The Woman in the Letter

PART 36

Detective 

Ian Macqueen

The Caspian Sea could be seen from all floors of the building. There was not anything that could spoil the view. Although the residents of this building felt lucky to be so close to the sea, Ian thought that he would never want to live here because he never loved the sea. Then he reminded himself that even if he wanted to, he could not afford to have a home here.

A middle-aged woman opened the door. She invited Ian to the main room and said, "Mrs. Mary will see you now. What would you like to drink? " she asked.After asking for a cup of water, Ian stared at the beauty of the view from the large glass in front of him. He just looked at the sea for a few seconds. Then he thought again whether he loved the sea or not. Perhaps he had never looked at the sea from such a height, so now the scene looked completely different. The paintings on the walls of the room were therefore very visible next to this view. A large chandelier hanging in the middle made the antique bowl on the wooden magazine table look even brighter. Almost everything in the room was handmade, except for a large sofa and a large TV set in front of it. Ian felt himself in a museum, not at home."Welcome," Mary entered the room.Ian smiled. Mary's face was very much like her father's. Her thin chin and pointed cheeks pulled her hair back to make it stand out. Mary was wiping the paint stains on her hand with a towel. Ian understood to whom the paintings on the wall belong."Excuse me for the mess," she said."I am not fully settled yet""Don't worry" he said, sitting back on the couch.The waitress brought water and put it in front of Ian. Mary sat down on a chair that looked hand-knitted and set aside her handkerchief."You don't seem to be planning to return to America""Actually, I was thinking. Then I thought my family would need me here for a while. We have a small business there and my husband still runs it. We have been planning to open a branch here for a long time. I thought it was not the right time. But I had to do something. Otherwise, I can lose my mind with all of the things happening. But my main purpose is to be with my family and while here to carry out our business plan, and..." She opened her hands to her sides, raised his shoulders, and said, "I am here""You live apart while you are here to support your family"Mary smiled, "I have lived separately and freely for many years. My lifestyle is not the same as my family's. I went to study in the United States when I was 18 years old. Then I found a job there, and then I met my husband, and so I began to come to this city as a guest. And Baku is a small city""You came here a few months before your brother's suicide"Mary took a deep breath. Her expression suddenly changed. "Yes," she said, taking another breath and trying to gather herself."I will have to go into some details. I know this can be difficult for you. Maybe you won't like the questions like what your parents""Believe me, their aggression is not because of you ""Of course not. I do not say anything about it. It is difficult for everyone. The children they thought were dead until yesterday ... ""You are wrong," interrupted Mary "We have never accepted that Paul is dead. Until his body is found, I always hoped he is alive ""And it seems that your hope was not just hope"She lowered his head. When her curly hair fell out in front of her eyes, she threw her hand behind her back and looked at Ian again. "But ... I do not believe that Paul killed someone. It's a little weird to talk about like that when you don't have any evidence. Anyone can write those letters""The letters have been analyzed. It is Paul's handwriting. So to some extent, you may be right. But there is something else that is strange"Mary waited for Ian to continue."You haven't seen your brother in years. Maybe you contacted him by phone, maybe you came to Baku often .. But you didn't live with him, you didn't know what he did every day, what he did, how he felt. But now you say that Paul will not be a murderer. I think you decide not on your feelings, but on your sister instinct""Sometimes you just feel it. We grew up in the same family. That should be sufficient enough to convince me of my brother. ""I think you're just trying to protect your brother""What do you mean by that?" Unlike her parents, Mary was not irritated by any of Ian's words."If I say that I think the last time you saw Paul was after his suicide, you will probably get angry with me, just like your parents.""I can't say that my parents are right about you. But I don't think they are wrong too" When Ian saw the smile on her face, he saw that the woman in front of him was more determined than she expected. "But if this crime was really committed by Paul, then he should be punished. The law is the law for everyone. But if you try to ask where Paul is, or if you have doubts that we are hiding him, believe me, you are just wasting your time. ""Mrs. Mary" Ian cleared his throat "Did you know Natalie Miller?"She rolled her eyes and shook her head. "Paul introduced her to me for the first time in a face time when I was in Florida. We never met face to face. But it's good that I haven't met. When I first saw that girl, I didn't like her the first glance. But, of course, the main thing was Paul's choice. I respect the choices. But I was really disappointed in what happened to her mother. No one deserves to lose a loved one this way""Can you tell me where you were on the night Natalie's mother, was killed?""Of course. I went to get acquainted with the repair work of the cafe I want to open ""Was anyone with you there?""Yes. Not one person, but several people. Designer, his assistant. It seems that there were 3 masters at once ""If we want, we can contact them," Ian said, not as if asking a question, but as if thinking aloud.Mary picked up the phone. "I can't tell you the masters, but I'll tell you the number of the designer and his assistant," she said, ripping a piece of paper from the table and writing down the numbers. She handed the paper to Ian and said, "Most likely, they will have the numbers of the masters"Ian received a phone call. Sam was always accustomed to untimely and inappropriate calls. He thanked Mary and answered in a cold voice, "I hear you."Then Ian suddenly looked at Mary's face. His expression had changed.Agnes saw that Ian's color had changed. "Is everything alright?" He asked quietly so as not to interrupt the conversation. Ian did not answer. Then, without taking his eyes off Mary, he put the phone down. He was so shocked that he could not think whether it was right to tell Mary or not. He paused and answered Mary's question, "Second murder"