Mystery of the Guillotine Killer (FrUK)

Chapter eight

"Here you are, the extra clothes. The bathroom is down the hall, and make yourself at home," he smiled. I was still suspicious of him and could not allow myself to get close to him. I took the clothes in my hand and walked into the bathroom. The blood was sure to stain my clothes, and I could not use them anymore. Who knows how long it would take to scrub the blood out? I shut the door behind me tightly, making sure it was locked. What was I thinking? Coming to a stranger's house for a case like this? What if he flat-out murders me?

I started to take off my clothes as I let the water turn on. The case..... I could see why the French authorities were going nowhere with it. New information would pop up, leaving trails to the leads that were not dead. I quickly took a shower that probably lasted ten minutes. I stepped out of the tub and could not stop thinking. I need to figure out Francis's relationship with his sister. "Speaking of!" I whispered. I quickly went to my pants and took out the piece of paper with the man's new identity.

Once I opened it, I stared at the paper forever. I did not know if I should be startled or not. The man in the drawing looked exactly like Francis. How could the sister leave out the detail where her attacker looked like her brother? A splitting image of her brother. Like she showed the cartoonist a picture of him. I folded the paper back up and put it in my pants pocket, the new pair I would be wearing. I quickly got dressed and exited the bathroom promptly.

"Oh, that was quick," Francis said, staring at me by the door. I jumped, startled by the sudden ambush. "Why! On earth were you standing right there?" I asked, a bit shaken up. "Sorry, I just came to check on you," he smiled. I walked past him, carrying my gun and badge in my other hand. He continued to watch me until I took a seat on one of his small sofas. "So, excuse my appearance, but I would like to start the interrogation Francis," I looked at him seriously. "Of course you would," he said, laughing a bit.

He smiled, taking a seat across from me; he had prepared tea and baked goods for the two of us. "Would you like one?" He asked with a smile. "No, thank you, I think I will pass," I spoke softly. He placed his chin on his palms as he stared at me with a smirk. "What were you doing the twelve of December?" I asked. "Oh, Arthur-."
"It is detective," I smiled, and his smirk grew wider. "I do not appreciate the teasing you are doing to me," he laughed.
"I would never.....now, where were you?" I asked.

"I was at the morgue, of course, working on the last victim of the...killers," he pointed out. I seriously stared at him. If he broke eye contact with me, I knew he was lying. It was something all criminals seemed to do. Well, people who are lying, at least. "How is your relationship with your sister?" I asked. His eyes widened for a second before he picked up the tea. He was nervous.

"What a silly question; when I nearly thought she was dead, I was worried," he looked me in my eyes. "Yes, I know, but I am sure the two of you disagree sometimes?" I asked. "Of course not," he spoke, looking down at his tea. "We bicker, but that's is sibling stuff," he added. "When was the last time the two of you had a bad fallout?" I asked. I needed to push my questions on him, to get the truth about their relationship. "Honestly, why on earth does this matter?" He asked nervously.

"Just answer," I said seriously. His mouth twitched a bit as he tried holding his breath. "I did not want her to marry her husband; he wasn't the right person for her," he said, looking at me horrified.

"So you tried to force her not to marry the man?"
"It was not like that...I just asked her to make sure she was making the right decision," he added, sitting on the edge of his seat.

"What is the husband's name?"
"Roderich"
"I see, so what happened? What was her reaction to the sudden demand?" I asked.
"She did not want to see me again," he spoke, saddened.
"So this ordeal allowed the two of you to talk to one another again," I asked. "More or less...I suppose I should talk to her tomorrow."

I looked at him a bit, sadly nodding. "I would like to speak to your sister soon. Do you think when you speak to her, I can come along?" I asked. "Yes, of course, I have no problem with it," he smiled. "Now.... do you have any enemies?" I asked with a smile. He soon started to laugh at me, shaking his head. "Of course not! Everyone loves me," he smiled. That could be true, I suppose; he does not seem like a wrong person. "Why on earth are you asking me such weird questions?"

"Do you trust my judgment?"
"Although we have not known each other long, I suppose so," he spoke softly. "I would like you to stay by me for as long as this case is open. I have a bad feeling about something, and I want to ensure that you are safe" I looked at him seriously. "Wow, you are so nice," Francis smiled. "I just care about you and everyone else's safety here in France, and I promise that I will do all I can to make sure that the killer is put away in jail forever," Francis smiled at what I said and continued to drink his tea.

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