Image by Peter H from Pixabay

There was blood everywhere. Those untainted white curtains had a deep red tint in an abstract pattern. The carpet, which was already red in color remained as it was, no one knew whether no blood had been split over there or the blood just got absorbed into that carpet. The walls, which were also painted white had bright red stains. The blood split hadn’t stopped there. The original paintings, hanging out on the walls, waiting to be varnished, also had a taste of blood. Let’s take a moment for that to sink in. It has to be pretty devastating to that artist, right? But fortunately or unfortunately, the artist will never know about it. How could she if it was her very own blood that had made the top layer of her paintings red? However, they would still qualify as original artwork. Let’s not go there. Not yet. Returning to the scene, which can’t be for sure called a murder scene yet, or can it already be?

It was a beautiful art studio with white walls, specifically made to reflect light, a large window for more sunlight, and a rug to keep the floor unstained. That place was typically built to be an art studio. There were lots of shelves for holding paints, brushes, and other art supplies of almost all mediums, visible that made the life of an artist easier. An easel can also be seen holding an ongoing painting. A nice professional quality easel, but not so fancy or high-end type, which the artist had had for so many years based on the variety of colors adorning it. From the looks of it, it can be said that lots of planning and effort had been taken in turning that room into a studio. Everything was super organized, still messy, like a room in which any artist would fall in love at first sight. A white desk which was height adjustable, convenient; a cozy black chair on wheels, decorated with a midnight blue colored silk material wrapped cushion pillow and a mandatory coffee mug chilling on the desk. Everything was so perfect before but what about the artist herself? Was the artist living in that studio, perfect? Or at least normal? I guess we have to wait at least until the autopsy report is out before forming any imaginary conclusions in our minds.

She was a charming, positive, kind, and curious artist; who spent most of her time in her art studio, creating. She’s said to be the artist who painted from her imagination, instead of relying upon references. Sometimes her painting style would be calm, and soothing but sometimes it would be dark. She made her living by making art, inspiring people, and spreading positivity through her artwork. Doesn’t all of us spread positivity in one way or the other? Fine, Let’s move on to our artist focus here. When people once asked how she would personify herself, she said, “I’m a loner, but I easily mingle with people. I’d like to stay at home always creating but also have numerous travel destinations on my bucket list”. Ummmm, maybe we’ll never know what kind of person she is. All her paintings would be sold quickly as soon as they were put up for sale. Pretty successful artist, huh?

Shall we step on a detective’s shoes for a few minutes and analyze what could possibly cause a person’s death, whose life was filled with colorful thoughts? Was it a rivalry issue, or maybe it was a suicide or some other cause? The doubt of her suicide arises on account of the scene we just saw in the studio. The artist was sitting on her chair, with a deep cut on her neck, her hands facing the floor just inches above a knife covered in blood; It is the knife that stopped her breath. The knife took the chance of the world to get a sight of her paintings anymore. It seems the death had happened in a calm way, but why there was blood all over the walls, paintings, and curtains? Not to mention, there were bloody hands imprinted on the white walls. The detective team arrived. On the very first look, the lead detective sensed murder in the case. Why? He said, “We have to wait for the autopsy report to confirm”. The forensic team collected evidence, fingerprints, and others as per their usual procedure. The corpse was sent for autopsy. The detectives started their investigation by enquiring the locals about the incident, about the artist, you know, the usual things. Nothing suspicious came from the inquiry.

The detective got a call that night. You would’ve probably guessed by now, didn’t you? Yes, the coroner’s sharp scalpel had done its job and delivered the result, The autopsy report. What was the report saying? Was it a well-planned murder or a suicide caused by depression? There were traces of poison in the bloodstream, the body did show signs of stress and suffering, and also the cut that slit the neck. Comparisons were made between the autopsy report and the forensic evidence. No suspicious fingerprints, no trace of forced entry, nothing evidencing murder. The detective team had shaken every tree to gather evidence supporting the autopsy report. No luck. They couldn’t find anything to conclude murder, but also couldn’t able to rule it as a suicide because of the autopsy report. The question on everyone’s mind at that time was, “Why poison if the killer had planned to cut her neck?” Was it a safety precaution by the killer to ensure that she would die anyway? Or was it the artist double attempting suicide to ensure death? But there was blood on the walls and paintings which were adjacent to the corpse. Why would a person committing suicide try to move after cutting himself? Is there any satisfactory theory to prove this doing? The detective decided to dig through the life of that artist. He observed all her artworks including the ones on the walls and the unfinished ones. He detected a pattern. They were either completely calming or completely terrifying except for the unfinished piece, where he found the two completely different styles in a single artwork. It was gory on one hand with dead bodies and stuff and also it was a budding early morning soothing landscape. Was it the impact of that dark thought of that artist that initiated the suicide impulse in her and when her thought changed, maybe she changed her mind and tried to ask for help which caused the struggle as per the autopsy and the blood in the studio? Nothing to confirm this theory. No one can validate this except the artist herself. So, I guess we’ll never know. Her death enigmatic.

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