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The Case of Sir BonifacioLoading...
Laura Staquecini
Josualdo Alencar Bonifacio. Thirty-one. Owner of large coffee farms in São Paulo, Brazil. 1908. Found dead in his backyard. Body seemingly unmutilated. Suspected poisoning.
I nodded as I read the file. Alright. Let’s do this.
As I approached the office the next morning, I could hear my assistants discussing frantically. It sounded like they were primarily suspicious of a large group of lower-class rebels. They both turned to look at me as soon as I opened the door. Mr. Queenley immediately spoke up.
-- Detective Walker, good morning. Have you read the file? The one regarding the death of Sir Bonifacio?
-- Yes, I have. Do we have any evidence that the rebels were at his place, though?
-- Well, not exactly; that's just our initial hypothesis. You know that protests have been erupting everywhere because of the social disparities, so it makes total sense.
I simply stood there, contemplating for a moment.
-- Right, but there is no proof that a group of people invaded his property. Something about this sounds off to me.
-- But it looks like he was poisoned - of course the place was not a mess. It was an easy kill. Plus, it could have been just one of the rebels performing for the group as a whole.
We continued discussing the crime. We went on for weeks. The killer remained a mystery. The case was beginning to stress us all out. Everyone believed it was the group of rebels, but it simply did not make sense in my head.
-- It could not have been the rebels! They would have announced their plans to the public before putting them into practice! That’s what they are known for!
-- Yes, Detective Walker, but this could be a brand new strategy! It could be them trying to trick us into thinking that it wasn’t them, and clearly you’re falling for it!
-- There is no trick to fall for, Queenley! How could it possibly have been a group of people when there is quite literally zero evidence of multiple individuals breaking into his property?! The crime scene was clean, there was no mess, no broken windows, no smashed door! It must’ve been a single person, and probably someone close to Sir Bonifacio, too.
-- But it was reported that the rebels were seen near his property around the time the crime was committed. They could have found a way to get in stealthily. Sir Bonifacio’s back door was found open, remember? The scene was clean because it was death due to poisoning - there was no physical violence. Come on, Detective Walker! You used to be a brilliant one!
-- Hold up! There were no rebels around at the time. Sir Bonifacio was listening to a report on the radio about the protests in his living room, almost asleep! There was no suspicious movement around his property then!
As soon as the words were out of my mouth, Queenley and Johnson (the other assistant) widened their eyes at me. That was the very moment I knew I’d messed up.
I nodded as I read the file. Alright. Let’s do this.
As I approached the office the next morning, I could hear my assistants discussing frantically. It sounded like they were primarily suspicious of a large group of lower-class rebels. They both turned to look at me as soon as I opened the door. Mr. Queenley immediately spoke up.
-- Detective Walker, good morning. Have you read the file? The one regarding the death of Sir Bonifacio?
-- Yes, I have. Do we have any evidence that the rebels were at his place, though?
-- Well, not exactly; that's just our initial hypothesis. You know that protests have been erupting everywhere because of the social disparities, so it makes total sense.
I simply stood there, contemplating for a moment.
-- Right, but there is no proof that a group of people invaded his property. Something about this sounds off to me.
-- But it looks like he was poisoned - of course the place was not a mess. It was an easy kill. Plus, it could have been just one of the rebels performing for the group as a whole.
We continued discussing the crime. We went on for weeks. The killer remained a mystery. The case was beginning to stress us all out. Everyone believed it was the group of rebels, but it simply did not make sense in my head.
-- It could not have been the rebels! They would have announced their plans to the public before putting them into practice! That’s what they are known for!
-- Yes, Detective Walker, but this could be a brand new strategy! It could be them trying to trick us into thinking that it wasn’t them, and clearly you’re falling for it!
-- There is no trick to fall for, Queenley! How could it possibly have been a group of people when there is quite literally zero evidence of multiple individuals breaking into his property?! The crime scene was clean, there was no mess, no broken windows, no smashed door! It must’ve been a single person, and probably someone close to Sir Bonifacio, too.
-- But it was reported that the rebels were seen near his property around the time the crime was committed. They could have found a way to get in stealthily. Sir Bonifacio’s back door was found open, remember? The scene was clean because it was death due to poisoning - there was no physical violence. Come on, Detective Walker! You used to be a brilliant one!
-- Hold up! There were no rebels around at the time. Sir Bonifacio was listening to a report on the radio about the protests in his living room, almost asleep! There was no suspicious movement around his property then!
As soon as the words were out of my mouth, Queenley and Johnson (the other assistant) widened their eyes at me. That was the very moment I knew I’d messed up.