Slowly opening his eyes, Mayhew began to move his clumsy body around the old couch. And as it turned out, the sounds of creaking wood made for the perfect alarm clock.
Standing up from the couch, the detective took a moment to stretch his limbs and look outside the window.
'Ahh—it seems today will be a good day.'
The heavy snowfall that had made the town seem so isolated and closed off the day before had subsided. Today was a sunny day, and the only snow that they would encounter today would be resting on the ground and not assaulting them from the sky.
"Finally awake, huh."
Turning his head around to the other side of the room, Mayhew saw none other than Margret looking at him with a frown on her face.
Of course, the blond detective had already gotten ready and dressed up a while ago. She even seemed to have had enough time to cook and eat something, as the detective spotted a small stain on her jacket with his observation skills.
Mayhew smiled.
"I am indeed awake, and I am sorry that I kept you waiting. I'll try to get ready as fast as I can."
Clicking her tongue and flipping her golden hair back, Margret walked over to the kitchen and picked up a plate that held a small sandwich on it.
The detective's smile grew just a little bit wider as he saw it.
After around ten minutes or so, the duo opened the front door of their apartment and entered the hallway of the second floor. And looking around the empty hallway as he followed Margret, the detective couldn't help but wonder:
'I wonder who our next-door neighbors are. Still haven't seen or heard from them.'
It could also be that the apartment next to them was not rented at all and was just empty, but Mayhew was willing to bet against that for the sole reason that a building as well kept as this one, in this town's standards, would be very popular amongst locals and the very—very few tourists that visited.
But there was no time to think about that. Much more important things needed to be done, and that was his and Margret's job.
Walking down the wooden stairs, the two detectives passed through the main lobby, or base floor as most would call it. The landlord that Mayhew had talked with yesterday was nowhere to be seen, which didn't surprise the detective for some reason.
Going through the main doors, Mayhew and Margret stepped outside and into the cold embrace of the flowing breeze. Even when it was sunny, the coldness that the detectives had become familiar with in this country seemed to never go away.
Sticking close to each other, the duo walked down the block and toward their destination.
However, their walk would be interrupted almost immediately. They didn't even get the chance to small talk with each other.
A woman whose age Mayhew couldn't guess intentionally bumped hard into his shoulder. And although the detective couldn't guess her age, he could definitely guess that she was heavily intoxicated, and a few needle-like scars on her forearms made Mayhew suspect that the woman was not just abusing alcohol but other—more dangerous substances as well.
"Oh—well hello there... would y-you mind sparing me fifty... five or something... I want money. Give me money!"
The woman swayed heavily from side to side, which made Mayhew instinctually keep his arms spread out, ready to catch the drunk woman in case she slipped and fell.
Gazing at the dizzy woman with a saddened look in his hazel eyes, the detective spoke in a calm and even tone.
"I am sorry miss, I would love to give you some money and I even have some in my pocket right now but... I don't think that money is your main issue, right?"
The drunk woman chuckled and spat on the icy ground.
"Not my issue—then w-what is my issue?"
Mayhew sighed.
"I think you know what your issue is—and you're just trying to pretend that it doesn't exist. Tell me, if I gave you this money, would you spend it on food and clothing, which you clearly need, or would you spend it on the stuff that's killing you right now?"
Swaying her head downward to look at her skinny body and torn-up clothes, the drunk woman's expression became somber for just a few moments before returning back to her half-smiling expression.
"Ugh, you people are such scum. M-may the lord p-punish you for your... s-sins, I think."
Turning around, the drunk lady slowly swayed herself toward a dark alleyway near the building they were staying at and disappeared.
Looking at the alleyway with a slight frown, Mayhew didn't get the chance to think about the encounter as Margret pulled on his shirt to hurry him along.
"Honestly I wasn't expecting you to be so blunt with her. Did you not sleep well or something?"
Mayhew sighed and shook his head.
"Sometimes, being blunt is the only way to make people see what they don't want to see. Although I still do feel a little guilty now."
The duo continued to walk through the town, the locals around them gazing at their figures from time to time with distant expressions.
After some time of walking, the two detectives finally made it to their destination. The place where their investigation would officially begin.
The local police station of Pustków town.
Looking at the building, both Mayhew and Margret looked at each other and made a silent agreement.
Mayhew would do the talking, Margret would do the watching. Him being the charming man that he was would obviously help with communicating with the corrupt cops, and Margret's unnatural intuition for danger would obviously make her the perfect person to keep watch for any person that rang her danger alarm.
Silently walking up to the doors of the station, Mayhew was the one to lead as he entered first.
In the main lobby, two police officers stayed seated behind a wooden counter that was half covered by a thick layer of glass. One of the cops seemed like a young man and the other seemed middle-aged just like Mayhew.
As soon as the entrance doors were opened, both the two police officers and the two detectives made direct eye contact.
Seeing the two Brits, the police officers gazed at them with harsh, judgmental eyes. Margret, being the person that she was, returned the favor by looking at them the same way. Mayhew, meanwhile, smiled widely and brightly as he approached the counter.
"Hello police officer, how are you, good? I hope so at least."
Signaling to Margret with his eyes, Mayhew made sure that she kept a good distance away from the two Polish cops.
The middle-aged officer looked at Mayhew with a raised eyebrow and spoke, his voice being deep and masculine.
"A Brit who took the time to learn our language, isn't that a surprise. So, you must be the detective that wants to re-open that American detective's case, isn't that right?"
Scratching his neck, Mayhew nodded.
"Yes, that is indeed me."
The middle-aged cop scoffed.
"Saying it loud and proud, huh. You really traveled all the way from your lonesome island to here in Poland just to re-open a case that was and still is done and dusted. Just what type of ego do you detectives have? Didn't the last one of you hurt the people of this town enough?"
Seeing the middle-aged cop slowly get heated and the younger officer following the older cop's example, Mayhew knew that he needed to get on their good side and fast, before things escalated to abnormal levels.
Waving a hand, Mayhew looked at the two officers with sympathy clear in his deep hazel eyes.
"Trust me when I say this, officers: I truly am sorry for the tragedy that occurred in this town during the investigation of Deven Smith. And you are absolutely right to call me out for re-opening this case, but you need to understand that I am actually on your side."
A scowl appeared on the middle-aged officer's face and his teeth clenched with a small clicking sound.
"Just tell me how exactly you are on our side. You're trying to prove that psycho American was innocent, isn't that it?"
Mayhew shook his head. And the next words that came out of his mouth were complete and utter lies—but they were necessary lies that would help the detective get closer and friendlier with the two police officers.
"No, that's not it at all. The reason why I re-opened this case is actually to bury any hopes that Deven Smith was an innocent man."
The two officers that had once seemed completely hostile became slightly taken aback by Mayhew's statement. With them remaining silent, the detective took the opportunity to continue.
"Deven Smith's wife was going all around Britain trying to find the best investigator to re-open her husband's case and prove him innocent. Of course, no one took the case on, as it was pretty obvious that her husband had been the one behind the murder. So when the wife of the American detective came to me for help, I saw it as a double opportunity. Not only would I get a paycheck of a lifetime, but I would also get to visit Poland again. Just like the rest of the investigators, I know that Deven Smith was guilty, so I only came here for the money, but also... just imagine this: One of the most famous detectives in Britain goes to Poland to prove that Deven Smith was innocent but ends up quitting after finding no evidence to prove it. I don't know about you, but something like that on the news would not only seal the case for good but also discourage anyone else from looking into it. So, you get me now?"
The middle-aged officer smiled and nodded, and the younger one followed suit.
"Yeah, I think I get it. Maybe some of you British people aren't so bad after all."
And that was all the confirmation Mayhew needed. A friendly relationship with the corrupt cops of this town had been set, although Mayhew did have to make some sacrifices for it to happen. Like throwing away his dignity to spew all those lies.
'Now all I need to do is find an excuse to check the police station's reports.'
The investigation for Deven Smith's innocence was on.