But Was It Murder? door Jania Barrell

1
Detective inspector Rod Eliot is at his office when he looked out of the window. He find it is time to go to the pub across the street. He said to his self: “only one beer.” When he was leaving the office the phone started ringing. He hope it was his wife. But it wasn’t his wife it was his collegue inspector Constable. He said that inspector Merryon hasn’t arrived. When Constable calls to his mobile he said he was stucked in the traffic but that was a long time ago. Later inspector Constable tells him that there was a report of a dead body. That was the last where inspector Elliot was hoping on. He wants to go home watch soccer with his eight year old son.

2
When he was underway to the crime scene he was stuck in a line of slowely moving cars. He has already switched to the bleu lights with sirenes so the other drivers will let him trough. But there was no place and he has already nearly caused two accidents. When he came at the crime scene he came in a little nice village with a lot of restaurants. In the car to the crime scene they were talkin gabout the school time of Bowen. He was 28 years old, ten years younger then Elliot. When they arrived they got out of the car for a 18th century house. A young pale looking police officer opened the door. He said good evening and his name; Drewitt. When they walked to the room there lay a red Persian carpet on the Floor. When they walked in the sittingroom you can see it was filled with a lot of antique stuff. When they were in the middle of the room Elliot looked down and saw the body sitting on a chair. Elliot quickly looked up and came to the conclusion it was a man. He was thinking; was it murder or was it suïcide?

3
Elliot went to the garden to search for samples like footprints. From the outside he can so lool into the sittingroom. It was a lovely room specially in the summer. He went to the windows to try to open them, He was surprised when he saw the windows were open. So he went back inside to look into every room. He saw directly the man lived alone. In the bathroom there only was his toothbrush, towel and other stuff. The man was a man with a lot of money. When Elliot walked in Bower asked have you found anything interresting? Not really said Elliot. Bower said he didn’t know a lot. The people who are living here said they were recently moved to this spot. They went to a man who maybe could know something. He asked what happend to Alex. The police officers said they didn’t know anything yet. They were talking about Alex and his exwife who was a beautiful painter. When the conversation has ended tho old man asked if they could tell him something if they knew more.

4
The village where the body has murdered isn’t a busy place. There isn’t mudered before. Sometimes a burglary but that is it.Tthey found the ex wife of the body. She couldn’t believe it.

5
The evening began to fall. The inspectors decided to go home. In the policecar the inspector thaught about his ex wife. How could a young one like her fall for an old man like the body.Inspector Bower sometimes just like that of his marriage. There came a lot of other questions in his mind. When they came back in London they saw a car standing in the middle of the street. It was stolen. It took twenty minutes before there came a towtruck to tow it away.When they arrived at the policestation it was very quit. Inspector Bower went to his desk to make a report. When he finished i the went home and directly go to his bed. He got a nigtmare about his wife and child who are kidnapped. He woke up covered in sweat.

6
The next morning he woke up. He went down the stairs and gets the newspaper from the letterbox. When he had read it and have had his breakfast he went to the police station. Inspector Elliot stood outside and inspector Bower asked him if there was any news. Yes said Elliot. We think we have found somebody who can indetify the body. They went in the car and drove to the house. They rang the bell, a woman opened the door and the inspectors walked in. They talked about the crime. When they decided to go to the body the woman turned pale. They stepped into the car and they drove to the body.

7
When they arrived the woman said nothing so inspector Bower was going to make a cup of tea. He has learnt that people feel more comfortable when they have drunk a cup. When the woman has drunk her cup of tea she said she was a journalist for a magazine. But the officer’s didn’t want to hear that. Inspector Bower asked if she knew the man a long time. She said that she knew him for four years. There were following a lot of questions. After the inspection they walks to the desk and shows her some pictures. The woman points a foto and said; that is him, that is Alex Forley.

So the questions go further. Then there came something usefull. She said he had regular headaches for a few weeks. He didn’t want to see a doctot but 2 weeks ago he had called one. So he went last week to the hospital fors ome research. But the results haven’t come in yet. The inspectors thanked the woman for ansering the questions and brought het home.

8
When they were back at Alex’s house the two officers were thinking about the sadness of the woman. Further they were preparing for the evening bonfire. The officers started to search the house on samples. Inspector Elliot was listening the messages from two days ago. When the search was finished they took the next things with them: a diary, an adress book, and 2200 pound cash. So it wasn’t a murder for money. When they walked back they stopped by the bonfire model.

9
Inspector Dower has to ring the bell twice before an another suspect opened the door. She wasn’t pleased to see the inspectors. The nspectors walked to the sittingroom where the husband was reading the newspaper. He looks angry. The inspectors decided to ask them the questions in different rooms. The man downstairs and the woman upstairs. The inspector were asking the woman how much time she spend up here yesterday. Because she had a perfect view on Alex’s house. Then the speaking started. They talked about Alex’s headache. The woman said his mother has died by a braintumor. So he was worried about his health. When the talking has ended it was quit for a moment. The woman put her arm for her eyes to hide her tears.

10
When the woman is crying the inspector looked to her. He tought that she maybe really was unhappy or she was hiding something. When the woman was stopping crying they went downstairs. The inspectors walked outside and compared both stories. The stories were matching but they don’t believe the story about the gun. So they went to the shop of Alex. You could see he wasn’t poor because his name stood on the wall in golden letters. He knoked on the door and somebody came. The inspector showed his police sign and he opened the door quickly. The inspectors asked the man a few questions. He said that Alex took a lot of money from the counter but he didn’t what for.

11
It’s the end of the afternoon and Eliot went home. When he arrived he stepped into the house. The phone starts to ring. Before the second ring he picks up.It was his wife. Eliot talked about the murder. That he has to wait till monday for the pathologist report.

His wife said that his son missed him. So Eliot called his son and had a little chat. The evening was going like every evening. He felt in sleep before the tv. The next day he went to work. Inspector Bower asked him did you have a good evening? Yes like every evening. The day goes on and Eliot went to see the doctor of Alex. He lives in a beautiful house. When he ring the bell he must wait. His wife opened the door. After Eliot has said his name the woman called het husband. A conversation followed. The doctor told Eliot he only want to get the worries of Alex away.

12
Eliot is still talking with the doctor about Alex. The doctor knew him from University. Then there are following the standard questions. Then Eliot asked how Alex was. He was an often serious guy but very funny. Then the son came in to play football.

Eliot thinks how the child was feeling with this parents. He must be very strong from the inside of his body.

Back in the car the inspector decide to ask the neighbours of Alex if they have seen something.

13
It was the end of the day and Eliot was still working at his desk on the Alex report. He has still 3 other reports wich had be finished days ago but he couldn’t get the questions out of his head. Later he went home. When he entered the door his son jumped on him. They had a little chat and his wife was going to make the evening meal. And the evening went like every evening.

14
The next day is the most hated day of Eliot. It’s monday. But not today. He woke up and went downstairs. When he went to work inspector Bower was waiting for him for half an hour. Eliot said that it is usually to hard for Bower to come on time. But Bower is just interrested in the case. Inside the police station Bower wetn to the library to decode the diary wich is in latin of greek.So Eliot had time to work on his reports. Half past two he finally got finished so he finally could go to the pub. Later Bower also entered the pub and they read the football news together.

15
When they had read the paper Bower said that Alex had a secret affaire with the neighbour. When Alex and the neighbour were together they closed the sittingroomdoors so nobody could hear them. When they came out Alex was unhappy and the woman was as white as a sheet. Eliot left half drunk the pub and went to the house of the neighbours from Alex. He rang the bell but nobody answered the door so he went back to the pub. Outside was standing the husband of the woman so the husband had a cover when Eliot followed him to his house.

16
Eliot went to the neighbours to ask for the gun but they said Alex borrowed it. Then Eliot feel some danger coming up. You don’t borrow a weapon to someone when it is against the law. So he invited them at the policestation. They split the two so they could talk one to one. When the man heard his wife had an affair he felt very angry but that’s just jealousy.

17
Inspector Eliot thinks he can close the cae soon because he thinks he has a good sample. He only must have some answers from mrs Grant. She said that she was in her car on the time of the murder so she couldn’t do it.

He has the feeling that the chat with his son helped a lot in the case so he went home and danced around the table with his son.

18
Eliot wants to ask the neighbour some more questions so he invited him to the police station.

And to make a long story short, the neighbour was jealous at Alex so he murdered him.

LET OP: Bezoekers hebben ons erop gewezen dat het einde van het verslag niet klopt. De buurman heeft Alex niet vermoord uit jaloezoe. Hoe ging het dan wel? Alex had een affaire met de vrouw van dokter Wilver. De dokter kwam hier achter. Hij vertelde vervolgens aan Alex dat hij een hersentumor had (wat niet waar was). Toen Alex dit nieuws hoorde wilde hij niet verder leven en pleegde zelfmoord.