Paint the Town Red (Fox & Oakby Murder Mysteries Book II)

An Offer

"Did you tell this to the police, Ibaadat?" Imogen asked, almost certain of the answer she'd get.

"No! Of course not!" the girl exclaimed and blew her nose. "My father would kill me if he knew I'd been having an affair! And if Mrs. Horvat finds out before they arrest her? She'll kill me too."

"But why are you sure they'll arrest her?" Imogen rubbed her temple. The headache was back, and with vengeance.

"Who else?" Mr. Sarin gave a dismissive wave. "Kitty might have not been his mistress, but Mrs. Horvat didn't know it! Maybe Jakov and Eva told her, just as they told the police!"

"Mrs. and Mrs. Buric?" Imogen asked.

"They'd all been friends for years, you see, the Burics and the Horvats. Celebrated all their holidays together; went to Greece together every May."

It sounded as if Ms. Sarin wouldn't mind to have gone to Greece in May as well, Imogen thought.

"So, they didn't know about you?" she asked with doubt.

In her limited experience, it seemed to Imogen that any sort of work romance tended to be known to everyone around.

"No! I'm sure Mrs. Buric would fire me, if she knew! She's very strict about the morals of her employees. We have the dress code and all those seminars on sexual harassment every year." Ms. Sarin pulled another tissue out of the package in Imogen's hand. "And she's friends with Mrs. Horvat, although I don't know how one can be friends with that madwoman. She's the Horvat children's godmother too, which is a conflict of interest if you ask me," Ms. Sarin added venomously.

Imogen was pondering which headache medicine to take while nodding and patting Ms. Sarin's hand.

"I just... don't know what to do, Ms. Fox." Ms. Sarin sighed.

"If you tell Inspector Balinson--"

"No, no I can't!" Ms. Sarin yelped.

"Then perhaps to Sergeant Cooper?" Imogen offered slyly. "You'll keep your anonymity, I assure you. And you can just tell it all... 'off record' so to say."

"Well, I don't know... Could you tell him? In a private conversation?"

"What purpose would that serve?" Imogen exclaimed. "That would just make it a gossip."

"Maybe... Or maybe I can just wait? What if they don't arrest Mrs. Horvat? Maybe it has nothing to do with me and him, you know?" Ms. Sarin muttered, and sighed again. "Can we just wait and see?"

Imogen wondered where 'we' had come from.

"Sure. If you'd like to," she agreed.

"But if something... goes wrong, will you help me, Ms. Fox?" Ms. Sarin's hands were folded pleadingly in front of her chest. "Please?"

"I'll do everything that my civil duty and moral compass demand," Imogen answered - and wondered if she'd earned her right to say goodbye now.

Apparently she had; and Ms. Sarin, after a few more sniffs and sighs, finally released Imogen from the confinement of this metaphorical confession booth.

***

"There's a gentleman waiting for you, Imogen dear," Mrs. Harris, the Town Hall clerk said - and gave Imogen an odd smile.

The smile wasn't quite of the 'oh, it's a juicy gossip for my book club mates' kind, more of a weird kind; and Imogen gave the woman a confused look. She entered her office - and stared at the man sitting near her desk.