Daniel Greg
4 March 1947
Herbie showed Albert a note of the address. Albert hit the pedal and drove there. After a few minutes later, they arrived. There was a smaller house and they both reached the door. When Herbie rang the doorbell, a man with longer brown hair and a fit figure opened up.
DANIEL: Who are you?
Herbie took his badge and said.
HERBIE: Detective Herbie Fox. This is my detective partner. His name is Albert Fringe. We have some questions about last night.
Daniel got surprised.
DANIEL: Come in.
Both of them entered the house and sat down on a sofa in the living room. Daniel was getting more and more terrified every second.
DANIEL: What happened, detectives?
Herbie and Albert looked at each other. After a little while, Herbie started talking.
HERBIE: We're investigating a murder of Frank Lombardo.
Daniel got shocked and asked with horror.
DANIEL: I hope you don't want to tell me... I mean, I just really don't know what... Are you telling me that he's dead?
HERBIE: I'm afraid so, mister Greg.
Daniel covered his face with his palms and started breathing heavily. After a while, he continued.
DANIEL: That can't be so! Please say it's not true! Dammit, Frank! What happened?
HERBIE: We found him dead by his car. Someone stabbed him to death and he bled out.
DANIEL: No! Why him? This is just... unbelievable!
Daniel stood up and walked through the room nervously. Herbie continued.
HERBIE: I know it's hard for you, but we need to ask you some questions.
Daniel slightly calmed down and sat down on the sofa again. Calm but still shocked, he said.
DANIEL: I'm listening.
HERBIE: Albert, you know what to do.
Herbie gave his notebook to Albert who was already pulling out his pen out of his pocket. Herbie started the conversation.
HERBIE: Tell me in detail, what happened yesterday in the bar. We have information that you were with the victim until approximately three o'clock in the morning.
DANIEL: There's not that much to tell about yesterday. We were both tired from work. We arranged to go to the bar and relax a little.
HERBIE: Describe me the whole evening.
DANIEL: Nothing interesting. We came there at about eight o'clock and ordered out first piña colada. “Since then, the time just flew by and we didn't even know what time it was.
HERBIE: Was Frank involved in a bar fight?
DANIEL: No, he wasn't. Why are you asking that?
HERBIE: He had several different bruises on his body.
DANIEL: Really? I don't know how he got them.
HERBIE: How was your relationship with Frank?
DANIEL: We were good friends for years. We played golf together, went to a lot of events, and we met each other in the bar every Friday night.
HERBIE: Did you have any conflicts with him?
DANIEL: Things got a little out of control when he started dating my sister, Marge. Otherwise, we had no conflicts.
Herbie looked skeptically at Albert and asked more questions.
HERBIE: We got some testimonies about diamonds. Did you have some property issues between each other?
Suddenly, Daniel started to slightly shake.
DANIEL: I don't know what you're talking about.
Herbie began raising his voice.
HERBIE: Well, that's quite interesting, mister Greg. In our testimonies, a witness stated that you were arguing about jewelry. Does it not ring a bell to you?
Daniel started to shake a little more intensively.
DANIEL: No, I don't know anything.
Herbie chose to be ruder.
HERBIE: Mister Greg, I'd like to warn you that giving false statements to the police is a federal crime in this country! You can even spend years in prison!
Daniel couldn't handle the pressure anymore and he started admitting.
DANIEL: Ok, ok, you got me. Things are more complicated around that.
HERBIE: Go on.
DANIEL: The thing was, my mother died just a few weeks ago. You can't stop the time; you know how it goes. Her testament is not entirely clear and she owned quite some valuable pieces of jewelry. Since I'm her firstborn child, I think it should be me who gets to own them. Marge doesn't think that, though. She thinks that something like diamond jewelry should get to the daughter. To be honest, we had so many arguments that we haven't even talked since the day of my mother's funeral.
Herbie got suspicious and claimed.
HERBIE: Something's fishy about this, mister Greg. Do you want to tell me that you have some serious feuds with your own sister just because of some decorative objects? I think that those jewelry pieces have some higher value, which only you know about. You want to own the diamonds to make a good barter.
DANIEL: That's not true! Stop accusing me!
Although Daniel wanted to defend himself, he knew that Herbie concluded his intentions perfectly. He wanted to stand up and make the detectives leave but he couldn't do that due to his softer character. Herbie carried on with his speech.
HERBIE: You know what, mister Greg? I think I have just revealed the first suspect of Frank's murder! Without even saying that much, you have made me imagine the murder's motive.
DANIEL: Please stop! What you're saying doesn't make any sense! We were good friends! I had no reason to kill him! Furthermore, it was my sister who I have a feud with, not him. How did you even think of that?
Herbie hit the table with his fist and started shouting. Albert got slightly scared because of his scene.
HERBIE: Where did you go last night when you left Frank? You must have heard his crying! Did you disappear like some Canterville ghost?
DANIEL: I quickly went away. I was strongly drunk, so you can be glad that I even remember something.
HERBIE: Let's go, mister Fringe, but one more thing. Give me an address of your sister. If you give us a false one, we'll come back and bring you downtown!
Daniel started looking nervously after a piece of paper and a pen. Albert offered him the notebook with his pen.
ALBERT: You can write it down here. Try to write it as clearly as possible, please.
DANIEL: Thank you.
When he finished writing, he gave the notebook back to Albert. Herbie came to the door with threatful words.
HERBIE: I have my eyes on you, mister Greg!
Herbie opened the door and left. Albert followed him. Daniel got very upset and didn't say a word.