Chapter 191 - 5

Marczak was convinced that the initiative came from Yang, hit American woman. Dominik would never have indulged in such behavior, especially since he had attended Werner's funeral a few minutes earlier.

This was what he was trying to convey to Andrzej hungover in the morning. Poor thing didn't remember much about what happened in the evening. Probably not often he had the opportunity to flood himself so heavily. He will feel the effects of this evening for quite a long time. But I think he will give Dominik a chance. When the first shock was over, even he had to admit that this photographed scene was inconsistent with the actor's character. It just had to be a mistake. There was no other option.

So these two will be back together, probably today. And so much of Marek's plan to use their misunderstanding for his own purposes. He must have been really getting old, since he cared more about the happiness of Dominik and Andrzej than about his own.

"Mr. Marczak, I am so sorry" his assistant came to his office. It surprised him that her usually stern and unmoving face was full of anxiety.

"Yes?"

"Police for you. Criminal Division."

Although this information surprised him, he did not show it. The last time he dealt with the police was when Dominik went missing. The cop in charge of the informal investigation turned out to be quite competent. His name was Adamski, if Marek was not mistaken by memory. Robert Adamski. He was from Criminal Division.

"Ask the gentlemen," he said with a smile.

He had no idea what they might want from him. His side activity was so much side-activity that only a few had any idea of ​​it, and they surely wouldn't let go of their mouths if they liked the stools and their stable family life.

The door opened wider and Miss Shmidt let two people in plain clothes in. The woman looked as if she was still in her thirties, slim, not ugly, with ashen, rather short-cropped hair, but with a longer fringe that covered the eye. She was evidently a tomboy, but still graceful despite her overly serious expression. She immediately caught Marczak's eye. The policeman was a little older and entered his office as if he were in his own house. Arrogant and aggressive, with his fair complexion, he must have had huge problems with hiding blushes. Even though it was December, freckles were clearly visible on his face. He too was cute with his pale red hair and beard.

"Commissioner Święcki and Deputy Commissioner Andryszek" the man introduced them, flashing his ID. "Can we sit down?"

"Of course. Would you like something to drink? Coffee? Tea?"

"Thank you, we're here on business."

They both had grave faces. They probably investigated the suicide of Maciek Werner and came to interrogate him because of his close professional relationship with Dominik. The suicide was obvious, but if anyone had anything to do with bringing him to...

"What can I help you with?" Marek asked very politely. There was no reason to be rude. Werner has received what he deserves and as long as he does not drag Śliwiński with him, everything will be fine. And Marek already knew exactly what had to be done to put the police on the right track.

"Do you know Mr. Iwo Mężyński?"

The question surprised Marczak.

"Of course," he replied. "He's one of my new actors. A very calm boy. I can't imagine him getting into any trouble. He didn't get into it, did he?"

"I'm afraid that Mr. Mężyński is dead" said the policewoman.

Iwo? Dead?

Marek saw in front of his eyes the smiling teenager with whom he had been messing around in the bedclothes a moment earlier. The kid had so many dreams, so many desires, his whole life ahead of him, and in the meantime...

"How?" he asked. His tone was businesslike, cold.

"He was beaten to death. We found his body this morning."

Beaten up? To death? How could anyone do something like this? Why? After all, Iwo was a really decent boy.

"When was the last time you spoke to him?"

"Yesterday afternoon. I gave him the news that he was hired on a new show."

"And in the evening?"

"No."

"He called you."

"I didn't pick up. I was busy... Did it happen right after that?"

"The approximate time of death was between ten and one. Did you and Mężyński have only professional relationships?"

"I guess that's none of your business."

"Yes, mine. The last call he tried to make was for you. It probably goes beyond the manager-actor relationship."

The last connection - did Iwo already know that his life was in danger? Was this phone call asking for help?

"We did sleep together occasionally," Marek admitted.

The policeman grimaced in disgust as if he wanted to express his face to let the world know what he thought about such relationships.

"Where were you last night?" the assistant commissioner asked, ignoring the face of her colleague.

"At home."

"Anyone who can confirm this?"

Oh, yes, someone definitely was, but it didn't seem okay to involve him in all of this. People like this policeman can draw wrong conclusions.

"Another lover?" The red-haired man asked tartly, proving Mark's fears.

"No," he said firmly. "And I do not want such a tone in my office. My private life is mine and private. I sleep with whomever I feel like sleeping with and your attitude, Commissioner, makes me want to show you what the charms of making love with me are.

"What for…"

The rage was clearly bursting the policeman, and Marek was pleased to see him blush under his red beard. Yes, he would be happy to teach him this and that, and above all, not to judge something he does not know, and the policeman himself also looked as if he wanted to teach him a lesson, though of a slightly different kind, but he was stopped by sharp.

"Sit down! Mr. Marczak, we are not suggesting anything and are not interfering with your private affairs, but at this point in the investigation, however, we still have very little evidence, so we will be grateful for your cooperation. I think you also want to catch the murderer."

Marek sighed silently.

"A friend of mine had a little drink yesterday and he spent the night at my place. This is Andrzej Nowicki, a photographer. I will give you his bearings."

He wrote down the relevant data on a piece of paper and handed it to the policewoman. She thanked him politely and they left the office.

***

"May I know what you're doing?" Deputy Commissioner Lila Andryszek hit her partner on the shoulder.

"What do you mean?" He asked, looking innocent.

"Are you that stupid or are you just pretending to be like that? Do you know what is said about this man?"

"You think I'll be scared of him just because he goes for vodka with the commander?"

"Chief commander."

"I'm not gonna shake my pants because of this. I don't like this guy."

"But you can't just attack him like that! Better hide your private views in a closet."

"For me, Marczak is the main suspect."

"On what basis do you draw such a theory? You don't have any proof."

"They were lovers. Something went wrong, his nerves went up, and the kid ended up in the morgue."

"You are a genius, you really are."

"Hey, most murders committed are crimes of passion. Maybe he saw him with someone else and he felt nervous..."

"No," she shook her head. "He doesn't look like he would have suffered and commit a crime of passion.. He's a rather calculating, cold type. If he had to kill his lover, he wouldn't have done it that way."

"Yeah? And I think he is guilty anyway," he said, taking the driver's seat of their official Renault.

"Are you saying no prejudices?" She asked. "Contrary to some propaganda posters, not all gays are pedophiles."

"Only some are close to it. The kid was eighteen. It is not known how long he was a lover of this bastard."

"He was an adult. You have no evidence that they had anything in common before, and even if they did, remember from which age you can legally have sex in Poland. Before you start hanging people, we should check his alibi."

"Yeah, it'll probably be very credible. Drunk friend, probably also a pederasty."

"Haven't heard about Andrzej Nowicki before?"

"Should I? Was he involved in something?"

"He's a rising star in photography. Do you know these Śliwiński advertising posters?"

"The yogurt? What about them?"

"He took pictures."

"So another bum who thinks he is allowed to do everything?"

"Really you and your views," she shook her head. She was clearly disgusted. "But wait, I have a message from Patrick. They finished the autopsy of Mężyński. What, will we leave the Nowicki interrogation for later?"

"We're going to the morgue."