'The Killing of Gentle People' by Michel Henri (book club books .txt) 📕

to herself.
“Nothing going on there, Sergeant. The garden is very clean. Nothing showing, and there are no people in the house at the moment. Do you want us to stay in the house with the forensic team?”
“No, Hanz. Just one of you stay in front of the house and explain the position to whoever has a key to get in. Then go into the house and stay with that person and call me on my car radio. We are trying to locate her husband and the children from Headquarters, so one of you has to stay in case we don’t find them before they get home.”
Sergeant Gold walked slowly, looking at the ground in the direction of Gustav Droysen. As she walked she was scanning the area, and spotted something shining in the short grass near to where the body was found. She bent down, looked carefully, then looked up towards Constable Reagan:
“Your pencil please, Constable.”
With the pencil she carefully touched the object, then shouted out:
“Over here Gustav! Move your ass quickly!”
Constable Reagan moved out of the way in order for Gustav to bend down near the Sergeant and the object she had found.
“What have you found?” he asked.
“Look, l think it’s a bullet casing, small calibre. It could be the one!”
Gustav took a small plastic packet out of his pocket and with his gloved hand picked up the shell, smelled it and sealed it in the bag. He signed, time dated it, and then tagged the bag.
“That’s the only thing we have found so far, Becky-sorry, Sergeant. But it has recently been fired;
it still has the smell.”
Constable Reagan was eagerly writing everything down in her notebook:

“Luckily for you, Sergeant, l always carry a spare pencil. They taught me that when l was at the police academy”
Sergeant Gold looked at her with disgust and snapped at her:
“Lady, didn’t you learn anything at the academy? You write with a pen! Pencils are lead and they can rub out. Get a pen! No! Get two pens, and in future don’t sound so bloody clever!”
“You are a very good Constable” laughed Gustav.
“I think you deserve to take me for a drink. What do you think, Sergeant Gold? Should l let her take me for a drink?”
“Please yourself, Gustav. You always do, if l remember correctly.”
The Sergeant Gold smiled and gave a wink to Constable Reagan, who smiled back as if to say
“he won’t with me”
Sergeant Gold was just about to make a call on the car radio to the Inspector when it started to ring.
“Yes, Inspector. We have found something! I have spread all the officers around the area; they are checking door to door. The Krolle house is still empty, so l have set an officer on guard outside. He will contact me if anyone arrives at the house with details of who they are, what their business is at
the house and if they are relatives or maybe children of the dead woman.”
The Inspector sounded very agitated, and shouted down the microphone:
“I will be with you in ten minutes. Where can we have a drink and discuss your progress, Sergeant?” he shouted. “Come on, give me a name. I haven’t got all bloody day! I have other things to do besides wet nursing you.”
The Sergeant asked the constables if there was a drinking place not too far away from the investigation point.
“Yes, you’ve got one” said Gustav. “It’s called “The Dumb Cow.” No offence Sergeant! It’s that old wine bar, about ten minutes down the boulevard. Tell you what, Sergeant: Constable Maria Reagan and l will go ahead and order the drinks. Come on Constable Reagan! Lets make our way to heaven.”
“Ok. But don’t forget you are still on duty, Gustav!”

“See you later, Sergeant and, let’s not get jealous.”
Gustav turned away from Sergeant Gold. Then taking Constable Maria Reagan by the hand, walked off in the direction of “The Dumb Cow.”

The Dumb Cow Wine Bar: the same morning.
Gustav and Constable Maria Reagan were laughing and playing the fool as they walked into the dingy wine bar.
“Hush” said Maria, putting her finger to her lips:
“Look! The old man over there in the window is fast asleep. Best not to wake him up! He looks so
nice and peaceful”
“Ok” agreed Gustav, turning and kissing Maria on the lips.
“That’s for being so considerate, you lovely girl. Anyway, how old are you?”
Maria ignored the question and just smiled, then said:
“Old enough to teach you a thing or three. And you know it, Gustav. Mine is a large vodka, please. A very large one.”
“Ok, Maria. You win!” said Gustav. He then ordered from the barmaid with a swagger: “One large
vodka please, and one very large vodka. And have a drink yourself!”
Lady; as the song says, Tonight’s the Night we’re goin to have some fun.”
The comment made no impression on the barmaid. She had heard them all before. She fixed the drinks, taking her time.
“Do you want anything in the drinks?” she asked.
“Nothing for me, thank you,” replied Maria.
“Who is the old gent with the white hair? Is he ill or just sleeping?”
“Fast asleep, dear. He is just passing through and needed a rest with a little pick-me-up. He is fast asleep. Are you with the Police?”
“Yes we are.” said Gustav. “Have you seen anything strange today?”
“No. That old man is the only customer we have seen all morning. Poor old soul, he ordered a

brandy and fell fast asleep. I didn’t wake him as he was feeling the cold, so l just let him sleep.”
“Lets not worry about him, Gustav.” said Maria. “Just let him sleep.”
“Now that’s a good idea” replied Gustav, and clinked glasses with Maria.
“What time do you get off tonight? You and l could have some fun, Maria! We could order a take away bottle or two of wine and a sexy video.”
“Just a take-away will do fine thank you Gustav! I don’t want to be responsible for your first heart attack. Know what l mean, babz?”
Both Maria and Gustav laughed and kissed each other.
I opened my eyes just a little and could see the two police officers sitting at the bar with their backs to me. I closed my eyes again and thought:
“I have to get that paper from behind the whisky bottle on the bar. Then there is my pistol and its silencer. I need to hide them quickly just in case of a problem.”
Opening my eyes again, l could not see the barmaid, but the two police officers were still playing lovers games with each other. I thought that’s nice to see!
Quickly l took the pistol and silencer from my coat, then slipped them under the seat cushion l was sitting on. At the bar, the two officers were sitting very close to each other, touching and gazing into
each others eyes, oblivious of anyone other than themselves, but there was still no sign of the barmaid. I closed my eyes again, faking sleep, letting my head fall forward but listening carefully to what was being said. Footsteps and the clink of glasses echoed in my ears. Yes, the barmaid had come back into the bar area.
“Would you like another drink?” l heard her say. She was talking to the officers, as no one else had come into the bar.
“What do you think, Maria? Shall you and l get pissed together? What do you think? Could be a lot of fun, you and me, you know, pissed!”
I lifted my head and opened my eyes. The man had his arm around the girl’s shoulder and one hand down the inside of her jacket. She pushed him away, pulling her jacket straight.
“You must be joking, Gustav! The Inspector and Sergeant Gold will be here soon. If they catch us l

will be demoted. Make mine an orange juice, please! Maybe we can get pissed later after our shift has finished.”
“You got it, Maria! Now that is something to look forward to!”
“Well, don’t get carried away, Gustav! I haven’t made my mind up about you yet, and we still have four hours to do on this shift.”
“So what is your order going to be then, children?” asked the barmaid, standing with her hands on her over proportioned hips.
“Two orange juices will do fine, thank you,” mumbled Gustav. “Come on, Maria! Let’s sit in the window. We can watch them when they arrive.”
Then Gustav picked up the drinks and walked with Maria to the table opposite the one l was sitting at in the other window. As they sat down the door of the wine bar opened and another Police officer walked in.
“Hi!” shouted out Gustav. “If it’s not our wonderful Sergeant Becky Gold! What would you like to drink? The drinks are on me.”
“Make mine a simple apple juice, please Gustav. It’ll do me just fine.”
As Gustav walked to the bar in order to get her the apple juice Sergeant Gold walked up to Maria at the table and sat down.
“So, Maria! Has our man-about-town Gustav pulled you for a night of fun, games and what comes after, then?” she asked smiling.
“It’s nothing like that, thank you very much, Sergeant. I don’t know him well enough for that. And if you think l would then you don’t know me very well.”
“Just be warned! That’s all l will say. If you lie down with dogs you get up with fleas. Know what l mean? Who’s the old man with the white hair?”
“No idea, Sergeant! He was here when we came in, fast asleep. I asked the barmaid. He isn’t a local or anything. Just somebody passing through.”
“Ok, Maria. Do you have the notes l asked you to take down at the scene of the crime? Give them to me, please. I need them now.”

Constable Maria Reagan handed over the notebook to the Sergeant.
Sergeant Gold turned towards the bar and shouted to Gustav:
“Gustav! Has the bullet casing gone to the forensic laboratory yet?”
He turned round from chatting the barmaid up. Looking a little shocked he replied “Damn it, Sergeant! No! l forgot! I still have it with me. I’ll take it now. Sorry!”
“Too late! Inspector Mercedes will be here in minutes. All l can say is that you had better find a very good excuse when he gets here.”
Gustav paid for the drinks, and with a wave of the hand to his could-be conquest Maria he tried to disappear out the door and into the boulevard. Unfortunately for Gustav he did not quite make it, because as he was about to step out through the door Inspector Mercedes came barging in and they collided head on.
“So tell me, Gustav Droysen, which is your name, isn’t it? What the hell are you doing in here with my women officers at this time of day?”
“Yes! I’m Inspector Droysen. I’m here checking how everything is going with Sergeant Gold. I’m just going back to the forensics laboratory, and wondered if there was anything else found at the crime scene they needed help with, that’s all. I think you know that Sergeant Gold found a bullet casing at the scene. We need to check if it matches any others we have at the lab.”
“Well don’t go on about it man, get going! It’s more important than your bloody love life. And ring
me back here as soon as you know something.”
The Inspector rudely pushed past Gustav and walked over to the table where the