Ron: Here is you tea without sugar; please continue.

Me: No sugar… okay anyway

The Clown added: “with your permission, before you arrest me for killing her, I would like to make some tea for me and any other takers”.

I said: Yes.

In much jubilance our captain asked him to rephrase his official statement.

He said: “what statement, I am yet to make one” and smiled.

I jumped in and reprised him of his earlier statement where he clearly said he was guilty.

He said: Sir, tea is ready, would to like to have a cup”.

We nodded. He started with his story while serving us tea. I asked him what tea was that, as I had never tasted anything like that?

He said: It’s home grown, sir.

I said: Where is home, Mr…?

He said: Jeff Strongman, I am from Texas. I came here with circus nine week ago. I found an admirer in Sarah; she used to sit and watch me perform for hours as if she was profiling me. One day she left a note for me which was an invitation for dinner. I obliged her with my presence in my clown make-up as she had requested. Her voice was so comforting that I decided to do a sleep over that night.

I interrupted him, and said “You mean to say that she made an advance on you whereas her maids claim that you had been following her before she finally decided to invite you in “.

He said: Clearly, they are mistaken; she was so beautiful that Romeos like that where common occurrence.

I added “and insanely rich”.

He laughed and replied “Rich, what makes you say that- her mansion. Didn’t you people go through her financial books??? She was broke and in large debts. She even asked me to marry her but I refused.

I said: Why?

He said: Why, because I live in road and it has no place for a woman born and brought up on bed of roses.

I said: So, you think you had the right to make that decision for her.

He said: I think I had, I am the one who has seen her dying every day without the habitual comforts, and she was a coke addict”

My colleague interrupted him and said” Liar, forensic report and medical sheets suggest nothing of that sort.

He said: A women like her had many close and good friends.

I said: You mean to say she used to sleep with everyone for favours.

He said: I didn’t say that.

I said: But you meant it, is this the reason you refused her proposal?. Anyway carry on.

He said: She kept bugging me with her proposal and we had a fight because of it and since then I haven’t seen her”

I said: But her driver categorically said that he had dropped her in front of this circus the night she died. Where were you???

He said: I was performing at a private function.

I said: Do you have an alibi for that night?

He said: Let just say that the Mayor’s wife is the right person to answer your further questions.

Captain asked him to excuse us and locked the door behind him.

He said: ” We don’t have anything against this guy and moreover we don’t have this case. We have our orders to go back. Let’s just leave things as they are and go back home.”

It was unanimous after that and we started to walk towards the train station. As I was passing through the entrance gate I saw Jeff performing, along with a female clown, for a few children. I thought they made a cute couple.

We boarded the train with long drawn faces with disappointment. I was about to call my wife when it struck me; I was finally able to figure out what was wrong with the furniture. Those four chairs were part of the sofa present in the windows mansion which was claimed to have burnt with her. She didn’t die in that fire; she burnt the dead body of her dead twin sister and bribed the maids and doctors to take care of us. She was the same woman who was standing with the clown when we left the circus. She was there to see for herself if we had bought the story. This theory still rings in my head like wedding bells.

Ron: Are you sure she was alive ???

Me: Well, what can I say ,it is just another theory I have.

Ron: What if you had caught them instead?

Me: I would have handcuffed both of them together and said: “I now pronounce you Mr. and Mrs. Clown“.