Edward Harris was still somewhat doubtful of James Thompson's abilities, but he knew that James Thompson's analysis was correct. Sheriff Cooper had just taken office and was looking for someone to make an example of and establish his authority. Moreover, as the county constable, he was in charge of public security and catching criminals—he was Edward Harris's direct superior. Dealing with a lowly squad leader like him would be all too easy.

Just as Edward Harris was hesitating, another yamen runner suddenly came rushing over. Upon seeing him, he shouted, “Eddie Harris, Sheriff Cooper is urging you to quickly bring the coroner over. The autopsy must be done today!”

Hearing this, Edward Harris's face darkened. There were only two coroners in the yamen, and Robert Baker was seriously injured and coughing up blood—something Sheriff Cooper surely knew. Yet he was still pressing him to bring a coroner, clearly making things difficult for him. After all, everyone in the yamen knew that James Thompson's family was under his protection. It seemed the other party really intended to make an example out of him.

“All right, George, come with me. Let’s go meet this Sheriff Cooper!” Edward Harris finally gritted his teeth and made up his mind. He hadn’t wanted to cause trouble, but if the other side really thought he was an easy target, then he wouldn’t hold back. After all, he hadn’t survived all these years for nothing. If James Thompson could complete the autopsy, that would be best; if not, he’d confront the other side head-on—even if it meant losing his position, he’d make sure to show them a thing or two!

Seeing Edward Harris agree, James Thompson finally showed a happy expression. But when he heard himself called “George,” his face fell, since that nickname easily brought to mind the infamous “George” with the surname Wu. Still, he knew that “George” was a common way for elders or peers to address the eldest son in a family, and he happened to be the eldest, so it wasn’t wrong to call him George.

Because James Thompson had trouble walking, Edward Harris had a yamen runner carry him on his back. James Thompson also instructed Lily Thompson to take good care of the house, and then he left home with Edward Harris and the others. This was also his first time leaving Bianhe Town.

Xia Shui Village wasn’t far away; it was at the southeastern corner of Bianhe Town. There was a tributary of the Bian River there, making irrigation very convenient, so several villages had formed along the river. Xia Shui Village was at the very end of the stream, and it was a small place with only a few dozen households. It had always been a peaceful little village, but today, a murder had shattered its tranquility.

As they walked, Edward Harris questioned the yamen runner who had brought the news about the case, while James Thompson listened quietly. According to the runner, the deceased was a villager from Xia Shui Village named John Foster. He had been doing business outside and had only returned home yesterday, but today he was suddenly found dead, hanging in the woods behind the village.

Normally, the yamen wouldn’t get involved in suicides, since in ancient times the government’s control over the grassroots was weak. As long as no one reported it, even if someone died, nobody would care.

But the deceased’s younger brother didn’t believe his elder brother would commit suicide. According to him, his brother had come home yesterday and drank with him, happily telling him that he’d made a lot of money in business and even asked him to find someone to renovate the old house. Yet after just one night, his brother was found dead by hanging. This clearly didn’t make sense, so he went to the county office to report the case.

Normally, a case where it wasn’t clear whether it was suicide or homicide wouldn’t require Sheriff Cooper to go in person. But since this was his first case after taking office, as soon as Sheriff Cooper received the report, he personally led people to Xia Shui Village to investigate. Now, they were just waiting for Edward Harris to bring the coroner for the autopsy.

Before long, James Thompson and Edward Harris arrived at Xia Shui Village. Outside the woods behind the village, a crowd of villagers had already gathered, along with several yamen runners. But James Thompson felt a sinking feeling—there was no police cordon or anything of the sort, and villagers could come and go as they pleased. The scene had probably already been disturbed. This made him even more doubtful about Song Dynasty criminal investigations—if they didn’t even have this basic common sense, how did the yamen ever solve cases?

Now wasn’t the time to dwell on that. Edward Harris led James Thompson through the crowd to the crime scene. Before James Thompson could even see the body, a young official came striding over, looking furious. But what caught James Thompson’s attention wasn’t the angry young official, but rather the person following behind him, who was also sizing him up.

Chapter 9: The Autopsy

The first person James Thompson noticed wasn’t the fuming Sheriff Cooper, but rather a child behind him—or more accurately, a young teenager, about the same age as himself, around twelve or thirteen. The boy was dressed in silk, with fair skin and handsome features. What was even more annoying was that he was half a head taller than James Thompson, and looked refined and genteel.

As for James Thompson himself, not only was his leg injured, but he was also dressed in a gray, tattered hemp robe, patched all over. His skin was dark and rough, especially his hands, which were still mottled with black and red from frostbite that hadn’t fully healed in the winter. Compared to the fair and clean young man, he looked just like a beggar. Of course, back when he had nothing to eat, James Thompson really had been a beggar.