Everyday during the evening the policeman was on patrol. It was a remote district, the outermost houses of which were situated on the border of a forest. Only two houses were occupied; the others were still empty. The policeman was acquainted with one family only. The second family had moved to that house recently.
He only knew that they were very rich. Going round his district he noticed a blinking light in a window. In order to prevent a short circuit he decided to warn the inhabitants about the danger. It turned out to be Nick’s and Lora’s house.
He parked the car and came up to the door. He saw a pretty blonde through the window, standing by the fire-place. Apparently, she was the lady of the house.
He rang the bell. ‘Is everything all right, ma`am? I saw a light flickering and I decided to ask whether everything is all right."
"Thank you, I had to change an electric light bulb myself as my husband is sick. I managed still to do it somehow.”
"Would you like to come in?"
"Yes, thank you. I just wanted to introduce myself to you and your husband. I patrol these streets every evening. If you ever have a problem, feel free to call me at any time."
"Thank you so much. In fact, I need to go to the drugstore, but I cannot drive there because our car is being repaired.”
"I would be more than happy to give you a lift ma'am."
"I'll just go upstairs and tell my husband. One moment, please."
"OK. I'm ready."
"Don't stay out too long, darling," Nick was heard to say.
"I'll be back soon, Nick. By the way, I need to go to the bank, too."
"Don't worry, ma'am. I'll wait for you at the bank and then bring you home.
I do not think that you can get anyone to drive you home at this time of the day. Besides, your home is quite far from the downtown area. "
"I do hate to bother so much."
"No problem, ma'am."
“ I am home, darling I will come to you in a minute.”
"So quickly, love?”. They heard Nick’s voice upstairs.
“I must be going now. I am glad to have met you ma’am.”
"Thank you. "I will introduce you to my husband when he recovers."
“All right. Goodnight, ma'am.”
“Goodnight officer.” The policeman had gone. Laura took medicines and went upstairs.
“You must take your medication darling.”
“A murder happened in your district Jack. A double murder.”
"Who was killed?”
“A couple. The man was stabbed to death, the woman was strangled. They lived on the outskirts of your district. Nobody knew them because they were new..”
“Oh my God. I was there yesterday. She seemed to be such a thoughtful wife. I took her to the drugstore. She had to buy some medicines for her husband and then I took her back home.
What could have happened?”
"I am not in the know. Ask the detective.”
Jack met the detective.
"Yes, her name is Laura and the man's name is Nick. He was stabbled to death and the woman was strangled, but it wasn't a burglary as the house wasn't turned upside-down as usually happens in
these cases. We have been informed today that somebody has withdrawn money from their account. It is a large sum - several millions.”
"Yes, she was rich. But how rich I don't know. I just gave her a lift. On the way home she asked me to take her to the drugstore and then we went directly to her home."
"Who could have done it? Who was there?"
Officer Jack really felt for her and her husband. A few days later the detective came to the police station where Jack worked.
"Jack, I am obliged to arrest you on suspicion of double murder."
"What? That's nonsense! What murder?"
"The murder of a couple in your district."
"Why should I have killed them? I didn't even know them."
________________________________________
"I just did her a favor."
"You are suspected of a crime with burglary, as the money disappeared and you were the last to see Nick and Laura alive.”
"The results of the autopsy showed the time of death and it coincides with your being in their house."
Jack was standing silently with wide-open eyes, looking at the detective. He wasn't able to take in at first what he had just been accused of.
"On the handle of the knife we found your fingerprints. Jack, do you hear me?"
He was arrested. He had nothing to add to what he had already said. He just helped a woman, gave her a lift and then took her home. And that's all. He had seen no money. He did his best to
remember every detail.
"Just try to remember everything. . . each detail."
"Well, I went up the house. The woman was standing by the fire. She threw a pair of white gloves onto the fire."
“Why did she do it?”
“How should I know? You asked me to remember each detail, didn't you?”
“Did you ask her about it?”
“No, I have just remembered the gloves.”
Time after time he had to repeat everything again and again.
“So she was wearing them in the drugstore and in the bank too?”
“Yes, but wearing white gloves isn't a crime, I guess. I have just remembered one more detail. When we came home she made coffee and I cut a biscuit into pieces with a
knife.”
“And then with that very knife you killed her husband and strangled her.”
“I didn't kill them. I don't know how to prove that. But I didn't do that.”
Everything seemed to be against him. He was given a term, a long one, but he didn't plead guilty.
The money weren't found. The policeman who was appointed to Jack's former position. was patrolling his district.
His workmate was a probationer.
“That terrible tragedy took place here in that house. It's still covered with mystery. Where could he hide the money, several millions!” “What if that policeman was really innocent?
Maybe his wife killed him?” “And then she strangled Herself?!” “Why did she take off her gloves I don't understand anything.” “It’s too complicated.”
This case aroused a great deal of interest in the probationer.
He was given all the necessary files concerning the case.
He was trying to find the explanation for each detail. Everything was logical except the burning of the gloves. Of course it is not easy to understand a woman. Maybe gloves were old and
she wanted to get rid of them and buy a new pair?
It was exactly how she did it. In the drugstore she was already wearing a new pair of gloves.
But money? Where could it have been hidden?
The probationer wanted to return the case to the archives when suddenly a small detail drew his attention.
They had a two-story house. The stair in the house leads from the sitting-room to the second floor.
Their sleeping-room is situated at the end of a long corridor on the second floor. How could they hear Nick's voice downstairs in the sitting room? He decided to talk to the detective
who pursued the case of the policeman. But he was out of town then. So he decided to talk to his boss.
And shortly after he was granted permission to reconsider the case.
He went to prison to talk to Jack . The probationer asked him the one question.
"Are you a ventriloquist?" Jack hesitated before saying.
"What? I don't know what that is.”
The probationer was sure there had been another woman in Jack’s car, who was the very murderer thief and ventriloquist, but there was no proof.
‘Excuse me, I read in an advertisement that you needed a cook, am I right?’
A young and attractive blonde woman was standing in the doorway.
‘Yes, we are, come in?’
‘‘We live far from the center, as a result many people have refused to work here’.
The owner of the house reached out his hand.
'My name is George and this is my wife Sarah.'
‘What’s your name miss?’ He asked.
She held out a gracefully gloved hand.
‘What a coincidence.' she said 'My name also Sarah’.
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