The Price of Innocence (COMPLETED)

Chapter 20

Bandarenko began to dig inside Eldar Hamidov'a cellphone. He had many people on his list of contacts as usual people in construction business do. Carpenters,brickleyers, simple workers. He had written everybody's profession in fornt of his name. Bandarenko checked the recent calls. Eldar used to call often to brickleyer called Vasif. The last call was made three weeks ago. Before that call Eldar used to call Vasif almost on daily basis during one week. There was no track of recent calls before one month. Bandarenko called Vasif from his cellphone. He introduced himself and told him about Eldar's death. "I'm sorry" he said. "Describe me your relationship with him. What kind of person he was?" Bandarenko asked over the phone. "We used to work together on construction sites. We had good relationship" Vasif responded. "Why he stopped to work with you?" Bandarenko asked. "He began to earn good money and lost control over himself. Began to drink hardly and then transmitted to narcotics. The construction managers took notice about it and sacked him after that" Vasif explained. "Did he have troubles with so called managers as you called them?" Bandarenko asked again. "Yeah, he called them constantly, visited them pleading to take him back. He deadly promised not get involved in troubles again, but they did not listen" Vasif answered. "Do you know any of those managers? What were their names?" Bamdarenko asked. "Yeah, the one who always had come to the construction sites and watched everything carefully. His name was Mikael. Another one used to come very rarely. A man by name Siraj. He is the boss" Vasif said. "Why do you talk about Mikael in past tense?" Bandarenko asked as he had not told him about Mikael's death. "Eldar had told me a few weeks ago when we talked on the phone" he said. "Why he used to call you so much and tell me, how exatly Eldar told you about Mikael's death?" Bandarenko asked. "He called me a few times for money. I had given him 50 manats once and 30 manats another time. We had close relationship at work. He was foreman in there. Mikael trusted him. He was in charge on the site. He used to treat me very well, we were kind of friends. Therefore, i had helped him a few times when he asked. He probably wanted the money for narcotics. I think he even began to use the injections. What about how exatly he told me, i asked him had he tried to talk to Mikael about getting his job back and he said the bastard was dead. Someone had killed him" Vasif answered. "So, he referred to him as bastard?" Bandarenko asked to make it certain. "Yes , he said bastard" Vasif said back. "Ok my last question. Why he  had called you last, time three weeks ago?" Bandarenko asked. "He did not call me. I called him to check up how he was doing? Before that he had called me and ask for money. I said i could not afford to give him money. I had already given him twice. So , there were no sign of him for two weeks. I was calling , but he did not answer. I kept calling almost every day for a week. I think he got injected and had not even heard the phone calls. He finally answered on that day. I just asked how he was doing and that's it" Vasif answered. "Ok, thank you for your answers. I can call you back if i'll need additional information" Bandarenko said and hanged up. He checked Eldar's recemt calls attentively. He noticed that, it was Vasif who had called Eldar himself three weeks ago. He just had not looked attentively. He knew he was tired and needed some rest.

                              ***
Bandarenko sat down at his cabinet  and analysed everything. He jnew he needed rest, but he could not control his mind. It kept going. He knew that, Eldar had some disagreement or feud with Mikael. Was that a groundable reason to go and to try to kill him amd his wife and then tell about this to his so called friend Vasif calmly about that?! There should be another groundbreaking  reason for such a hatred towards someone. The case could be officially closed. The killer is known. They had the motive, the friend's confession about the feud between Mikael and Eldar. Not enough plausible motive to stream someone to kill another one amd his wife. Bandarenko knew something had to come out soon or later. He knew that, most of cases in the world are closed without getting deeper inside the trivias. The killer is known and that's it. The case is solved. His inner feelings were not stable. He stood up and went outside. He was shaking. He felt he was very close and very far from the case simultaneously. He just opened his car's door,put the key to ignition,started the engine and pulled off. He decided to go around Eldar's flat and see what he can find. Eldar had two neighbours at the second floor. He had not get any substansive informatin from Sara and Mikael's neighbours. He decided to try his chance on Eldar's neighbours. Because, no matter how secret life you live, your neighbours always see and even follow you. He knocked on the door side by side with Eldar's flat, no one opened the door. He tried the second flat. A teenager boy opened the door. He was probably 12 or 13 years old. Bandarenko introduced himself. "Where is your parents?" He asked. "At work" the boy said. "May ne you have heard about your neighbour?!" Bandarenko said before asking his next question. The boy nodded his head to confirm that, he had heard about Eldar"s death. "So, may be you have seen someone coming to him?" Bandarenko asked reluctantly. He was sure the boy would say that, he had not seen anyone. "I have seen only once" the boy said suddenly. Bandarenko sharply raised his head. "Tell me when? What kind of person was that?"  He asked harshly. "We were playing a football at the stadium with the guys recently, about a week ago, saw Eldar getting out of the building with another man. It was getting dark already. I could not see his face" the boy said. "What kind of person he was?" Bandarenko repeated his question. "He had middle height, dressed in sport costume, black hairs. He had hood over his head. The hood of the sport jacket" the boy said. "Can you recognise if you will see him again" Bandarenko asked. "O don't know. Not by face. I can recognise him by general appearance" the boy responded. Bandarenko was devastated again. "Ok, thanks for chat" he said and turned around to descend the stairs. "He looked like you by appearance" the boy said out of the blue. "What?!!!" Bandarenko asked astonishly. "He looked just like you by appearance. But, he had no glasses like you" the boy said again. "Ok" Bandarenko said with glea on his face. Too many people had the same height and body stance. That was not the sensation. Bandarenko thought while leaving the building.