The Heart of the Sphinx

Chapter 5

Hugh looked at his boss and sighed.

“I don’t understand. What are you saying? What do you want me to do exactly?” asked Hugh as he could not understand the ramblings of the fat balding man with a curved mustache.

“Come on Hugh. Are you telling me that a man of your curious appetites is not slightly bit interested in the murder of this man?” asked Dr. Sank.

“Are you serious? He is not a mummy or anything of that sort or even archaeological which might interest me. It is a plain burglary gone wrong. And why on earth am I going to be involved in Scotland Yard’s business? They are not a really good folk, you know that?” said Hugh as he rubbed his face with his palms.

“You are not bothered to deal with the Italian Mafia and you are bothered with the policemen from Scotland Yard? I mean, are you really telling me that you are scared of them?” asked Dr. Sank who noisily chewed on his doughnut. It was the one with the pink glaze and the sparkles on it.

“Tell me one single thing or one single detail from this case which should interest me in order to understand if this is worth my time or not,” said Hugh as he crossed his hands over his chest and stood there with a scowl on his face.

“This is not a burglary gone wrong,” said Dr. Sank as some of the pieces of doughnut which he was chewing sprayed and Hugh’s scowl deepened even further as he shifted back wards.

“I am waiting.. There is no hurry. You can speak at least after finishing what you are eating. And the point which you just mentioned it is not something which is a detail that might garner my attention,” said Hugh as he looked at the scene out on the street where they were standing. He breathed in deeply as the crisp cold air pierced his nostrils and then gradually seeped into his lungs.

“You are not willing to listen to what I am saying Hugh. It is like you have lost all your enthusiasm for field work after that wretched woman stole the Eye of Nazareth. I am saying that nothing valuable was chosen except the books in his library. I mean all the books. Can you imagine? It was like filled with books, this man’s entire room was and all were gone overnight. Now are you interested? Still you think that this was a burglary gone wrong?” asked Dr. Sank as he wiped his hand and the corners of his mouth with the tissue paper.

“I am listening,” said Hugh as the other man could see a faint glimmer of interest in his eyes.

“There is nothing more to listen. Chop chop. You need to take what you need and then you need to leave and find out this whoever is in charge of the investigation and then co-operate with him,” said Dr. Sank who was now looking at him with a grin on his face.

“You are lucky that you are my boss and I have to listen to what you say, or I would have mummified you alive in some Tomb long ago,” said Hugh as he looked at the older man who guffawed out in laughter.

Hugh took his car and then he went to Scotland Yard where he kept on asking about who was in charge of the case and went on and on from this table to that one without getting an answer. Finally he had more than enough.

He stood in front of a police officer who was in his middle age and was doing something on the newspaper with a pencil, probably the crossword. Then he slammed his fist on the desk in order for the man to pay attention to him.

“Look here you fat slob, I am jet lagged and I am freaking tired. I have not got one ounce of sleep in the past two days and I am here to find the person who is in charge of the case of the Book Thief and I need a name fast,” said Hugh as his voice lowered down to the level of ice. The man on the other side of the chair looked positively scared at the manner in which he was speaking.

“I….I.. I don’t know,..I am just a clerk,” said the man finally when Hugh read the name on his tag. Officer Stevens.

“Look Officer Stevens, I am going to say that it is pretty clear that you are not a person who would be interested in such things. Then I strongly suggest you to find someone who knows these things or is in a position to tell me the information that I need to know,” said Hugh as his eyes bore down into the man who was now pale with fear.

He quickly scampered from his seat in order to get away from this man whom he clearly considered to be a lunatic.

Hugh looked at the man who was going hither and thither in order to get the necessary information and finally after ten to twelve minutes later he came with a piece of paper with a name on it written. He did not say anything while he gave Hugh the paper. Detective Blythe was the name written on it and Hugh inwardly groaned. The woman was the most insensitive and callous of the people that he had ever encountered in his life. Most definitely, a very good detective with exceptional analytical skills but she was a very bad people person.

The officer smiled at him and Hugh narrowed his eyes again making him cower back.

“Thanks for the information,” he said as he collected the jacket from the back of the chair and then he groaned inwardly but he quickly went out of the station. Any sane man could become insane here with the level of reluctance amongst these people and he needed to get this done as soon as possible. It was also written in the paper that the concerned detective would be found in the scene of crime and Hugh was thoroughly aware of that. He knew that she would be in the scene of crime until and unless she found out what the problem was or if she did not find any clue, she would be going through the entire carpet with a magnifying glass.

Hugh reached the place and then he showed his ID card to the officer who was guarding the yellow tapes and he went inside. There was a peculiar stench inside the apartment and Hugh knew from experience that this was the smell of blood which had been spilled in copious amounts and then had dried. It was a coppery thick smell which would make you feel that you could touch it in the air if you wanted to.

“So I see that your museum has already sent you to spy on me, huh?” asked a scornful female voice from the end of the room.

Hugh stood there and nodded his head.

“I am not here to spy on you Gabriella, come on..why do you need to always think like that? He was an employee of the British Museum so it is not very wrong to be interested in his death!!!” said Hugh as he found Gabriella coming out from behind the book case and he doubled his take.

“Wait!! Where are you exactly coming from? How did you??? Is there a secret compartment behind that bookcase?” asked Hugh as looked at her who did not bother to answer to any of his questions.

“This is my investigation and my case and I don’t want anyone to be standing here beside me or behind me breathing down my neck,” said Gabriella Blythe who looked at him in a wrathful gaze.

“I just want to know that what is the reason that you are so freaking angry on me!!! I mean what I ever did to you at all?” asked Hugh as he looked at her in a baffled manner.

“You don’t need to know all that nonsense. Just don’t disturb me while I am working and maintain silence and peace and maybe I am going to give you a copy of the report by the end of the week. Sounds good?” asked Gabriella and Hugh nodded at her. He knew better than to deal with this woman in an antagonistic manner.

“Can I at least conduct my own research? I have to report to my boss by the end of the day unlike you,” said Hugh as he looked at her with a noncommittal gaze.

“Yeah, you can do what you want to do when I am on my breaks. That’s it,” said Gabriella as she disappeared behind thee bookcase again and Hugh looked at that with astonishment. Who could possibly have a secret room inside an apartment?

No doubt that this was an old apartment block. But still it was an apartment block and this was something that highly intrigued him.