Chapter 24
“Uh… yes?”
Isabelle, who never imagined anyone could know which number wife she was, blinked quickly, making an awkward sound.
“Judging by your reaction, it seems you also knew he had other wives besides me. If I hadn’t known, he probably wouldn’t have told me either.”
“…I didn’t mean to hide it.”
“I understand. Who would just stay silent upon hearing the crazy news that their husband has more than thirty wives?”
Jane, looking frustrated, pulled some tobacco from her bag and placed it in her mouth. After several failed attempts, she lit it, inhaled deeply, and continued.
“So, where is he now?”
“…”
“If you want me to cooperate, it would be better if you tell me what you know.”
‘Does she not know Hybert is missing?’
Instinctively, Isabelle focused on Jane’s expression and the tone of her voice. From what she could tell, Jane seemed to think Hybert hadn’t actually disappeared, just vanished from her sight.
‘In other words, she thinks he ran away… They probably weren’t on such good terms.’
Isabelle pretended ignorance and tried to probe Jane.
“There are other wives looking for him too, not just you. I heard he had a fight with them right before he disappeared. Did that happen with you as well?”
“Huh, he did the same somewhere else too? As they say, a leopard can’t change its spots. That overbearing personality of his won’t just go away, will it?”
“Hybert was usually overbearing?”
Jane’s face scrunched up as if disgusted.
“Don’t even talk about it. He’d interfere even in trivial matters. That’s how we first met, actually. He came to volunteer at our hospital.”
“…Volunteer?”
“Yes. One day he suddenly appeared in town, lived at the hospital, and volunteered. That’s when we grew close.”
Isabelle jotted notes and tilted her head. So far, the Hybert she knew didn’t seem like someone who would volunteer out of pure heart—unless he had a special purpose.
‘A special purpose?’
Recalling Amanda’s testimony that Hybert had met Dr. Morus, Isabelle’s eyes sparkled as she asked:
“Have you ever heard that Hybert had a sick relative or acquaintance?”
Jane paused, then nodded as if she remembered something.
“Now that you mention it, he said his younger sibling was sick. Admitted to a hospital in the capital, apparently with an incurable disease. He said volunteering at the hospital was to find a way to cure them.”
“I see.”
‘Bingo.’
Isabelle forced her rising smile down and added the sibling to Hybert’s relationship chart.
In short, it’s highly possible that Hybert knew about Dr. Morus even before coming to this village.
‘He must have followed that trail all the way here.’
Then some incident occurred, and Hybert, caught up in it, died.
It felt like the first piece of a massive puzzle had been placed. Isabelle meticulously recorded the information and continued asking.
“Excuse me, but may I ask what your usual relationship with Hybert was like?”
“If it’s rude, you don’t have to ask.”
“…Please.”
Isabelle clenched her pen and smiled quietly. Jane, with a half-hearted expression, answered casually.
“We were an ordinary couple. Nothing special.”
“Some other wives said he was often away from home. Is that true?”
“Yes. We fought almost every day because of that.”
“One more question. What will you do if Hybert comes back?”
For a moment, Jane’s dark eyes glimmered with a chilling light.
“I’ll ask why he left and make sure he never leaves me again.”
“Even saying that, you love him.”
“Yes. Actually, I hope he comes back more than anyone.”
Isabelle silently observed Jane.
It was hard for her to understand. The way love could grow uncontrollably into obsession or hatred, or remain pure and unyielding, was foreign to her.
Silence settled over the quiet café with just the two of them. Isabelle checked her pocket watch; it was already 10 o’clock.
‘Oh no, it’s later than I thought.’
Preparing to leave, Isabelle asked her final question.
“You said you knew which number wife you were. May I ask how you found out? This should be my last question.”
Jane rubbed the end of her tobacco and smiled faintly.
“He probably doesn’t even know I know. I discovered it on my own through some investigation.”
“Investigation?”
Uh-oh. The conversation was taking a strange turn.
“I love him more than I thought. So I wanted to know everything about him. You know how it is, right? You want to have everything about the person you love.”
“So you knew everything but pretended not to?”
“At first, I was so angry I even considered locking him up at home. But I realized he truly loved me at home more than anyone else.”
‘…I think I just heard something incredible.’
“Then I realized he treated other women the same way. Everyone seemed happy with him. That’s when I thought, this isn’t someone I can have all to myself.”
“…How detailed was your investigation?”
“Everything—who he was with, what he ate, how many times he went to the bathroom, etc.”
“…Wow. That’s… intense.”
Isabelle stopped scribbling in her notebook. Honestly, she had reached the limit of hiding her surprise. Jane noticed and put another tobacco in her mouth.
“You don’t have to force yourself to understand. I don’t expect you to.”
Indeed, Isabelle couldn’t grasp what Jane was saying. What could she call this?
A possessive woman? Yandere…?
But just because she didn’t understand, it didn’t mean Jane was wrong. Everyone sees and lives life differently.
‘See the world without prejudice.’
The first principle a detective must have.
One thing was clear: despite her youthful appearance, Jane was not an easy woman.
‘Perhaps scarier than any other wife…’
Isabelle shivered as goosebumps ran up her arms.
“Well, I think I’ve given you all the information I can.”
“Thank you. That was very helpful.”
“Don’t get the wrong idea. I’m only helping on the condition that if you find out where he is, you share the information with me too.”
Isabelle answered with a slight smile. Like with Amanda, she couldn’t bring herself to speak even a single false word.
As the conversation drew to a close, Isabelle was tidying her notebook and pens when she noticed an envelope of money in her bag. She stopped Jane before she left the café.
“Jane, wait a moment!”
“What now? Do you still have questions?”
“Do you also receive these monthly mysterious envelopes?”
“…How did you know?”
Isabelle showed the envelope from her bag.
“Is it the same as this one?”
“…Yes. Could it be connected to him too? I can’t use it, but I also can’t throw it away.”
“There’s nothing certain yet. Now it’s really over, so please go home safely.”
“Don’t forget. If you get any new information, you must tell me too.”
Jane left the café, her warning lingering until the very end.
