Without explanation (1) Fiction

Date &  Time : 19 May 2017, 3.00 pm

The telephone is ringing, I pick up the phone and say, "Hello, who is it?"

A woman answer, "Mrs. Jones, I'm Mary Smith, from the Jones Solicitors; I have to tell you a bad news, parts of Mr. Jones' body were found in the harbour. We believed the suspect was telling the truth. We saw this man came into our office on Monday morning;  and Mr. Jones went away with him, at night we received his phone call asking us of ransom. We could not find you, so we did not know what to do but reported to police. This morning police arrested this suspect and he told police about the murder and dismemberment, the limbs were thrown into harbour on Monday night. Anyway, can you come to office today, because tomorrow is Saturday, we are very busy in the morning."

I didn't marry Mr. Jones, he was my classmate in secondary school.

That is why I want to find out the truth.

I rush to the office, this is my first time visit, I tell the receptionist my name, she tells me to wait for Miss Smith in the sofa.

A while later, Mary comes, she leads me to the meeting room. While we sitting down she starts talking, "Mrs. Jones, according to Mr. Jones instructions on the 8th of May, he had signed, sealed and delivered all his wealth to you, your lawful name is Ms. Agatha Rose shall be the owner of all of Mr. Alfred Jones' wealth, including this law firm and this office building, a house in South Yarra at Victoria state."

I didn't know his home address, but he knew my home address in Hawthorn and my home phone number. I didn't contact him for many years, he went to London after finished Secondary school, and I went to university in Melbourne.

Curiosity drives me to look around "my" law firm and "my" office building, a three storey office building in South Yarra. In a walking distance I can reach the house, Alfred's previous home.

I have the door key of his house. When I opened the door, the inside surprised me, he bought the house for three years without living in this house. Everything inside just as if a new built house, the sticky plastic film are still attached on the glass windows, no furniture, no curtain, no electricity or water. The hot water system is not installed.

I go back to the office after inspecting his house.

I ask Mary, "Do you know where did Mr. Jones live?"

Mary says, "Upstairs, the top floor. Let me show you the way."

Following Mary walking up the stairs to the top floor; it is an apartment, a home for a single man.

I decided to let this law firm goes on its business, and I want to sell "his" South Yarra house.

After I reached home in Hawthorn, I telephone Cyril, but his line is busy, the receptionist says, "Would you like to leave a message to Mr. Adams?" After I told her my name, and then she hung up.

Cyril and I are boyfriend and girlfriend for decades, ever since pre-school.

My phone is ringing, it's Cyril on the phone, "Agatha, what's going on, you never telephone to my office."

"Do you remember Alfred Jones? My classmate. He was murdered, the body parts were found in the harbour, that were his. He had signed, sealed, and delivered all his wealth to me one week before he was killed."

"Did you kill him?"

"No, I didn't meet him ever since we were graduated from secondary school. I thought I have to marry you in order to be rich, but now I have a law firm and a house.

I want to study laws, I have a marketing degree, but there is not much I can do in Australia."

“Yes, I guess you wish to know more about this Alfred Jones and the murder case.”

Cyril knows me well.

(To Be Continued)