The Last Hunt

III

  Mhm...l have in front of me a woman, aged, maybe 40-45 years old, as l wouldn't push it 'till 50, not very tall but neither too short, l would say...1.60. Blonde dyed hair(l can see her roots are black), her eyes...hm, really nice. She got central heterochromia. Just like me, her irises have two colors each. The central zone is different than the peripheral zone. The difference is that mine go from golden to blue, while hers go from brown to green.
  But enough with genetics. Her face, on the other hand its pretty...how can l say it. She is sad, but l am not sure she is as sad as she is trying to show. Could it be some reason she might like what happened? Did she want him to die? Did she hate him? Or is she just cold hearted?
  In my 30 years career l learned that, unlike with men, its very hard to hear a woman. Some may say women are weak. I mean, they are called the weaker sex, aren't they? But trust me, it's not true. When a woman is involved in a murder, she is extremly cunning. Some can lie to you with not a single trace of nervosity or stess on their face.
  I remember a case my father solved when l was a kid back home, in Yorkshire. A woman found out her husband had a love affair and killed him with arsenic. She got a very good plan: at a hang out with their friends (throughout her husband's mistress and her man) she poured the poison in his drink. As the arsenic poisoning symptoms occur at about 30 minutes from ingesting the poison, there was no way of telling who gave it to him.
She also considered the fact that his mistress' husband was working in a drug store, so he would have had the possibility of acquiring arsenic very easily. Every evidence was pointing towards him, and she kept lying to my father with no sign of anything.
  But, in the end, my father was extremly intelligent, thing l inherited from him, and at some point managed to catch her. I was little, so l can't remember for sure what she did wrong. I was about...hm...10 years old that time.

  This story came in my mind while talking to her.
  Now, we are here in the forest, at the shade of a beech, far from the oak where the flag of murder and the coat of arms of death are hoisted up in. Two persons with very sober faces. My face is sober, not 'cause l am not affected, Lord no, but because after so many murders l had to solve, l learned to hide my repulsion. Throats slashed, hearts stabbed, children suffocated, people beheaded and  femural arteries cut, the victim being tied and left to bleed to death. All these made me the man l am today. I can't loose my concentration when l see a bloody violent murder. My character, my cold blood is the one that brought me my fame, besides my mind, of course. But why is SHE so sober? I gotta find out.
-So, Mrs. Popa. You full name is?
-Ecaterina, says she with what l can tell it's clearly a moldavian accent.
-You were Mr. Vasile's wife. How was your relationship?
-We loved each other a lot for many years. We married 27 years ago, but for a couple of years we started to be more...spaced. He became colder. We were talking less, he was often going hunting with his friends, staying up late in pubs to drink, we were having fights, he star...
-Wait a second, mrs. Did you fight before he dissapeared?
  I am able to notice a change on her face. Of...surprise!
-Do you accuse me of anything, sir?
-lts a normal procedure! You have to answer my quetions! Or is there a reason l should worry about your words?
  Now l can see she is really bothered! The woman is either lying or paranoic.
-l don't have to take this! How dare you say such things?
-Madam, please! Why do you get fired up like that? You have to answer my questions. I didn't accuse you of anything. But, to be honest, your attitude doesn't help. And if you want us to catch the murderer...
-He was having an affair! Ok? He was cheating on me, that filthy lying rat! With a cheap bimbo half his age! I suffered a lot and we had huge fights on this! I loved him and he treated me like garbage! He deserved to die! His soul will now suffer in Hell as much as l suffered for what he done!
  She got all red and sweating, with her mascara going all down her cheeks. Saying these, she spits on the ground and yells
-l guess that makes me a suspect! Very well! You can accuse me of anything! I don't care! God knows l am innocent! If you decide anything else, you are wrong! I don't have to listen to your crap! I am out of here. Du-te naibii de dobitoc...
  I am sitting here, now, with a smile on my face. You may think l am crazy, but l got my reason to be happy. I just found more about my victim! Could it have been a murder out of jealousy? Could that lady murder her husband, clean his skull and skin and display them as a trophy? Showing the world what people can do out of love? Hm, or does this way of pinning the skin and skull have to do with his passion for hunting?
  As she gets in her car, a very expensive one, l can say, and leaves, my partner in this case comes at me.
-Don't you think you were a bit insensitive with her?
-Mr. Ionescu, l don't know how you do it here, in Romania, but l got a rule of myself, back home in UK: you can't take a suspect easy! Someof them can trick you, and just to make sure your judgement won't get corrupted, you gotta make them answer your questions, period! If they don't cooperate, make yourself understood.
But please, tell me, what did she say last? You know, before she left?
-Oh, well...umm, she said "Go to Hell, you ass!"
-Ha! She does have a mouth! I say smiling. Now we gotta go....oh shit!
-What, sir?
-She won't let us search the house now. Damn it, damn it, damn it! My temper compromised my work again! Now we have to wait for a warrant!
-Now what are we gonna do?
-Learn more about our victim.
-l am one step in front of you! Here are his files.
-Thanks. I will read them later. Are there any collegues of him here, on the hunting field?
-Yes. Uphill, at the cabin. He worked with two of his friends, János and Gheorghe.
-Very well. Let's go!

  On our way, l am thinking about Mrs. Ecaterina Popa. Could she have done it? Let's see. I know, from the file, that Mr. Popa was a big, muscular man. A fight with him would have been impossible for Mrs. Popa. The shots were taken to the heart and to the liver. Two shots: one for each of these oragans. From this l can deducethe weapon wasn't a shotgun, as that would have made many more holes in the skin. Though, l wonder, which of the two killed the man? Maybe the liver was shot first and then the heart. Hmm, actually, it doesn't matter that much. Both of them are important organs. Either of them would have bled heavily, enough to kill him.
  So, the shot was taken with either a rifle, AR or a pistol. But without the organs to exam them, it's impossible to tell if it was close or long range shooting. The killer was wise getting rid of the body, but why did he took care to preserve the skull and skin like that? That's just sick. Maybe our victim really pissed off the murderer. Enough to make the killer grow so much hate that it eventually eaten his sanity. Hm, let's see what else says the file.

  Ohohoo! That's something! Four years ago, while taking part in a driven hunt and he accidentally shot a 35 years old man who died on the way to hospital. He got a suspended sentance of 5 years. The man was called Flavius Pârjol.
-Mr. Ionescu, what do you know about this man, Flavius Pârjol.
-Oh, from the boar hunting long ago? God rest his soul! He was a good man, living in a big house near by. He had a lot of money, l can't lie. Now in his house lives his brother, lon Pârjol.  Oh, watch your step there!
-Huh? Wait, we arrived? I was so deep in my thoughts l haven't noticed we are already at the front door.

  This lead with Pârjol brothers seems very intriguing. But first, let's see what informations János and Gheorghe can provide me