Chapter 60: Sophisticated Crime

"Um, are you Tony Monet, the author of 'Detective Dawning'?" Andre tentatively inquired.

Monet nodded and replied, "Yes, that's me. How about you, Chief Andre? You're also a fan of detective novels?"

Initially, Monet thought he had encountered another loyal reader. However, to his surprise, Andre furrowed his brows and said, "Honestly, I do enjoy reading them. I buy every issue of your work as soon as it's available. But I sincerely hope, Mr. Monet, that you won't write anymore."

This outcome was not just surprising for Monet, even Chief Klein standing nearby was taken aback. Unable to contain himself, Klein asked, "Andre, are you confused? If you enjoy reading his work, why wouldn't you want Mr. Monet to continue?"

"It's precisely because he writes so well, so convincingly. The problem is that the themes he writes about are simply too dangerous. These are detective novels, after all. While they always end with the detective prevailing, from another perspective, he's teaching potential criminals how to commit and evade police pursuit. Especially Mr. Monet's criminal methods are so ingenious and imaginative. I can't speak for others, but as a veteran officer of over ten years, I'm certain that I wouldn't be able to crack cases involving such criminals and methods.

The reason I rush to buy every detective magazine in the first release is twofold. First, I genuinely enjoy detective novels, especially your 'Detective Dawning.' Second, I fear that criminals might grab the magazine before me, learn the methods inside, and then commit crimes using them. If I fail to solve such cases due to my inability to decipher these methods, allowing the criminals to escape, wouldn't I be failing in my duty?

But now, my worst fear has come true. Criminals have acquired the latest perfect crime method thought up by Mr. Monet, and we law enforcement officers are unaware. What's even more terrifying is that these criminals have actually begun committing crimes using this method!

Mr. Monet, for the sake of societal stability, and to cease providing potential criminals with the latest ideas for crimes, could you please refrain from writing detective novels anymore?" Andre exclaimed, his expression full of emotion.

Andre's words plunged both Monet and Klein into deep contemplation. When Andre candidly admitted his inability to decipher the crime methods devised by Monet, Klein acknowledged that he too couldn't crack them. Following this line of thought, the more sophisticated the crime methods depicted in Monet's current detective novels, the greater the potential threat to society. While criminals might not be foolish enough to blatantly copy methods from publicly published detective novels, they could draw inspiration from them.

For Monet, this perspective was new, but he had to admit its validity. He vaguely remembered that in his previous life, there were a few years when CCTV didn't allow the production of detective dramas, citing similar reasons. If viewed in this light, it seemed that he truly shouldn't continue writing. After all, making money through syphilis treatments was far more lucrative than writing novels.

Thankfully, Mann, the owner of "Brooklyn Weekly," wasn't present. If he were to hear this discussion and learn of Monet's current thoughts, he might just lose his mind. Currently, he was heavily reliant on Monet's "Detective Dawning" series to attract readers.

Fortunately, Monet came up with an alternative approach. He bowed to Andre and said, "Thank you, Chief Andre. I'm sorry, I never thought my novels could have such negative implications. If Mr. Monds really is murdered this time, then I'll share part of the responsibility."

Changing the subject, he continued, "However, it's not quite realistic for me to give up writing detective novels. After all, I still have two years left on my contract with 'Brooklyn Weekly' for the 'Detective Dawning' series. If I stop writing, I'll have to pay a hefty penalty. Besides, I personally love writing detective novels. I find it hard to accept giving it up just like that."

Before Andre could respond, Monet preempted, "Chief Andre, please hear me out completely. While I won't give up writing detective novels, my creative direction will change. I won't focus on intricate, realistic crime methods anymore. Instead, I'll emphasize depicting criminal motives and the resulting changes in human nature. Even if there are crime methods, I'll try to simplify them or design techniques that are hard to achieve in reality. Chief Andre, does this sound acceptable to you?"

Monet was speaking the truth. He had decided to shift from traditional puzzle-solving mysteries to societal deduction, heavily inspired by Japanese detective novels. Japan's detective novelists were unparalleled in their creativity for twisted criminal motives. As for difficult-to-execute crime methods in reality, he could borrow inspiration from Aya Tsukishima's "Perfect Crime Comic book series."

Upon hearing Monet's explanation, Andre was naturally appreciative. He respectfully said, "In that case, thank you very much, Mr. Monet."

"This is what I should do," Monet modestly replied, then suddenly leaned forward and smiled, asking, "But Chief Andre, you won't stop reading my 'Detective Dawning' series because of this, will you?"

Andre quickly waved his hand and said, "How could that be? I'll definitely keep reading."

With the issue resolved, Klein interjected, "Alright, Andre old friend, can we now go to Mons Jewelry Store?"

"What did you say? Your boss received a letter, his expression changed drastically, and then he chartered a Duke-class train to Philadelphia?" At Mons Jewelry Store, Andre asked with a furrowed brow.

The store clerk nodded, puzzled, and replied, "Yes, that's right. The day after the robbery, the boss received that mysterious letter. Immediately, he sent his secretary, Mr. Robert, to purchase the Duke-class train tickets. We find this quite strange too. You see, this is the busiest time for the jewelry store's business. In previous years, the boss even ate and slept here. How could he suddenly decide to leave?"

"It's over, Mr. Monet. It seems that trouble is indeed on the horizon," Andre said with a heavy expression.

In response to Andre's inquiry, Monet simply nodded and turned to the store clerk, asking, "Did your boss go to Philadelphia himself this time?"