Inspector Jameson and his assistant, Sarah, walked quietly around the house. The place was quiet, as if the suspect had been expecting them. Jameson was a veteran detective and had seen it all, but there was something about this case that was bothering him. He couldn’t put his finger on it, but he knew that something was not right.
As they entered the kitchen, they found the suspect sitting at the table. He had some books in front of him and he was drinking coffee. There were two other cups of coffee on the table, steaming and ready. No milk, no sugar, just as Jameson and Sarah liked it.
The suspect looked up as they entered and smiled at them. “Good morning, Inspector,” he said calmly. “I’ve been expecting you.”
Jameson was taken aback. “How did you know that we were coming?'”
“Call it a sixth sense, inspector. As you can see, I am an old man. And old people know many things,” said the man and smiled again. He was wearing a dark blue suit and appeared to be in a cheerful mood. He was calm. Far too calm. Something was not right.
“Please, sit down,” the old man said, gesturing to the chairs across the table. “I’ve made some coffee for you. It is getting cold.”
Jameson hesitated for a moment, but Sarah did not. She took a seat almost immediately and quickly grabbed one of the steaming cups. Jameson kept standing.
“I suppose you have some questions for me.”
“Yes, we do,” said the inspector and after he had cleared his throat he continued. “We’re here to talk to you about John Davis.”
The suspect’s expression didn’t change. “I see,” he said and took a sip of his coffee. “And what exactly do you want to know?”
Jameson and Sarah exchanged a glance. They had expected some degree of defensiveness, but the suspect seemed almost eager to talk.
“I guess you know that he was found dead in his house last night.”
“Yes, I’ve heard about it.”
“You don’t look disturbed by his death at all,” said the inspector and looked the old man in the eyes.
“And should I?”
“He was your business partner, wasn’t he?”
“Yes, he was. A long long time ago.”
“Well, we want to know where you were on the night of October 15th,” inspector Jameson said and took the other cup of coffee. Sarah had almost finished hers.
The suspect took a sip of his coffee again. “I was at home, watching TV,” he said. “Alone.”
Jameson narrowed his eyes and now he took a sip of his coffee too. “Of course you were,” he said and put the cup back on the table. “But nobody can confirm that.”
The suspect shrugged. “As you can see, I live alone, inspector. But I can assure you that I didn’t leave my house that night.”
Jameson and Sarah exchanged another glance. There was something about the suspect’s calm behaviour that was making them uneasy. They had expected him to be more defensive, more emotional. But instead, he was acting as if he had nothing to hide.
Inspector Jameson couldn’t shake off the feeling that something was off. Was he hiding something, or was he really innocent? Jameson knew he had to keep digging in order to find out.
put his finger on it – (nevedieť presne pomenovať, čo na danej situácii nesedí/je zvláštne) – to know or be able to explain exactly what is wrong, different, or unusual about a situation
steaming /ˈstiː.mɪŋ/ – (pariaci) – producing steam
calmly /ˈkɑːmli/ – (pokojne) – in a way that shows you are not excited, nervous or upset
appeared to be – seemed to be
gesture /ˈdʒestʃə(r)/ – (naznačiť gestom) – a movement that you make with your hands, your head or your face to show a particular meaning
hesitate /ˈhezɪteɪt/ – (váhať) – to be slow to speak or act because you feel uncertain or nervous
exchange a glance – (vymeniť si pohľad) – look at each other
eager /ˈiːɡə(r)/ – (dychtivý) – wanting very much to do or have something, especially something interesting or enjoyable
disturbed /dɪˈstɜːbd/ – (znepokojený) – very anxious and unhappy about something
shrug /ʃrʌɡ/ – (pokrčiť ramenami) – to raise your shoulders and then drop them to show that you do not know or care about something
uneasy /ʌnˈiːzi/ – ( mať nepríjemný pocit z niečoho) – feeling worried or unhappy about a particular situation, especially because you think that something bad or unpleasant may happen
shake off /ʃeɪk/ – (striasť sa) – to get rid of something bad
innocent /ˈɪnəsnt/ – (nevinný) – not guilty of a crime
Sparrow's English Reader 