CAUSE OF DEATH - SHORT STORY

CAUSE OF DEATH

Your long whit lab coat contrasts against the gleaming black door, a brass number ten staring solemnly at you as you enter the house. Inside a tall man greets you and as he subtly slips his hand into your right pocket, his eyes glued to yours, you recognise he is the prime minister. Ignoring the envelope that which is now weighing down one side of your long coat you smile hesitantly.  

The prime minister leads you a short way down the well decorated corridor and invites you into the downstairs bathroom. Immediately you notice long curly ash blonde hair that is draping over the side of the roll top bath. The prime minister throws you a wink and pats you on the back to encourage you in, his eyes show no sign of tears for his dead wife, instead a small bruise lays concealed under a lock of hair.

Avoiding the pools of deep red blood; you make your way over to the body of the young woman in the bath. On the floor you place down your brief case and open it up. With a pen you begin to fill out the death report-

Death Report:

Bruising- To the neck and arms, five to six hours old. Skin on back of neck shows signs of friction, surroundings indicate use of shower cord. Palm of hands also show signs of struggle with shower cord. Victim appears to have three small children from the image showing in the locket around her neck.

Flesh wounds- To the stomach, three deep and one small. Five to six hours old, excessive blood loss. Potential damage to stomach and kidney. Size and depth indicates use of sharp object, broken piece of mirror still inside one of the cuts. Excessive blood loss. The tattoo of a prayer across the woman’s side implies she is religious and believes not in the harm of others.

Breaks- To fore finger on left hand. Clean brake indicates a great force applied to the hand, not likely the brake was caused by the victim. Nails also torn and broken suggesting a struggle. Nails look to be well manicured usually so the damage to them rises suspicion of murder. Also note she is not wearing a wedding ring.

Swelling- To forehead and right eye. Used of substantial force, the tangled bleached hair on the back of her head implies someone pushed her head onto the tiled floor or hard surface raising suspicion of murder.

Other- Torn lips indicate victim had been gaged and and multiple flesh wounds show she suffered from biting tongue and lips indicating a struggle.

You look down at the substantial evidence lying around the room that shows the most likely cause of the woman’s death is suffocation. Your eyes fall upon the silhouette of her husband, the prime minister still standing tall in the door frame, his arms crossed behind his back. A long black shadow is cast over you. He lifts his chin up, the light pours onto his face and shows his lips curling at the edges.

Nervously you take back a gulp of air and fill in the final box of the death report-

Cause of Death – Suicide.

Quickly you sign the bottom of the document and hand it to the prime minister, who is now stood close behind you. You can feel his cold breath hit your neck as he exhales. Taking the document, his beady blue eyes scan the sheet and lock onto the final box before they are fixed onto you again. Quietly he hands it back. You file it into the brown leather brief case, lock it and rise back to your feet. With a wink and one small pat on your back, he encourages you out of the room and back into the corridor.

You walk numbly back to the front door with the strong hand pressed firmly to your left shoulder. You stop and turn. Holding out your hand the prime minister shakes it with his. Its cold. You notice a tan line on his forth finger where it had once homed a ring, although it had clearly been removed long ago. Looking further you can detect the stains of blood on his blue shirt cuff. He shakes your hand a little firmer making his blazer sleeve fall lower to cover the stains, and remind to look at his face. The well-lit room reveals the love bites across the side of his neck.

He breaks the shake and opens the door for you to leave. You place your hand back into your lab coat pocket and clasp the envelope tight. With a slight nod of your head you exit through the door and hear it close quick behind you. From the top step you glance up to see light. The early morning sun is concealed behind grey clouds threatening to rain, so you begin to whistle as you walk home.