Seven Deadly Colors Of The Rainbow [#Wattys 2016]

204

Turns out Detective Sutherland was not at the research facility but at the apartment where the scientist resided. I had to drive a good deal until I reached my destination. Patrick waited for me outside the complex. A huge apartment building which milked out the resident's paycheck. He started walking towards me when I exit the car.

"Room 204, deserted now but I persuaded the clerk at the front office to give us a key." I eyed Patrick as he spoke. "I saw a very interesting thing."

"Oh yea? And what's that?" I asked.

"You'll see when we get there." Patrick replied.

The apartment was deserted, dusty but it didn't have an unpleasant odor. No one has been here for a while. The curtains looked depressing and the wallpaper was peeling off the walls.

Patrick had a briefcase on the table with a set of documents spread out.

"Follow me." He commanded.

I saw a string on tissue on the floor in a poorly outlined shape of a body.

"Now this is where our precious victim was found. I assumed she fell while coming out of the bathroom as the position in which she is turned. Now if you look at these pictures." Patrick handed me a series of black and white images.

"The first one shows her inner lip, bruised as if she was biting down on it. The second shows her face. The blotchy scars are a reaction from the chemical found in the plant. Now her palms and feet show the same scars." Detective Sutherland continued talking.

"What's this?" I pointed to a black blotch beside the victim.

"Her cellphone. Patrick squatted down while he spoke. "She called her sister asking for help just before she collapsed. Her sister Amanda, wasn't in the area so she called the police to investigate the matter."

"So why wasn't there a formal report drawn up?

"That isn't a question I can held you with." Patrick rose from where he was and went in a smaller room. "The apartment hasn't been rented as the scientist paid for the months in advanced."

The smaller room turned out to be a bathroom and in it was a perfectly framed, carefully cut violet colored paper.