet, Henry showed no signs of reacting to the “intruder.”

The whispers grew clearer as Lu Li knelt down. Suddenly, the sound became much louder, almost as if it were echoing directly in his ears.

Inside the depths of the cabinet, something was covered with a piece of linen. That was where the sound was coming from. After a moment’s hesitation, Lu Li reached in and pulled up a corner of the cloth.

The item beneath was revealed, and the whispers in his ears were like voices emanating from a dark forest, radiating an unsettling and malevolent energy.

The object had black, strand-like shapes at its top, resembling some kind of unknown creature’s tendrils. Its sharp, dark-brown surface spread out grotesquely, with a deep, abyssal crack running through its center, exuding an air of dread.

It was a tube radio, currently broadcasting.

The channel was tuned to the Kelsas Cathedral station, which broadcasted daily masses and prayers at noon.

So that’s what it was…

Lu Li let the cloth fall back into place, covering the radio again. Then, he stood and opened the cabinet drawer.

Inside, a stack of envelopes lay quietly.

“Exorcist?” Tolkin asked in a lowered voice from the doorway, clearly confused by Lu Li’s actions.

“I need to understand why Henry is possessed by a ghost. Was it through some medium, or was it a direct possession?”

Lu Li picked up the stack of envelopes, his gaze drifting to the bed.

A pair of eyes was watching him silently from the bed.

“Mr. Tolkin, has Henry shown any unusual behavior recently? For example…” Lu Li casually opened one of the envelopes and unfolded the letter inside. The handwriting was elegant, and Henry’s name appeared in the midst of confessions of affection.

“…being overly involved with someone of the opposite sex?”

Tolkin froze for a moment as if something had come to mind, but before he could speak, a hysterical, maniacal laugh suddenly erupted in the room.

“You’re all going to die! Hahaha! HAHAHAHAHA!”

Henry cackled sharply, his eyes rolling back to reveal ghastly whites. His body convulsed on the bed like someone in the throes of epilepsy.

“Exorcist! My son… my son!” Tolkin cried out in shock, pleading with Lu Li.

“I see it.” Lu Li closed the drawer but kept the stack of envelopes in hand. He spoke calmly toward the door. “I’m going to start the exorcism now, Mr. Tolkin. Please wait in the living room.”

With visible worry, Tolkin closed the door and left. Lu Li stood still for several seconds, waiting for Henry’s convulsions to subside before speaking.

“Alright. Tell me. Why are you pretending to be possessed?”

The room fell silent.

“Hehehehehe… You will die! All of you will die!” Henry screamed, his mouth twisted into a grin.

Crash—

A stack of envelopes was thrown by Lu Li, landing on Henry. One of them smacked him right in the face.

“Is it because Tolkin disapproves of your relationship with Evelyn?”

Lu Li’s casual question froze Henry in place. After a few seconds of silence, Henry removed the envelope from his face with a dazed expression. “How… how did you know?”

“Tell me everything. Maybe I’ll be convinced not to tell your father.”

The once-wild and menacing Henry now resembled a timid young boy. Hesitating, he explained the situation to Lu Li.

Henry had met Evelyn by the sea. Like many young men and women, they were drawn to each other and quickly fell in love. But trouble soon followed. Before Henry could tell his father about his girlfriend, his father announced an arranged marriage for him.

Of course, Henry refused. But Tolkin was a domineering figure in the household, and as the youngest son, Henry had no say in the matter. After discussing it with Evelyn, he decided to fake being possessed by a ghost.

“Why pretend to be possessed?” Lu Li asked.

“That way, my fiancée might be scared and cancel the engagement…”

“And the result?”

“I succeeded!” A hint of joy appeared on Henry’s pale face.

“But you didn’t think about what to do next, which is why Tolkin ended up calling me here.”

Lu Li’s words left Henry speechless.

After a moment of silence, Henry looked up and pleaded, “Will you tell my father?”

“Will you do something like this again?” Lu Li asked.

“Never again, I swear!”

“I’ll keep it a secret,” Lu Li replied.

This outcome was beneficial for everyone. Lu Li received the promised 500 shillings, and Henry avoided his father’s arranged marriage.

Everyone except Tolkin.

If Tolkin ever found out that his youngest son had faked possession, causing him to lose 500 shillings, he might ensure Henry became his only son.

With the case resolved, Lu Li had no reason to stay. After turning off the radio in the cabinet, he headed for the door.

As the door slowly closed, a sly smirk crept across Henry’s face—

The door swung open again. Lu Li stood in the doorway, returning.

“Is something wrong, Exorcist?” Henry asked, startled.

“Nothing.”