"Have Carl and the others arrived at the restaurant already?" Jiang Yuan asked Zhang Qing while browsing the information on the Internet.
At the book signing event, Jiang Yuan mentioned that he wanted to treat several people to a meal, and Karl and others agreed directly without any politeness.
"Already waiting in the restaurant." Zhang Qing confirmed and replied.
Jiang Yuan nodded and continued to check the messages on his phone.
On social media platforms, there is a lot of information about Omega and the second part of "Sherlock Holmes".
It's just that the book hasn't officially been released yet, and it's not like songs or movies that can be listened to or watched quickly, so there isn't much word-of-mouth feedback yet.
Jiang Yuan turned over and over, and basically all he saw were content related to the autograph session.
For most of the day, the 300 fans in the audience did successfully export a lot of materials.
If it weren't for looking at the video record, Jiang Yuan wouldn't have realized that in this short period of time, he had tried so many video challenges and various interactions.
Switching out of the public platform, Jiang Yuan clicked on the message Yang Chao sent to him.
Basically every feedback given by Yang Chao is based on data, and this time is obviously no exception.
Jiang Yuangang opened Yang Chao's chat box to check, and Zhang Qing also reported the relevant data simultaneously.
"The current pre-sale sales have successfully topped the book sales lists in many countries. The number of domestic first-print copies has also been booked, and additional printing has started in advance." Zhang Qing opened her mouth and brought good news about book sales.
.
It is the same as the message sent by Yang Chao and is very accurate.
However, in addition to sales data, Yang Chao also sent some promotional plans for new books.
Jiang Yuan clicked on the document to check the promotion activities of the new book. At first, he just browsed it casually and felt that it should be similar to the promotion activities of the previous book.
After all, the publication time of the two books is not too far apart. Considering the workload in the meantime, it is actually very good to be able to continue the previous plan.
But what Jiang Yuan didn't expect a little bit was that the promotion this time was not just a new activity.
There was even a flash mob event specifically based on the first story in the book, "The Uncanny Valley".
A coded letter is set up in some specific bookstores, and a reasoning game begins with this coded letter.
Even the script of the game was completed by some professional planners.
Such an activity is expected to attract many fans to check in at designated bookstores to participate.
Although it is not sensational, among the regular activities, the sincerity is obviously very sufficient.
If the schedule hadn't been so full, Jiang Yuan himself would have wanted to check in at these offline bookstores.
As the nanny car drove on the road, Jiang Yuan also sent a message back to Yang Chao.
——
But Barry is still immersed in the story of "Uncanny Valley", describing the case from Watson's perspective.
Barry seemed to have traveled through the plot of the novel and became a bystander in the case, and he also saw Holmes analyzing the case.
After learning about the relevant cases, the local Detective Mason came up with some new ideas after verifying it again.
Through the inspection of the scene, the first thing was the hammer that fell to the ground. According to the description of Buck, the friend who found the body, it should be the tool used by Douglas to hang paintings.
Mason and others remained uncertain about this, but after inspection, they did not find any obvious marks on the hammer.
The shotgun lying on the chest of the deceased was a double-barreled shotgun, with the triggers connected by a wire. It fired two shots at a time, which was obviously a sign of determination to kill him.
There were vague PEN letters between the barrels. With just a few letters, Holmes quickly identified the manufacturer of the gun, demonstrating his wealth of knowledge.
Based on some clues obtained at the scene, Mason believed that the murderer should be someone from outside the manor, but MacDonald was opposed to this.
First of all, regarding this case, Douglass clearly died of homicide, not suicide.
The clues scattered at the scene, the strange cards, and the missing wedding rings all showed that this was not a simple robbery. At the same time, a shotgun was used as the murder weapon, and the sound of gunshots was so obvious that if it was the murderer who sneaked in from outside the manor, it would appear that
A little too eye-catching.
Barry read this paragraph and nodded subconsciously, feeling that this analysis seemed very reasonable.
In Barry's opinion, the murder must have occurred inside the manor, and it should only be born among a few characters who seemed more suspicious.
For example, Mrs. Douglas or my friend Buck, or others.
The clues he has seen are not enough to support Barry's strong evidence of the identity of the murderer.
What's more, even if it is evidence, in such reasoning works, the most curious thing is often the story hidden behind the case.
While turning the page, Holmes had already begun to inspect the crime scene in the manor. He first checked whether there were any footprints left by the murderer around the manor, and then came to the study where the real crime occurred.
It has been said before that Douglas died in a tragic manner, but when the body was examined, there was a circular and triangular brand on the other's arm.
According to the butler's description, Douglas's behavior has been somewhat abnormal recently.
After gathering the clues he had learned, Holmes conducted a simple analysis and believed that the pattern on the arm and the mysterious piece of paper at the scene might represent a secret gang.
In addition, Holmes also discovered that one of the dumbbells that was supposed to be a pair in the study was missing.
At this time, Mr. Barker suddenly appeared at the scene, interrupting Holmes' analysis, and brought important news, saying that a bicycle left by the murderer was found less than a hundred yards away from the manor.
After seeing the bicycle, McDonald still felt that the case was dark and confusing, making it difficult to see clearly.
But at this time, Holmes didn't think so. This also made Barry look stunned, wondering what Holmes suddenly understood.
The clues that have been seen so far are still confusing to Barry. Detective Mike has the same idea as in the story and can't think of anything.
But the detective in the story seems to have successfully gained a foothold on the stage and already has certain ideas.
After trying to put himself into Holmes's perspective to no avail, Barry quickly followed the description in the book and switched back to Watson's perspective, preparing to continue watching the Sherlock Holmes show.
The analysis of the situation at the scene has come to an end for now. Holmes is not the kind of detective who immediately explains his findings when he has clues.
After a discovery is made, there is also a process of eliminating falsehoods and preserving truths for the clues that have been obtained.
In addition, the mystery is revealed at the last moment, which can be regarded as a traditional program of detective novels.
That is the most exciting play on this stage.
After checking the clues that the scene could not speak by itself, the next step is about the witness's speech.
Picking up the coffee on the desk and taking a sip, Barry cheered up and wanted to see if he could make some discoveries and deductions at this stage.
【Testimony】
The testimony of the witnesses started with the butler Eames. The old butler always gave people the impression that the city was reliable, and the testimony he gave was also very simple and clear.
According to Ames, Douglas was a very brave man, but rarely left the village. However, something strange happened the day before the incident. After going out to buy something, Douglas fell into an abnormal mood.
In this state, you are emotionally sensitive and anxious.
On the night when the case occurred, Ames did not fall asleep. Instead, he heard the bell ringing for the servant while clearing the dishes. When he rushed to the front room with the housekeeper, he learned from Buck that Douglas was dead.
Then Buck lowered the suspension bridge and went to the police station to call the police. The situation in the study was the same as what the police saw later.
The housekeeper's testimony was largely the same as Ames's, although it is worth mentioning that neither actually heard the gunshot clearly.
As soon as Ames' location was far away from the study, it was unlikely that he would have heard the sound of gunfire. The housekeeper was somewhat deaf and was not close to the study, but she had heard another one before.
A sound like a door slamming hard.
The butlers' testimonies ended here, and the next step was to bring in Mr. Buck, who in Barry's opinion had the characteristics of a suspect.
Buck, who occasionally lives in the manor, is younger and more handsome than Douglas. In addition, Mrs. Douglas is more than 20 years younger than Douglas. It has been mentioned before that the interactions between the two can even trigger Douglas's sexual desire.
Jealousy is obviously something unusual.
Putting this aside, Buck also had his own reasoning about this murder.
According to Buck's description, Douglas never mentioned his past experiences, but he made a lot of money at a young age, but he suddenly sold his property and moved here.
In Buck's opinion, it was very likely that he was being tracked and threatened by a secret gang, and he believed that the mysterious card left at the scene was related to this.
In this regard, Buck mentioned that when the two of them worked together, there was a group of fierce-looking guys who caused trouble for Douglas.
Buck also completely denied any suspicions about his relationship with Mrs. Douglas.
While reading, Barry's fingers involuntarily tapped on the desk, thinking about the authenticity and reliability of these testimonies.
It is difficult to guarantee that this type of testimony is completely true. On the contrary, it is certain that there must be something concealed.
While thinking about it, he suddenly saw a few small questions that Holmes specifically asked Buck at the end of the question. Barry's eyes lit up and he looked at these questions attentively.
Buck was the first eyewitness to discover the body. According to the description, the candle in the study was lit when the entity was discovered. It was by the light of the candle that Douglas's miserable condition was clearly seen.
After seeing it clearly, Buck immediately rang the bell to summon the servant, and the butler arrived in about a minute.
According to the butler's testimony, when he entered the study, the candles had been extinguished and only the lantern was lit.
Buck's explanation for this was that he thought the candlelight was too dim, so he lit the lantern and blew out the candle.
After understanding these questions, Barry pondered for a while and thought about the correlation.
I was thinking and reading at the same time, and my progress didn't fall off at all.
The testimony part soon came to the last person, who was Douglas's wife.
Among the few people, this one was probably the one who knew Douglas best, and Barry also gained some energy.
On the night of the crime, Mrs. Douglas heard the shooting and went downstairs, but did not enter the scene of the crime. Buck stopped her because of the tragic death.
Then he asked if he had noticed that Douglas had mentioned some dangerous events, but he successfully unlocked new clues.
Douglas once said that he had been in the uncanny valley, and he has not yet escaped from it, and he may never escape.
Three years ago, when Douglas had a high fever, he mentioned a name, gang leader McGinty.
Other than that, such as the wedding ring that disappeared from the scene, Mrs. Douglas did not provide any useful clues.
After the witness examination was completed, Holmes fell into thinking, and then called the butler.
The tragedy in the study that day was such that the soles of the shoes of everyone present were stained with blood. Holmes asked the housekeeper to bring Buck's slippers that had been stained with blood that night.
The soles of the slippers matched the blood stains left on the study window sill, which meant that the footprints outside the window were most likely left by Buck himself.
After reading this part, Barry felt that some clues had been vaguely clarified in his mind.
And further on, is the moment when the truth and mystery will be revealed.
According to Holmes, he believed that he had been enveloped in lies after entering the manor.
Regarding this point, Barry was not too surprised when he read it. He had already vaguely had such an idea during his previous analysis.
What really made him curious was the final answer, which was also the highlight of the whole article.
With an expectant look on his face, Barry turned the pages of the book quickly with his hands, and his eyes quickly captured the words on the pages.
Tasting the truth of the story, the corners of his mouth were involuntarily raised.
By the time he finished reading a story, Barry looked satisfied with a meal.
After a pause for a few seconds, he took out his phone without hesitation and started looking for his contact information.
At the same time, in a seafood restaurant in LA, Jiang Yuangang met Carl and others and was concentrating on showing off his dinner.
Suddenly, I saw Karl on the side who connected to a video call and started chatting.
During the process, Jiang Yuan's eating movements suddenly stopped because he suddenly heard his name during Karl's conversation.
Jiang Yuan subconsciously picked up a tissue and wiped the corners of his mouth, getting ready.
Sure enough, after a while, Karl handed the mobile phone in Jiang Yuan's hand.
It was Barry who made the video call. With the help of Karl's connections, he contacted Jiang Yuan and extended the invitation very directly.
