Sudden Revelation

A peculiar pair exited from the door that lead to the famous for its exquisite look and common visits of politicians and oligarchs bar "Samuel". The crowd shrank in size over the time, not because of the falling interest in the incident, but rather the end of the working hours. Those who left were the most dedicated to their work at the press and when they noticed Eugene and Madam la Avise, glistering in the radiant sky of the setting sun, their excitement rose exponentially. Some reporters passed dumbfounded officers, who were as surprised by the pair's departure from the premise as they were, and surrounded the man and the woman.

"Are you private investigators? In what state is the bar after an incident?"

"Do you have any clue which criminal group could be bold enough to commit a crime in such a famous place?"

"Could it be a political move done to postpone some kind of agreement between the owner and a member of the senate?"

One after the other, they were bombarded with a whole round of questions. The woman was visually annoyed, she lowered her brows and crossed hands in protest, however, no toxic comments left her mouth. The man, on the other hand, was truly flattered by this sudden attention. Especially, after few reporters called them investigators, it felt more mesmerizing for the ear rather than a simple café worker. His mind already filled with the picture of a private detective, "ala Sherlock". Sitting in a leather armchair by the chimney in his office, smoking a pipe and reading an article about the unsuccessful attempt of the police to solve the murder case.

Alas, the man was snapped out of his dreams by a bump to his side done by the woman. He noticed that her patience was crumbling to pieces with every second. Her eyes, though, still exuded dignity of a nobility which made Eugene realize her status was precisely the reason she could not just brush journalists off and move on. If someone recognizes the noble woman in her, any kind of tantrum might end up poorly for her family. Thus, Eugene was the one to be assigned with a role of a bodyguard, which still contained its charm.

"No comments here, we are busy and are already late to the meeting. Please, move out of the way!"

Eugene started moving, and the lady was tagging along. Surprisingly for the man, journalists did not bat an eye to his words, they were still greedily searching for the tiniest resemblance of information. Fortunately, some of them all of a sudden started taking notes and even pictures of the two. It surely cleared out the space, but not by a large margin, so Eugene still had to struggle to break free from them.

As soon as the road was clear, the woman dashed past him, and now Eugene followed her. And by the curious gazes of wandering people, who were walking their pets, and children, who were already hurried to their homes, the two reached the black Renault.

The woman examined the surrounding and finally spoke, "Your weirdly excited grin back at the entrance was sure quite annoying to see."

Eugene was taken aback from her rude comments, he cried out, "Oh, come on! We really do look like detectives. Not quite as impressive as Sherlock Holmes, Hercule Poirot or Nero Wolfe, but still!"

"What a childish thing to say," The woman sighed and sat in the car, "Well, then, I guess it is time to share information with my Watson, or would you like to be Goodwin?"

Eugene ignited the engine and the car eagerly roared. He smiled for a brief moment, but then immediately changed in mood. He was not sure what kind of information she possesses, and deep down he was even scared of it. In the end, the bloody mess left at a place where your brother disappeared would only stimulate the worst thoughts. Thus, felling the heavy weight on his stomach, Eugene met with the woman's eyes and nodded.

"First of all, regarding the murder supposedly committed by your brother."

"He would never do that." Eugene interrupted her, though, she only smiled at his reaction.

"I am quite sure of that as well, however, my assumption is not based on emotions, but rather circumstances. The popular front was on steady decline and Monsieur Weisen was the only person who held them afloat. And then he conveniently dies on the operational table."

Eugene made a sharp turn to the right, which surprised the woman, but as she was about to complain, Eugene asked, "So what do you suggest?"

"There are no evidences, but I believe he was poisoned."

Eugene raised his brow, "Do you mean George Weisen?"

"I am talking about your brother, of course, it could not be lethal poison, but something that made his concentration loose."

"And what could it possibly be?"

The woman hummed and uncertainly said, "Hard to tell, even a simple allergen could affect you without any visual problem. By the way, do you have any allergies?"

"I feel sick after eating Mediterranean cuisine. Perhaps, I am allergic to some spice there? The exact product might be on my medical card."

The woman fell into thoughts, but after a minute snapped back to reality and continued, "Now, regarding the events of the past evening. So far, I am aware of my servant meeting up with your brother, and in a company with the other 2 people, they went to bar "Samuel". It is a quiet business place, with tables set far from each other, perfect for private conversations and leisure. And while Vincent was questioning Monsieur surgeon, two groups suddenly started a gun fight."

"Wait, there were 2 armed groups!?" exclaimed Eugene in surprise, the woman tartly confirmed, "I did not stutter, the bullet holes were at two sides of the bar and I doubt workers possessed any firearm. Seemingly, the two groups possessed different goals and did not expect to bump into each other that evening. In the end, they captured both victims, but I have quite a bizarre suggestion."

Eugene grinned at her comment, "I am all ears."

"I am quite sure that they accidentally swapped the hostages, due to the light being destroyed at the place. My reasoning is backed up by the fact that our household still did not receive any letter of ransom, as well as the total lack of blackmail of surgeon's family. This plays to our advantage, but I must look at what Vera was able to find to be absolutely sure of it."

"This is crazy…" Eugene was in awe from her explanation, he indeed did not notice such details at the bar. And considering the darkness the premise was enveloped in, it was surprising how she was able to even notice everything.

"Do not miss the turn!"

"Oh shit!" exclaimed Eugene and pulled the wheel to the left as sharply as he could. With a drift, the car managed to stay in line, but he still examined the surroundings for policemen. Luckily, they were seemingly already enjoying dinner with their families. And this thought made Eugene realize that he hardly ate anything today, "I really hope there were some leftovers of Vera's meals."

"Feeling peckish, I suppose?"

"That's right, Pacifica."

"My name is Sy-!" the woman shut her mouth, her cheeks turned red, and she hid her gaze from the man besides her, who was shockingly looking at his brother's home already nearby

"Alright, this narrows down the path quite a bit! Are you Sydney?"

The woman silently shook her head, her blonde her swayed.

"Then how about Syra?"

The silent answer was negative again.

"Maybe, Sylvia?"

And total hush and lack of movement from her was the clear sign of Eugene's correctness. Through brute force, he managed to learn her real name.

"Sylvia la Avise, that's a beautiful name." Eugene said with a genuine smile.