Chapter 26

Miss Mia Gold, the owner of the small orange cat, was not at home. Shade rang the doorbell at the gate for a while, but no one came out to open the door.

But the sound alarmed the neighbor next door, an old woman who walked with a stoop and wore glasses. Her gray hair was neatly combed, and she was dressed properly, with silver jewelry on her wrist.

"Who are you looking for?"

Her accent was heavy as she stood in front of the fence between her garden and Miss Gold's garden and asked.

"I'm looking for Miss Mia Gold. She entrusted us to find her cat."

Shade shook the cat he was holding, and the orange cat lazily meowed, turning to rest its head on Shade's chest. This cat really liked Shade.

Even though the half-year-old orange cat wasn't heavy, carrying it for a long time had already made Shade somewhat uncomfortable.

"That's it, this naughty little thing."

The old woman clearly recognized the orange cat, Mia, and then said something that almost made Shade collapse:

"Mia moved away last week."

"Huh?"

Fortunately, there was a follow-up:

"Are you the detective Hamilton she hired to find her cat? You look much younger than she described. Don't worry, she left a letter for you."

She then turned around and went back to her house to get the letter. When she returned, she added:

"The letter contains some banknotes. Check the wax seal before opening it, so no one can say they tampered with the money."

The letter was left by Miss Mia Gold for Detective Sparrow Hamilton. In the letter, Miss Gold mentioned that due to family matters, she had to move to a large estate in the countryside on the east coast of the Delarion Kingdom to live with her parents, and thus sold her property here.

But Miss Gold still remembered her cat and the detective who accepted the commission. Without confirming whether the detective had found the cat, she left this letter with the neighbor, to be given to the detective if the cat was found:

"I can't forget my little Mia, but it's really time to leave Tobask City. Detective Hamilton, if you see this letter, please temporarily take care of little Mia and send a letter to the address below. I will come to your office to pick her up within half a year at the latest. At that time, I will pay you more compensation.

Note: In addition to the original detective fee, I have included an extra five pounds in the letter to cover the expenses of temporarily taking care of Mia. Please don't be too harsh on my little mischief."

The orange cat, called "little Mia," wriggled in Shade's arms, looking like it wanted to sleep, completely unaware that its owner had left.

"Why?"

"I'm allergic to cats. Mia couldn't find anyone else to take care of her cat, and she didn't expect you to actually find little Mia."

The old woman said, not having met Sparrow Hamilton before and mistaking the young detective for the original one.

"Then I—"

"Just take care of little Mia for now. When Mia comes, she won't shortchange you. Look, she even named the cat after herself."

"You didn't—"

"Mia dictated the content of this letter before she left. Humph, after being neighbors for so long, can't she trust me?"

"Alright, I'll go send the letter. Goodbye, ma'am."

Shade was somewhat suspicious that the old woman could read minds.

"Goodbye, detective. Remember, this cat can't drink milk, but it can drink goat's milk."

The old woman's voice came from behind, and so Shade's expenses increased again.

Detective Sparrow Hamilton and Miss Mia Gold had known each other for a long time, and this wasn't the first commission. Therefore, Miss Gold had a lot of trust in the detective.

This trust gave Shade the additional responsibility of taking care of the cat and increased his savings by more than seven pounds. Miss Gold was really generous.

Adding the remaining money from pawning the cane, Shade seemed to be able to quickly gather ten pounds. If luck was even better, Miss Gold could receive the letter and come within a week, and Shade might be able to directly pay off all his debts for the month.

Because of this good mood, his steps were lighter as he walked back to St. Drenan Square with the cat. On the way back, he passed by the Silver Parrot Milk Delivery Company, which he had visited not long ago, and went in to inquire. He learned that they could also deliver goat's milk.

The salesperson who dealt with Shade even noticed his intention to feed the kitten goat's milk and introduced him to more cat care tips. However, his enthusiasm did not make Shade give in on the cost of ordering goat's milk. Fortunately, No. 6 St. Drenan Square in the city center was on the route of the hardworking milk delivery person of the Silver Parrot Milk Delivery Company, so there was no need to create a special route for Shade. Therefore, the cost of goat's milk was actually less than expected.

Shade regarded the orange cat "little Mia" as his lucky charm. When he left the Silver Parrot Milk Delivery Company, he was thinking about indulging in a better lunch.

Just as he passed by the old dog lying at the entrance, the woman's voice, which had not spoken until today, finally echoed in his mind:

"Observe her ring."

He immediately looked around and, almost a second later, saw Mrs. Lassoya, Mr. Lawrence's mistress, walking out of the alley opposite the milk company, heading towards the silverware shop where the battle took place the day before.

She was still wearing the white pebble ring.

"Is she a man turned into a woman, or a woman turned into a man?"

Shade wondered, but had no intention of following her. He valued his life and, having decided to abandon this commission, would not change his mind out of curiosity.

If he had the power of Dr. Schneider or the female writer Dorothy Louise, he wouldn't give up. But one must face reality; he accepted that he was still weak.

With a pleasant mood, he leisurely crossed the street with the cat, entering the candy store across the street. He pretended to be curious and asked about the price of the small cakes in the glass display case, using his peripheral vision to confirm that Mrs. Lassoya had walked far away. He immediately left the store and entered the alley where Mrs. Lassoya had appeared.

The alley was not deep, and like most alleys in this steam city, it was dirty and filled with odors. A few quick steps brought him to the end, where some abandoned pipes were piled up, covered with a layer of disgusting green moss.

Rounding the pipes, he saw that behind them was a wall, making it a dead end.

The alley should have led to another neighborhood, but the store at the other end had expanded its area, blocking the alley with its back wall.

"The space between the pile of pipes and the wall is an excellent blind spot. Did Mrs. Lassoya just complete another 'transformation' by kissing her ring here?"

Shade thought, satisfied with his caution and strong action. Although he didn't dare to follow her, investigating what she did just now was not a problem.