#detective!mark

“Lady Winston, I need you to move to the salon, please. We need to take care of your husband,” Jaebom said to her. She simply nodded and stood up.  

“Youngjae, go with Lady Winston and take her statement, please,” he instructed one of his subordinates. Youngjae extended his arm and she took it and they both exited the dining room.

“So, what do you think?” Jaebom asked Mark.  

“Well, he is dead,” he aswered and Jaebom chuckled.  

“No kidding, what else?”  

“For now, I can certainly say he was poisoned. But only further examination will give you the answers you seek.” He concluded his examination and began to pack his equipment.  

“I will take him to the morgue, you have job here to do,” he gestured to the two men standing at the door and they moved the body. Mark sent one last look to the open door of the salon, where Youngjae questioned the Lady. She was truly a beautiful one...and cruel. Murdering her own husband.  

“Jackson, iI need you to pack everything on the table. Make sure you get the glasses. Mark says it’s poison, so it will be in his drink or in food,” he Jaebom ordered the police officer who just entered the room.

“Did she do it?” he Jackson asked.  

“Well, that’s what we have to find out, right?” said Jaebom and finally entered the salon.  

                                                           ***

“Lady Winston, did you murdered your husband?” asked Jaebum and Youngjae gasped. She chuckled. It was the first emotion she showed since Youngjae took her to the salon. Youngjae knew Jaebom so well. Jaebom was sure, she was the killer. The chuckle just confirmed it for him.  

“I did not,” she denied. Her voice was just like her, soft and quiet.  

“What did you do then? Please, walk me through your day,” Jaebum said coldly. Youngjae got his notebook ready to take notes. She tilted her head and began.  

”I woke up, had breakfest, read a book, went shopping for new hat, got home, sewed a new handkerchief, took a walk in the garden, came back when it was time for dinner and then my husband died,” she ended her story.  

“You shopped at which seamstress?” Jaebom asked, ignoring the slightly sarcastic remark at the end.

“It’s called milliner, Superintendant. Madam Florence, on High Street. She makes the most beautiful bonnets,” she said and then it was Youngjae time to chuckled. This lady had some backbone.  

                                                                ***

“So what do we have?” Jaebom asked his team.  

“Lord Jonathan Winston III was piece of shi...” Yugyeom began, but Jaebom’s cold stare silenced him.

“But I'm right! He was rich as Midas, but paid his servants only minimal wage. One time a maid didn’t sweep dust from the fire place in a room that no one ever used and she got fired. He had a picky taste so he changed his cook six times in one month. Every time he fired someone, he didn’t give them a recommendation. He shouted at his wife and some maid said he event beat her,” that remark earned a few scoffs, ”So if she killed him, do we really have to jail her? I mean she did the world a good deed,” Yugyeom concluded.  

“Yugyeom, please,” Jaebom groaned.  

“His coach driver said he frequented one bar,” Jackson added,. “We have planned to visit the establishment tomorrow.”

“Fine. Mark? Do you know what kind of poison was used?” Jaebum asked the doctor.  

“Oh, that is interesting. He was indeed poisoned. No ordinary poison though. It was snake venom and before he finally died he must have been in agonizing pain,” Mark explained.  

“And she watched it? And didn’t call for help?” asked Jackson.  

“The glass had only his fingerprints, same as the cutlery and napkins,” said Jinyoung. It was his field of expertise.  

”She could have easily filled the glass with poison, wiped her fingerprints and gave it to him,” Jaebum said.

“We will end it for today. Jackson and Yugyeom will go to the bar tomorrow. Jinyoung will find what poisoned him and Youngjae will keep his eyes on Lady Winston,” Jaebum ordered.

                                                              ***

“Hello, officers. What can I do for you?” asked one of the dancers and waved a feather before Yugyeoms eyes. He slightly blushed because the lady had so little clothes on her.  

“We are looking for Bella,” Jackson said unbothered.  

“Oh, that little darling, she is not feeling very well right now. But she is in the dressing room in the back,” she gestured to the hallway.  

They found the dancer hunched over the marble sink. “Are you alright, miss?” asked Yugyeom concerned.  

“Who are you?” she aked and turned to them, quickly noted the uniforms.

“Officer Wang and Officer Kim. We are here to ask you about Lord Winston. He was murdered last night,” Jackson said.  

She screamed in horror. ”No! That can’t be true. Johnny...I saw him yesterday...we went shopping for engagement ring. He can’t be dead.”

“Miss Bella, Lord Winston was already married,” Jackson informed her. She looked at him with eyes full of tears.  

“It can’t be. He promised...” she collapsed on the chair behind her.  

“When was the last time you saw him?” Jackson continue question her.  

“He left me at five. Said he had work to do,” she answered.  

“Thank you for your cooperation, miss,” Jackson slightly bowed to her and then exited the room.  

“ I know that look. What do you think?” asked Yugyeom.  

“I think that the little dancer doesn’t tell the whole truth,” answered Jackson with a serious face.  

“But she was crying!”

“Oh, Yugyeom. You have so much to learn,” Jackson finally smiled.  

                                                           ***

“What are you looking at?”  

“Bambam, what are you doing here?”  

“Well everyone is here, so Ii figured there is something interesting,” he answered and began to look around.

“Lady Winston is here for questioning, Jaebom is still convinced that it was her. So everyone is here to oogle at her,“ said Yugyeom.  

“Oh, oohhh!” exclaimed when he laid eyes on the lady sitting behind Superintendant Im’s desk.  

“Do you think she did it?” he asked Yugyeom.  

“If she did, I would’t blame her. Her husband didn’t treat her right, had a lover and was an asshole,” Yugyeom said with a little too much passion.  

“Then thank God, you are only an investigator,” smiled Bambam at his friend,. “Now I will go and make the lovely lady some chamomille tea. She will need it.”

                                                       ***

Jaebom watched Lady Winston like a hawk.  

“Did you know you husband had a lover?” he fired. She didn’t flinch, she didn’t start crying, she just sat there looking into his eyes.  

“Which one?” she asked finally.  

“What do you mean?” he was suprised.  

“I meant which one did you find. The little milk maid from market? The expensive one? The one in sailors pub? The one in Ruby Lady? Should I continue?”

Jaebom was suprised. And he was rarely suprised. Certainly not when it comes to murder suspects.  

“The dancer one,” he said.  

“Oh, well in that case. I didn’t know,” answered Lady Winston.  

Jaebum stood up to find his composure. She was distracting him.  

“He was poisoned. It took a while before he died and you didn’t call for help, how come?”

“There was no one I could call. Johnathan sent everyone in to the kitchen, he wanted to tell me something and didn’t want witnesses. But before he had chance to speak he died,” she said firmly.  

“What did he want to say to you?”

“Maybe something about his new mistress? He loved to shove them in my face.”  

Jaebom sighed. He was so sure she is the killer. Poison is an elegant weapon often used by ladies. But every fact he built his theory on was shatered by her.  

“Lady Winston, can I interest you in cup of tea?” Bambam made his way to the desk.  

“That would be lovely, thank you,” she smiled at him and Jaebom swore that he heard a couple of sighs in the distance.  

                                                          ***

“She didn’t do it. She knew about the women. If she was angry, she could kill him long time ago,” said Jaebom. “Jinyoung, did you know how he injest the poison?”

“It was in the drink. Weird thing is, it was sherry,” Jinyoung wondered.  

“Why is that weird?” asked Youngjae.  

“How many men drink sherry?”  

“You got a point, Jinyoung. And there is this weird feeling I'm getting from the dancer. She was so suprised when we told her that he was dead, but she was acting suprised when we told her he was already married,” Jakson stated.  

“She coudn’t kill him. I asked around. The snake venom is really expensive. As a dancer she can’t earn that much.” Mark entered the debate.  

“She had wealthy lover,” Jaebom dismissed his remark.  

“Oh I can see it. ‘Honey, i need to buy some really expensive snake poison to kill you. Can you give me a hundred dollars’?’” said Bambam mockingly in high pitched voice.  

“What did you just say?” Everyone looked at Jaebom with wide eyes.

“Honey, can you give me a hundred dollars to buy a snake poison?” repeated Bambam, now in his normal voice.  

“Thats it!” Jaebom exclaimed and rushed somewhere.  

“It is?” asked Youngjae uncomprehendingly as others looked at him with similar expresions.  

                                                         ***

“Thank you all, for coming,” said Jaebom.  

“What am I doing here?” asked Lady Winston sternly and looked beside her.  

“You are here to find out who killed your husband and why,” Jaebom aswered her and noticed the uncomfortable shift of the dancer.  

“Well then, what is she doing here?”  

“She is here for the same reason. Let me introduce to you Miss Bella Ridley. She is you husband last lover,” he said.  

Lady Winston looked at the girl. She was pale, thin and obviously pregnant.  

“Indeed,”  Jaebum apllauded the cold appearance of Lady Winston. Lady for all occasions.  

“Please, Superintendant. Tell me your findings, I have an urgent matter to attend,” she said disinterestedly. 

Jaebom smiled. It was perfect. Lady Winston was stone cold and the little dancer boiled. This was the last straw.

“He didn’t want you!” Bella shrieked, “He was disgusted by you. You could’t have children. You were old and cold and boring! So he found me! I knew how to make him happy! I was his love!  It should be you! You bitch! You should have died!”  

Jaebom gestured to Jackson who cuffed the hysterical dancer and checked Lady Winston.  

“So he wanted to murder me,” she sighned. “You know, Superintendant. I should have figured. He wanted to drink sherry with me. Said he was interested in the taste,” she grinned ironically.  

“I’m sorry I suspected you,” said Jaebom.  

“Don’t worry, Superintendant. I was the logical choice, right?” she smiled at him and he finally understood those sighs.  

                                                          ***

“So he and the dancer planned to kill his wife,” concluded Bambam enthusiastically.  

“But he accidentally took the wrong glass and drank the poison himself,” added Yugyeom.  

“How dumb you must be to poison yourself?” asked Jackson.  

Jaebom smiled at his men but the moment was cut short by ringing telephone.  

“Guys? We have case in docks,” he called and ignored the groans.