## Chapter 233: Chameleon and Lizard (4K4)
**Thump thump thump.**
“Come in.”
Arthur pushed open the door to the Chief Inspector’s office. The sunlight streaming through the window was brilliant, but even its brilliance couldn’t dispel the shadows on Rowan’s face.
Rowan leaned back in his chair, puffing away on his pipe. He glanced at Arthur, who had just entered, and remained silent for a long moment before nodding. “Sit down, Inspector Hastings.”
Arthur had just settled into a chair when he heard Rowan’s heavy intake of breath in the almost frozen air.
He removed his pipe, tapping it against the lacquered wooden ashtray on the desk. He rested his elbows on the desk, his body leaning forward slightly.
There was no expected mockery on his face, nor the slightest hint of schadenfreude.
Rowan’s first words left Arthur puzzled. “Kid, why would you do something like that? The higher-ups are really impressed with you right now. You suddenly pulled this stunt, and while I, as the head of Scotland Yard’s administration, am responsible for leadership, you, as the executor, will also be affected. I know we’ve had some disagreements, but you wouldn’t do something like this because of a little temper, would you? Arresting a Member of Parliament during a parliamentary session, what were you thinking?”
Arthur frowned at Rowan’s words, staring at him for a long time, seemingly lost in thought.
Seeing him like this, Rowan couldn’t help but get even angrier. But considering that the man in front of him, who headed London’s Intelligence Bureau, was practically his equal in rank, Rowan could only suppress his anger and speak calmly again.
“Arthur, you’re a smart guy, so I won’t beat around the bush. There’s no fun in playing games anymore. I just want to tell you, you should think things through before you act. You just turned twenty-one, and I’m almost fifty. My mindset is that it’s best to move up, but if I can’t, then I’ll retire from my position at the Metropolitan Police peacefully.
You’re not going to end up here. You don’t need to fight for this position that’s under my ass. Look at you, you’re not only in charge of the London Intelligence Bureau, but you’re also on the roster for the London District Prosecutor’s Office, which is under construction. Whether you go to the High Court or the Home Office, you have a bright future. Do you really think the title of Chief Inspector of the Metropolitan Police is that valuable compared to the two departments I just mentioned?”
As soon as Rowan finished speaking, Arthur, who had been silent, suddenly took off his hat and threw it on the desk.
He ran his fingers through his hair and said, “Chief Inspector, I was planning to ask you the same thing. This case is no good for either of us. I couldn’t figure out why you would throw this case to the Criminal Investigation Department. If what you said just now was truly from the heart, then I can only assume that you weren’t deliberately trying to frame me, but simply negligent. If you really think I’m smart, then you should understand that a smart person wouldn’t do something that harms others and benefits nobody. Arresting a Member of Parliament during a parliamentary session, what were you thinking?”
Rowan was stunned for a moment, then he seemed to catch on.
The gloom on his face gradually faded, replaced by a twitching corner of his mouth and a strange anger. “Damn it, they better tell me this was just negligence this time.”
Rowan slammed his fist on the desk and roared at the door of his office, “Get me a live one! Get me the case file immediately. I want to see which damn fool handled this case!”
The officer on duty outside the door was startled by Rowan’s roar.
Soon, the case file was presented to Rowan.
He flipped through the information page by page, his neck veins bulging in no time.
But it wasn’t just Rowan’s temper that was flaring up, but the case itself was full of weirdness.
From a normal perspective, Bernie Harrison, as a Member of Parliament, a successful doctor with a good education, couldn’t possibly be unaware of his rights.
Yet, when he was arrested, he didn’t say a word, and obediently let himself be handcuffed to Scotland Yard for questioning.
Even if this could be explained by Mr. Harrison’s cowardly nature, how did he commit a murder?
Speaking of the murder, it was another strange plot.
Not long ago, Mr. Harrison’s wife reported that their maid had gone missing. A few days later, the maid’s body was discovered by a ferryman on the banks of the Thames.
After the autopsy, the coroner declared the cause of death as drowning.
Originally, the case was about to be closed as an accident, but yesterday, the coroner suddenly recanted his previous testimony, claiming that he had been threatened and coerced into making the previous statement.
For this reason, the coroner also specifically applied for personal protection from Scotland Yard as a condition for his confession.
It was because of this series of strange events that the local police district, citing the complexity of the case, requested the assistance of the Criminal Investigation Department, which had professional personnel and resources, to investigate and lead the second autopsy.
After receiving a series of strongly indicative information, including but not limited to Bernie Harrison’s involvement in the chemical industry, the suspected long-term illicit relationship between the victim, the maid, and the employer, Mr. Harrison, the coroner’s claim that the person who bribed and threatened him was closely connected to Mr. Harrison, etc., the local police district naturally identified Bernie Harrison as the primary suspect and submitted a search and arrest warrant to the local Magistrate’s Court.
If Bernie Harrison’s identity as a Member of Parliament hadn’t been exposed, this case would have been a slam dunk.
However, it was because of his identity as a Member of Parliament that this case had escalated from a criminal case to a political event.
If Harrison was truly the murderer as the evidence suggested, it would be fine. But if he wasn’t, Scotland Yard would be collectively targeted by the MPs.
After all, Harrison was one of their own. In the eyes of the MPs, if Scotland Yard could arbitrarily arrest Harrison today, then they could arbitrarily arrest them tomorrow. This wasn’t something that could be solved with a simple work error, because it meant that Scotland Yard was challenging the last line of defense of parliamentary politics.
Chief Inspector Rowan took a deep breath. He put down the case file, crossed his fingers, and leaned back in his chair. “Arthur, you probably understand how serious this is. Half a year ago, Huskisson was killed by a train, it was just an accident, and we went through so much trouble to solve it.
Now, if this case can’t be substantiated, or if we can’t give Parliament a reasonable explanation, you and I will both be screwed. This is a murder charge, a capital offense. So in this matter, we can’t rely on the Home Office, and you can’t rely on the High Court either, because this has angered the MPs, and the Lord Chancellor and the Home Secretary won’t step in at this point.
We all know that everyone likes credit, nobody likes to take responsibility, especially for a case like this that’s easy to attract trouble, so this time we have to rely on ourselves. If you have any good reasons, tell me now. We may have had some friction in the past, but the purpose of friction is to kick the other person off the boat, not to sink the canoe. We’re in the same boat now.”
The grinning Red Devil couldn’t help but chuckle and cover his mouth. “Arthur, look, the chameleon is the badge of politics. Tallien really said it right. As long as the driving force is strong enough, even one’s father’s murderer can sit in the same boat.”
Hearing this, Arthur understood Rowan’s position.
Since Rowan was being open with him, there was no need for him to hide anything.
Because, as Rowan said, whether he liked it or not, they were both in the same boat.
Most importantly, this case seemed to be more complicated than it appeared.
Arthur threw a document from his briefcase. “Fortunately, Scotland Yard has a wise Chief Inspector like you. Your analysis is correct, and I agree with you. It’s impossible to get away with something like a work error, and this can’t be a work error.
To be honest, before I came to your office, I also took a look at the case file. I didn’t look before, but now I’ve discovered an interesting point. It was because of this that I suspected you were deliberately framing me.”
Rowan’s face darkened. “Arthur, I don’t like you, but I’m not stupid. I’m not going to do something that benefits nobody and causes trouble for myself. Let’s not talk about this anymore. What point did you find?”
Arthur pointed at the document on the desk. “These are the personal files of the officers who investigated Mr. Harrison’s murder case. Guess what? These officers, as if they’d made an agreement, all resigned and took new jobs recently. At first, I thought you had arranged something good for them. Now it seems they have their own connections.”
Hearing this, Rowan’s face became even gloomier. “Damn it, do you mean someone is targeting me?”
Arthur shook his head slightly. “I don’t know if it’s you or me that’s being targeted, or if we’re just unlucky and caught in the crossfire. Maybe their goal is actually Scotland Yard.”
Rowan thought for a moment. “I don’t think I’ve offended anyone recently, I mean, besides you.”
Arthur also thought about it for a moment. “I might have offended a few people, but I think those guys are all back in France by now.”
Rowan just rolled his eyes at this. “Young man, be more discreet. If you could just make me feel a little more at ease, we wouldn’t be so stiff with each other. Forget it, you probably won’t listen, I didn’t like to listen to advice when I was young either. Since all your enemies are back in France, and all my enemies are in the ground, then this is clearly aimed at Scotland Yard?”
Arthur nodded slightly. “Let’s just say it’s highly likely, but we can’t rule out low-probability events. But I think Bernie Harrison knows something, because his behavior is just too abnormal. I really can’t understand why a Member of Parliament would accept arrest without a word. The big iron cage of Parliament can’t hold them, but Scotland Yard’s handcuffs can make these MPs behave?”
Rowan pondered for a moment, then suddenly asked, “Which party does Mr. Harrison represent in the House of Commons, the Whigs or the Tories?”
Arthur glanced at the documents just received from Parliament. “The Tories.”
Rowan sighed when he heard this. He tapped his fingers on the desk impatiently. “Don’t rush to see Sir Peel. You have a good relationship with Sir Peel, but your rank and status aren’t enough. I’ll apologize to him personally later, that way we’ll appear to be taking this matter seriously.
If I don’t convince Sir Peel, he’ll definitely ask you to verify things again. Let’s go over our story so we don’t make any mistakes.”
Then Rowan suddenly changed the subject. “By the way, has Mr. Harrison been released? If not, release him back home. He doesn’t know what he’s doing, is the seat in Parliament uncomfortable? Why did he come to bother us poor cops?”
Arthur said, “Mr. Harrison has been released, but we’ll definitely have to contact him again. This case is too bizarre, if we can’t get him to talk, we’ll have no leads.”
Rowan tapped his fingers on the desk, his brow furrowed. “I’d rather not be able to contact him. If he disappears, we’ll be relieved. Then we can charge him with fleeing justice, which would also silence Parliament. After all, if Harrison really committed murder, Parliament wouldn’t dare to stand up for him.”
“But Harrison dared to come to Scotland Yard with me, which means he didn’t kill anyone, or he thinks that even if he did, he wouldn’t be convicted.”
Rowan felt like his head was spinning. He rubbed his hair and proposed to Arthur. “Harrison won’t be easy to talk to. He’s a Member of Parliament, we can’t interrogate him casually. We can only find other ways to find out about him. I’ll try to stall for you in Parliament, buy you some time.
I hate you, but objectively speaking, we don’t have anyone better than you at Scotland Yard when it comes to investigating cases. You’re in charge of this case, use whatever means you want, and ask for whatever help you need. Whether it’s Scotland Yard’s resources or my personal connections, if I can solve it for you, I will do everything I can.”
At this point, Rowan couldn’t help but stand up and put his hands heavily on Arthur’s shoulders, reminding him, “Kid, we can talk about our differences later, but we need to solve our internal problems internally. This case, on a bigger scale, if we don’t handle it well, it’s the collective loss of jobs for 3,000 people at Scotland Yard. On a smaller scale, it’s me retiring early, and you saying goodbye to a brilliant political career.
I’ll reiterate one last time, you can use any means necessary. I know your London Intelligence Bureau has resources in some areas, but before using any extreme methods, you need to talk to me first. This is a Member of Parliament, not a peasant. You understand what I mean?
We need to solve the problems with MPs discreetly. You know, everyone doesn’t want a repeat of Clemens. Why did he die? Because he didn’t handle things discreetly enough.”
Arthur just smiled, put away the documents on the desk, and pressed his white glove against his chest. “Understood, sir.”
(End of Chapter)