PADS #9

‘Nothing in here, not a thing, no shoes no clothes. It’s completely empty, I mean it’s impressive, but why would you have it if you weren’t going to use it?’


‘And why would you lock it?’ said Wyse, approaching the cupboard for a closer inspection.

The cupboard which would have probably stolen the attention in any room regardless of other distractions, had been well cared for. It was almost as if the house had been designed around and maybe even built to keep it safe. Detailed painted panels of children playing, often featuring animals and mythical beasts decorated the doors and sides of the cupboard. The only blemish appeared to be some recent damage to one of the panels in the centre of the cupboard laying it open to the wood beneath. The remaining fragments above the damage depicted what seemed to be the roof of a small house and below a puddle of water had been finely embossed in gold leaf.

It was all somehow vaguely familiar to him.

‘What are they?’ said Elms tracing the panels with his fingers.

‘They are the work of a master craftsman, Elms. Perhaps this was the lasting legacy of our victim who has undoubtedly fallen upon hard times and been abandoned by all. Who finally succumbed in the end to the cruel reality of a world which no longer cares for such artistry and survived by selling all but his most treasured possession.’

‘You don’t know, do you?’ said Elms.

‘It is a logical assumption,’ said Wyse, turning away from Elms and the cupboard to inspect the rest of the room

The only other piece of furniture was the bed, which had been designed with the fragile in mind. Large black iron balls capped the four posts defending the oasis of sleep. A multi colour duvet was thrown across the bed, so that when the fragile cracked their heads open the blood wouldn’t show up too much against it. The curtains of the bedroom were heavy and fully drawn, their colour was indistinguishable from the purple lined walls and left the rest of the room empty, except for the shape of a body dimly lit by the embarrassed light.

Wyse breathed in deeply, this had been the physical moment when he had accepted the case and its heavy burden of bringing those responsible for this death to justice. He studied the dead body curled against the bed. He had seen many deaths in his time but even by his standards this was peculiar, before he could venture forward an anxious voice interrupted him.