Making his way up the stairs in his overly large house, Peter Brookes was not the usual man that made his way to bed each night. Nervously glancing around him, any observer would have thought that his behaviour was very suspicious for a man that usually never seemed to care about anything other than his job, and thought everything else in life was put there solely for his amusement. Opening his bedroom door he quietly slipped inside and after making sure that it was locked sat down at his desk and began to work. So intent on what he was doing he never noticed the shadowy figure that silently crept up behind him, slowly brought a weapon level with the back of his head and then fired…
~
Stepping out of the car and walking over to the door of the great house I glanced at my watch in distaste, in my opinion the only place to be at four o’clock in the morning was bed. Let inside by one of the many maids employed by the late owner I quickly ascended the stairs and walked to where the murder had taken place. Entering the room I put on the white rubber gloves given to my by the officer standing watch. Peeling off the white blood stained sheet that was covering the dead man I glanced at the frozen features of his face, Eyes wide open in surprise and fear with the mouth drawn back in an exclamation of pain.

Laying the sheet back over the man I caught the lingering smell of tobacco smoke hanging around the body. “Strange” I thought looking through my notes, “it doesn’t say here that he smoked”. Puzzled I walked out to the balcony and glanced at the surroundings. Turning away again I asked the man standing duty in the room if a search had been made of the plantation yet. Looking at me in surprise he told me that they had only been informed about Mr Brookes murder a little over an hour ago. Nodding my thanks at the officer I hurried out of the room to talk with the inspector in charge.