"It stands to reason that he should have taken notes during his research." "No one knows whether it has been compiled or not."

"That's so...... Bella didn't seem to feel lost, "So, are there any books about the dark arts?"

"Uh, this...... You know, black magic is forbidden." "If you publish and sell books about it, you'll be held accountable by the Magic Society."

"That's right." Bella also realized that her problem was a little abrupt.

"Well, I have a friend who likes to collect unpopular stuff when he's fine." Mr. Pickle continued, "I think he might have a clue about that."

"Really?"

"He lives on the other side of the Seine. I can write a letter, and you can take it to him." Mr. Pickle said, walking behind the counter of the bookstore and picking up a pen and paper.

"Thank you so much." Bella took the sealed letter and thanked her.

"It just so happens that I don't have anything important." Mr. Murray said, "If you don't dislike it, let me go with you two to have a look?"

In fact, Mr. Murray was just too bored to come out and visit the bookstore.

"Then there's Mr. Lawmery."

With that, Bella and Elena, along with Mr. Murray, the three of them left Mr. Pickle's bookstore.

Mr. Murray had planned to hire a carriage for the two young ladies, but Bella and Elena seemed to prefer to go on foot.

"It doesn't seem to be very far away." Bella said, "And you can see the scenery along the way."

"yes, we're not pampered big ladies." Elena couldn't agree more.

Since both of them said so, Mr. Murray could not force it.

Not far to the east of the Art District, there is a stone bridge that connects the north and south banks, called the Art Bridge.

The three of them came to the bridge and were about to cross the river when they saw a group of people in Paris police uniforms, busy on the shore.

The team was led by Officer Christopher.

"Ahh Elena waved very positively and said hello.

Officer Christopher waved his hand as well.

"It looks like a murder." Mr. Murray said suddenly, "It seems to be serious."

"Huh?" Elena was a little surprised.

Speaking of which, Mr. Murray is also quite familiar with this. When he was in Iberia before, he had solved many cases, and he was also famous, and was once evaluated by the newspaper as "Wise Murray".

"Shall we go over and have a look?" Elena suggested.

If something terrible does happen, it's — it's just the right thing to get Elena up in.

As soon as she heard that there was a case, her fighting spirit "soared" up.

"It's fine." Bella was also a little curious.

Officer Christopher was a little surprised when he saw that Bella and the others did not leave, but walked towards this side, and then, as if he had met a savior, he quickly greeted him.

After a few brief pleasantries, Officer Christopher told them what had happened.

This morning, they were on patrol as usual, when they suddenly received a report from a nearby resident that a body had been found on the banks of the Seine next to the Pont des Arts. So, Officer Christopher hurried with his men.

"When we got to the scene, we found the body." Officer Christopher said, bringing Bella and them to the scene.

On the ground lay a female corpse, half of her body submerged in water. Judging from her appearance and dress, she should be a civilian woman from an ordinary family.

These details aside, there was a particularly glaring wound on the corpse – perhaps a little mistaken to call it – the unfortunate girl's chest had a fist-sized notch.

"The heart is gone." Officer Christopher explained succinctly.

"Huh?" Elena frowned.

It's a bit appalling indeed.

"......What is the cause of death?" Bella asked.

"I'm ashamed." Officer Christopher said helplessly, "We haven't found out yet."

"Huh? Isn't the cause of death the heart gouged out?" Elena looked at them with some bewilderment.

"Not necessarily, Miss Medici." Mr. Murray explained, "Even though there is such a large gap in the chest, it can be said that it is certain death. But ah, it is not yet known whether she was killed directly because of this."

"What do you mean?" Elena still didn't quite understand.

"You know, if a living person's heart is gouged out, then the damage in the arteries will definitely cause massive bleeding. But looking at the deceased's complexion, although it was pale, the superficial layers of the skin didn't seem to have lost much blood."

"Could it be that her heart was gouged out after she died?"

"I don't rule it out."

"May I ask ...... this is," Officer Christopher looked at the young man who had arrived with the two ladies.

"I'll tell you, this is ......?"

Bella hesitated, not knowing what to do. To say about his military identity? Or would it be better to call him Aragon's diplomatic envoy?

"Hello, my name is Murray, and I'm friends with the two young ladies." Mr. Murray briefly introduced himself and did not mention his official status.

In fact, in Murray's mind, this trip to Paris was more of a private trip.

He has always hated political things, and he usually acts as an individual.

"Mr. Murray's words are right." Officer Christopher said, "Through a simple examination, we found that although the deceased's heart was gone, there was not much blood loss from the body. Therefore, it is very likely that the heart was removed after death. Or maybe the wound was specially treated when the heart was dug out."

"Wound treated?" Elena asked, "How?"

"Well...... I don't know yet, it's just my personal guess. I've seen a way to delay the clotting of blood, so I wonder if there is some kind of way to speed up the clotting of blood."

Officer Christopher was referring to the last case that had occurred at Mr. Atwood's villa.

"You've thought it through." Murray said, "Have you ever thought about the possibility of drowning?"

"I didn't find much fluid in my lungs." Officer Christopher replied, "If it is drowning, the respiratory tract should inhale a lot of water due to an instinctive reaction, then the cause of death is actually suffocation, not only will the whole body be white, but the lips will generally appear blue and purple, and the skin should still be puffy."

The corpse in front of him didn't seem to match.

"Well...... then," said Mr. Murray, thoughtfully, "but even if you drown, it will be more difficult to extract the heart."

Is it necessary to do this underwater?

"Are there any other scars on your body?" Bella asked.

"No obvious injuries." Officer Christopher replied, "Except for the gap in the heart, everything else is almost intact."

"Intact?"

"Not even a single abrasion or anything like that."

"Huh?" Elena felt a little incredulous.

Not drowning? No trauma either?

"What about poisoning?" Bella then asked.

"Ah, if anything, it must be a poison we haven't seen before." Officer Christopher replied.

In other words, no known poisons have been detected.

"Tut-tut, that's bizarre." Elena shook her head.

"Who's to say it isn't?" Officer Christopher agreed, "It's the first time I've seen such a strange death in all my years as a police officer."

Even for a while, no clear cause of death could be found.

"Can you show us the wound?" Mr. Murray asked.

"This ......," Officer Christopher hesitated slightly, "It's not that I have any opinion on you, it's just that the picture may be a little bloody, and I'm afraid ordinary people can't accept it."

"It's okay, I've helped solve some cases before, and I've seen similar scenes."

"Oh?" Officer Christopher stared at the extraordinary young man in front of him, as if remembering something, "Murray...... Are you the one who is often mentioned in the newspapers, 'the wise men of Aragon'?"

"Ah, it's just media hype," Mr. Murray smiled a little awkwardly, "Actually, I'm just lucky."

"You're so humble. We're lucky if you can help."

Officer Christopher said, turning sideways and getting out of the way.

Mr. Murray stepped forward and took possession to check on the condition of the body.

As Officer Christopher had just described, the deceased's body, although white, was not the same as drowning or excessive blood loss. The skin was soaked in the river and there was a slight blistering, but there were no obvious injuries on the body - except for the gap in the chest.

Speaking of the position of the chest, the notch is only the size of a fist, which can be said to be just the size of the heart. Moreover, the edges look jagged, and there are even some signs of muscle tearing.

"Is this ......," Mr. Murray frowned.

With years of experience, he had a bad premonition in his gut feeling.

"Did you find anything?" Elena asked nervously.

"It sounds unbelievable, though." Mr. Murray paused, then continued, "This wound is like someone has inserted his bare hand into his chest and taken away his heart."

"What?!" Elena's eyes widened in shock, "Bare hands? That's a rib!"

"The ribs seem to be broken and twisted." Mr. Murray continued, "I think the other person should have stabbed a hand in the chest, then stretched the gap between the ribs, grabbed the heart, and then pulled it out violently."

As he spoke, Mr. Murray extended his right hand and made a presumptuous gesture of the described movement.