EVE 5: Romeo Oh Romeo!

   Steve stayed with the Tchaikovsky boy for longer than I expected, they said he needed therapy and that there’s no way he could help us with the investigation just yet, since he was still under shock. As I sat in my room enjoying a book I had started earlier, Steve called.

   “Look, I know you’re going to refuse my request at first, but promise me you’ll accept later.”

   “What is it?”

   “Chris is going to perform in a school play tomorrow, and I want you to come with me.”

   “Who’s Chris?”

   “Of course you don’t remember him. The boy we saved last week, maybe?”

   “You know I don’t do this Steve. I’m bad at supporting kids who could’ve been killed, remember?”

   “Do it for me, I need your presence there.”

   “No.”

   “Do it for the investigation then, you can ask him about things you want to know once he’s done with the play.”

   “What time?”

   “It always works. I’ll pick you up at 4 PM.”

  I had no intention of going to that play, but we had to keep an eye on the kid. I wore my suit and we drove to his school. The place was full of little annoying kids who were running up and down the hallways. We took our seats and waited for the play to start. It was Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, and our boy was playing Romeo.

   “Do you like the play?” asked a woman sitting next to me in a delicate feminine voice.

   “They’re doing well for someone their age.” I answered while looking at her eyes trying to understand why people even talk to me.

   “The end is always more fun when it’s a tragedy.” She whispered into my ear.

 A moment later, I turned and she wasn’t there anymore, I looked at the exit door and found her standing and watching the play from the back. She had a piercing look that could distract you from anything. I turned back to watch the last scene where Romeo thought his lover Juliet was dead and decided to finish his life by drinking poison before she awakens and stabs herself with a knife. The audience stood up clapping for Chris’s performance because it was very realistic. I suddenly felt very worried, it may have been too realistic. I ran to the stage while everyone kept on clapping and found him fighting for his last breaths. He looked straight into my eyes and said: “Thank him for me… Uncle Steve...” I closed his eyes and put his body gently on the ground. Steve hugged Chris’s body and wept. I took a microphone and lifted my badge.

    “I want everyone here to stay calm, this boy just died... We assume that someone put real poison in the cup. No one has the right to leave the place until we talk to each one of you.”

  I called our policemen and they came right away. I tried to talk to Steve but he was feeling down and couldn’t say a word. I went backstage to talk to the director who’s responsible for the accessories and he claimed to have no idea about what happened. I interviewed everyone there and no one seemed to know anything about the poisonous drink, except one girl who seemed to have something interesting to share with me.

     “We were in the dressing room and the cleaning lady came in, normally cleaning ladies work only after the show and not before or during the show, right? And above all that, I know all the cleaning ladies of our school, because mom works here too, they’re all friends and visit us from time to time, and this woman is not one of them.”

      “You’re a smart girl. Was she a brunette with dark eyes, dark as a midnight sky?”

      “Yes, her eyes were a bit scary.”

 I went to see Steve and found him outside smoking a cigarette, his sadness turned into anger and his eyes revealed how much he wanted to kill the murderer.

     “You haven’t smoked in years.”

     “I was happy, no one I love died after dad. I just need to relax so I can help you with everything.”

     “Steve, I met her. I met Eve.”