To those who have not met previously Kroupa
and Hendrych in their adventures, let me redress this misfortune
and introduce the pair.
Kroupa and Hendrych shared
a similar build and both were middle aged. Detective Chief
Inspector Kroupa was a few years older. His pink cheeks were
sagging and he was going bald. Every criminal, who encountered him,
feared him. His simple interrogation technique was well known in
every police academy - ‘He never answers a question with an answer,
but always with another question. ’
There was a popular
anecdote circulated about him. A suspect had asked Kroupa, “Why do
you always answer with a question?” Kroupa replied, “Why
shouldn ’ t I?”
However Kroupa had a
weakness – which also proved to be his strength at times – and it
was known only to Hendrych. Kroupa always
followed his intuition
Kroupa had worn the same black, horn-rimmed
glasses for over twenty years, since he had become aware that his
eyesight was deteriorating. He liked the old-fashioned look and
they also served as a memento of Rome. Therefore, he never replaced
them. Instead, he simply had the lenses replaced every year. On the
rare occasion when a smile crossed his face, his cheeks touched the
bottom of his glasses.
Kroupa wore tweed. Usually
rusty Harris tweed, comfortable moleskins trousers, dark brown,
soft flat shoes, and a dark green woolen necktie. Whenever he went
outdoors, regardless of the weather, he sported a Baxter Tartan cap
– of course, he ’ d had the pompom removed. “It
looks more ‘classy ’ , and it matches my car,” he
liked to say. The car in question was a dark-brown Rover
SD1.
He liked classical music and art, his
favourites being old Dutch Masters. However, he also had a penchant
for Picasso and Dali, and Miles Davis was often his choice of
music, but not for too long at one time. Philosophy was another of
his hobbies and his library included everything from Plato to
Wittgenstein, but also many Russian writers. He had no time for
poetry or Dickens. But always had time for a pint of cold beer. “It
helps me think,” he liked to say. Sometimes, more often than not,
the thinking did for him his beloved dog Sara. Nobody has ever
known how these two found each other, but there have been
inseparable, making Hendrych jealous. He thought that too much
credit went to Sara - which he thought he deserved.
Kroupa’ s friend Hendrych had been
a freelance reporter for over 20 years. He ’ d written
for major newspapers in Hamilton and when Kroupa had relocated to
Boarsville, he moved too. Amongst his major publishers he counted
Boarsville Morning Post, Boarsville Daily, and Hamilton Telegraph.
He loved to get an ‘exclusive ’ and be paid for it.
Occasionally he still struck gold with The Times and The Guardian,
due to his previous contributions and contacts there.
Hendrych had met Kroupa at the very
beginning of his career while on assignment and since then the two
had become best friends. Hendrych often helped Kroupa in his
investigations. His reward: 'exclusives' for his papers. He was in
his early forties, about 185 cm tall, lean but strong, with a mane
of reddish hair that was always neatly combed. Curiously, he wore
contact lenses and sunglasses, even when the light was dim. Mostly
he was dressed in a fine soft black leather jacket, perfectly
tailored, as were his grey flannel trousers, elegant black loafers
and a blood-red kerchief around his neck. On special occasions, he
would put on more formal flannels, but he preferred his leather. He
liked to look good, and tried to appear younger than he really was.
That was the main reason for his contact lenses. He could take
shorthand, an art almost forgotten by now and he was fluent in a
number of languages. And not the least, he was a back-belt
marshal-art expert.
Hendrych loved his car.
Every three years he traded in his Alfa Romeo Spider for the latest
model, always at the same dealer. “I mightn ’ t be able
to afford a
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