“Uh-huh…”
I grow more and more skeptical.
“What does the note say?”
“Some generic stuff about the meaning of life.”
“Hmm.”
“You don’t seem to buy it.”
I notice the shred of irony in his voice.
“Do you?”
“Not at all.”
“Cause of death?”
“Drowning.”
“How did that happen?”
“He has a cabin in the woods. There’s a stream and a small wooden bridge in front of it.”
“Got it. Did anyone ask for an investigation?”
“There was one at a time, but they couldn’t find anything suspicious. Other than his death, of course. It raised some eyebrows, but there wasn’t much to build on.”
“The note?”
“Was on his computer. Anyone could’ve typed it.”
“The time of death concurs with the timestamp on his note?”
“They are close enough to be impossible to say one happened before the other. If there was foul play involved, that person sure knew what they were doing. They were very expedient and took care of business. It’s possible that the victim knew they were in danger and had an encounter with the aggressor that day.”
“What makes you say that?”
“His clothes. It was cold that day, and he only wore pajama pants and a sleeveless tank top. Something you’d wear inside while drinking coffee, watching TV, or working on your computer. He suddenly dashed out of the house, lost a slipper, and jumped off the bridge. That suggests a different scenario. Maybe he was chased by someone. Maybe they had a confrontation. Maybe he wanted to get away, knowing that the danger was imminent. Maybe falling into the water was an accident. It could’ve also been prompted by the attacker.”
“Did they do an autopsy?”
“Yes, they did.”
“Any signs of violence?”
“Only the bruises consistent with falling over the wooden handrail. And his skull was cracked. He hit a boulder.”
“You said something about a slipper.”
“Yes. They found one in the house behind a potted plant, next to the door. They couldn’t find the second one. He probably had it on when he fell over the balustrade.”
“Was the water deep?”
“Not so deep, but he lost consciousness right away. They found him down the stream, lying flat on a stone. The water dragged him there.”
I suck in a long breath and exhale slowly.