When Ma Procop woke up the next morning, there was hostile knocking at the door. Ma Procop went down stairs wearing her favourite jade green woollen dressing gown. She spoke tiredly to closed door. At the end of her yawn she whispered,
“Who is it?”
“The police!” The reply echoed in the hallway. “Can you please let us in, we need to ask you some questions.”
Ma Procop was distressed and shocked by this early morning call.
“Open the door” a Policeman said.
Ma Procop slowly opened the door.
“I’m sorry to trouble you in the morning” said the young man.
The policeman was extremely handsome and looked a bit like Tom Cruise. She trusted him immediately because he looked so very kind. Ma Procop showed him into the petite living room. Her cottage smelt sweet like melting chocolate. All the furniture, papered walls and woollen carpet was dark red. Blood red, a spooky red, a chill ran down the young policeman’s spine. Ma Procop tried to make him feel more comfortable by asking if he like some tea or coffee. The shocked policeman said
“No thanks”
There was an eerie silence for a minute or two.
The policeman was uncomfortable with the silence so decided to break it. He said in a kind voice,
“My name is P. C. Brown. I notice that there was a mango tree outside, in your garden. Did you sell any of the mangoes, Ma Procop?”
Ma Procop was wondering what was going on. She didn’t have a television so hadn’t watched last night’s news.
Ma Procop replied “Yes, I did sell some of my wonderful mangoes to a group of teenagers.”
Then the policeman looked her up and down. P.C Brown was sizing her up. He thought that she didn’t looked like a murderer. But he said to her in a stern voice,
“I’m arresting you for murder of five people. You do not need to say anything, you have the right to remain silent but anything you do say will be used as evidence against you, in a court of law.”
Ma Procop was numb and just stared at P.C. Brown. She heard the click, click sound of the handcuffs emerging from his pocket. She immediately shrunk and tried to back away. The policeman snapped the cuffs around Ma Procop’s wrists and led her outside. A sea of people had gathered around her home and they were all shouting
“Murderer!”
“We know it was you! You disgusting woman, how can you live with yourself! ”
A beautiful young woman was standing within the crowd. She walked up to Ma Procop. Ma Procop felt this woman had such a kind face that she was going to say some words of comfort to her. But to her surprise the young woman spat in her face and punched her. She shrieked
“You killed my two sons. I will get you for this and I mean it!”
P.C. Brown was so shocked by the crowd he wasn’t sure what to do. He got out his walkie-talkie and asked for back up.
Leonard Haggard was standing within the mob. He looked very smug.
Ma Procop always thought he had distrustful eyes.
“Look Officer, Look at him,” Ma Procop said pointing at Leonard Haggard “ he never liked me, look at his eyes, you can tell he has something to hide.”
“What you on about woman, go to hell!” screamed Leonard.
“What, got a guilty conscience Leonard!” said Ma Procop
Leonard had always been thought of in the neighbourhood as a “miserable old git”.
P.C. Brown started to get suspicious. Ma Procop whispers to P.C. Brown “Why don’t you check next door for clues, surely you don’t believe I could kill five people, certainly not by myself.”
“ Well I suppose it won’t hurt to check next door” sighed P.C. Brown.
P.C Brown turned to Leonard and said “ Can you please open your door!”
The dark brown wooden door had a brass doorknob, which reminded him of an African snake ready to strike with orange yellow eyes. The door hissed open. The hall was almost black, no light at all. It smelt of rotting fruit. P.C Brown pushed clutter out of his way, into the living room. The living room seemed green with bacteria. P.C. Brown was drawn to look at the phone. There before his very eyes he saw a bloody knife and half a mango.
P.C. Brown scandalously said, “This looks like it could be the murder weapon.”
Leonard broke down, his body was shaking, “Sorry Officer, I couldn’t help myself. Those bastards broke into my garden last year and destroyed my mango tree. Nothing has grown since then. They ruined my life, I lost my mango stall, my wife and three children left me, I couldn’t look after them. Ma Procop took my business, I hate her, I want her destroyed!”
P.C. Brown handcuffed Leonard and took him outside. The sound of sirens came out of no where, but assured P.C. Brown. As the police cars slowed down, Leonard broke down, he fell to his knees and facing Ma Procop said “I’m so sorry, really sorry I got you mixed up in this mess. I just wanted your beautiful mangoes.”
