Scattered Tomato Paste

Chapter 2: ICU

CHAPTER 2

Many were petrified when the paramedics rushed out through the swinging door with the wounded victim. Which commenced curiosity among the rustled chatting of the fearful customers, 'Milo, do you mind explaining to me what happened here?' Her grandfather, Mr Noelle asked. Orin grabbed the mop and its bucket and then started cleaning up the droplets and spills of blood on the floor. 'We don't have all day, Milo. There are many frightened customers, who are wondering the same thing,' he continued.

Soleil gulped and responded, 'Grandpa, I'm not sure myself. Because I found him lying out there on the snowy ground lifelessly about to die: so I brought him inside so you can help him. Since I knew you used to be a doctor. Otherwise, I wouldn't have brought him in.' Mr Noelle walked over to the sink and opened the pipe as water poured gently onto his soapy hands and rinsed it out and then closed the pipe. Before he spoke, the doors went crashing opened entering in a police officer called, Smith and a detective named, Virat. Then another uncovered officer, known as, Parton, came in from the back entrance holding onto a loaded revolver.

'Good Chestnut! What are you doing?' exclaimed Orin, dropping the mop from her hands, centring her arms in front of her chest for defense. 'Are you trying and kill me?'

Parton nodded his head in apology and removed the gun off the unessential target and put it back into the porch tacked to the waist edge of his suits' pants. He sighed, as soon as he saw his comrades were about to handle the case. 'Sorry for the interruption. According to the onlookers across the street, there was an incident of a victim being shot in the back alley behind your pastry's shop. Do you know who could have done this?' asked Smith.

'No sir,' answered Daniel, Charlie and Ricardo.

Orin, Soleil and Mr Noelle also agreed with their response. Detective Virat, suspiciously thought about the scene, 'If these people wanted to murder someone, they wouldn't have called, 911. Obviously, they aren't the suspect involved within this matter but still shooting a Korean vendor who sells sugar candy lollipops behind their shop's alley is a major downfall.' Detective Virat rubbed his chin in deep thought diligently searching for a clue of why the Ppopgi vendor was shot behind their pastry's shop. Meanwhile, Parton decided to take a sneak peek underneath the covered bowl. He found eighteen baked apricot and mango cookie shaped elephants.

'It couldn't hurt to taste one, right?' Parton mumbled greedily and smirked mischievously, about to snatch a cookie, when Officer, Smith, appeared beside him.

'Don't you even think about it, Parton,' he warned.

Soleil giggled at the officers, 'Have one if you must. We aren't greedy people.' She smiled at them and Parton's face lightens with the surprise of thankfulness.

'Really?' asked Smith.

He watched Parton grabbed three cookies and begun munching on them as he gave thumbs up meaning, 'It's great.' His boyish grin made Smith annoyed. Smith decided to sample a cookie and then a crescent moon toothy smile had appeared, plastered to his lips. 'This is my mother's baking!' he blurted out, unaware that he was uncontrollably eating the rest of the cookies as he licked his fingers while Soleil and the others watched him amusingly. 'It's just that the cookie brought back so many memories for me. When my mother used to bake apricot and mango cookies on Easter for supper,' Smith told them and asked. 'Who made these?' Ricardo stepped front indicating it was him and Smith laughed, 'And I thought it was one of your female staff members. Continue to work hard in the kitchen. There's a great deal coming your way, friend.'

Ricardo expressed his gratitude by shaking his hand, 'Thank you, sir.'

Smith smiled. Detective Virat, on the other hand, was busy photographing the scenes from the back alley where the victim laid and analysed every single detail of the spot and the vendor's equipment being used and the bakery opposite to the scene that he got the call from earlier. Afterward, Detective Virat took a couple of pictures from the kitchen and then he gathered his thoughts and came up with a conclusion assuming that maybe the victim had ties with bakery's owner or a worker across the street.