Private investigator

Death

Today Katya was meeting the Mattels, a young couple of nouveaux riches. The wife called her panicked a few days ago when she received a threatening letter addressed to her husband. Katya was used to this, as a private investigator, most cases revolved around rich people and easily ended up in a murder when money was involved. She drove to the Mattels mansion in her classic black suit and trench coat, a cigarette hanging from her lips as she parked her car on the gravel. Katya walked to the front door and put out her cigarette before knocking. Seconds later a butler opened and asked for her name, which she gave and was then let inside. She handed the man her coat and a blonde woman walked up to her.

"Good morning Miss Zamo, how do you do? Thank you for coming. My husband is in his office, follow me please." She said with a shy smile and held out her hand.
"Hello Mrs. Mattel, it's a pleasure to meet you." The investigator replied and kissed the blonde's hand. She knew it wasn't custom for a woman to do this gesture but she liked to parade in front of beautiful ladies, and Mrs. Mattel was definitely one. She had voluminous blonde hair neatly coiffed in a beehive, a soft pink lipstick coated her luscious lips and she wore blush high on her full cheeks. She was dressed in a below the knee white ensemble that showcased her pinup body even if her skin was only on display from her calves to her ankles.

The housewife knocked on a large wooden door and opened after receiving permission from her husband. She let Katya enter before her in the spacious office.

"Good morning Mr. Mattel. I'm Katya Zamolodchikova, private investigator at your service." The blonde said while shaking the man's hand. He stood up from the desk and a frown appeared on his face. He was tall and thin, his dark hair was slicked back on his head and he wore a seemingly expensive grey suit.

"Hello. Elliot Mattel. I know my wife called you in an emergency but there's not much to worry about. I can handle this trouble on my own." He said with a conceited attitude. What Katya understood from that was that either he thought he was smart enough to manage death threats, or he might not want someone to look into his business because there were illegal things going on. It was a possibility she would have to look into.

"Could I see the letter please?" Katya asked, evading his comment. Elliot turned around and opened a drawer, from which he pulled out a folded sheet. Katya analyzed the short text in printing letters. It was very forward, Mr. Mattel must have made some risky decisions to receive this. There was no explicit mention of an amount of money to pay, only a demand to "take action" if he wanted to survive. Katya took a picture of the letter with her small camera and gave it back to Elliot who had his arms crossed like an annoyed child.

"Be wary Mr. Mattel. Some people go very far for business, and I think your wife's worry is justified."
"She's fearful that is all. I'll be fine. Good bye Miss Zamo, Beatrice lead her out" Elliot replied. He sat back down behind his desk, and Beatrice nodded and walked to the front door with Katya.

"I'm sorry I made you lose your time, it was stupid. I wish I could pay you something but I don't have any cash on me and my husband would not allow me to give you any." Mrs. Mattel apologized.
"You've done nothing wrong. Don't worry about money, it is alright. Call me if you need to, I have a feeling that this is more serious than Mr. Mattel wants to admit. Have a nice day"
"You too Miss Zamo. Good bye"

Katya kissed the blonde's hand and put her coat back on, then left the house. Beatrice was still in the doorway until Katya drove off. She was thinking about how trapped she felt, how her husband did not mind ridiculing her in front of strangers. It was always like this since the beginning, and even if Elliot was rich his flaws outweighed this asset greatly. Beatrice considered herself lucky until he started pressuring her into having a baby recently. There was nothing worse she could think of than carrying her husband's child for nine months.

Katya went to her apartment and read the newspaper, then smoked a cigarette on the balcony and thought about how she felt sorry for Beatrice. She seemed like a bubbly woman who was held down by her careless husband. Katya knew so many women in her situation, and she couldn't stop thinking about how good she would treat her girl if she could have one. If Beatrice was her wife she would spoil her with shoes, dresses and bags, she would take her around the world, make her eat at the most expensive restaurants and go watch the greatest plays, movies and concerts with her. Katya would do everything to please her. She would let her taste what true love is.

On Monday Katya was supposed to visit a woman who had doubts about her husband's loyalty. Unfortunately these were most of the cases she worked on, but she had to make a living so she accepted them. However, right as she was about to leave her office, her phone rang, which was unusual at 8 am.

"Miss Zamo? Good morning, I, I think I'm going to faint... He's- Elliot. Oh my god. He's dead. You need to come, I don't know what to do. Oh Lord I'm passing out" Katya heard Trixie say in a hushed voice, followed right after by the sound of her body hitting the floor. Katya immediately slammed the door and locked it, then ran to her car. She arrived at the Mattels mansion quickly, and the butler opened when she banged on the door. He let her in and explained that Beatrice was in the living room on the sofa. He had called the police and they were on their way. Katya went to see the blonde and she was crying, her body shuddering. She had no idea how to comfort her, she seemed completely shocked. Katya rubbed Beatrice's arm and left to see the corpse, which was in the office. Elliot had been shot in the head from behind. The window was open but it didn't look like someone broke in. An important detail was also that his right pinky finger had been cut off. Katya knew that this was a sign of the mafia. The woman decided to talk with Trixie before the police came.

"Would you answer some of my questions and tell me what happened precisely? I know it must be hard and you're still in disbelief but it might help you to process the event. And I want to help you find out who did this" Katya said, sitting down next to the widow. The blonde nodded and dabbed a tissue under her eyes before speaking.

"Yesterday night I went to bed before Elliot, like I always do. He works late in his office and then joins me, most of the time I'm already sleeping and I don't notice him. So I did not realize he wasn't with me in bed until this morning. I looked for him around the house and the first room I checked was the office, and, and he was there..." Beatrice explained and started crying again. She looked down and covered her face with her hands. Katya was aching from seeing the woman like this, so she wrapped her arms around her and brought her to her chest in an attempt to ease her sorrow. A few minutes later Mrs. Mattel had calmed down and the police arrived. Katya squeezed her hand and stood up to greet the officers, whom she knew from past cases. She already worked on murder scenes before, and even if her presence was not always appreciated she helped to solve many crimes. They discussed for awhile and went back to see the body. Katya stayed around when the inspector interviewed Mrs. Mattel, and she decided to leave with the police after that.

"You can still call me whenever you need to. Here is my home phone. Rest well, you have my condolences" She said with a nod, and gave Beatrice a small piece of paper.
"Thank you Miss Zamo. Bye" The blonde replied, still wiping tears away. Her butler and maids were there to take care of her, but Katya felt like she needed more than servants by her side. Beatrice was now all alone in this huge house, and Katya was worried for her well-being.