'Dead.'
Alderman did not look up from his newspaper to reply.
'Happy Spidermas. What did you say?'
'You wanted to know how he was doing. I answered. What is Spidermas?'
'December the first.'
There was a pause between the two men. The noise of the coffee bar dimmed momentarily. Alderman turned to the next page of his newspaper. The man standing above him frowned.
'Well, what shall we do?' he asked.
Alderman slowly folded his paper over and put it on the edge of the table. He looked up for the first time. His face was caught briefly in the light, stern, un-smiling.
'I'd say there is very little we can do. The man is dead. I'd say our job is finished.'
'But our job is just beginning. Now, more than before, we must pursue the case until its very end, until we find out who did it.'
Alderman picked up the paper again and pointed at the headline. It read: 'Poisoned spy near death in hospital.'
'We know who did it' Alderman added. 'It was the poison.'
'That's not who, that's what. We still don't know who gave him the poison.'
Alderman drank the last sip of his coffee and stood, pulled his jacket around him, and buttoned it up.
'The man died. What difference does it make if we find his killer? Who benefits?'
'His family?'
'Will it bring their son, their brother, back?'
'No.'
'Then who will benefit?'
The other man could not answer. Alderman began to walk out of the coffee bar.
'Perhaps you will say society at large will benefit? A murderer will not be allowed to murder again. People will know they cannot get away with such things. But these reasons don't interest or won't motivate me.'
He opened the door to leave.
'There is something you have not asked me, and something I have not answered.'
Alderman stopped in the doorway. Cold air blew in to the room. A flutter of snow drifted in at their feet.
'Hey, shut the fucking door, you moron', someone shouted from across the bar.
Alderman stepped outside.
'What haven't you told me? James, what's happened?'
'An hour before he died he spoke to the police.'
'And what did he say?'
'I've been told he whispered, as faint as a child: "There is another. A woman. Perhaps she is dead already".'
Alderman looked at his watch and tapped the dial, pausing before replying.
'A Happy Spidermas indeed.'
Alderman did not look up from his newspaper to reply.
'Happy Spidermas. What did you say?'
'You wanted to know how he was doing. I answered. What is Spidermas?'
'December the first.'
There was a pause between the two men. The noise of the coffee bar dimmed momentarily. Alderman turned to the next page of his newspaper. The man standing above him frowned.
'Well, what shall we do?' he asked.
Alderman slowly folded his paper over and put it on the edge of the table. He looked up for the first time. His face was caught briefly in the light, stern, un-smiling.
'I'd say there is very little we can do. The man is dead. I'd say our job is finished.'
'But our job is just beginning. Now, more than before, we must pursue the case until its very end, until we find out who did it.'
Alderman picked up the paper again and pointed at the headline. It read: 'Poisoned spy near death in hospital.'
'We know who did it' Alderman added. 'It was the poison.'
'That's not who, that's what. We still don't know who gave him the poison.'
Alderman drank the last sip of his coffee and stood, pulled his jacket around him, and buttoned it up.
'The man died. What difference does it make if we find his killer? Who benefits?'
'His family?'
'Will it bring their son, their brother, back?'
'No.'
'Then who will benefit?'
The other man could not answer. Alderman began to walk out of the coffee bar.
'Perhaps you will say society at large will benefit? A murderer will not be allowed to murder again. People will know they cannot get away with such things. But these reasons don't interest or won't motivate me.'
He opened the door to leave.
'There is something you have not asked me, and something I have not answered.'
Alderman stopped in the doorway. Cold air blew in to the room. A flutter of snow drifted in at their feet.
'Hey, shut the fucking door, you moron', someone shouted from across the bar.
Alderman stepped outside.
'What haven't you told me? James, what's happened?'
'An hour before he died he spoke to the police.'
'And what did he say?'
'I've been told he whispered, as faint as a child: "There is another. A woman. Perhaps she is dead already".'
Alderman looked at his watch and tapped the dial, pausing before replying.
'A Happy Spidermas indeed.'
No comments:
Post a Comment