Jamie Redrum's Blog

Bil je marec in mesto je utripalo v pričakovanju.

Razlog za to je bil hitro približujoči se obisk slavne osebe. Vzhajajoča zvezda, najstniška pevka Charlotte, bo nastopala v mestu.

Ker je bila priljubljena med mladimi in med odraslimi, so vsi pričakovali, da se bodo njenih dogodkov ljudje udeleževali v velikem številu.

Tudi policija.

»Dobro se moramo organizirati,« je Hinton pojasnjevala sobi polni policijskih uslužbencev s smrtno resnim glasom. Šef jo je določil, da vse organizira in bila je odločena, da se bo dokazala. »Soočali se bomo z maso ljudi, ne samo domačini, ampak tudi turisti. To pomeni več problemov s prometom in boljšo priložnost za manjše zločine. Pripravljeni moramo biti, da preprečimo probleme še preden se pojavijo. Vsem sem vam poslala bolj natančna navodila za vaš oddelek. Prosim, pogovorite se o njih in se pripraviti na delo. Če imate kakšno vprašanje, se pridete pogovoriti z mano ali pa me kontaktirajte preko elektronske pošte ali telefona. Je vse jasno?«

Ura je bila pol osmih zjutraj, zato odziv ni bil tako odločen, kot bi si želela, nekaj ljudi pa je pokimalo.

To je bilo dovolj zanjo v tem trenutku. Razpustila je srečanje in policisti so začeli odhajati. Bailey se je odpravil proti vratom tako kot ostali, ampak ga je dohitela.

»Jutro,« je pozdravila, malo nejevoljno.

»Dobro jutro,« je Bailey odgovoril. Vedno je bil previden, ko je bila njegova nadrejena slabe volje, ker bi to lahko pomenilo veliko stvari. Mogoče se je Parker spet obnašal kot razvajeni najstnik, mogoče je slišala koga reči nekaj seksističnega ali pa jo je razjezila neka čisto tretja stvar.

Obotavljala se je. »Si vedel, da si je eden od Charlottinih plesalcev zvil gleženj?«

Bailey ni pričakoval tega vprašanja. »Um, ne,« je odgovoril. »Bi moral?« Tega ni zasledil v nobenih od navodil, ki jih jem poslala, čeprav jih je prebral zelo previdno.

Hinton je zavzdihnila. »To zaplete stvari. Zdaj bo potrebovala zamenjavo.«

»To pa res ni nič takšnega,« je Bailey rekel. »Zagotovo bo našla koga. Poleg tega, zakaj je to tvoj problem?«

»Vsi ostali plesalci so delali z njo že več kot eno leto. Varni so. Kdo ve kakšna oseba bo ta zamenjava.«

Bailey jo je pogledal. »Zdaj pa že res postajaš paranoična, Hinton. Vse bo v redu.«

»Mogoče,« je Hinton zavzdihnila, nato pa pogledala svojega sodelavca. »Kakšna škoda, da nimamo policista, ki bil lahko pod krinko delal kot plesalec. Saj veš, nekdo, ki zna plesati,« je pomenljivo dodala.

»Ni mi všeč kam to pelje,« je Bailey zamrmral.

»Daj no, Bailey. Prosim,« je vprašala.

»Hinton, jaz sem plesal balet in še to je bilo leta nazaj,« je Bailey izpostavil. Sicer je imel izkušnje tudi z drugimi vrstami plesa, vendar ne toliko, da bi jih želel predstaviti pred stotinami ljudi.«

»Si pogledal posnetek njenega nastopa?« je Hinton vprašala. »Po mojem sploh ni tako težko. Ali nič ne pogrešaš odra?«

Bailey se je podrgnil po vratu. »Bi ti veliko pomenilo, če bi se strinjal?« je vprašal. »Ker potem bom mogoče razmislil o tem.«

»To bi bila usluga, ki je nikoli ne bi mogla poplačati,« je Hinton odgovorili.

Bailey je zavzdihnil. »Poglej, stopi v stik z njimi in vprašaj, če bi bilo to mogoče. Potem, če rečejo, da lahko, bom naredil to, v redu?« Dvomil je, da bodo. Če si želel plesati z neko slavno osebo si običajno moral imeti ali veliko priporočil ali pa biti boljši od vseh ostalih na avdiciji.

Hinton je zgledala, kot da ga želi objeti, vendar se je zadržala. »Hvala ti,« je rekla namesto tega in odšla.

Bailey je prejel novice naslednji dan. Charlotte je rekla, da lahko razmisli o tem, če se jim zdi potrebno in Baileyu poslala posnetek koreografije. Naročila mu je naj se je nauči in ji pošlje posnetek, kako jo izvaja. Potem o videla, ali bi ji tp ustrezalo.

Bailey ni želel razočarati Hinton, zato se je po svojih najboljših močeh potrudil, da se je naučil korake in Charlotte se je strinjala, da je jim pridruži. Bil je presenečen, če povemo po resnici. Po navadi bi pevka rekla, da se ne strinja. Mogoče je imela denarne težave in si ni mogla privoščiti, da bi plačala nekomu, da pleše z njo. Ali pa se ji je mogoče samo zdelo, da bo delo s policistom pod krinko zelo vznemirljivo. Kakorkoli, ni se imel namena pritoževati. Namesto tega je ves čas vadil koreografijo. Njegove mišice so ga grozno bolele, ampak na to je bil tako ali tako navajen.

Tudi ta dan je vadil, vendar se ni mogel osredotočiti. Razmišljal je o Coleovem obisku. Njegov nemški znanec bi moral prispeti z vlakom v večernih urah in Bailey mu je obljubil, da ga bo pobral na postaji. Razmišljal je ali se bosta razumela. Še vedno ga je skrbelo, da je bil Cole jezen nanj. Po nekaj časa je obupal in se šel stuširat. Naslednji dve uri je preživel tako, da je vsakih nekaj minut preverjal uro, da bi se prepričal, da ne bo pozen.

Končno je Hinton prekipelo in ga je poslal stran.

Bil je hvaležen, da ga je. Obtičal je v prometu in bil bi prepozen, če bi šel kasneje.

Kakorkoli, ko je prispel na postajo, Colea ni bilo na spregled, kljub temu, da je njegov vlak že prispel.

It was March, and most of the town was buzzing with excitement.

The reason for that was the quickly approaching visit of a celebrity. The rising star, a teenaged singer Charlotte, was going to perform in the town.

Since she was popular among younger and adults, everybody expected her events to be attended in high numbers.

Including police.

"We must organize well," was Hinton explaining the room full of police workers with a deadly serious voice. The Chief appointed her to organize everything, and she was determined to prove herself. "We will be dealing with a mass of people, not only locals but also tourists. That means more problems with traffic and a better opportunity for misdemeanors. We must be ready and prevent problems before they even happen. I've already sent you all more detailed instructions for your department. Please, discuss them and prepare for action. If you have any questions, you can talk to me or contact me over the phone or by email. Is everything clear?"

It was half-past seven in the morning, so the response was not as full of determination as she wanted, but a few people nodded.

That was enough for her right now. She dismissed the meeting and police officers started to leave. Bailey made his way toward the door as well, but she caught up with him.

"Morning," she greeted him, a bit grumpy.

"Good morning," Bailey replied. He was always wary when his superior was grumpy because it could mean a lot of things. Maybe Parker acted like a teenager again, maybe she heard somebody say something sexist or something else made her angry.

She hesitated. "Did you know that one of Charlotte's background dancers sprained his ankle?"

Bailey did not expect that question. "Um, no," he replied. "Was I supposed to?" He hasn't seen that in any of the instructions she sent them even though he read them carefully.

Hinton sighed. "That complicates things. She'll need a replacement now."

"What's the big deal here?" Bailey asked. "Surely she'll find somebody. Also, why is that your problem?"

"Because all of the other dancers have been working with her for years. They are safe. Who knows what sort of person will the replacement be."

Bailey looked at her. "Now you are starting to be paranoid, Hinton. Everything will be fine."

"Maybe," Hinton sighed, then looked at her colleagues. "What a pity we don't have a policeman who could work undercover as a backup dancer. You know, somebody who can dance?" she said suggestively.

"I don't like where this is headed," Bailey murmured.

"Come on, Bailey. Please," she asked.

"Hinton, I was doing ballet and even that was ages ago," Bailey stated. He did have some experience in other types of dancing, too, but not enough that he would want to present it to hundreds of people.

"Have you watched the recording of her performances?" Hinton asked. "From what I gathered, it's not that complicated. Don't you miss the stage?"

Bailey rubbed the back of his neck. "Would it mean a lot to you if I said yes?" he asked. "Because then I might consider it."

"It would be the favor I could not repay," Hinton replied.

Bailey sighed. "Look, contact them and ask if they could consider it. Then if they say it's possible, I will do it, okay?" He had doubts that they will. Usually, if you want to be a backup dancer for a performer, you must either have plenty of recommendations or show more talent than everybody else at the audition.

Hinton looked as if she wanted to hug him, but she restrained herself. "Thank you," she said instead and left.

Bailey received the news the next day. Charlotte said that if they think that's necessary, she might consider it, and sent Bailey the recording of the choreography. She ordered him to learn it and send her the video of himself doing it. Then she'll see if that works for her.

Bailey didn't want to disappoint Hinton, so he did his best to learn the steps and Charlotte agreed to let him join her. He was surprised, to be honest. Usually, the singer would have said no. Maybe it was because Charlotte wasn't as famous as it looked. Maybe she had some money troubles and couldn't afford to pay somebody to dance with her. Or perhaps, she thought working with an undercover police officer was going to be exciting. He wasn't going to complain, though. Instead, he practiced the routine over and over. His muscles felt like they were going to dissolve, but he was used to that, anyway.

He was practicing it that day, as well, but he wasn't focused. He was thinking about Cole's visit. His German acquaintance was going to arrive by train in the evening and Bailey promised he'll pick him up at the station. He was wondering if they'll get along. He was still worried that Cole was mad at him. After some time, he gave up and went to take a shower. He spent the next two hours checking his watch every few minutes to make sure he won't be late.

Finally, Hinton had enough and she sent him on the way.

He was glad she did. He got stuck in the traffic and he would have been late if he had left later. However, when he arrived at the station, Cole was nowhere to be seen, even though his train had arrived.

Povzdignjeni glasovi, ki se slišijo iz pisarne ne morejo biti dober znak, je detektivski narednik Bailey razmišljal, ko je je hodil proti eni od pisarn, ki so pripadale oddelku za preiskovanje zločinov. Stopil je skozi vrata in takoj opazil, da sta bila vir hrupa dva moška, stoječa zraven njegove mize.

Oba sta bila suha in približno enake višine. Temnolasec je nosil črne kavbojke, športne copate in jakno čez belo majico s kratkimi rokavi. Svetlolasi Azijec zraven njega je bil oblečen v tesno prilegajoče se črne hlače in rdečo srajco z bleščicami, njegov obraz pa je bil strokovno okrašen z izstopajočimi ličili.

Bailey je ugotovil, da pozna njuni imeni, čeprav že leta niso govorili. Ostali ljudje v sobi so strmeli v njiju, vendar se niso vmešali v njun prepir.

Višja detektivska inšpektorica Amelia Hinton - ženska srednjih let, ki je nosila elegante sive hlače in modro bluzo ter je imela svoje rjavo-sive lase spete v figo - mu je pomahala, da bi pritegnila njegovo pozornost. "Vztrajata, da morata govoriti s tabo," je rekla. "Lahko to narediš preden se stepeta?"

Bailey je pokimal in stopil do mize. Več kot dve desetljetji dela kot policistka in vzgajanje štirih otrok sta naredila Hinton zelo dobro v predvidevanju in preprečevanju pretepov. Nikoli je ni ignoriral kadar mu je rekla naj stori nekaj.

"Dobro jutro, Jay, Magnus," je pozdravil moška, ki sta se na srečo nehala prepirati in ga pogledala. "Vidim, da se nista spremenila."

"On je začel," je temnolasec, Jay, pokazal na Magnusa.

Bailey je potegnil bližje dva stola od sosednjih miz. "Zakaj se ne usedeta in mi povesta v čem je problem?" je predlagal. Magnus se je takoj usedel, drugi moški pa se je obotavljal. Končno je umaknil svoj stol stran od Magnusovega in se usedel.

"Magnus me obtožuje, da sem umoril Barbie," je povedal policistu. "Bil sem v Kraljevem baru in on se je kar pojavil tam in rekel, da bo povedal policiji, da sem jo jaz ubil."

Bailey je v mislih preletel seznam umorov s katerimi se je srečal nedavno. Nihče z imenom Barbie mu ni prišel na misel. "Katera Barbie je to?"

"Tista s katero smo trenirali balet," je Magnus razložil. "Bila je umorjena v njeni garderobi v Operi v Leipzigu."

Bailey je zavzdihnil. O tem je slišal v novicah in bil je žalosten zaradi tega, kar se je zgodilo njihovi skupni prijateljici. Zares si je želel pomagati, vendar je naletel na en majčken problem. "To je bilo v Nemčiji, fanta. Tam nimamo več pristojnosti. Nič ne morem narediti glede tega."

"Ampak on jo je ubil," sta oba moška zavpila in nato v en glas nadaljevala: "Nisem ubil Barbie!" trenutek kasneje.

Obrnila sta se in se zastrmela drug v drugega. Če bi pogledi ubijali, bi Bailey imel dva nova umora s katerima bi se moral ukvarjati. Poleg tega so se tudi njegovi sodelavci zastrmeli v njih, njihovi izrazi pa so kazali, da se zabavajo ali pa da so izjemno nejevoljni.

"Fanta," je Bailey opozoril. "Lahko o tem prosim govorimo brez kričanja?"

"Policija v Nemčiji ni uspela ugotoviti kdo jo je ubil, ker niso preverili vsej osumljencev," je Magnus spregovoril z normalno jakostjo. "Jay je bil tam in veš, da se onadva nista vedno dobro razumela."

"Oh, bom zdaj usumljenec samo zato, ker sem bil v isti državi kot neka ženska, ki jo poznam? Šel sem obiskat družinskega prijatelja," je Jay udaril po mizi. "Poleg tega, pederski Magnus je tudi bil tam. Kako lahko vemo, da on ni morilec?"

"Nikoli je nisem napadel tako kot nekateri ljudje!" je Magnus vzkliknil, zardel od jeze.

"Nisem je napadel!" je Jay zanikal, spet glasneje. "In tudi, če bi jo, je bilo to že pred leti." Za trenutek je pomolčal, se vstal in nato spet usedel. S prsti si je potegnil skozi lase. "Poleg tega še vedno nisi povedal kaj si ti počel tam."

"Bil sem na poročnem potovanju s Fabianom. Pred enim mesecem sva se poročila v Nemčiji."

Jay je prhnil. "Sem mislil, da boš izbral San Franciso ali kaj takega."

"Šla sva v gej savno in imela sva se zelo lepo, hvala, da si vprašal."

Bailey se je podrgnil po vratu in vzel svojo beležko in svinčnik. "Poslušajta, fanta, nehajta se prepirati in mi povejta kaj hočeta od mene."

"Dokaz, da je Magnus ubil Barbie!" je rekel Jay.

"Dokaz, da je Jay ubil Barbie!" je rekel Magnus.

No way raised voices coming from the office could be a good sign, Detective Sergeant Bailey thought as he walked toward one of the offices belonging to the Crime Investigation Department. He stepped through the door and immediately noticed that the source of the noise was the two men standing beside his desk.

Both of them were lean and about the same height. The black-haired one wore black jeans, sneakers, and a jacket over a white T-shirt. The fair-haired one was Asian and was dressed in tight-fitting black pants and a glittery red shirt, his face expertly decorated with not-so-subtle make-up.

Bailey realized he knew them and although it's been years since they had spoken, he still remembered their names. The rest of the people in the room stared at them but did nothing to interfere with their argument.

Detective Chief Inspector Amelia Hinton – a middle-aged woman wearing elegant grey trousers and a blue shirt with brown-grey hair tied in a bun – waved at him to get his attention. "They insist they must talk to you," she said. "Can you do that before they start punching each other?"

Bailey nodded and walked to his desk. More than two decades of working as a police officer and raising four children made Hinton very good at predicting and preventing fights. He never ignored her when she told him to do something.

"Good morning, Jay, Magnus," he greeted the two men, who thankfully stopped arguing and looked at him. "I see you two haven't changed at all."

"He started it," the black-haired one, Jay, pointed at Magnus.

Bailey pulled two chairs closer from the neighboring desks. "Why don't you sit down and tell me what's going on?" he suggested. Magnus immediately sat down, while the other man seemed to hesitate. Finally, he pulled his chair a little bit further away from Magnus's one and sat down.

"He is accusing me of murdering Barbie," Jay told the police officer. "I was in the King's bar and he just showed up there and said that he's going to tell the police I murdered her."

Bailey mentally checked the list of murders they encountered recently. Nobody named Barbie came to his mind. "Which Barbie is that?" he asked.

"The one we trained ballet with," Magnus elaborated. "She was murdered in her dressing room in the Opera in Leipzig."

Bailey sighed. He heard about that on the news and he felt bad about what happened to their mutual friend. He really wanted to help, but there was just a tiny issue. "That was in Germany, guys. Way out of our jurisdiction. I can't really do anything about it."

"But he killed her!" both men yelled, adding just as united "I did not kill Barbie!" a moment later.

They turned to stare at each other. If looks could kill, Bailey would have two new murders to deal with. Not to mention that his colleagues turned to stare at them, their expressions ranging from annoyed to amused.

"Guys," he warned. "Can we please talk about this without yelling?"

"The police in Germany weren't able to find out who killed her, because they haven't checked all possible suspects," Magnus spoke with normal volume. "Jay was there and you know the two of them had history."

"Oh, so now I'm going to be a suspect just because I was in the same city as some woman I knew? I was there visiting a family friend," Jay slammed his fists down on the table. "Besides that, Magnus the fairy was also there. How can we be sure you aren't the killer?"

"I never assaulted her, unlike some people!" Magnus exclaimed, his face flushed with anger.

"I did not assault her!" Jay argued, his voice rising one again. "And even if I did, that was ages ago." He paused for a moment, then got up and sat down again, running his fingers through his hair. "Besides that, you still haven't answered what you were doing there."

"I was on a honeymoon with Fabian. We got married in Germany a month ago."

Jay scoffed. "I thought you'd have chosen San Francisco or something like that."

"We went to a gay sauna and we had a great time, thanks for asking."

Bailey rubbed the back of his neck and took his notebook and a pencil. "Look, guys, stop arguing and tell me what exactly do you want from me."

"Proof that Magnus killed Barbie!" Jay said.

"Proof that Jay killed Barbie!" Magnus said.

I made an Advent calendar where you can learn more about the characters from the Bailey & Cole series:
https://calendar.myadvent.net/?id=525...