The Silent's End [EDITING]

CHAPTER 8

WARNING: NOT EDITED.

THAT IS ALL.

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APRIL 1825, MORNING

The sharply-dressed man stood quietly right by the door as Donner stepped upstairs. It was not customary for the inspector to have visitors and it manifested as he had no idea, whatsoever how to decently treat a guest leaving his guest without company. It was as if the well-dressed man didn't travel far just for him. He didn't even offer refreshments for the man. The visitor didn't have a choice but to stand the inspector's social attitude. He closed the entrance door behind him, walked in front of the staircase and there he stood, waiting for the inspector.

Donner tried to gather as much of his precious case files as his poor satchel can. He needed to bring everything, seeming that it would be days before he could come back at the City. After he finished packing his files, He slowly stepped near his table, where the worn-out journal and Bertram's autopsy report were lying on top. Looking at the autopsy report, He gingerly picked the piece of parchment and scanned it further. The discovery he had before never left his mind, as this would be the answer to the questions that even Bertram had procured.

The man sighed as it seemed the inspector is taking longer than he expected. He turned away from the staircase and decided to roam around the house. He scanned the first floor, walking past the doorway, turning left and entering to what supposed to be the dining room. The man examined the place with a fine-tooth comb. He perceived that the room was empty except for the dust-filled oak table at the center and the unused stove placed at the left corner. There were even boxes scattered throughout the floor, leaving someone guessing that the owner of the house just moved in recently. He knew that the inspector was living at the house for more than a year now. This fact left him to consider two possibilities: one was, the inspector hadn't got enough time to clean or unpack, evidently; and the other, the inspector didn't care if his house stayed unpleasant and slovenly - The latter would be validating. Even though he was curious about those boxes, the dandy wouldn't dare to take a peek at what's inside them, noticing a black rat jumped out on one. He stood startled but undeniable to perceive that that would be most likely to happen.

The man continued to scan the place, pulling out a white silk handkerchief out of his left jacket pocket and placed it on his nose. From the dining area he went straight to an entryway bringing him to another room. He didn't fail to notice a renaissance styled fireplace placed perfectly and elegantly at the center of the wall.

“How did I not noticed it before?” He thought, looking at the wonderful piece of architecture.

As he entered the house, he should be, knowing that the marvelous fireplace was facing the entrance door, the corridor connecting it. His eyes showed at how enthused he was, discovering the wonderful craft. He only could appreciate a work of art be-it from a master or an ordinary man. His finger traced the intricate decor of the fireplace with much favor. His face melted into a frown as his finger accumulated much dirt with one single stroke. Such artistic beauty was doomed to be forsaken and uncared-for. He looked at the fireplace with such grief. Those were the reasons why he didn't recognized its beauty at all, for it was enveloped with the ugliness of the dirty floor hiding its true glamor.

The man walked back in front of the stairs as he heard Inspector Donner coming down. He waited for him, looking up, hands behind his back. He couldn't help but notice the dusty railings of the stairs. It should, knowing that the inspector was using the staircase, the railing should be spotless and without dust. He watched as the inspector paced down the stairs, noticing his free hand, the other holding the black bag, never touched the railings but stayed glued inside his pocket. The man turned and went for the entrance door before Donner could land on the first floor. He walked towards the carriage; behind him, the inspector. The man opened the door of the carriage for Inspector Donner. Donner first went inside, followed by the man.