A conversation among friends

deposit	Payment of a part of a larger sum
to shake	To disturb the calmness of somebody
nosy	Over curious; rudely inquisitive
door step	Level surface leading up to an outside door
murder	Unlawful killing of a human being intentionally
bear	To tolerate; to stand
never mind	Not to mention
vague	Not clearly expressed or perceived
to own	To have as one's property; to possess
to doubt	To question the truth; to feel uncertain (about something)
to turn out	To prove to be
to swear	To say or promise very seriously
to strike	To occur to somebody's mind; to impress
busy body	Person who interferes in other people's affairs
to fit	To be in agreement with, to suit
ginger	Plant with a hot-tasting spicy root used as a flavouring
witness	Person who sees an event take place
short-sighted	Person who has the ability to see clearly only what is close
to get over	To return to one's small state of health, happiness, etc.
shock	Sudden violent disturbance of the mind or emotions caused by bad news, a frightening event, etc.
to apologise	To say one is sorry
to remind	To inform of a fact or to tell somebody to do something he may have forgotten
a shot	Sound of firing a gun or some other weapon
to trace	To follow or discover somebody or something by finding marks, tracks, etc. Andrew What happened to you yesterday? We waited all morning for you and in the end we had to cancel the excursion. Pete is going to try and get the deposit back, but he'll have to invent a good excuse. Where were you? Beatrice I'm sorry I didn't phone to tell you that I wasn't coming yesterday but you won't believe what happened to me. Even I still can't believe it. I'm so shaken. I could be in prison now if it hadn't been for a nosy neighbour. Andrew What? Beatrice I was just about to leave the house when there was a knock at the door and when I opened it there was a policeman standing on my front door step. Andrew What did he want? Beatrice He told me that I was under arrest on suspicion of murder. Andrew I can't believe it! You? You can't even bear to kill a fly. Beatrice Well, I was taken to the police station and they questioned me for hours about my movements on the 6th December. You know that I can never even remember where I was the day before, never mind over a month ago. So of course all my answers were very vague. When they asked me where I had been that day, I had no idea. They asked me if I knew the Bloomsbury area well and of course I had to say yes. You remember that I used to live there a year ago when I was studying. They asked me if I had a blue Ford Focus and, would you believe that at first I said no! I was so nervous that the first thing that came in to my mind was my little red Mini that I had only sold last week. I still can't get used to the idea that I have changed cars after 15 years! So of course, the police already knew that I own a blue Ford Focus and they couldn't believe that I could have made a mistake like that. Andrew But how did they discover that you hadn't had anything to do with the murder? Because you hadn't, had you? Beatrice Andrew, how can you doubt me after all the years you have known me! Andrew I'm sorry Beatrice. Of course I don't really think you are capable of anything like that. Beatrice Well, the police were questioning all the neighbours of the murdered woman and it turns out that she had a next-door neighbour who spends all her time looking out of her window and watches everything that goes on in the neighbourhood. She swore that she hadn't seen anyone except a tall, slim blond woman of about 25 or so go in or out of the house all day on the 6th December. She said she knew it was the 6th because it was a Saturday and the murdered woman always went away at the weekends and it had struck her as peculiar that she should be at home on a Saturday. Andrew Amazing. How can anyone remember things like that or be such a busy body as to control other peoples movements like that? Beatrice Well, in this case, thank goodness they exist. Because I obviously don't fit that description, being short, overweight, ginger-haired and over 50. The neighbour confirmed that the woman arrived in a blue "car" and gave a positive identification when they showed her a picture of a Ford Focus and a totally negative identification when they showed her my photo. Well, to cut a long story short, another witness who was passing in front of the house at the time, had heard the shots and given the description of the car parked in the drive of the murdered woman's house. But she was a bit short-sighted and she had confused the number plate of the car. The nosy neighbour helped a police artist to make a picture of the new suspect and when they checked number plates of other blue Ford Focuses with similar number plates to mine, the data base showed a photo of a woman who fitted the description given by the neighbour perfectly. I don't think I'll ever get over the shock of this. Pete So what happened to Beatrice yesterday? What excuse did she have this time for not turning up? Andrew A very good one apparently! You won't believe it. I told her that we had waited all morning and that we had had to cancel the excursion. I also mentioned that you were going to try and get the deposit back, but that you would need to invent a good excuse for the cancellation and she certainly gave me a good one. Pete Well, go on. Surprise me then. Andrew Well, first of all she apologised for not having phoned and assured me that I wouldn't believe what had happened to her. She swore that she was just about to leave the house when there was a knock on the door. She said that when she had gone to open the door she'd found herself face to face with a policeman, who informed her that she was under arrest on suspicion of murder. Pete Well, this is definitely the best excuse ever! Andrew What happened ......... you yesterday? We waited ......... morning for you and in the end we had to ......... the excursion. Pete is going to try and ......... the deposit back, but he'll have to invent a good excuse. Where ......... you? Beatrice I'm sorry I didn't ......... to ......... you that I wasn't coming yesterday but you won't believe what happened to me. Even I still can't believe it. I'm so shaken. I could be in prison now if it ......... been for a nosy neighbour. Andrew What? Beatrice I was just ......... to leave the ......... when there was a knock at the ......... and when I opened it there was a policeman standing on my front door ......... . Andrew What did he want? Beatrice He told me that I was ......... arrest on suspicion of murder. Andrew I can't believe .........! You? You can't even bear to kill a ......... . Beatrice Well, I was taken to the police ......... and they questioned me for hours about my ......... on the 6th December. You know that I can never even remember where I was the day ........., never mind over a month ago. So of course all my ......... were very vague. When they asked me where I had been that day, I had no ......... . They asked me if I knew the Bloomsbury area well and of course I had to say yes. You remember that I used to ......... there a year ago when I was studying. They asked me if I had a blue Ford Focus and, would you believe that at first I said no! I was so ......... that the first thing that came in to my mind was my little red Mini that I had only sold last ......... . I still can't get used to the idea that I have changed cars after 15 years! So of ........., the police already knew that I own a blue Ford Focus and they couldn't believe that I could have made a ......... like that. Andrew But how did they ......... that you hadn't had anything to do with the murder? Because you hadn't, had you? Beatrice Andrew, how can you ......... me after all the years you have known me! Andrew I'm sorry Beatrice. Of course I don't really think you are ......... of anything like that. Beatrice Well, the police were questioning all the neighbours of the murdered woman and it turns ......... that she had a next-.........  neighbour who spends all her time looking ......... of her window and watches everything that goes on in the ......... . She swore that she hadn't seen anyone except a tall, slim blond woman of ......... 25 or so go in or out of the house all day on the 6th December. She said she knew it ......... the 6th because it was a Saturday and the murdered woman always went away at the ......... and it had struck her as peculiar that she should be ......... home on a Saturday. Andrew Amazing. How can anyone remember things like that or be such a busy ......... as to control other peoples movements like .........? Beatrice Well, in this ........., thank goodness they exist. Because I obviously don't ......... that description, being short, overweight, ginger-haired and over 50. The neighbour confirmed that the woman arrived in a blue 'car' and gave a positive ......... when they showed her a picture of a Ford Focus and a totally negative identification when they showed her my ......... . Well, to cut a long story ........., another witness who was passing in ......... of the house at the time, had heard the shots and given the description of the car parked in the drive of the murdered woman's house. But she was a bit short-.........  and she had confused the number plate of the car. The nosy neighbour helped a police artist to make a picture of the new ......... and when they checked number plates of other blue Ford Focuses with similar number ......... to mine, the data base showed a photo of a woman who fitted the description given by the neighbour ......... . I don't think I'll ever get over the shock ......... this. Pete So what happened to Beatrice .........? What excuse did she have this time for not turning .........? Andrew A very good one apparently! You won't believe it. I told her that we had ......... all morning and that we had had to cancel the ......... . I also mentioned that you were going to try and get the ......... back, but that you would need to invent a good ......... for the cancellation and she certainly gave me a good ......... . Pete Well, go on. Surprise me then. Andrew Well, first of all she ......... for not having phoned and assured me that I wouldn't believe what had happened to her. She ......... that she was just about to leave the house when there was a knock ......... the door. She said that when she had gone to ......... the door she'd found herself face to ......... with a policeman, who informed her that she was under arrest on suspicion of murder. Pete Well, this is ......... the best excuse ever! Did the neighbour recognize the car in the photo? ......................... Why did they have to cancel the trip? ......................... What did the policeman tell her? ......................... Why was she taken to the police station? ......................... Did she have to stay there for a long time? ......................... Could she remember what she did on the 6th December? ......................... Did she know the Bloomsbury area well? ......................... Had she ever been there? ......................... Who made a picture of the new suspect? ......................... Was Beatrice the murderer? ......................... Did any neighbours see anything that day? .........................