John recovered from the powdered medicine assault and gestured for the smug-looking Kai to sit down. He regarded him gently and said, "My boy, in Chinese there's a saying: 'Great wisdom often appears foolish.' Do you know what it means?"
Kai explained, "It means someone who seems foolish on the surface is actually very clever. They might appear to do silly things, but end up achieving good results."
John nodded thoughtfully, straightened up, and said, "I've told you a truth before: He who laughs last, laughs best."
Kai had a faint feeling that something wasn't right.
John took the water Mary handed him with his left hand and gently patted the back of her hand with his right in thanks. Holding the glass, he asked, "Does the medicine have any side effects?"
Kai replied, "Temporary ones."
John: "Can't drive?"
Kai nodded: "Right."
John: "But I need to go to Reading."
"Oh my god. Mary?" Kai looked at Mary—he'd been set up.
Mary stood behind the sofa massaging John's shoulders. "You know I love this man. For him, I'd lie to the whole world."
Kai sighed, "Fine, you set me up. But did you ever consider how your PDA might damage my fragile young heart?"
John laughed heartily, pulled open the drawer of the coffee table, and slid a business card toward Kai. "Contact Lawyer Cook when you get to Reading."
Kai asked, "Can I not go?"
John smiled. "Kai, I know you love being a detective."
Kai said, "You guys have pensions, of course you can 'love being detectives.' Last year when you went on that month-long Mediterranean vacation, I didn't earn a single penny."
John replied, "But you read every book in the agency."
Kai: "What else could I do? Old man, times have changed. Do you have any idea how advanced technology is now? They can reconstruct fingerprints from ashes, trace where you've lived from
elements in your hair. These days, being a detective is a hobby, not a profession."
John took a car key and two fifty-pound notes from the drawer and placed them on the coffee table.
Kai added, "…But of course, taking on the occasional side job is still doable." He reached out and took the money and keys.
John waved lightly, signaling Kai could go.
Mary walked out with Kai and said, "That girl who dropped you off earlier is quite pretty."
Kai said, "We're not a good match."
Mary asked, "Why?"
Kai held up the banknotes. "Because I'm broke."
Mary laughed and gave him a light pat on the back. "Go on."
John walked out of the living room and watched Kai drive off in his Beetle. Mary said, "John, you could give him a bit more money."
John replied, "He has the ability to get rich and the talent to be a detective. I'm afraid he'll use his detective skills to get rich—but I want him to use his ability to get rich to be a detective. He'll have enough money, just not now."
---
There are still over a thousand hereditary nobles in the UK, but only a handful are wealthy landowners. However, a third of the land in Britain is held by a very small number of aristocrats—typical feudal hereditary nobles, the truly powerful and privileged.
The man Kai contacted in Reading, Cook, was a lawyer who provided legal services to a select few of these nobles. Cook's male assistant, who was sent to meet Kai, was visibly unimpressed—so much so that he called Cook right away. Cook, however, reminded him to be polite.
Given Cook's attitude, the assistant had his own driver lead the way while he got into Kai's Beetle. He explained why Cook had asked John to come to Reading. The assistant's issue wasn't with
Kai personally, but with his jeans and T-shirt—especially since Kai was going to the estate of a nobleman.
Earl Davies was the largest landowner in the area, a hereditary noble, and a member of the House of Lords. In short, he was a very important man. This important man had passed away yesterday morning. Lawyer Cook rushed back from France to London and arrived at the Earl's house at 7 a.m. today, only to discover that the will the Earl had kept in his home safe was missing.
Kai said, "The law firm should have a copy of the will."
The assistant explained, "The Earl summoned Lawyer Cook three days ago to draft a new will. Cook had to leave for France to handle one of the Earl's assets and didn't have a chance to persuade him to make a copy."
He went on to clarify the legalities: an employer has the right not to disclose the will to the lawyer, so in this case, no copy existed. Because Cook was in a hurry, he didn't take the will to his London office but instead placed it in the safe behind a portrait in the Earl's bedroom. The loss of this will was a huge problem for Cook.
Without the new will, the old one would automatically take effect. But since many people knew a new will existed, the old one couldn't be executed. With the new will missing, the estate would have to be distributed as if there were no will at all. Cook's firm, being at fault, would also be sued and face massive compensation claims.
The thief could only be someone inside the Earl's estate—specifically, someone living or working in the main residence. There were eight suspects in total, including the four heirs and four staff members from the main house. Cook urgently reached out to John, hoping he could recover the missing will before the planned reading tomorrow evening.
Kai suggested, "If there's been a theft, we should call the police, not a detective."
The assistant stared at Kai in disbelief. If we could call the police, would we need you? Are you even a detective?
Under that disdainful look, Kai reluctantly said, "Alright, let's take a look first." People these days really had no sense of legal awareness.
His remark made the already uncertain assistant even more uneasy.
---
Earl Davies' estate was every bit as grand as one would expect. Leaving aside the dozens of employees, the artfully maintained lawns, or even the private chapel on the grounds—which alone screamed luxury—it was clear that money was meant to be spent extravagantly. The Earl's body currently rested in the chapel; after the memorial, he would be buried in the family plot behind it.
The main building was vast. The Earl's residence stood at the center of the estate, with the left wing housing his children. Using the excuse of taking inventory of the main residence's assets, Cook had barred the Earl's children and other non-residential staff from entering.
At the entrance to the main residence, Kai met the estate's steward—a very traditional, typical English butler. A security guard nearby asked for the car keys and parked Kai's Beetle. If needed, a quick call over the radio would bring the car right to him.