Lighthouse » 5Sauce

02.

Lighthouse » 5Sauce 

Chapter 2. 

"Case 12: Lighthouse," 

"April 22nd, 2012. Automated Rock Lighthouse breaking down." Calum began to read. "No money to fix, three relief workers sent out to work until enough money is made to fix said machine."

"Ashton Irwin, Lucas Hemmings and Michael Clifford sent out to control the light. Six months into their residence in the Lighthouse, they disappeared without a trace," Calum visibly gulped at the words his colleague had just began to recite from the file. "And ever since, there has been no movement on the rock whatsoever. Three past agents have taken the case, and upon return, are dead. No causes of death have been found through forensic tests, therefore Forensic scientists have come to the conclusion the past handlers of this case have dropped dead on the scene." 

"Impossible! Those three were the best this business had ever seen! They've got to have been murdered." Calum said, outraged. The fact that one of the agents was once his friend, he became more determined to find out whatever was happening on that godforsaken rock and crack the case. 

"Exactly what I was thinking." Detective Kelly said, her mind a million miles deep in thoughts.

"I mean, look at this. They can't have dropped dead on the spot and then started having some ominous nose bleed after they're already dead!" Calum pulled a selection of pictures from the binder, each showing different people but with the same conditions. All three officers were sickeningly pale and had crimson blood spread across their papery faces, the source seemingly their noses. 

Their inanimate bodies were bent at some strange angle; torso's curved into 'C' shapes and arms outstretched, meeting their toes, which were bent at the same angle. "It-it looks like a 'D'." Calum mused, looking at the three pictures which had, since being taken from the file, had been spread on the glass coffee table by Rian. 

"It does, doesn't it. Maybe this means something." 

"It could. But what?" Calum stressed, nearly dropping the heavy ring binder onto his lap. "Let's continue." 

" 'Forensic evidence shows the bleeding from the noses has no starting point. -- the point of which the blood flows is unknown.' " Rian began, " 'Tests have come to the same conclusion to all three victims -- inconclusive.' " The youngster's eyes widened to the point where they were almost bugging out of their heads.

"That's it? Inconclusive? Can Forensic tests even end inconclusively?" Calum said, pulling at the ends of his perfectly styled black hair. 

"I guess they can," Rian began. An idea popped into her head. "We need to buy one of those glass board things and liquid chalk markers." 

"What? Why?" 

"Any leads we get. Maps, clues. It could lead us to the answer. Did you not listen in training, Calum?" Rian explained. 

"Yeah I did, of course I did, It just didn't strike me as an option, that's all." Calum shrugged, silently thinking I don't even think I was there that day. 

 "Call me Cal... please." Calum groaned. He had requested for his housemate to call him the nickname his friends often called him -- Cal. 

"Sorry, Cal." Rian corrected herself. "Anyway, should we do it? It could help us close this case faster." She continued to read. The second, third and fourth pages of the file were information on the three previous head detectives of this case, no clues, nothing. But the fifth page, that, was interesting to the youngsters. It was headed "THE MACHINE."