Chapter 2: The Lie and the Truth

"there is a dead man hanging on the tree!" yelled the shepherd

The villagers were shocked from what they've heard, they rushed east to the English yew tree, a body was dangling on the tree hanged from one of its branches. Shock, fear, and wonder controlled the people and they started gossiping.

"Did he commit suicide?"

"He was probably murdered then hanged to make it look like that"

"Why does his face look familiar?"

"Certainly! it does look familiar!"

"Aristor head back to the village" the village's chief said "I'll head to the town next to us to inform the police, don't touch anything unless Elena tells you to do so" he shouts warning the villagers.

As the people were busy gossiping the village's doctor was walking around the tree looking for anything that will help getting closer to the truth, she takes a glimpse on the left palm of the corpse, blue spots were on the left Palm of the corpse, her eyes were opened wider

"Bring some towels and a cover" She said

"we should wait for the police" one of the villagers said

"right now!" She yelled

The villagers brought the corpse using towels on a cover that's on the grassy ground, Elena wore gloves she brought from the clinic and a mask, she twists his left palm and confirms that the corpse suffered from blue spots on his left palm, her heartbeat started increasing, more sweat was secreted, she twists his right arm to see his palm and witnesses a lump of cells, her eyes were opened wide in awe.

"Here?! No … why would someone hang a poisoned victim or poison a hanged victim … is the murderer an idiot? ….. or does the well contains it? What the hell happened?" She asked herself, she took her eye from the corpse and looked at the villagers "…. (sigh of anxiety) should I tell them? … This might cause a panic which will make it worse … I'll tell them that he was only poisoned" she said in herself

"The victim was poisoned … but I don't know what was the poison" she said to the villagers

"But why would someone hang a poisoned victim?" Alphonse the village's teacher asked

"I don't know" said Elena

Zachary, son of the village's chief, got closer to the corpse, sat, stared at the corpse's face, he notices something.

"tha-that's Ronnie" he said

"what?!" nervously asked Alphonse

"it's Ronnie! He looks exactly like Ronnie! An-and he has the same scar scar as Ronnie on his left cheek!" while pointing towards the corpse's face

"Th-that's true!" Said Alphonse

"Stare at his face people, it's Ronnie" Zachary said

The people surrounded the corpse and started staring at its face.

"It's him!", "how did we not notice!?", "that's true!" The villagers said to each other.

Alphonse sits beside zachary and he looked at him and asked nervously "who do you think murdered him?"

"I don't know ….. There are lots of people who are suspects even from outside the village … The real question is who would hang a poisoned victim?" he looked at Elena and asked "Elena what do you think happened?"

"I don-not know ….. for now lets preserve him and wait for the police to come"

The village's chief arrives in the next morning with two police officers, a detective, and an ambulance carriage.

"Where is the corpse?" said the detective

"On the English yew tree east of the village" he points east, they head there and reach the yew tree.

"Did you embalm the corpse?" Asked the detective

"What is –" the village's chief was cut by Elena "Yes we did" replied Elena

The police examine the corpse, the detective pulls out his notebook and a pen and start to ask questions.

"who found the corpse?" asked the detective

"I found it" replied the shepherd

"When and where did you find the corpse?" Asked the detective

"I found it during the afternoon yesterday on the English yew tree" said the shepherd

"Do you people know that person? If yes, then what do you know about him?" Said the detective

"Yes, his name is Ronnie, we barely know anything about his history, but we know he used to drink a lot and that he was a whoremonger ….. what I can also confirm is that there are lots of people who want him dead "

"So you think he was murdered?" replied the detective

"Definitely!" replied Zachary

"who is the first suspect you think of?"

"There are lots, so I can't … I can't really be certain ….. There are even people from outside the village that want him dead … This worsen the case" replied Zachary

"I see" said the detective

After further examination the detective reached a conclusion

"The man has blue spots which is a symptom of snake poison and the rope had his fingerprints, the man was in pain and he couldn't bear it, he knew he was about to die, so … he gathered his power and hanged himself on the tree to end his suffering" said the detective "There is no murderer he committed suicide … there is no need to worry"

The people of the village sighed a sigh of relief, they simply believed him and put their mind to ease, except Elena who was in awe. The corpse was carried by ambulance carriage driver and a police officer to the carriage and they left the village.

"Thank god!"

"We're fine!"

"We can rest easy now!"

The villagers returned to their houses, while Elena brought Zachary to her clinic"

"What did you want to talk about?" Asked Zachary

"How do I tell you? … the detective was lying"