Chapter 550 Assessment
Things like "holding a dance party" probably have unspoken rules.
In those days, "rushing to the right time" was not popular. For example, if someone wanted to hold a dance party on a certain day, the proper way would be to "give priority to those invited first". Other people in the same social circle, regardless of their status or whether they were going or not, had to avoid the same day.
Anyway, the same group of people usually gather together locally, so it doesn’t matter where you gather, so as not to embarrass the guests.

But on the other hand, if you are sure that you will not receive an invitation from the other party - sometimes it is simply because the invitation circle is different, and sometimes it is "intentional" - then there may actually be a situation of "mutual competition".

At this time, it is mainly a matter of "fighting for pride", and everyone is secretly competing with each other to see who is more important and has a higher status in the eyes of the guests.

Wayne arranged the invitations one by one according to the date, and then compared the ones with schedule conflicts:
"There are three invitations to tonight's balls alone. The rich man only invited 'Mr. Wayne', so forget about him for now. The remaining two invitations are for 'partners of the detective agency', the mayor and the owner of the large estate. Who should we choose? I'll vote for the mayor."

In a place like Richmond, it is not clear who has higher status than the mayor or the big landowners.
Strong politicians who are popular with the public can manage a place well, while less capable politicians may just be puppets of their financial backers or political parties. Not only do they dare not speak loudly, but they may also be ruined by a scandal.

Theoretically speaking, there shouldn't be any "competition" between these two people. Maybe it's just because they are in different circles.
The City Hall helped in the investigation of the assassination, and I can probably find someone to talk to about the dock area. However, the big manor owners are also very attractive. At least they must have sufficient funds, and I feel like I can meet a lot of potential financiers.

Inesa is not very interested in this kind of socializing, she is the type who is willing to go anywhere.

The pressure was put on Lina. She glanced at the invitation letter and asked, "Do I have to go?"

"It's not necessary to go..." Wayne explained, "The guests may not be available. According to etiquette, if we don't go, we can just send someone to apologize. If we are more polite, we can give them gifts. But we are considered 'outsiders' in Richmond, so it's okay if one party is dissatisfied, but we can't neglect both sides..."

"You can go by yourself." Lina answered simply.

"That won't work." Wayne answered just as straightforwardly, "I don't even know the mayor himself. If no one pays attention to me at the dance, I won't be able to find a dance partner to hide from. That would be too miserable."

When it comes to a fire pit, of course everyone should "jump in together" to be happy.

"Hmm... OK. Then let's go to the mayor as you said." Lina is the type who doesn't hesitate after making a decision. "It just so happens that Miss Olivia gave me and Inesa new clothes yesterday - can I wear the ruby necklace I wore before? The ladies in the south are very concerned about these things."

You actually brought that thing with you?

Wayne shook his head decisively, "That necklace is too unlucky, you should sell it quickly. You guys should stop wearing it."

"Tsk. Then I'll go borrow a few from Miss Olivia later."

……

After breakfast, Wayne asked Willy to go and read the letter that Lina brought back.
At this moment, Peter was still guarding the table, with an expression of "keep away from strangers". A crow next to him was half-collapsed beside the letter, and the big spider was teasing its tail feathers from time to time, feeling depressed.

Inesa had not read it either. After Willy spread out the letter with gloves on, Wayne and Inesa poked their heads out from behind. The contents inside were nothing new to Wayne. The main content was to instruct the little gangster leader named "James Darmody" to commit the crime.

The way he was addressed in the letter was "Jimmy", the abbreviation of "James", which sounded a bit like "more familiar" but also a bit like "condescending".

But the guy obviously didn't say anything. In the letter, there was nothing but the implicit "carrot and stick" tactics.
He also mentioned specific instructions - in addition to killing people, he was also required to destroy all the negative information about a "Mr. Schwartz" in the hands of the reporter, including manuscripts and possible records such as diaries, indicating that he actually knew who the real mastermind was.

By the way, judging from the specific business that this guy's "competitor" is engaged in, this gangster should not be very clean either.
They are not the type that "collects protection fees but also provides services", but simply assists in the recovery of usury and collects some "community taxes" by the way. If divided by color number, their base color is obviously closer to "#808080" than "#000000".

Seeing Wayne's inquiring gaze, Inessa recalled briefly, "Several people with the same surname have appeared in local newspapers. One of them had no negative reports at all, but judging from his status, he might be the most likely one. He is a local banker."

"Banker" and "loan sharking recovery" are not only "possible", but also seem to be a "one-stop service"...

After reading the letter, Wayne, like Willy, focused on the "material". "The paper isn't smooth enough, so it's probably impossible to extract fingerprints. And if we try using toner, it will definitely leave marks..."

Willy finished reading the letter and began to study the envelope. "There are bulging marks here, and there are bloodstains on it. Was there anything inside before?"

Wayne knew this, and pointed to a line on the letter: "It says that a human ear was once installed, probably this person's."

But the case has been going on for more than half a year, so the ears are definitely not still preserved - if they were not pickled, they would have gone bad a long time ago, and if that guy really pickled the ears and continued to preserve them, it would seem even more perverted...

Willy has begun to act like a detective. He tried to make connections. "Since there is another murder case, and both cases point to the same 'mastermind', if we start with the other case, is it possible to get more clues?"

Inessa obviously thought this idea made sense, and Wayne also thought it was good:

"In that case, I'll leave this case to you. We've been invited to dances these past few nights, so we probably won't be able to travel too far. Softening and Expansion are temporarily under your command, but for safety reasons, you should bring an experienced agent with you, um... let's call Liam. Let us know when you need additional personnel."

Willy seemed a little surprised, but also a little hesitant. "Can I?"

"What's wrong with that? Old detectives will have to lead their own teams sooner or later. It just so happens that the danger of this case doesn't seem that great."

Wayne patted Willy on the shoulder. "According to the rules of our West, the sheriff's spare badge can be authorized to be used by others, as long as the person is suitable. I gave Inessa a spare badge on the second day after she arrived in Blackrock Town. Your 'on-the-job training' is almost complete, and it's time to take the assessment for regularization."

(End of this chapter)