Operation Red Book

The sky in London had already turned gloomy, and the entire street was covered with a gray filter.

There was wind blowing in the street, and soon a drizzle began to fall.

The pedestrians on the street were in a hurry, and the carriages passing by were rushing on the road, stirring up a muddy mess.

The lady who was affected didn't care about her dirty skirt, she lowered her hat and walked hurriedly towards the Freesia Cafe.

The moment the store door was opened, a crisp bell sounded.

"Welcome, dear lady. Today's weather is really terrible. Have some cappuccino to warm you up..."

The store manager warmly entertained the guests, and the lady's expression gradually changed from anxious to relaxed.

There were several gas lamps on in the Freesia Café, and the fireplace in the corner was crackling with sparks, and the warm flames illuminated the entire store.

The warm-toned coffee shop stands in the cold-toned stepped alley, attracting countless customers to take shelter from the rain and keep warm.

A cup of steaming cappuccino and a plate of croissants were placed on the lady's table, while another cup of latte and a macchiato were placed on the table by the window.

"Thank you, Arthur."

Moriarty picked up the latte and placed it in front of Joshua. He snapped his fingers, which attracted Joshua's attention from the window.

"Thank you, Mr. Moriarty."

Joshua picked up the latte and took a sip, but shivered again because of the heat.

Moriarty smiled and slowly stirred the macchiato in front of him with a spoon.

Both parties were silent for a while, and Moriarty spoke first: "Where is Miss Ivy who was traveling with you?"

Joshua recalled what happened a few hours ago:

After Ivy and I came out of the Florence Orphanage, Ivy wanted to find a job at the dock in the east. As we walked, she told me that she wanted to earn enough money and then rescue the children and Miss Grace from the orphanage so that they would no longer suffer.

I said there might be more than one orphanage in Florence that needed rescue, and she said she would continue to make money and rescue orphanages throughout London.

I said that perhaps orphanages in other parts of the UK also needed rescue, and she asked if I was looking for trouble.

I think she was a little angry at this time, but what I meant to say was - wake up and find a job first, we don’t know if we can continue to live here.

After we left August Street, Ivy asked whether Mr. Morris would punish Miss Grace and the children more severely after we left.

I said it would, because when Mr. Morris held his umbrella, everyone looked afraid.

Before I left, I looked back and saw Mr. Morris fiddling with his umbrella.

Classmate Ivy looked at me without saying anything, and then asked me why I was so calm, why there was no turmoil at all, and why I had no emotions.

I said that since I had no ability to help them, I could only find a job and settle ourselves first.

Then classmate Ivy started crying and asked me not to follow her.

Then no matter what I said she told me not to follow her and she didn't want to see me again.

So I stopped following her, thinking it might be better to wait until she calmed down before talking to her.

"And then you met me." Moriarty said slowly, taking a sip of macchiato.

"Well, I was walking down the street and passed by a flower shop, and you called me by name and said that I could find a job by following you."

Joshua sipped his coffee, his eyes still unconsciously looking out the window.

Moriarty followed his gaze to the window, but saw nothing but the howling wind and pouring rain.

He couldn't help asking, "What are you looking at? Is there Mr. Holmes outside the window?"

"Mr. Holmes has gone to Scotland Yard. Inspector Lestrade says he has a case to deal with."

Joshua's eyes were straight, without any expression of joy, anger, sorrow or happiness in them.

"I'm a little worried about Ivy. The weather outside the window is really bad. I wonder how she is doing now."

"Why are you so worried about Miss Ivy? As far as I know, you and she are just... classmates."

Moriarty crossed his legs with interest, ready to listen to Joshua's story.

"Student Ivy is very popular in our school. She is very beautiful, just like... a gardenia in May. Her grades are also very good, especially in math and sports. She always ranks among the top and has won awards on behalf of the school. The teachers also think highly of her, except that they hate her for always being late and getting angry and fighting... but the people she fights are all bad guys who bully others."

Joshua fell into recollection, and his eyes lit up.

"Student Ivy's cooking is especially delicious. Every time we eat lunch at noon, her seat is always crowded. She will also bring extra lunch boxes and share the lunch boxes with the students around her. I was lucky enough to have a taste of it once. It was very fragrant with green peppers..."

As he was talking about lunch, Joshua's stomach started to growl.

"You seem to be enamored with her."

Moriarty ordered a sandwich and a mousse and said maliciously.