BBDW 60 [Black Butterfly] - Nevereverland

Section 62 & 63 (UNEDITED)

It wasn't until the ambulance arrived and took the old man with it that the middle-aged man, who stormed into the police station out of nowhere in the evening, sat in front of Tim and began to talk and stuttered. He was still slightly out of breath.

"Eh.........Well, I... I usually jog at this time. I don't have time to do it in the morning. But as I was jogging as usual, someone was lying in the corner of the road. So I went there, and there was blood all over, and... I looked closely and it was Roman, who lives next door, so it was Mr Stanberg. I was so surprised, I didn't have a cell phone, and I thought I'd go to the nearest police station or hospital….”

His face, which was full of sweat from carrying an adult man on his back, appeared quite embarrassed as he shook his hands seeing that he could not even talk properly. If you were in such a hurry, you could have asked anyone to hold on and lend you a phone. Nodding while thinking that he had no idea because he was in a hurry, Tim asked him in the police station chair.

"What's your name and occupation?"

"Me? My name is Jeremy Ronwood, and I'm a banker."

"Yes, Mr Ronwood. Was there anyone suspicious when you found Mr Stanberg? Someone running away in a hurry, or if there's anything strange."

"Eh... well, I don't know. Well, you know, I think I saw a guy in a hoodie that disappears into the corner, but... I don't know. First of all, I was so surprised..... Would Mr Stanberg be all right?"

"The hospital will call us soon, don't worry too much."

"-Oh, Tim, Jude!"

From the inside of the office, the half-bald Chief walked out with a ragged face. Perhaps because of the volume of work that does not decrease even after evening, the face was overlapping with irritation and fatigue, creating a dark shade.

"Heine and Daisy just went on an on-site investigation, so if you hear from the hospital later, go get the victim's statement. Got it?"

"Oh, yeah."

"Okay... No, Jude, why are you so out of it?"

Tim flicked around Jude. Jude, with a face that looks like it just went out of fuse, looked ahead as if he had been hit by cold water after the Chief sounded him in an idle voice. Standing in a daze for a very short moment, the blond detective quickly recovered his facial expressions and smiled leisurely.

"I'm so overworked of course. I can't even eat properly. Why don't you give me a medal or something?"

"Gosh, you sure are having a lot of work, seeing that you’re finally losing your mind. Anyway just shut up and get back to work. I'll buy you a drink sometime."

When the Chief, who was giving a staggering laugh, soon began to direct something to the other side, Tim looked at Jude without hiding his anxiety. Seeing Jude, who naturally asks, "Why?" with a face that didn't deviate even a millimetre from his usual face, the dark brown-haired detective turned his head while mumbling, unable to say much.

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"......Wh, where's Jeremy? I have to say thank you."

Roman, who was lying down with his head and body bandaged - In addition to visible head injuries, bones from all parts of the body was cracked, according to the doctor in white – managed to turn his head and looked at Jeremy who came together with them.

"Oh, thank you. If you hadn't passed by just in time, I would have been in big trouble."

"Well, sure. I'm glad you're all right. Are you feeling better?"

"Yeah, I'm a little dazed by painkillers, but... are you detectives?"

The old man's hazy blue eyes headed for Jude and Tim, who stood by the bed. Jude nodded lightly and took out his badge.

"Yes, we’re cops. I know you're feeling very uncomfortable, but I think we'd better have some clues to proceed with the investigation. Can I hear what happened?"

"Em...me too, it happened so suddenly..."

The blue and red bruised hands covering the eyes were trembling. While pressing his brow for a moment, he soon spat out his words slowly in a tired voice.

"At night, with Pell... I was going to stop by a local store with my dog. I don't like going out at night, but I ran out of essential food. But suddenly... I was hit hard on the head from behind. I fell down and turned around, and that person had a hood on the head and was holding a steel pipe, and then I was hit again with no time to look back. I thought I was going to die like this."

"So, you don't remember anything about what the culprit looked like?"

When Tim asked, Roman shook his head while lying down. There was more fear and lethargy in the eyes than anger at the situation.

"Yes, I didn't even have time to see the person. I couldn't do anything but curl up so I wouldn't die."

"Well, do you have any idea? Since the culprit left something like your wallet intact, I don't think it was a robbery. Oh, you know, if there was a person who you usually didn't get along....."

"You're asking if there's anyone who had something against me. Well, I'm not sure, actually. I'm a retired high school teacher a long time ago, and now I'm just an old man who barely makes ends meet with a pension. If you tell me to put it, I only have my wife."

"Did you have any problems with your wife?"

The old man swallowed his words for a moment. The wrinkles on his face got a little deeper.

"Well... she’s asking for a divorce, but I keep delaying my signing of the divorce papers. She's been living with me for nearly 40 years, and whether she's senile or unfaithful now she's asking me to divorce her. She’s not even coming home anymore. She said she wouldn't even look at my face until I’d sign the divorce papers. Of course I said no, well. But my wife is not someone who’d wear a mask and assault me with a pipe."

Your wife doesn't have to do it by herself. And Jude’s got a gold? in his mouth. He actually had enough sense to not speak the words out. The old man's eyes on the ceiling were dim.

"I think it was just yesterday that I proposed to her while reciting the lyrics of "Six Ribbons" by Jon English... Maybe it's because a lot of time has passed. I don't think my wife would have done that, even though she's suddenly gotten cold recently. I think it's just the work of a lunatic. I was unlucky."  

"Do you have any idea? Whether it's people who have a grudge or people you don't usually get along with..."

"......I don't know. All my relatives live in different states. I don't know what kind of grudges anyone would have for a retired old man. There aren't many people whom I usually see except my wife, so what did I do to get a grudge from them.”

Roman slowly spat out in a slightly lonesome tone and turned his head. Jude shrugged his shoulders and brought it up as Tim shut his mouth with a hint of discomfort.

"Can I have your house key, please? I have to go and look into it. Maybe the person who attacked you, Mr Stanberg, was after something in the house."

"......well, there are not many valuables in the house. But if you want to go, my keys are in the pocket of my jacket. Oh, and let me ask you a favour. I'm sure my pet dog is waiting for me in front of the house. Can you get him inside and feed him for me? The feed is well visible on the table."

Tim grinned and nodded. As soon as he reaches Jude's side, after rummaging through the jacket and taking out the keys, Tim did not forget to wish the old man who was laying on the bed a speedy recovery.

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