The appearance of this tattoo made the already complicated case even more confusing. The captain's death now looked not just like the work of a heretical organization, but more like a premeditated sacrifice.
Jobtran reasoned in his mind about the captain's actions while he was alive.
"The captain was resting in the living quarters when he heard a strange noise coming from the work area.
It must not be the sound of a key opening the door, otherwise a rifle would not have been taken out of the drawer for self-defense.
The next uninvited guest who broke in discovered the captain's presence and fled, so the captain chased him out with a musket.
Was he killed by the intruder during the fight, and then the intruder intentionally took the body back to the living room and arranged it?"
Jobtran's hypothesis remained in his mind like a slide, but as the hypothesis progressed, more doubts seemed to arise.
"Something is wrong. This logic is valid, but it cannot explain the origin of this painting.
A normal person would never hang such an evil painting on the wall."
Jobtran thought of this, and then carefully took the painting of the black mountains off with both hands.
The picture frame is made of lightweight walnut wood. The apricot-yellow walnut wood frame is generally used to frame some priceless works, not such an evil painting.
Jobtran gently touched the canvas of the painting. It was very thin, but surprisingly flexible.
"Sif, what do you think this canvas is made of?"
Jobtran turned to Sif and asked.
"It doesn't look like the yellow sandpaper that artists usually use, nor does it look like the brocade that Oriental people love. Instead, it looks like the fragments of the Sussex manuscript I saw before."①
Sif said this seriously, and looked a little scared.
"Tell me, what kind of document is that?"
asked Jobtrand curiously, having never heard the name of the manuscript.
“The legendary Complete Sussex Manuscript is a book of dark magic about summoning evil spirits, and the entire book is made of human skin.
Because human skin is tough and elastic but easy to rot, the human skin used to make the Sussex manuscript was peeled off from living people after being tattooed with paint and waiting for the skin to absorb the paint naturally for several months.
I don’t know why, but I feel like the canvas for this painting is most likely...”
Sif hesitated and did not continue speaking, but Jobtran already understood what she meant.
Jobtran put the canvas to his nose and smelled it, faintly smelling a bitter and pungent mixture.
"Bile, wormwood, grape juice, and frankincense."
The pigments on the canvas are obviously the pigments used for tattoos. Plant pigments including anthocyanins, flavonoids and chlorophyll can remain in the skin.
If we follow the tattoo hypothesis, this would also explain why there is no obvious unevenness in this painting that looks like an oil painting.
Judging from the texture of the canvas, this evil painting should have been peeled off from a person's back.
After looking at the painting itself, Jobtran discovered a small hole on the back of the frame that was used to fix it, but the size of the hole obviously did not match the size of the nails on the wall, which were much smaller.
Jobtran looked at the nail on the wall and pondered for a while, then put the painting in his hand on the bedside table.
He lay on the ground and looked under the bed. There seemed to be nothing under the bed, but in fact there was an oil painting glued to the wooden frame under the bed.
Jobtran reached out to take down the oil painting that was stuck with glue. With a gentle pull, the glue, which had not yet completely solidified, fell off the wooden frame.
Jobtran brought the kerosene lamp and discovered that the fixing holes behind the painting under the bed matched the nails on the wall, so he understood the origin of the black mountain painting.
"What did you find?"
Sif asked.
“The painting on the bedside table should have been hung there after the captain’s death, and this serious landscape painting should have been the original decoration hanging on the wall.
The leisurely cottage, the green fields and the blue sky, this must be the captain's hometown, otherwise he wouldn't have hung it by his bedside and missed it day and night.
Jobtrand explained.
He placed the painting that the captain cherished in front of the captain and sighed.
"It seems that the case is far more complicated than what we see on the surface."
At this moment, Old Gary came to the captain's room with the ship's first mate.
"Detective, I'm here with my first mate.
The first mate didn't believe me just now, and looked like he had seen a ghost, so I had to force him to come over."
Old Gary quickly took credit for it to Jobtran, saying that he didn't want the first mate to know that he and his men had stolen wine.
Jobtran took a look at the first mate who was approaching. The man was about 1.9 meters tall, with a strong build, and a well-groomed beard on his chin.
It is worth noting that the first mate's clothes look very neat, as if he had just put them on not long ago.
The first mate pushed Jobtran away and felt a little sad after seeing the captain's death.
The captain, who had always been his colleague, died suddenly, and his death was so tragic and strange that the first mate covered his face and took a few deep breaths before he calmed down.
"I guess you're what old Gary meant by detective. You shouldn't be involved in the things that happen on the ship."
The sturdy first mate crossed his arms over his chest, a hostile posture, and spoke with a somewhat ferocious look in his eyes.
"Mr. Aldridge, I think you should have some respect for a detective who can see right through you."
Joe Butran looked at the first mate in front of him and said.
First mate Aldridge was surprised and thought to himself,
"How did this man know my name was Aldridge?"
“And now you’re wondering how this unremarkable man in a bathrobe knows your name is Aldridge.
Let me tell you, not only do I know your name is Aldridge, I also know that you had already taken a shower and gone to bed before you came over.
You are right-handed and you once had a broken thumb on your right hand, which bothered you for some time.
Mr. Aldridge, are you willing to cooperate with my investigation now?"
Joe Butran spoke a series of words at a high speed like a machine gun, some of which were even secrets that Aldridge had never told anyone.
Aldrich was impressed by Jobtran's observation and bowed his head in humility.
"As you wish, Mr. Detective."
Sif asked curiously,
"How did you do that?"
"observe.
Everyone's behavior patterns will have an impact on himself or the environment around him, but you usually ignore these details.
When everyone's brain processes visual information, it actually chooses to record the information it deems important in its mind, but actually ignores many details.
Once you are able to make logical deductions from the information you obtain in your brain, you will be able to determine many key points.
I call this the divergent approach.”
Jobtron went over to Sif's ear and explained.
"No, no, no, I know you are good at this, but from what details did you deduce the information about Mr. Aldridge?"
Sif demanded.
“His clothes were all newly changed and still had the smell of detergent, which obviously meant they had just been washed and hung out to dry.
There was still a hint of wet sheen in his hair, indicating that the first mate had just washed his hair.
You have to know that a sailor on a ship doesn't wash his hair just for the sake of washing his hair, so he must be taking a shower at the same time.
Laziness is a common trait among men.
In addition, as the first mate, in order to maintain his dignity, it is naturally unlikely for him to hang out with other sailors to drink and make trouble. So what else can a person do in the room besides reading and sleeping
As for the fact that the muscles on the first mate's right hand are stronger than those on his left hand, this is obvious and can be seen at a glance, but the bulge at the thumb joint is more difficult to find.
That is the hidden danger left by not properly treating the wound after a fracture, and the bone spur caused by bone hyperplasia.
Finally, regarding the name, he has a brooch on his chest. Although it is not very obvious under the current light, you can see the letters ODER in the front, a total of seven letters.
Then the name ODERICH came to mind.”
Jobutran explained quickly to Sif, and Sif looked at Jobutran with eyes full of admiration.
Old Gary exclaimed,
"This is really cool, Detective."
Joe Butran took one look at old Gary, the flatterer, and understood his intention, but Joe Butran did not hate being praised.
"Then, Mr. First Mate, please tell me, when was the last time you saw the captain and the security captain today?"
Jobtran asked Aldridge, who could not hide his surprise.
"The last time I met the captain and the security team leader was around 10 o'clock in the evening. Because of the storm, I was in the work area preparing for the ship's route to cross the strait, so I didn't notice the whereabouts of the captain and the security team leader.
One thing worth mentioning is that I remember the two of them arguing for some time in the captain's living quarters."
Aldridge replied.
Jobtran looked at Aldridge's expression, but found that his eyes were a little wandering, as if he was hiding something and didn't want Jobtran to know.
Jobtran stared at the first mate Aldrich with eyes as sharp as an eagle, making Aldrich feel uneasy.
These eyes brought unbearable pressure to Aldridge, and he lowered his head unconsciously. It was obvious that he was someone who knew part of the inside story.
"Mr. First Mate, I think, based on your rich sailing experience, passing through a strait is not too difficult.
Tell me, what were the captain and the security captain arguing about in the living room
Don't try to lie, every expression and every little movement of yours cannot be hidden from my eyes."
Joe Butran said this with confidence and ease.
Seeing this, Aldridge had no choice but to tell the truth, but before that, Aldridge needed the people present to keep it a secret.
"Please, everyone, don't let anyone know what I'm going to say next."
Sif and Old Gary nodded, indicating that they would keep the following words confidential, but only Joe Butran did not nod.
Aldridge looked at Jobutran in embarrassment, with a hint of pleading in his eyes, and begged Jobutran,
"Mr. Detective, this matter is related to the reputation of the Cyclops. Please don't spread it."
Joe Butran shook his head and said to Aldridge,
"It's not a question of whether I should tell it or not, but I have roughly guessed what the secret you are going to tell is. However, I may not be able to solve all the mysteries by myself, so I cannot agree to your request.
There is another problem you haven't considered, that is, the captain's death is impossible to be unknown to the public, and your so-called secret will be dug out sooner or later, not to mention that now even the security captain is missing."
After hearing this, Aldridge realized that what Jobtran said was true. The two crew members had suffered misfortunes one after another, and the reputation of this ship was definitely in jeopardy.
"Okay. Before I tell you what the captain and the sheriff were arguing about, Mr. Detective, I need to tell you a little story."
Aldridge said.
"If you want to tell me the story of the mermaid, I don't think you need to waste that time."
Joe Butran said, looking at old Gary.
"Do you have any cigarettes left? Have one."
Old Gary shook his head, and Aldridge took out a key from his pocket and opened the previously locked drawer under the long table.
"This is the second mate's cigarette. Take one to satisfy your craving."
Aldrich pulled a cigarette case from a drawer and handed it over.
"Thank you, Mr. First Mate. I have been waiting for this key from you for a long, long time."
Joe Butran said with a smile.
The smile on Jobtran's face made the guilty Aldridge feel a chill in his heart.
"This terrible detective in front of me has anticipated every step I take!"
Joe Butran took out everything from the drawer and put it on the table.
The most eye-catching thing is a rolled-up black and white photo.
That was a group photo of the entire crew.
Jobtran flattened the black-and-white photo with thumbtacks and placed a kerosene lamp next to the photo.
Every crew member in the photo had a bright smile on their face as they stood on the shore with their backs to the Cyclopes.
Some people were holding bottles of wine in their hands, obviously because something exciting happened when they were taking the photos, so they were celebrating.
What’s strange is that the person standing in the middle of the photo is not the captain, but a glass barrel.
The barrel was obviously filled with water, and in the water there was a hideous-looking monster.
Jobtran squinted his eyes. He recognized the prototype of the monster in the photo.
It was a female deep diver, or what the crew called a mermaid.
"Mr. First Mate, I believe most of the crew members in this photo are dead."
Jobtran asked quietly.
First mate Aldridge looked at Jobtran in surprise, and when Jobtran saw the first mate's reaction, he knew the answer.
"The wound on your right thumb was also caused by this beast, right?"
"Yeah. You're right."
At this time, old Gary widened his eyes. He couldn't believe that the news he heard from his cousin was true.
"Wait, could it be that my cousin's death is related to this mermaid legend?!"
Old Gary asked angrily, clenching his fists.
"Calm down, old Gary, there's no use beating up the first mate.
He is also one of the victims in this incident.”
Joe Butran lit up his cigarette and spoke calmly.
Sif was confused as she listened to the conversation between the three people. She didn't quite understand the ins and outs of the matter. She didn't have the incredible reasoning ability of Jobtran.
Sif could only poke Jobtran with her finger.
"I... don't understand."