There's a saying that truth will reveal itself in time. There is nothing wrong to its meaning and reflection in life but it does come at bad times and sometimes on good times.628Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQZXHQEyxok
Well, who am I to comment this quote when I know time all too well than any other person? Better than any lifetime on this world and knowing that not only love but hate too can go beyond the grave.
If you think I have a secret to hold you are correct but revealing to you would not make it a secret anymore. It has its good reasons to remain unknown but through time it will come; hence the quote. It is not exactly that sort of secret worth to share.
Yet who am I with such a secret? Someone who is narrating this story and quotes something about truth, life and time. My name is Gregor Menard and I am a detective from Cologne, Germany. If you were expecting a man specking fluently English with a German accent, no matter thick or thin, you are sorely mistaken. Over many years of learning and training I have been able to conceal it at will. My looks are for you to decide if they are German-like or not. I have short, black coffee-brown, straight hair (the length suffices to reach my ears). My face is slightly angled with a pale complexion, almond shaped sapphire-blue eyes, long slim nose and clean shaven around my mouth and yaw. I am about 191 meters tall (that is over 6 feet tall) and am slim built with a few muscle here and there but no massive muscle-man like those you see at times in circuses (or better known today as bodybuilder); remember I am a detective. A consulting detective like Sherlock Holmes but not so genius like him in my line of work. Naturally I take it serious but allow some elbow room for humor at times. Living a long life does take a toll on one's mind or in short I am slightly crazy.
Well to get to the story...
Here I am sitting comfortably in my black jaguar at the parking lot. Checking carefully again the address that I have written down on a piece of paper, although I know I am at the right place. It is the year 1926 and I am in Cologne, Germany solving a case that reaches to, the other end of the pond, America and a part of my history.
Many people are convinced that they have the murderer caught but the REAL murderer is still walking free, here in Cologne. That murderer is no ordinary man or criminal but also my archenemy. He ruined my life that no one can imagine. He is the one who made me to this what I am today.
I think it is time to get out of my car and confront him with a 'little visit' to his office. Quickly checked if my colt (1908 Vest Pocket) was loaded, strapped it at my side under the jacket and walked towards the building where his office lies on the third floor. While walking up the stairs I met a young woman who was carrying stacks of paper with some difficulty. Politely I offered her a hand to the stacks. She was very thankful and surprised. As I was carrying the papers to her office I asked her about a man by the name Habern (that is the murderer's cover up).
She answered in the fullest detail and later on wondered if I would be his brother. I grinned to her question and responded with a "ja" (yes). Actually not at all. Once so-called 'friends' and that was all.
In a shy manner she slipped the keys of Mr. Habern's office into my trench coat pocket while handing over the stacks of paper at her desk. At the back of the office was a never ending sound of typing and jingles of typewriters and telephones. As I continued walking up the stairs and drew out the key, there was in additional a small piece of paper. The young woman's address and telephone number. Unfortunately I get that all the time without even trying and I have lost my interest for women for a long time, so I threw the piece of paper aside. Solving cases and help people in need has become my goal rather than hanging around with women and alcohol.
As I reached the third floor a familiar smell was in the air. It was without a doubt the scent of my enemy and another person whom I can not put my finger on at the moment but I have met this person before. Something also to do with this case. Do not tell that the police are for once ahead of me? Because for once I would be surprised. With some caution I turned the key by the lock, quickly stood against the wall beside the door like cowboys do in the 'wild west', slowly turned the handle and swung it open. One hand ready on my colt.
Nothing. No reaction was heard. Slowly I peeked and stepped at the doorway. Like a slap in the face burned the thick smell of old air in my nostrils. I winced to its insensitivity and started to breath through the mouth to prevent the stinging. An inevitable cough passed my lips. There was no sound of movement from the office. All I saw was the big mess of papers all over the floor, few chairs turned over in haste and drawers left open where more sheets of paper leaked out. Damn! He knew I was on his heels that sly dog! Only where did he run to? That is the next clue I need to find but in this office? No wonder the maid will not be pleased to clean this up plus he knew I would sweep through his contents. Even this mess will not hinder me but therefore he wins time on that. Good move Habern, good move. I shook my head to that thought and stepped in.
The thick old air still stung my nostrils so I opened a window to let in some fresh air. Quickly in my speed I began to read few papers and started to stack them to different piles. While doing that I heard at one corner a man's breath and his heart beating fast.
Before I could turn to see I felt 'suddenly' something blunt pointed to my spine. "Nice and slowly Mr. Habern." Spoke a familiar voice of a man in a hiss with an American accent. Now the smell matches with voice to a face! I did as he asked and slowly raised my hands with a stiffened back. Before I could say something a lively hand searched through my pockets and felt my colt strapped at the side. "Aha! You took precautions! Hand them over slowly because so have I."
There is more than what meets the eye to this man. I did as instructed and remained silent. As the colt was in his hand he turned round facing me and pointed a Walther Model 9 pistol at my face. Why am I not surprised? Any amateur with a pistol does that. It must be some Hollywood thing (only with a modern German pistol). No wonder when he is from America, but basically pointing a pistol at my face or spine does not end very well. I was slightly surprised with his appearance, he coloured his short-cut hair to coal black. Last time I saw him at court he had natural blonde. "You are mistaken. I am not Habern. I am detective Menard and I am the one who knows you are innocent and who the real murderer is."
"Show me." He spoke in a hiss to control his rage. His grey blue eyes twitched with a hint if disbelief.
With slow gestures I revealed my credentials from the inner pocket of my dark grey trench coat.
The young man's eyebrows knitted together in confusion and began to shake his head in disagreement as he read my credentials. "No." He mouthed silently. "It's a trick! A fake!" He recalled as his face flushed in anger. The barrel of the pistol came closer to my forehead. I almost felt its cool hard metal on my skin.
"It's as real as your Walther pistol pointing at me. I'm not the murderer." I remained calm.
"No! I don't believe you! You must be the murderer! You have those eyes!"
"Then shot me if you're convinced!" I remarked lightly annoyed. What does he know of my eyes? They see more than others do and alas is the most obvious thing to notice about my secret. Plus more if you know where to look.
He blinked at me in astonishment. His weapon began to tremble. He is having an inner conflict about deciding whether to kill me or not. One way or another it would not kill me but wound me nevertheless.
For a long moment there was utter silence between him and me. The pistol still trembled. I will expect a bullet sooner or later. He has it. The rage. I see it clearly in his grey-blue eyes. Drops of sweat trickled down his forehead and upper lip while I remained cool on the spot. Suddenly the pistol landed at the other end of the room and he was on his knees sobbing. I blinked at him. I was VERY convinced that he would feed me a bullet.
Apparently not. Slowly I walked over to my colt and strapped it back at my side and picked up his. Checked its magazine, fully loaded. "Why did this happen to me? What did I do to deserve this?" He sobbed with his face in his hands.
"I don't know that fact yet but it will come Mr. Darroway. It seems you were not fast enough either. He is a sly dog with his tricks." I noted and lit a cigarette. I walked up to him and offered a pack of cigarette, he refused.
"You don't know him! He's a monster!"
"Saying that to a detective who has him as archenemy and knows that you're innocent in all this." I remarked coolly with a grin and puffed out a large cloud of smoke.
"What? You? Then you really are The Detective Menard that I heard of?" He blinked at me surprised.
"Heard of me?" I remarked and looked at him slightly surprised. "That I believe you are innocent? To be honest, although with many successes, I am not famous like others. I just try to do and find what is right and offer a hand to those in need." I helped him up on his feet by holding at the shoulders.
"You must help me find that murderous bastard." He gave convinced while his hands balled to fists.
"Without a doubt Mr. Darroway. Without a doubt." I assured. Did he not just listen to what I said before? Gosh! Humans can be ignorant beings or does he lack on logical thinking? I took a deep drew of the cigarette puffed out through the nose. "Help me fish out some useful fact out of this mess will you? It must be a name of some location or numbers resembling coordinates."
"What? In this mess?" Questioned Darroway in disbelief like a young boy while overlooking the pile of mess.
"Oh no, in this tidy office, please feel free to start Mr. Darroway. Time is ticking away." I recalled sarcastically while I started already to search through and placed my cigarette to one corner of my mouth.
Darroway murmured under his breath a curse that I heard loud and clear but pretended that I did not hear it.
He and I continued searching through the mess. Soon I found a sheet containing the conformation of reserving a cabin on a cruiser heading to America from Amsterdam. Then the following a page of reserving a suite at a grand hotel not far from here in Cologne. What is he planning? An escape to America again? Or is there something more behind it? Another trick? My eyebrows knit together in deep thought.
"Hey! I think I found something." Called Darroway with excitement and heard lots of rustling of leaves behind me. I turned to him. He held up a large map of entire continent Europe with its boarders and on it were few thick straight red lines drawn across. "Could this be it?"
"Mhmm. Maybe. What is that sly dog onto this time? It must be a trick because I got something totally different here. No red line stretches towards America or the Atlantic ocean nor somewhere close to Cologne. So this reservation here of a cruise and the other with the grand hotel is not matching." I paused and read closer the papers, checking the date and other details.
"You mentioned the man you and I are chasing is also your archenemy and that he has tricks. What if it's a place that only he thinks is secretive but you know the location too."
"Now that's a thought. Then one of the reservations here would be fitting. The grand hotel not far from here."
"Why does that sound stupid?" Wondered Darroway confused.
"It's actually not when you look at it closer and you have had personal encounters with him. He does give a clever impression but it's more as you can see."
"Then what are we waiting for?" Gave Darroway excited heading out the office.
"Hold it!" I grabbed his hand to stop him. "Don't let your emotions carry you about in this situation. This murderer you are about to encounter is no ordinary man as you yourself said it. A bullet will not make him cold. It would be best to arrange a plan or at least few certain rules that are for your own protection."
"Alright. What rules are there?"
"At all times stay behind me and lastly trust me and do as I say. Your life depends on it."
"This somehow sounds like something would be out of your hands, is there something that I should know?"
I sighed. "If I said it now you would not believe me but all I can say is it is true what you will see and it's not pleasant. That's all I can say for now and that does not only count on Habern but also me."
Darroway only nodded to my response and quickly checked his Walther if it is cocked and ready. Together we left the office.
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