"Detective Bomes, thank the Great Ape that you have arrived. I trust the elephant ride was comfortable for you. I see you did not come alone, but with your good associate, Healer Watts." My host was gracious to also acknowledge my accompany associate. "How is your research on the genetics findings of the homo-sapien species. Most intriguing specimen, I tell you."
"Professor Hastings, we received your 'fox ' mail this morning, and we rushed here on the morning troop. Nasty ride that was, with the elephants not in sync like they used to. Watts, remind me to complaint to the Troop Master on the Troop 12 from London to Dover. " I can see my trusted associate is bust scribbling on his notepad with the piece of pencil that he keeps in his vest pocket. Its so short for his stubby fingers and yet he refused to acquire a new one. I tell you the habits of these Chimpanzees are very deplorable compared to my fine upbringing as the apes.
"Yes, I called on you this morning as I am in need of your assistance. Some creature has denied my pet his life and I feel that justice has to be done for his poor soul". Professor Hastings; an ape like myself of a different intellectual mind has spent most of his adulthood in the study of the evolution of our species. His notable works including Origin of the Apes, and also the disputable research paper on 'Ape and Man: Evolution or Revolution'. His last paper caused him his seat at the University and thus his retirement to the village near the cliff of Dover. But his annoyance is not over as there are others who felt that his works has tarnished the image of the 'Hominoidea'. Such pity as these ignorant protesters does not know that the subject matter includes human.
"Let us haste then to the place of the incident as its clues could be found to lead to the culprit." I am not of impatience as its my character to be of patience and tolerance as these could be of help in solving my delicate cases. But I find many a times the scene of incidents are tampered by unrefined works of the obnoxious enforcers who thinks a banana is a vegetable when many a times it has been told that its classified as a fruit.
Alas, I am not wrong in my presumption.
The clumsy prancing of the Macaque has come as I presumed. There are two of them with their blue overcoats shuffling their tails over the flooring as they raised the dead vessel of the homo-sapien species. I shriek at them to hold their arms so that they would not more tampering on the scene but who ever tell you that the Macaque listens to instruction is probably a Macaque himself. The two blue coated monkeys, as I would named them let go off the body to fall on the flooring and hopped onto the upper railings that act as resting place for the researchers.
"Who are you to intrude into our investigation?" One of these monkey do speak as to my surprise. The Macaque who spoke also produced the usual emblem of their authority; the Enforcer red tag on their butt end.
"I am Detective Bomes and this is my associate, Healer Watts. May I know your name and rank, Enforcer.?" As I was introducing myself, I moved towards the dead body. Healer Watts leap over me and hung himself by his lower limbs to looked for clues from a different perspective.
"I am sorry, Detective Bomes. I was not aware that the Zoo send you over. My name is Inspector Leslie and this is my assistant Diane from the Dover Red Enforcer Division. We...." But I find besides their name and rank, there is nothing that they would say can interest me.
I scour the body for marks of his death and I find some possibilities. I asked if the good Inspector would to help me to raise his body slightly so I can see what may be hidden beneath it. The Inspector obliged with reluctance but not so his assistant Diane who may had taken a fancy to me. I do sense such appreciation as not many of them has seen an ape in their swings. And I am one good one on the grass bed.
Ah! I see something of interest and picked it up. I put it in my small bags of evidence before the Inspector take notice of it. Then I saw a mark on the floor which resemble a paw. Its of an unusual design and not of our kind. I must consult the good Professor on this. I saw from the corner of my eyes, the ever trusted assistant of mine is checking the lower part of the body. He is trying to established the time of death.
"Healer Watts, what say to the time of death?" Watts was to showed his middle finger which glisten with the results of his probe.
"Twelfth move of the sun. That will put the death to before dawn. I wondered who kills at that hour?"
"I may answer to that. I got the very killer in custody at the house now. He was seen in the vicinity and also seen exiting from here at dawn."
I looked at the Inspector who felt that he had one over me; the distinguish detective of Zoo from London. I am not being egoistic but my exploits has been well documented by Watts for the "Vine Drops". But I have to be usurp by a Macaque in my investigation. I offered to follow the Inspector and his assistant back to the house. On the way, we came across a number of species being loaded into the cages bound for the University. I saw before me the sea lion, birds and also the beauty of the jungle, the Lioness.
"They are going back to the University. I borrowed them when I was still Head of Research. Now the Uni wants them back. Sad, as I have grown attached to them. That's Simi, the Lioness., she was with us for more than twelve moons." I can see the Professor speaks adoringly of his pets.
"Professor Hasting, you mentioned 'us' as to whom were you referring to?" I was just curious who shared his works. As I know, he lives alone with no mate except for some servants. The Professor is not a sociable man and detest the presence of females as they obstruct his freedom of movement and choice. Choices among them is the fermented tapioca drink he makes in his lab. I know as I am one of his drinking partners.
"Why that is Freddy. He's a chimp and a chum to me. He cares for the species while I take specimen off them. He knows how to talk to them and made them calm. But he is the one whom we will see in the house."The Professor words trailed off as he find himself solitary without his pets and now his assistant.
We came into the house perched on the lower tree branch. Its a nice design with two level painted in the colors of the leafs. I think I seen this design promoted by the Safari Motivated Team. Its motto was; we bring the jungle to you. There is the long vine for us to climb up but not the Inspector as he takes the trunk and then to leap onto the branch.
"Would it hold my weight?" I had to asked to mock the host but he took it in good grace. Soon we were all in the living compartment of the house. There was Freddy in binds to the overhanging branch, and the group fo us from the crime scene. As expected Diane went over to check on the binds even though she knows its well in grip of the chimpanzee there. Its the discrimination between their kind; an age old rift that never healed.
"If I may. I, Inspector Leslie find this Chimpanzee" his tone is very blatant in the discrimination, 'on the suspicion of taking the life of the human. He was seen coming out of the lab at early dawn by witnesses, and on his hand are traces of blood which we traced to the murder weapon he used; a club found at the scene. Diane, please show the Detective the evidence." Diane walked to us with the club placed in an Evidence Sack. I took a look at it and smiled.
"On what motive would Freddy killed the man?" I asked but Freddy was trying something which the Inspector intervene with a harsh slap on the chimpanzee face. Its the marked character of the Macaque to react in these manner when they are upset or provoked. I offered the Inspector his seat as his offending red butt was too obvious to everyone.
"The motive is very simple. Freddy has developed an affinity towards the man and when he was told that the man was to be sent to the Uni, he reacted in fury and killed it." The proud Inspector had to stand up and turned his back to us to take the bow for his outstanding conclusion.
"I stand to correct you, Inspector Leslie. Please do seat as I give you my assumptions. Assumptions as I have yet to test the clues I have but I would be confident they are true to my assumptions. Freddy did not kill the man. He saved the man from a mauling from the Lion. It was the man who did it himself." I let the statement takes it round to the listener of my assumptions.
"Please allowed me to indulge myself with the events that could taken place. The man was in the cage as som was the Lion. But somehow he managed to open his cage during the night. He wanted to escape but he saw the Lioness also has done the same. She stand facing him and as a man he feared the Lioness. The man took the club that he sees on the floor." But Freddy interrupted me.
"I used the club to scare the Macaw. She is always lamenting about the poor food I served her......" I raised my arm to Freddy to hushed him down.
"As I was saying, the man took the club to confront the Lioness. He must had backed in a hurry that he hit his head on the nail tack at the wall near the railing." I can see Watts jumping in joy as he somersault there. I saw the same clue he did. "He fell forward and that's probably when Freddy came in. Freddy shooed the Lioness back to the cage as she was licking at his wound. If Freddy was late, Simi could have have taken a chunk off the man. Freddy then checked the man's wound and later picked up the club to lean it against the wall." It was Diane now.
"Yes, we found it leaned against the wall." She incurred the glare of the Inspector.
"Freddy must had tried to revive the man but he knows nothing about the workings of the man. He ran out to call the Professor which your witnesses may had seen running out. And the rest you know." I sat back on my seat to await the questions.
"How can the nail killed him?" As expected, the real cause of death.
"No, Inspector. He did not die of the tack injury. He died of heart attack. The man showed signs of a post attack and he dispensed off some of his body fluids in the rear then. He died of the cardiac arrest. I can see his body showed lack of exercise and his cage showed his leftover meal of high protein and fats diet. This man is already diseased with possible high pressure of the body blood and and given his years, I would say cardiac trouble was in him before his death."
"Yes, the man did complained of chest pain and difficulty to breathe. I was thinking of getting him to the vet to check on him next week. Magnificent assumptions, Detective Bomes. I am glad you came or Freddy would had been jailed for a crime he did not commit." I shared the Professor's enthusiasm on my assumptions.
As we were waiting for the next troop of elephant for our ride home to London, Watts had to asked me how did I know the assumptions.
"Elementary, my dear Watts. Elementary...."
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