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Godiva: International Woman of Intrigue (Chapter Twelve)
09 July, 2010 by chris
Godiva, International Woman of Intrigue
Godiva, International Woman of Intrigue
By Mathew D. Rhys and Chris Lawton
Chapter 12
"Best we can tell, ma'am," the detective said. "The accident happened around 6:00 this morning. By the time the police were called, he'd been dead for three hours."
"Do they know why the lifts failed?" I asked.
"We've got one of our guys looking at the machinery now," the detective replied. "But, it looks like it may just be a classic case of mechanical failure. Happens all the time. Push a machine hard enough, eventually it just gives out. Then, you just have to hope you're not in the way. This guy wasn't."
"Detective, 'this guy' was one of my closest friends," I replied, curtly. "I would expect you to treat him with respect."
"I'm sorry, Godiva," the detective said. "I didn't know."
"What else can you tell me?" I pleaded. "Hugh was one of the most cautious people I'd ever met. There's no way this was an accident."
"There's no signs that anyone else was here," the detective said. "I'm sorry. But, I don't know what else to tell you. Everything we've found points to an accidental death."
"Sir?" A timid voice came from behind us. We turned around to find a police officer in his early 20's. He had his hat off, and was nervously scratching the back of his head.
"Yeah, rookie?" The detective said.
"I was examining the hydraulic lift and I found something," the officer said. "I think you need to see this."
He led us over to the hydraulic machine and knelt down. He pulled up a hose and held it out in front of us.
"What are we looking at, rookie?" The detective asked.
"Look at the end of the hose," he said. He pointed his finger to it. "See how smooth it is?"
"So?"
"Well, the reason the lift failed is because all of the fluid leaked out," the officer said, gesturing to a dark stain on the cement floor. "The thing is... if the hose broke, or sprung a leak, we wouldn't be seeing something this clean. The break is far too smooth to be natural wear and tear."
I took the hose in my hand and examined the end. I gasped, holding my free hand to my mouth. "It's been cut."