Farnicki did leave the office early, but not because of the lunch break. He was finishing his last report when a ghost-like figure of a woman passed by his desk. No one heard her coming in, as she floated towards Wojcik's desk. Ivan felt embarrassed for his Inspector when the latter startled from sleep and yawned in the woman's face. Wojcik displayed his disrespect for her with an obvious vehemence Farnicki couldn't ignore. As their fight unfolded, Ivan fished her case out from a pile of other files in his desk's drawer. He quickly leafed through it and found out she lived in the Old Town, Liberation Street 25. The Sergeant had a fixation with that address since the moment he moved to the Sub Sarmatians. Out of curiosity, he decided to follow the cat lady.
Agnes almost stumbled as she ran down the stairs. She dashed out of the main entrance and seemed lost once she stood outside on the entry porch. The seething anger that shook her body had waned. The breezy June air blew through her messy hair, making the locks slap against her face, as if the intangible slap she received from Wojcik wasn't enough.
Agnes was cold. Her bony shoulders trembled underneath the thin fabric of her summer dress. She couldn't return to the office, and she couldn't find the strength to walk back home. People were walking in and out of the building, on their way to have lunch, passing her by or bumping into her. And if she was any thinner, they would have walked right through her.
Agnes did what she saw her cats do every time they felt cold: curl up in a little ball. She sat down on the concrete entrance steps of the police station, pulled her legs up to her chest, and wrapped her long veiny hands around them. As she rocked back and forth, the lady silently wept over her dead fury friends, realising there was nothing else she could do to protect her other pets.
The sight of her despair was unbearable to behold. The scene from upstairs had upset Farnicki. He realised that the little faith she had left in humanity was shattered the moment she had walked out of their police station. They were her last and only resort to whom she thought she could turn to. She had set all her hopes on them, but they had failed her.
Farnicki sat beside her on the cold steps, cautious for her reaction. But Agnes didn't seem to notice him until she heard him speak.
"Miss Gott, are you okay?"
Ivan's concern for the woman's well-being was sincere, and Agnes felt that. She looked at him with a bewildered expression on her countenance. The cat lady stopped feeling embarrassed for herself and her appearance a long time ago, however she felt uneasy knowing that the attractive policeman had caught her in her most miserable state.
"I'm fine, Officer. Thank you for asking," she mumbled as she wiped out the tears on her sunken cheeks.
"I'm sorry, I overheard your conversation with my Inspector upstairs. I'm new here, so I'm not familiar with your case, but I thought I might help you …"
"Even if that was true, young man, your superior wouldn't let you," Agnes bitterly replied as she stood up.
"I can do whatever I want in my spare time," Farnicki argued.
Agnes turned around and surveyed him. She tried to understand why the young man wanted to help her. At first, she suspected him of making fun of her, something she had experienced before with public servants. But the police man wasn't out to bully her, she could see that. People with eyes like his weren't capable of doing evil.
"Are you hungry, Officer?" Agnes asked out of nowhere.
"I wouldn't say no if you invited me for lunch, Ma'am," Farnicki anticipated smilingly on her unspoken offer to eat at her place.
"Then follow me. I live here in the neighbourhood," she said and went ahead.
Right at that moment, Wojcik ran out of the building and headed towards his car, unaware of his Sergeant and Agnes walking away together.
Ivan knew the way to Liberation Street. However, he didn't tell her that and followed her in silence. And the closer he came to her house, the more nervous he became. Farnicki was afraid someone would see him. Someone he knew. That person wasn't supposed to know he was in town, as that person lived at the same address as Agnes.
As soon as Farnicki's transfer got approved, he took the few possessions he had and went to the Sub Sarmatians. At his arrival he found a place to rent in the Ram District, not far from the police station and Liberation Street. He also bought the second-hand green scooter Wojcik had made fun of. Buying a car would take too much time and paperwork. He didn't need that, because he had no idea how long he would stay in Resovia and whether he would continue working for the police. Besides, a car would attract too much attention.
Farnicki's transfer was nothing more than an excuse to move to the Sub Sarmatians to focus on his owninvestigation. Ivan looked down on small-town police departments, seeing them as lazy and corrupt bureaucrats. And he saw his prejudices confirmed the day he started his job, on receiving the week's unsolved cases. Those incidents weren't worth being called cases and put into separate files because the description of each situation took half of a standard paper. Farnicki had solved all episodes by making a few phone calls and by using his common sense, meanwhile watching his superior fall asleep behind his desk. He did agree with Wojcik on one thing, though: all Ivan's efforts were useless because they could have been done at the spot, months ago, when the incidents had occurred.
Nonetheless, Farnicki was a remarkably wise and insightful man for his age. He realised he was overqualified to work in a mountain town where nothing ever happened, where bureaucracy and carelessness were the two main reasons for the existence of its police force. Ivan knew he had to keep low if he didn't want to get kicked out and sent back to Wroclaw. And he had to pretend as if work was the only thing he cared about. Although, it was difficult not to get involved with certain things, especially on an emotional level. Like the Agnes Gott case.
Farnicki's heart almost jumped out of his chest when Agnes opened the main door to her apartment block. Since his arrival in Resovia, he had seen the house from the outside, keeping a considerable distance from the complex so that no one would notice him. There was no elevator in that building, so they had to walk up to the second floor. Farnicki's person of interest lived on the fifth floor, however he couldn't bear the thought of her walking down the stairs and seeing him. Luckily, they hadn't met anyone on their way up. He felt relieved when Agnes let him in her apartment and locked the door.
Surprisingly, Agnes' apartment didn't smell to cats, although her two remaining critters were patiently waiting for her on the doormat. Agnes' living conditions were modest, if not to say poor, however her house was clean. She led the Sergeant to her small, but cosy kitchen and told him to take place at the table by the balcony as she opened the fridge. Farnicki instantly felt guilty for taking the offer to eat at her place when he looked inside the refrigerator and saw how scarce her food supplies were. She had barely enough for herself to last for a week. However, he couldn't just walk away and refuse to eat with her. That would insult Agnes. Ivan decided to step out onto the balcony to set his thoughts on other things, as the hostess cut tomatoes on the counter. He leaned over the balustrade, surveying the quiet neighbourhood, expecting to see her walking down the avenue.
"What do you think of it?" Ivan heard her ask.
"What do I think of what, Miss Gott?" Ivan enquired as he walked back inside.
"The Sarmatians. You said you were new here," she replied without looking at him, as she continued to prepare the meagre dish.
"Oh. It's … not what I'm used to," Farnicki uttered half-heartedly.
"With other words, you hate it," Agnes blurted out, serving the plates with vegetables, salami, and cheese. Next, she opened the fridge again and took out a glass bowl with a small pan lid she used as a cover.
"I don't have that much to offer you, but I have some left-over rice from yesterday," she explained as she removed the lid from the bowl, showing him its contents.
Farnicki was extremely hungry. He hadn't eaten properly for days since he moved cities. However, he was happy to experience the feeling of hunger again. But Agnes' rice didn't look appealing to him, and he politely declined the offer.
"It's okay. I'll eat the salami and cheese. Can I have some bread?"
"Are you from Wroclaw?" Agnes asked as she handed him the basket with rye-wheat bread.
"Is it so obvious?" Ivan asked as a smile brightened up his face.
"As a matter of fact, it is. You're a sophisticated young man, unlike the locals," she said laconically.
"Are you a local?"
"As a matter of fact, I am," she seemed to be fond of that phrase, "I have lived here for a long time, that's why I know what I'm talking about. When I was younger, I wanted to move to Wroclaw, or to any other big city, but after my parents had died, my life kind of stagnated in this apartment."
"Are you married?"
Farnicki had learned from her file that Agnes had never been married, but he asked her for the sake of keeping up the conversation.
"No, I've never been married. Although, many years ago, I loved a man. And I thought he loved me, too. Life is very disappointing. Nothing is what it seems, young man. Half of my life I lived on nothing but hopes and illusions, which led me to spend the other half seeing those hopes and illusions seep right through my fingers," Agnes' voice trembled slightly as she entrusted her deep-rooted sadness to a total stranger.
"Do you have any other family or friends?"
Their conversation started to weigh down on Farnicki. He lost all appetite as he felt that woman's loneliness slowly creeping up on him.
"I have a cousin in Low Lechia. He lives in Cracovia. I haven't heard from him in years. He's the last family member I have left. My best friends are my cats. Sometimes, the old lady from across the hall brings me a visit. And in general, my neighbours are nice to me. No one means any harm to me or my cats …"
"Why are you so sure of that? Perhaps you're just not aware of their sentiments?" Farnicki parried, being glad that Agnes had changed the subject of their conversation.
"Oh, but I know! I live here a long time and so do my neighbours. The elderly have known me since I was a child and the younger residents never complained, although they tend to complain about everything nowadays. Just ask the home syndicate," Agnes abruptly stopped talking as one of her cats, a black one with white whiskers, leaped onto her lap. It petted its tiny head against her chest as if trying to tell her something. Apparently, Agnes knew what that gesture meant and took out a small Tupperware box from the fridge. The cat jumped to the ground and walked to its empty bowl by the counter. Agnes opened the box and used her fork to empty its contents into the bowl.
"It doesn't look like cat food," Farnicki remarked as he watched the cat chew on a piece of white meat.
"Because it's not. Cat food from the supermarket is too expensive, so I give them food I eat myself. Chicken is still affordable. They also like fish stock. That's usually at the end of the month, when I don't have any money left to buy enough food for them and for myself."
"What do you do for a living?"
"When I was young, I worked for a short time in an Almain waste disposal company and got sick. Malfunction of the thyroid gland. My lawyer succeeded in making those nasty Almains to pay me alimony for as long as I live, although it's barely enough to make it through the month but I don't complain. Now, I knit clothes for the neighbours' kids to earn a little extra money. You won't tell on me, will you?" Agnes sounded concerned and regretted telling Ivan of her side job.
"No, I won't, miss Gott," Farnicki smiled in a reassuring manner and returned to the topic of her cats.
"How did you find your cats? And why do you believe they were poisoned?"
"It was obviously poison. I saw Daisy die with my own eyes. I was reading in the bedroom when she staggered in and dropped to the floor. I tried to help her, thinking she had swallowed a toy but there was nothing stuck in her airway. Next, she started to foam and died. The others must have died the same way. When I'm at home, the balcony stays open so that the cats can walk outside whenever they want. I didn't panic when Lily, the first one that had died, didn't return one night. I found her the next day already dead on the stairs. Today, I discovered Grey on the balcony, also in a puddle of foam. Fluff and Winnie died in the flowerbeds right underneath my window," Agnes couldn't continue any further. It hurt her having to recall how she discovered her beloved friends, as if she lived through those sad moments once again.
"So, you think they've picked up the poison outside?" Farnicki asked as he pensively watched her making tea at the counter.
"Yes. Maybe they found some poisoned cat treats. They like those. And I believe the murderer has left the poison somewhere nearby, maybe even in the basement, which is easily accessible. The door has no lock. If cats can get inside, so will kids, because they follow my cats everywhere they go."
"You're right about that, Miss Gott. By the way, where have you buried your cats?"
"Outside, under the flowerbeds. All five of them," the woman replied, tearing up.
"Would you mind if I dug them up to find traces of the poison?"
"No, I don't mind. I want to know how they died. Will I get them back?"
"Of course, Miss Gott. I'll bring them back to you once they're done with them in the lab. Is it okay if I come tomorrow after work? I'll take your cats, and I'll also have a look in the basement and around the house."
"Yes, of course!" Agnes said in a more cheerful voice.
Farnicki thanked her for the food and tea and stood up to leave. Agnes went with him to the door. Before he left, she grabbed his hand and squeezed it, as the tears welled up in her eyes.
"I just wanted to thank you. Even if your investigation won't lead anywhere, I want you to know that I'm grateful for your help. I have nothing to offer you, but what you're doing for me is priceless," she let go of his hand and wiped the tears running down her face. Farnicki placed his hand on her bony shoulder.
"You don't have to thank me, and I don't expect anything from you. I do this because it's my job. Have a good day, Miss Gott," Ivan gently squeezed her arm and turned his back to her, walking to the stairs.
Farnicki felt a gnawing sadness seep into his heart as he left Agnes Gott. He knew his involvement in her case had cheered her up, but after seeing the hopeless loneliness of that woman, Ivan realised that his visit was probably the highlight of her year and a rare act of kindness she hadn't experienced in a long time, hence her emotional farewell at the door.
Farnicki hated himself for being too involved in other people's business. He suffered from his own empathy. His compassion always got in the way of his work. That was the case in Wroclaw, and it looked like it would be an issue in Resovia as well. One of his friends said that that characteristic made Ivan into the great policeman he was, while a colleague warned him that carrying the burden of all people's misery would eventually crush him underneath its weight. And both were right. But no matter the approach Farnicki chose for his work, he would inevitably wrong himself or others.
Wojcik wasn't present when Ivan arrived in the office. He had closed all the cases his Inspector ordered him to investigate that day, so to kill time he organised the files in his desk, which seemed to serve as their office dumping ground for unresolved and dead-end cases.
Wojcik returned to work an hour later, looking tired and annoyed. He was surprised to hear that Farnicki had solved all the incidents he had saddled him with. There was nothing else to do that day, no urgent inspections, or important meetings to attend, so he joined his Sergeant in arranging the old files. They didn't talk much during that occupation and once the rearrangement was done, Wojcik let Farnicki leave early from work.