I'm Thinking of Ending Things

~ ~ ~

— He had keys. He wasn’t scheduled to be here, but he had keys. He could do whatever he wanted.

— Wasn’t there supposed to be some revarnishing done during the break?

— Yes, but that happened right at the start of the holidays. So the varnish would have time to dry. The varnish scent can be pretty strong.

— Toxic?

— Again, I’m not sure. Maybe, if that’s all you were breathing.

— Are we going to see any autopsy results?

— I can look into that.

— Was it… messy?

— You can imagine.

— I can.

— We shouldn’t get into the details right now.

— I hear they found a breathing apparatus, a gas mask, near the body?

— Yes, but it was an old one. It’s unclear if it still worked.

— There’s so much we don’t know about what really happened in there.

— And the only one who could tell us is gone.