If it’s not the CAT, then what could it be?
I tried to pick up the pieces of melon skins as I analyzed the situation. I stopped. I should not disturb or destroy any evidences before I document them. I shall leave them for tonight as I’m running late for my dinner appointment.
I went to the sink wanting to wash my hands and there I discovered something else. There was no water. The tap had been left open. I checked the other taps in house. Not a single drop is there. “Fabulous. He cut off my water supply. This is really the work of an expert.” I thought to myself.
Reluctantly, I left the mess behind and went for my dinner appointment. I could not enjoy the dinner. All the while, I’m back at the crime scene...
I must have taken tens of pictures of all the evidences from all angles, including the cockroach, which was still lying where I found it in the morning. There was no water still. I could not take a shower that night. I decided to leave the cleaning up til the next morning. Hopefully the water supply would have returned by then. The only consolation I had is that my room was apparently intact and no important documents or valuables were stolen.
I could not sleep that night. Thoughts of how the crime took place were swirling in my mind. Action plans A-Z for the next day were being formed. It’s a long weekend and the offices will be closed til Tuesday. Preventive measures need to be put into place. More than anything else, my heart pained at the wrecked kitchen which I had spent much efforts setting up. Cleaning and decontamination is going to take some time.
It’s Chinese New Year coming Monday. All cleaning and restoration work must be done before that and that leaves me only two days for everything. How exciting...
Saturday, January 24, 2009
Friday, January 23, 2009
CSI – Part 1
A big cockroach stretched out on its back, feelers spread out on the ground and legs moving intermittently in the air. A few black ants were circling it. This was the first thing that greeted me on a Friday morning. I did not have a good feeling about this sighting.
I had a dinner date in the evening. Coming home from work to change, walking up the stairs, the air seemed to smell differently this dusk. It reminded me of Snowball, the charcoal-coloured tom cat I used to have. Once again, the same weird feeling I had in the morning encompassed me.
Opening the door, I’m not sure why but I actually peeped in and looked around the house before entering the doorway. The living room looked exactly the way it was when I left for work in the morning.
I stopped in the doorway and froze. A chill went down my spine. One of the six chairs of the dining set, the one with its backrest towards the kitchen, was overturned on the ground. Why was the chair down? My mind raced to recall the events in the morning. Was I the one? Was it the wind? My heart skipped a beat. Was someone else?! Who? Why? How?
Slowly and carefully, I moved into the house. I picked up the chair and switched on the lights. I scrutinized the surroundings.
I gasped.
White and brown particles scattered across the whole length of the kitchen floor. Melon skins and pomegranate shells in random places. Clusters of red blotches that looked like blood stains trailed from the larder to the sink. Above the sink, the mesh on the window was wide open, the walls covered in black dirty patches. In the sink, a messy array of chopping board, detergent, soap tray and sponge lay soaking wet. Under the sink, a strong stench of urine was overwhelming.
The fallen chair. The open window. The dirty black patches. Mentally, I tried to re-enact the course of crime. CATS!
The same black dirty patches were found on all the open shelves of the larder. On the first shelf, my two half kilograms packets of white rice and brown rice were gone. Well, not exactly gone, since they were all on the floor. On the second shelf, my new loaf of multi-grain bread was missing. On the third shelf, all the packets of ketchup were not there in my collection of sauces anymore. On the top shelf, my two pieces of sponge and scrub disappeared. The packaging of my new roll of tissue paper and aluminum foil were also torn open. So were my three bags of trash, which were all tied up for disposal.
Something is not right. The roll of tissue paper was still intact. So was the roll of cotton beside. Though, some things were taken from shelves, the remaining ones were still in their original positions. Something else caught my attention on the second shelf.
Surrounding an empty space, a packet of Milo on the left, instant coffee mix at the back, herbal drink mix on the right and peppermint tea in the front, all untouched. Right in the center, in that empty space, there used to be a small box of Red Label tea leaves. Now, that is missing.
This is definitely not the work of a CAT.
I had a dinner date in the evening. Coming home from work to change, walking up the stairs, the air seemed to smell differently this dusk. It reminded me of Snowball, the charcoal-coloured tom cat I used to have. Once again, the same weird feeling I had in the morning encompassed me.
Opening the door, I’m not sure why but I actually peeped in and looked around the house before entering the doorway. The living room looked exactly the way it was when I left for work in the morning.
I stopped in the doorway and froze. A chill went down my spine. One of the six chairs of the dining set, the one with its backrest towards the kitchen, was overturned on the ground. Why was the chair down? My mind raced to recall the events in the morning. Was I the one? Was it the wind? My heart skipped a beat. Was someone else?! Who? Why? How?
Slowly and carefully, I moved into the house. I picked up the chair and switched on the lights. I scrutinized the surroundings.
I gasped.
White and brown particles scattered across the whole length of the kitchen floor. Melon skins and pomegranate shells in random places. Clusters of red blotches that looked like blood stains trailed from the larder to the sink. Above the sink, the mesh on the window was wide open, the walls covered in black dirty patches. In the sink, a messy array of chopping board, detergent, soap tray and sponge lay soaking wet. Under the sink, a strong stench of urine was overwhelming.
The fallen chair. The open window. The dirty black patches. Mentally, I tried to re-enact the course of crime. CATS!
The same black dirty patches were found on all the open shelves of the larder. On the first shelf, my two half kilograms packets of white rice and brown rice were gone. Well, not exactly gone, since they were all on the floor. On the second shelf, my new loaf of multi-grain bread was missing. On the third shelf, all the packets of ketchup were not there in my collection of sauces anymore. On the top shelf, my two pieces of sponge and scrub disappeared. The packaging of my new roll of tissue paper and aluminum foil were also torn open. So were my three bags of trash, which were all tied up for disposal.
Something is not right. The roll of tissue paper was still intact. So was the roll of cotton beside. Though, some things were taken from shelves, the remaining ones were still in their original positions. Something else caught my attention on the second shelf.
Surrounding an empty space, a packet of Milo on the left, instant coffee mix at the back, herbal drink mix on the right and peppermint tea in the front, all untouched. Right in the center, in that empty space, there used to be a small box of Red Label tea leaves. Now, that is missing.
This is definitely not the work of a CAT.
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
Winter
The sun’s rays broke through the overcast sky and brought warmth to the chilly winter morning. However, it started drizzling by noon time. Like millions of tiny threads floating in the air, raindrops wetted the ground as they gently land.
It’s extra quiet in the campus. Most students went home for Pongal celebrations, the harvest festival, an event widely celebrated, especially in South India.
It has been really cold lately and with the drizzle today, it’s freezing. The weather reminded me of my first week here in Bangalore. How fast time flies, it has already been 4 months.
It’s extra quiet in the campus. Most students went home for Pongal celebrations, the harvest festival, an event widely celebrated, especially in South India.
It has been really cold lately and with the drizzle today, it’s freezing. The weather reminded me of my first week here in Bangalore. How fast time flies, it has already been 4 months.
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