The inspector, the victim and a dark alley

As Cog Wheele reached for another stack of papers he heard a faint whistling sound. With a sigh, he submerged his hand into the pile of papers sending a small avalanche of them to the floor and pulled out a small funnel attached to a flexible pipe. He pulled out a cork plug, said `Wheele here!` and put the funnel to his ear.

`Please report to the inspector’s office,` said a female voice out of the tube. `He says it’s urgent.`

`Be right there,` answered detective, plugged the cork back to the funnel and left his office.

He passed through an open space filled with active constables and through another door entered straight into the office of station inspector Newton Nollan. Gave a cheerful wave towards a thick sheet of glass behind which sat Mrs Isabella Hargate, inspector’s elderly assistant, who returned the greeting and continued with her work.

Inspector raised his head, looked at Wheele and said:

`Oh, it’s you, Detective. Please, sit down.`

The detective passed through the room, collapsed into a chair opposite the inspector's desk and with tired eyes looked at inspector Nollan.

`A new case for you, detective,` he said. `There is an older gentleman downstairs who claims that someone murdered his companion.`

`I guess I should check it out,` sad quickly Cog Wheele who was suddenly again fully awake. As he hoped, his fast response derailed the inspector a little bit so he didn’t make his usual long speech that always made the detective sleepy again.

`I should think so,` answered the inspector. `Get in touch with Marsh who will give you the basics and introduce you to the old man.`

`Right away,` said the detective and through the anteroom, occupied by Mrs Hargate, left the office.

He went down the stairs, nodded to the pair of constables guarding the door to SC6, through a corridor past doors to the forensics lab and autopsy and entered the reception room.

`Constable Marsh,` said Wheele in a commanding voice.

`Here, sir!` saluted Marsh. `Do you want the basics on that murder case?` he asked while scooping a couple of papers off his desk.

`Yes, please,` answered the detective and took said documents.

`There is the man who reported the murder,` pointed constable towards the corner bench where Mr Brixton still nervously played with a bowler hat between his fingers.

`Thank you, Marsh, I’ll take it from here. Please send a word to dr. Mureani from the autopsy and dr. White from the lab.`

`Yes, sir!` said the constable and disappeared through the back door.

Cog Wheele flipped open a wooden desktop, that was the only way to cross from a constable area to the space designated for visitors, and approached the confused man.

`Good afternoon,` said Wheele when he managed to get Brixton’s attention. `My name is detective Cog Wheele and I have been assigned to this case.`

`Afternoon, sir,` replied Mr Brixton. `I would like to help you with anything I can.`

`Thank you, sir, I’ll bear that in mind,` said the detective and gestured towards the main door. `Let’s go to the scene and you can tell me what happened.`

`It’s not far,` said the man as he stood up and followed the detective out to the street.

Factory Street II was a typical SA district main street. Not much sun was able to find its way in here due to the streets narrow profile and high buildings on both sides. Gutters were full of muck, overcrowded six-story houses badly needed repair and, most of them, new glazing as well. An occasional dead rat was partially or fully eaten by other animals as well as by the occupants of said houses. Few malnourished children played cricket using an old wooden plank from some fence and another dead rat. A woman from a nearby window was shouting at them to find a different ball and stop wasting perfectly good food.

Both men stopped in front of a tiny alley between numbers 32 and 34 Mr Brixton pointed a shaking finger.

`This is where I found ‘er, detective.`

`Stay here and I have a look,` said detective and approached the alley entrance.

It was a very dark place, but fortunately, the sun was in the only position that gave enough illumination for the detective to see the scene. He craned his neck all around the place but except countless dead rats, a heap of compost (which composition Wheele wouldn’t want to know) and a dead cat there was no trace of a body.

`Where is the victim?` he asked.

`Over there at the end of the alley.`

`The only thing I can see there is a dead cat.`

`That is my dear Evelyn.`

`It’s a bloody cat!` said angrily Wheele.

`Not just a cat,` answered indignantly Morris Brixton. `It was my faithful companion. We were living together for the last ten years. It was the only thing I had left after my wife passed away.`

`Well we have a little problem then,` Wheele calmed down a little. `Case like this is under the jurisdiction of a Property crime squad.`

`Juris- what?`

`Property crime squad handles these kinds of cases.`

`But why? Evelyn was the closest being I had since my wife died.`

`You know what?` said Wheele calmly. `It’s a quiet time for the murder squad right now and I desperately need to take a break from my paperwork. So I will take a look at it`

`Thank you very much, detective,` said Mr Brixton shaking detective's hand.

`But,` continued Cog, `If there is another murder case, this one will need to take a sideline.`

`But why is it not your kind of case?` asked Mr Brixton.

`Pets are not by law classified as living beings but as personal property.`

`Oh. I understand. So let’s hope there will be no murder until you solve this one.`

`Let’s hope,` said dreamily detective Wheele. `Let’s hope.`