The Witness

“Mr Bradford, I presume?” I asked.

“That’s right. And who is this beautiful lady being escorted by the police?” he said with a charming smile.

“Detective Cox. I’m in charge of this case.”

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, detective,” he did not miss his stride and was still charming, “I’ll do whatever I can to help you solve this case.”

“Thank you, I appreciate your cooperation,” my words were formal, but my voice was not; I made it just slightly flirty. I decided to match him in the game, after all I was already dressed for the part.

“Thank you, officer Johnson. I’ll take care of the witnesses, make sure that the crime scene remains secure.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

Mr Bradford led me around the place, I interrogated his employees, who were also cooperative, they gave me the footage from their CCTV system; overall they offered anything law-abiding citizens would. At least that’s how it was supposed to appear, because I sensed there was something missing. Eventually only one person remained to be interrogated - the host himself.

“Thank you for your cooperation, Mr Bradford,” I said in the same flirty voice, “I will need your testimony as well.”

“Of course, detective. Maybe we could hold this conversation in my office?”

“Lead the way.”

I was wondering what his intentions were, but decided to continue our little game, for now. The information I had gathered so far did not seem sufficient to catch the murderer, so I was hoping I could squeeze out more from the host. We entered the elevator and began to ride up.

“I wasn’t aware that our police **** has such gorgeous detectives,” Mr Bradford said in a casual charming voice.

He was surprisingly good at maintaining eye contact, I was almost disappointed; almost, because I love challenges.

“You make it sound as if smart girls can’t also be pretty.”

“I feel like whatever I’ll say now will be held against me.”

“It will, but you’ve already renounced your right to remain silent.”

“In that case I’ll testify that I admire your wits as much as your beauty.”

“Among the virtues I admire most, honesty is at the top of the list.”

“I’m being completely honest…” it felt as if he did not finish the sentence.

“... so far?” I added with a seductive smile, but received no response.

The elevator transported us to the top floor, the boss’ home and office. Getting out required a password to be typed into a controller; apparently Mr Bradford did not consider it necessary to conceal it from me, I spotted and memorised the combination, even though I doubted it would be useful. Of course he could always change the password after my departure. Beyond the door was a corridor with fancy veneer and expensive looking ornaments; all remained tasteful, but reminded the guests of the luxury of the place. We crossed the corridor and reached a heavy wooden door; Mr Bradford, ever the gentleman, opened them for me. The room inside did not look like an office, more like a lounge, spacious and of course luxurious.

“Very nice office you have, Mr Bradford,” I remarked with a smirk.

“I thought that the saloon might be more comfortable. Would you like a cup of coffee?”

A detective usually should not accept drinks from witnesses, much less suspects (which Mr Bradford was not yet), but they should not flirt with them either. Plus I genuinely wanted a coffee.

“Yes, thank you. A cup of cappuccino, please,” it was still morning after all.

“Please, take a seat. I’ll be right back,” the host gestured towards one of the couches in the middle of the room. He then went to the kitchen to prepare the drinks himself.

There was a moderately large low coffee table with three small couches on three of its sides; all looked quite cosy and comfortable. The fourth side was directed towards a huge window which stretched from the floor to the ceiling. Instead of sitting down I approached the window, it offered a spectacular sight onto the city below. I enjoyed the skyline while in my head sorting out the facts which I had learnt so far; I was trying to locate the inaccuracies in the testimonies of the employees, so I could use them against their employer. Soon the host returned with two coffees and placed them on the table.

“The drinks are served,” he announced with a charming smile.

“Thank you,” I matched his smile and sat down on one of the couches.

I crossed my legs and twisted my body slightly; my skirt was tight, so it hiked up giving an even better view of my legs. I then leaned forward to reach for my coffee. All the while I was not looking at Bradford, this gave him the opportunity to admire my body; obviously I noticed it, because I was expecting exactly that kind of reaction. If he did not do it, I would need to consider the risk of him being a homosexual and thus my teasing strategy would be pointless. Fortunately the host had all the proper male reactions. I sipped my coffee, put the cup away, reached into my purse for the notebook and finally raised my gaze onto Michael Bradford. I offered him one more charming smile and started my work.