The case №287: 17th of July the body of young woman,
Lexi Parkinson, 26 years old, was found in the big freezer in her own flat. 16th of July Lexi’s boyfriend, Jonathan Thomson went to the police when miss Parkinson disappeared for three days. The police operative group arrived to her flat to provide investigation and found the body in the big human-height freezer.Examination found that the cause of death is botulinum poisoning and that the woman was dead for about twenty-eight days (approximately death occurred 17– 23th of June. There is no external damage on the body. All friends claim that had seen the woman during the week before mister Thomson went to the police.
***
- How it’s possible that Lexi was seen alive by such amount of people after her death. I didn’t believe in spirit existence but I start believe – says detective Page nervously – Who claims that saw her between 17th of June and 13th of July.
- Everybody. Boyfriend, friends, colleagues, members of the dance class. It seems that she was alive all this time – answers detective Harington.
- But three doctors have said that’s not so – specifies Page
- Three the most qualified doctors in our city – says Harington – so it’s fact, we deal with spirit.
- But why this spirit disappeared after a month?
- It we need to find out.
Detective Emily Page – young talented woman has worked in the Washington FBI for two years and already has a list of unsolved cases on her hands. She has long straight shiny hair collected in the tail now. She is tall slim women 27 years old with keen mind and developed analytical thinking.
Detective Jeffrey Harington is more experienced FBI. Page still works as his assistant but to his mind she’s already can be standalone police. He is tall man 43 years old. Harington looks a lot younger than he is because of athletic body and developed muscles.
Administration considered the case difficult enough and decided to entrust it to the best team in the stuff. But even these excellent detectives have problems with this inexplicable case.
- What do we know about our victim? Work, friends, hobbies? – asks Jeffrey
- Works with the PR-department in the marketing agency. Taken part in big projects and is successful enough for her years. Has a boyfriend, a sophomore Jonathan Thomson. Parents has died when she was child and she was grown up by adoptive parents living in the small city in Oregon state, no siblings or step-siblings. Had been visiting a dance class for a long time, took part in the concerts of the studio – patters Emily.
- I’m going to talk with the boyfriend – cuts Harington.
- I will find her best friend, Cindy Powers. Works with the same agency.
- Okay. I will call you after meeting.
- Copied.
***
Detective Harington arrives to the bank Jonathan Thomson works with. He comes to the reception.
- FBI – he shows his badge to smiling receptionist – I need to find Jonathan Thomson. Have an information he works here.
- Yeah. You need financial analytics department. The third floor, second door on the right side – gets an answer from receptionist.
- Thank you.
Jeffrey goes up to the third floor and quickly finds necessary door. He calls the doorbell and the door is opened by the blonde women middle age:
- How can I help you?
- I need to find Jonathan Thomson – Harington shows his badge again as he does almost every day on his work.
- One second please – the women looks frowning at the officer.
In a few seconds she returns with young blonde man who has athletic body-building, bright blue attentive eyes and narrow lips. He asks:
- How can I help you?
- I’m investigating the case of your girlfriend. Would you like to go down and drink a cup of coffee within our conversation?
- Okay, one second, I need to take some cash.
After a few minutes the men are in the café at the first floor of the bank building with two cups of coffee between them.
- So, when you did see Lexi the last time? – asks detective.
- I met her after work the previous Friday. It was 13th of July – answers Jonathan.
- Did you notice something unusual?
- Yes, her behavior was a little bit strange. She seemed to me upset, inattentive, even scared. I asked her what is wrong but she answered that everything’s ok, she just got tired. And the next day she disappeared – tells Jonathan.
- Did you notice something weird in her behavior before that evening – clarifies Jeffrey.
- Yes, her behavior had changed very sharply approximately month before her disappearance. She became very quiet and shy. She had been always the soul of the company before but in one moment she changed. I don’t know the reason, she told me nothing but I felt that something disturbed her for a long time.
- Did you quarrel often?
- No, there were only small misunderstandings that got solved so quickly.
- Why you didn’t check her flat before contact the police?
- I don’t have the keys – says Jonathan with suspicious – You think that I could kill her, doesn’t you? - resents Jonathan.
- No, I’m just processing all variants.
- The last month she didn’t let me to go home to her. It’s so strange but she even didn’t want me to take her home. So I didn’t be in her flat for a month and had no opportunity to go there.
- I believe you. Thank you for conversation. I have to go. If we will find out something I will inform you.
- Thank you.
Jeffrey leaves the bank building and takes the phone to call Emily.
***
Emily has entered the modern business center where is placed the marketing agency Lexi Parkinson worked with. She passes the reception using her FBI badge and heads on the eight floor. Here she is met by pleasure young woman with blonde long hair and amber-brown eyes with gold sheen. It’s Cindy Powers, the target of her arriving here. The best friend of the victim and the person who can shed some light on the mysterious murder case.
Cindy conducts Emily to the big stylish eating room and makes some coffee for them.
- We were so close with Lexi – tells the woman – we started working here around the same time and at once found the common tongue. We had a lot of common interests and I miss her very much. It’s just terrible to lost such a wonderful person as she. Oh, maybe I’m speaking too much unnecessary things – stops Cindy embarrassed – maybe you want to know something concrete.
- When had you seen her the last time? – asks Emily Page.
- It was usual work Friday, 13th of July. We wanted her to go with us to drink something in the bar but she decided to meet Jonathan. By the way, I always happened in this way. It was abusive relationships on my opinion. She did everything that he wanted. The first time it was not so clear but she always had her own point of view and they had quarreled a lot because she didn’t want to do something. But the last month before her death everything changed. She became so soft and pliable and started doing everything as he wanted. I think that this abusive boy was a reason of her change in work. The last time she was so inattentive, less hardworking and professional. Our boss was shocked by the fact that she couldn’t manage even with the easiest task. He knows that Lexi is a good worker but asked me personally to speak with her and find out what is the problem. Oh, I again speak so much. What else do you want to know?
- You said that her work quality has decreased. What you can say about her behavior in general?
- She became so weird at some moment. I don’t know the reason of it exactly but I suspect that it is Jonathan. She became too shy as for Lexi. I asked her a lot of times what’s wrong but she answered the same: everything’s ok, don’t worry. Now I know that I very bad friend and I had to figure out what was happening, but I didn’t and know is too late – her sight becomes glassy and it seems that she’s going to cry. But she gathers herself quickly and smiles to Emily again – Anything else?
- Thank you, I had heard from you everything I wanted. Maybe I would like to speak with someone else from the office.
- We have a lunch time in twenty minutes and everybody will be here. I think you can wait workers in this room and I’m going to complete one task.
Cindy leaves and Emily stays alone. She waits twenty minutes making notes about the conversation to her laptop. When the lunch time begins the workers arrive into the room. Emily waits few minutes more and comes to the middle aged man in glasses.
- Hello, I’m Emily Page, FBI. I want you to tell me about Lexi Parkinson.
The man, George, proves the words of Cindy that Lexi was pleasant active smiling woman and good worker. He knew her for two years since the time she had started working with the agency. But the last month she changed. Every time he came to her it seemed that she was scared of him and didn’t want to speak at all. Linda, Tom, Klaus and Amanda said the same. It seems that everybody in the office loved Lexi and had good relationship with her. “What bad could do this nice girl that somebody decided to poison her?” asks Emily herself and is not able to find an answer.
Emily leaves the office after two hours inside and puts her phone out to call Harington and sees two missed calls from him. She recalls him:
- Hello, Jeffrey.
- Hello, where did you be?
- I have spoken with friends of our victim. Each of them said that the last month Lexi was just like another person.
- The boyfriend said the same. Also he said that she didn’t quarrel with Lexi and I have no reason not to believe him. He seemed to be killed by grief.
- And Cindy told me other information. She said that from the beginning of their relationships they quarreled a lot and the last month Lexi changed and became more quiet and obedient, did everything he wanted her to do.
- It’s weird I think. And what do you think?
- I think that Lexi got tired of all this abusing and her lovely crazy boyfriend killed her because she didn’t want to stay with him.
- It happened in her flat. Jonathan said to me that he hasn’t been in her flat for a month because she didn’t want to invite him there.
- But Cindy said that Lexi did everything he wanted.
- We can’t blame the innocent boy without any evidences.
- Initially he made her to change and after that killed when his doll didn’t want to be his doll anymore. It’s logically. Are you still nearby his office.
- No. I’m driving to the police station to get the whole examination results.
- Call him and find out where he was…
- When? We don’t know when the death occurred. Everything we know it was month ago but it sounds like a nonsense. We can’t get detailed proved alibi. The period of possible death is more than month. We need more information.
- All people I spoke with said that this abusive relationship changed her.
- Jonathan said the same. But he doesn’t know the reason of these changes. They could have another cause.
- What, for example?
- I don’t know, some kind of trauma or grief in the family.
- We know that there were no traumas because Jonathan or Cindy would tell us about it. So we have to speak with parents.
- Okay. Look for address and I wait you in the laboratory. The end of connection.
Emily puts the phone off, opens laptop and starts looking for address of Lexi’s adopted parents in FBI database.
***
Emily arrives to the laboratory and sees that Jeffrey already waits for her behind the enter into the laboratory building. Emily comes to him and asks:
- Something new?
- Nothing. She still was dead all the time she was going to the work and meeting with her friends and boyfriend and she still is poisoned by the botulinum. Did you find our next target?
- Yeah. Hood River, Oregon. Ok-Street, house 12. Two hours of driving from here.
- So we go tomorrow in the morning and now I’m going to go for a dinner in Burger King. Do you do with me.
- Of course.
***
Next morning Jeffrey and Emily are riding to the Oregon state. Lexi’s parents live in the small accurate house in the center of Hood River, the small town lying just on the river. Emily calls the doorbell and after a minute the small woman with crying eyes opens the door. It’s maybe Ms. Parkinson, the mother of dead Lexi.
- Good morning. How can I help you?
- FBI, we’re investigating the case of your daughter’s death. I’m agent Page and this is agent Harington. We are so sorry for your loss but we need to ask you some question – introduces Emily.
- Thank you. I’m Pam Parkinson. I want the murderer of my small girl to be found as soon as possible. I will do everything to help. Come in please. I will make some coffee – says the woman inviting detectives in the house by gesture.
While the woman makes the coffee Jeffrey and Emily are looking around. The guest room is small but very cosy and charming. There are a lot of photos on the wand. On the images are the young smiling woman, the woman who met them and the old man, who obviously is Mr. Parkinson.
- So, what do you want to know – asks Ms. Parkinson putting the cups of coffee on the table.
- When you saw your daughter the last time?
- It was 11th of July. I asked you to visit us so long, more than month. Usually she visited us almost every weekend and in June and July she just disappeared. She didn’t speak with me on the phone as long as she usually did. When she arrived she told us nothing about her life although all the life she spoke a lot just about everything since the childhood. Even her sight was different when she was here the last time. Usually her eyes are so kind and warm with these sparks inside. But that time her eyes became colder and it seemed that the evil appeared in them. I noticed the difference between the color of her eyes… But it could be just sight problems. But I was almost certain that the left eye was more green than right one. That time she resembled that second girl to me.
- Second girl? – shoots detectives in one voice.
- Yeah. Poor orphans stayed without parents when they were only five years old. There were two girls. My husband and I always wanted twins but God didn’t give us the child at all. We wanted to adopt both but the doctor said that one of the girls had a serious mental disorder and needed urgent hospitalization. We took one of them, our Lexi, but I remember the sight of that second girl, Lucy it seems to me. Her eyes were so cold and have different color. One eye was brightly blue, as Lexi’s ones, and second eye had a dirty green color. Oh, I have photo of the sisters.
While Ms. Parkinson looks for the photo there is dead silence in the room. Each of detectives understands the thoughts of another and doesn’t want to say it. Finally, the woman found the old photo and lays it on the table. There are two girls at the photo who look just like two drops of water. One of the girls smiles and looks just like an angel but second girl looks askance and her sight is so angry.
- So, Jeffry, we found our spirit…
***
10th of June. Lucy Wedding found her sister. She really looks just like Lucy itself. But unlike Lucy, Lexi has her own flat, the work of dream, a lot of friends and just perfect boyfriend. Lucy doesn’t understand why she was forced to spend all her life in the psychological clinic and after leaving it there were no companies to hire her because of her past. She has no friends, no people to speak to in general. She just looks like her sister every morning drives her own car to the office, meets the friends and spends all evenings with the boyfriend who loves her. Lucy also wants to be beloved and respected, have a good job and a lot of friends. And she can.
The smile appears on her face. She already sees herself in the Lexi’s bed in the big her own flat, driving the beautiful car and kissing the most handsome man in the world. She looks exactly as this fortune bitch. She can replace her; nobody will even notice.
17th of June she calls the doorbell. In her hand the bottle of wine with five tablets of poison in the liquid. Lexi opens the door and looks at her astonished. And hugs her after that. Lexi glad to see her but Lucy will be glad only to see the sister dying. That evening Lexi falls dead on her beautiful carpet.
The next day Lucy buys the big freezer to keep the body before she decides what to do with it. She is ready to get pleasure from her new life.
13th of July. Jonathan exactly suspected something. The way he looks on her all this month. He never looked this way on Lexi. They will understand. Cindy already changed her attitude to “Lexi”. She doesn’t want to see her crash, doesn’t want to see the moment of her exposure. The mother she visited the day before yesterday can just know call to the police asking them to check if it’s really her adopted daughter. The only way to avoid this shame is to die. Again.
13th of July, 12 p.m. Lucy stays on the bridge above the dark dangerous water. Why she had such a pathetic life. Maybe she hadn’t killed the parents, she would have had entirely another life.
She jumps and flies down into the deep black unknown.
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