I hopped on No Name and headed to the scene, asking Jet along the way.
“Hey, Sheriff. Didn’t the gunslingers pair up in teams of two? So who got taken out by Zodiac?”
“…You’ll see when we get there. But shouldn’t you have been with Miss Emma? Where is she?”
“…Well, something came up.”
I couldn’t tell Jet the truth about what happened with Emma last night, so I just quietly followed him as we rode.
The place Jet led us to wasn’t the usual town center or main street…
“…Huh? This is…”
It was a small cabin on the outskirts of town.
But this place… I know who lives here.
“Isn’t this Aiden’s place?”
“…Yeah.”
Aiden, a member of Justice Town’s security team.
So, was he the one who got taken out by Zodiac this time?
No wonder Jet’s expression looked so sour as he led me here.
‘Aiden was a pretty decent guy.’
I also had a good relationship with Aiden, so I clicked my tongue and stepped inside.
“…!”
But the victims of this incident weren’t just Aiden.
To be precise, it wasn’t just Aiden.
“Aiden… and Finn.”
As soon as I opened the cabin door, I saw Aiden and Finn lying in different spots, and Sophia investigating the scene.
*Whoosh.*
“Hey, watch your step at the entrance.”
Just as I was about to step inside, Sophia shouted and pointed to the floor.
There was a single footprint there.
“I checked earlier, and it doesn’t belong to either of them.”
“…So?”
“It’s probably Zodiac’s.”
Hearing that, I quickly gauged the size of the footprint.
‘…It’s a man’s.’
It was definitely a man’s footprint.
Carefully stepping over Zodiac’s footprint, I approached the bodies.
“What weapon was used? Did you find anything?”
“…A Schofield Revolver. It was left right by the door.”
This time, Jet answered.
*Whoosh.*
Jet handed me the Schofield Revolver, which was likely the weapon used in the crime.
*Click.*
I checked it, and there were exactly two bullets missing.
‘This looks like it was taken from my storage too…’
My storage is full of Schofield Revolvers, which are more common than Single Action Armies…
Yesterday, while searching my storage, I noticed some of the Schofield Revolvers were missing.
It seems Zodiac used the weapons he stole from me again.
“Tsk.”
I clicked my tongue and handed the gun back to Jet.
But…
“Sheriff?”
“…Oh, sorry. I was lost in thought for a moment.”
Jet was so distracted that he didn’t even notice me handing him the gun right in front of him.
His eyes were fixed on Aiden and Finn, who were lying dead, and his eyes looked a bit moist.
“Damn it… If I catch that bastard, I won’t let him get away with this…”
Since I settled in Justice Town, no one under Jet’s command had died.
That’s why the deaths of his subordinates hit him so hard.
Seeing Jet so emotional, I decided to approach Sophia, who was still examining the scene.
“Find anything, Detective?”
Sophia was wary of me.
I didn’t expect a proper answer from her, but…
“Zodiac… It seems like he knew them.”
“…Huh?”
Surprisingly, Sophia shared her deductions with me.
“If he knew them… Does that mean Zodiac, Aiden, and Finn were acquainted?”
“Yes.”
“What’s the evidence?”
I didn’t distrust Sophia, but I wanted to know why she thought that.
She explained logically.
“First of all, the Sheriff and I told the security team to always be on guard and keep their guns ready, no matter who approached them.”
I would’ve done the same.
Zodiac’s targets were gunslingers, after all.
The security team, who live by the gun, definitely fall into that category.
That’s why we paired up in teams of two.
Of course, I never imagined Zodiac would take out two at once.
“But look. Aiden and Finn. Their holsters still have pistols in them. They didn’t even think about drawing their guns when they saw Zodiac. …That means they knew him very well.”
“…That makes sense.”
“That’s not all. Look at where they died.”
Where they died…
Aiden was on the sofa, and Finn was in the kitchen.
“They let Zodiac into the house.”
The rest of the scene played out in my mind.
Aiden and Finn let Zodiac inside.
Aiden sat on the sofa with Zodiac, chatting…
Finn went to the kitchen to get something for Zodiac.
And then, when they let their guard down, Zodiac pulled out the Schofield Revolver…
*Bang, bang.*
……
Wait, so Zodiac, Aiden, and Finn were close enough to let him get that close?
“…Aiden knew Zodiac? That doesn’t make sense…”
Jet, who had been listening to Sophia’s deductions, tilted his head and spoke up.
Sophia looked puzzled.
“Why doesn’t it make sense?”
“Aiden stutters.”
This time, I answered.
“Aiden stutters. Badly. Detective, have you ever heard Aiden talk?”
“…Now that I think about it, no. But does stuttering prevent someone from forming friendships?”
“Aiden avoids people because of it.”
Like how Bob became deaf after a fever as a child, Aiden also suffered from a severe illness as a child that left him with a stutter.
But Aiden’s case was worse than Bob’s.
Bob could still manage daily life, even if it was inconvenient, but Aiden couldn’t even hold a conversation without using hand gestures.
That’s why, ever since I settled in Justice Town…
For two years, I couldn’t exchange a single word with Aiden.
Around the third year, when I went to deliver the body of an outlaw, I finally got to greet Aiden for the first time.
If Aiden, who’s usually so guarded, was sitting so comfortably on the sofa like that with Zodiac, it must mean their bond is deeper than mine, even though I’ve known Aiden for four years…
“So, Mr. Aiden, do you usually not build relationships with anyone?”
“…No, with people I’ve known for a long time, I do to some extent…”
“Then we have our answer.”
Upon hearing my words, Sophia immediately voiced the ominous预感 I had in my head.
“Zodiac might not be a recent immigrant to the town but a long-time resident of Justice Town.”
“…”
“Maybe they’re even among the security team members closest to Mr. Aiden.”
“That’s ridiculous—!”
When Sophia suspected the security team, Jet, who had been quietly listening, let out a shocked yell.
“Those guys have worked under me for years, some even decades—! I vouch for them—! They’re not some crazy murderer—! Absolutely not—!”
Of course, from Jet’s perspective, the idea that one of his subordinates could be Zodiac was unthinkable.
But in Chapter 8 of *Lawless*, [The Zodiac Serial Killings], Zodiac is randomly determined before the episode starts.
It doesn’t distinguish between good and evil.
That’s why players sometimes suffer the frustration of seeing an NPC they’ve built up a lot of好感 with suddenly turn out to be Zodiac.
“If one of my subordinates is Zodiac, I’ll shoot myself in the head for failing to recognize them! I swear!”
But Jet, unaware of this fact, forgot that Sophia was the granddaughter of Pinkerton and continued to shout loudly.
I stepped forward to calm Jet down and changed the subject.
“Of course we believe you, Sheriff. But the detective is just doing her job, so don’t take it too hard.”
“…Hoo.”
“Let’s not fight and just read the damn letter from Zodiac, okay?”
By the way, Zodiac’s letter was found in the hand of Finn, who was collapsed in the kitchen.
But when I suggested reading the letter, the two didn’t seem very interested.
Tilting my head in confusion, Sophia spoke up.
“We already read the letter.”
“Oh, what? Really? So I’m the only one who…”
“But I’ve been curious—why didn’t Emma come with you?”
“…?”
Earlier, Jet had also asked about Emma. Why was Sophia asking the same question?
‘…No way.’
A sudden sense of unease hit me, and I quickly pulled out Zodiac’s letter to read it.
[This is the Zodiac speaking.]
[Did you think pairing up in twos would stop me?]
[No way, I’m the best gunslinger in this town.]
[Killing two clueless fools was way too easy.]
[It was really boring. So next time, I’ll go for a more interesting target.]
[Next, I’ll kill the most beautiful woman in this town.]
[They say the most beautiful flowers have the sharpest thorns.]
[I’ll pierce through those thorns and pluck the flower.]
[I can’t wait to see how much pleasure the sight of a dead beauty will bring me.]
Zodiac’s next target… the most beautiful woman in town.
Lately, many people have gathered in Justice Town.
But…
‘Emma….’
Only one person came to mind.
I immediately threw the letter to the ground and rushed outside.
“You crazy bastards—! You should’ve told me this first!”
“…I thought you’d keep Emma safe…”
“Shut up, baldy—!”
Emma hadn’t been with me since last night.
I jumped on No Name’s back and headed straight to her house, where I assumed she’d be.
Seeing me like this, Sophia called out from behind.
“…Kid. Bring Emma to the Sheriff’s office. We’ll interrogate the security team.”
Without responding to Sophia, I just kept running forward.
Of course, I knew.
That Zodiac’s killings happened with some time in between.
But…
‘I’m worried.’
Just the fact that Emma was Zodiac’s target made me unbearably anxious.
It was strange.
After all, I was the one who coldly pushed her away last night.
“Yah.”
“Hehe.”
Clack, clack.
Luckily, No Name was in great condition today.
It was as if No Name sensed my urgency and ran like crazy…
“Emma—!!”
I reached Emma’s house in no time.
“Emma—! Come out—! Emma—!!”
As soon as I arrived at Emma’s cabin, I frantically knocked on the door.
At first, when there was no answer from inside, I felt a chill.
But…
“…Boss?”
“Ah… damn it. Whew…”
Emma seemed fine as her voice soon came from inside.
She didn’t open the door but asked me,
“…What brings you here?”
“Haa… what brings me here? …I was worried.”
Exhausted from rushing over, I sat down with my back against the door.
And so, we started talking with just a door between us.
But then…
“What are you worried about?”
“Zodiac’s next target is the most beautiful woman in town.”
“……”
“That’s you, isn’t it?”
After saying it, the atmosphere somehow turned awkward.
