Chapter 2. QUESTIONS WITHOUT ANSWERS.
After finishing their lunch, two policemen received a call on their small police station. The result of expertise was shocking. In the lipstick were found a leftovers of a cyanide.
"This is urgent, sir, they found a cianyde in the lipstick. We can't afford to waste time," said Thomas, his concern evident.
"You're right, Tom, let`s see. The parcel needs to be sent by mail. And who works at the post office?" asked the old policeman", and add, answering his own question, "Exactly, postman Banks, who delivered the lipstick to Elena's house. Let`s go there first, I want to ask him a few questions."
Thomas felt a pang of dissatisfaction. He was confident in his abilities as a professional police officer and believed he could interrogate the postman by himself. However, he knew he couldn't go against the words of his old boss.
Upon arriving at the post office, Mrs. Brown greeted the postman and shook his hand.
The postman matched his appearance to his character - a sly, squint-eyed elderly man with a black goatee beard. He was dressed in worn pants stained with paint, a knitted green sweater with threads sticking out, and brown boots slightly smeared in mud.
"Good afternoon, Banks. How are you?" greeted Mr. Brown.
"Good, policeman. What about you?" replied Banks.
"Have you heard anything about the situation that happened with Mrs. Elena yesterday morning?" Mr. Brown inquired.
"No, I didn't hear anything. But the last situation happenned with Elena was a loss in gardening competition, you know" Banks trailed off, winking to the policeman.
"Well," Mr. Brown interjected. "Elena's cat died, but evidence suggests that the murder was intended for her. Are you sure you haven't heard anything?"
"Absolutely not. My house is on the outskirts, and village gossips rarely reach me. However, yes, I heard a lot about the cat. Baileys just hated him. But let me tell you, their dog wasn`t an angel either. One day, he left me a "present" right under my mailbox. Can you imagine?" Banks explained.
"Well, what about the lipstick?" Thomas interjected the postman, "The lipstick you delivered to Mrs. Elena the day before. A similar lipstick was found at the murder scene."
"What? What lipstick? I don't understand what you guys are talking about," Banks said, bewildered. "I delivered a package to her, but it wasn't from me. It came without a sender's address, so I pretended it was from me. Just pretended, you know. Yes, that's exactly how it was."
"I see. So, you are saying, the parcel was without an address?" Mr. Brown clarified.
"Exactly. Nothing was written, only Mrs. Elena's address, so I just brought it to her house. In general, we postmen are modest people, and our salary is small and you know, I just wanted her to finally, you know... just...notice me," Banks explained.
"I see your point, but in the lipstick we found Potassium cyanide"- calmly explained Neil Brown.
"Which could be fatal for her," Thomas added,"hopefully, this compound smells like valerian, which attracted the cat, so theoretically he saved Mrs. Elena."
"Oh my, now I see! So, you're saying someone tried to kill her, but the cat?" Banks asked. "And you think I am the killer?"
"Calm down, Banks," Mr. Brown said sternly. "Now we only collecting evidences. But it seems, someone probably planned her murder for a long time and skillfully hid his tracks."
After saying their goodbyes, Mr. Brown and Thomas headed to the other suspects—Mr. and Mrs. Bailey. As they entered the Bailey mansion's courtyard, they heard some commotion in the backyard and decided to investigate.
"Good afternoon, Mr. Brown. How are you?" Mr. Bailey greeted them, slightly flustered.
"I`ve got you some berry juice for you. Would you like some, dear?" Mrs. Bailey chimed in, holding a glass jug. "Oh, Mr. Brown, how's the investigation going? Have you found out who this ruthless cat killer is?" Mrs. Bailey asked eagerly.
"Not yet, lady. I'm here to ask you a few questions, if you'll allow me," Mr. Brown replied.
"I don't know," Mr. Bailey hesitated. "We're just in the middle of an important game..."
"Oh, dear, stop it. This is serious!" Mrs. Bailey scolded her husband.
"The police don't usually investigate cat murders, are they?"- asked Matthew Bailey.
"This is not an ordinary murder, sir," Thomas chimed in. "Someone attempted to poison Mrs. Elena."
"These bushes mean more to her than people. And her cat caused so much stress to my Heimish!" Mr. Bailey exclaimed, bending down to scratch his dog. "Maybe it's not a murder at all," he mused.
"How can you say that, honey?" Mrs. Bailey was indignant. "Don't listen to him, Neil, Bailey just hates losing when we play golf, so he's always grumbling about defeat".
"Alright, we will probably go now, Mrs. Bailey. Thank you," Mr. Brown said, cutting in. "We appreciate your cooperation. We'll let you know if we need anything else."
As they were bid farewell, Mr. Bailey caught up with them at the gate.
"Gentlemen, wait! I have something for you," he said in a hushed tone.
"The day before yesterday, I saw Banks," Mr. Bailey began. "He bought a large piece of ham from me. Banks has never bought such a huge peice of ham before, if you know what I mean," said Bailey, rubbing his thumb and forefinger," And he only gets paid at the end of the month."
"Alright, we'll take that into consideration," Mr. Brown said, writting down a note in his tiny notebook.
Next on their list was Elena's sister's house. As policeman Brown entered the hall, he was greeted by the tall and energetic Mrs. Roberts, who immediately launched into conversation.
"I'm sorry, dear. I knew you would come. Yesterday, I was in my garden, and there my he dahlia bush didn't produce a single flower! I thought it was some kind of sign. How's the investigation?" she asked eagerly.
Detective Brown quickly pulled out his notebook and began taking notes. "We're currently questioning Mrs. Elena's neighbors. By the way, have you seen anything suspicious these days?"
"No, nothing out of ordinary. For a whole day, I`ve been wooorking in my garden, so I could take them to the city to sell. I am trying so hard and they just spent everything down to a penny. No respect for the mother!" Mrs. Roberts complained.
"Who are 'they'?" Thomas inquired.
"My son, instead of studying in France, found some innocent girl there," she continued. "And now, instead of searching for a job, he is asking his mother for money for gifts for his new girlfriend. You know, sometimes I am jealousto Elena, because, she only has a cat to take care of. This is actually why I offered her to live here, because she was only on her own, after out husbands died in a car accident. Then my son went to France to study, and I met John.
"John?" Mr. Brown prompted.
"Yes, John. He came here on a flower festival while I was selling my flowers, and that's how we met," Mrs. Roberts explained.
"Of course. Well, thank you for your cooperation," Mr. Brown said, closing his notebook. "Let us know if you recollect anything new."
With that, Mr. Brown and Thomas left Mrs. Roberts's yard, ready to pursue further leads in the investigation.
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