In my quest to make the Fishbowl Inventory Blog both informative and entertaining, I’ve written the story “Something Fishy: The Tale of the Missing Inventory.” This is the second part of my “inventoiry” story. You can check out part 1 here. Now let’s rejoin Dave Williams, private investigator, at the scene of a murder.
11:02 p.m. Outside a dark, looming warehouse in the rain.
D.W. stepped out of his car and looked over his shoulder before proceeding to the door of the warehouse. He lifted his eyes and took in the whole scene as he walked. The warehouse was lit dimly only by a few streetlights. A large sign on the outside reading “Fishbowl Factory” looked like it used to have bulbs that shone brightly, but now it was a shadow of its former self.
D.W. pulled out a key he had found in the manila folder the woman had given him in his office. He tried it in the padlock on the door, and he heard a clicking sound as it opened easily. He had his flashlight ready as he opened the door and tried to see inside.
The interior was even darker than the exterior. He tried the light switch, but nothing happened. There were dozens of aisles with shelves more than 40 feet tall. A thin layer of dust had already settled on them. The shelves were all bare. D.W. had suspected as much. The company had liquidated its assets, but, according to the spreadsheets he had examined, there were still hundreds of items unaccounted for. He was determined to find them.
Outside, another car silently slid next to D.W.’s and a dark figure stepped out, holding a gun…
Turning a corner, D.W. was surprised to find a small burst of light coming from a single room down the hall. Everything else was dark, but just that one room had a desk lamp on inside it. He slowly made his way toward it and disappeared through the door.
A few minutes later, D.W. emerged from the room with a knowing smile on his lips. As he walked, he nearly tripped on a loose board under his feet. He crouched to investigate, and pulled the board up so he could shine his light below it.
Just then, he heard footsteps approaching. He turned his flashlight toward the sound and it illuminated a gloved hand with a gun. He was about to run for cover when he turned his flashlight higher and saw the face above the gun. It was the woman who had hired him.
“What are you doing here?” he asked. “And what’s with the firearm?”
“This?” she said innocently, dropping the gun into her purse and sauntering over to him. “One can’t be too cautious. As for why I’m here, I wanted to drop by and see your progress.”
“Well, you picked a heck of a time because I think I just cracked this case. I’d prefer if you had told…” He pointed his flashlight on the floor in front of her and saw something that made him suddenly hold up his hand and urgently say, “Don’t move! Don’t come any closer.”
But it was too late. She stepped on a loose beam, like the one D.W. had tripped on, and the floor suddenly gave way with a large cracking sound. A purse and a bone-chilling scream were all she left behind as she disappeared into the darkness below D.W.’s flashlight beam.
Oh no! What will happen next? Will she survive and learn Dave Williams’ secret? Find out next week in the exciting conclusion of “Something Fishy: The Tale of the Missing Inventory.” And I hope you’ll keep coming back to the Fishbowl Inventory Blog for the latest insights into inventory software solutions for your business.
11:02 p.m. Outside a dark, looming warehouse in the rain.
D.W. stepped out of his car and looked over his shoulder before proceeding to the door of the warehouse. He lifted his eyes and took in the whole scene as he walked. The warehouse was lit dimly only by a few streetlights. A large sign on the outside reading “Fishbowl Factory” looked like it used to have bulbs that shone brightly, but now it was a shadow of its former self.
D.W. pulled out a key he had found in the manila folder the woman had given him in his office. He tried it in the padlock on the door, and he heard a clicking sound as it opened easily. He had his flashlight ready as he opened the door and tried to see inside.
The interior was even darker than the exterior. He tried the light switch, but nothing happened. There were dozens of aisles with shelves more than 40 feet tall. A thin layer of dust had already settled on them. The shelves were all bare. D.W. had suspected as much. The company had liquidated its assets, but, according to the spreadsheets he had examined, there were still hundreds of items unaccounted for. He was determined to find them.
Outside, another car silently slid next to D.W.’s and a dark figure stepped out, holding a gun…
Turning a corner, D.W. was surprised to find a small burst of light coming from a single room down the hall. Everything else was dark, but just that one room had a desk lamp on inside it. He slowly made his way toward it and disappeared through the door.
A few minutes later, D.W. emerged from the room with a knowing smile on his lips. As he walked, he nearly tripped on a loose board under his feet. He crouched to investigate, and pulled the board up so he could shine his light below it.
Just then, he heard footsteps approaching. He turned his flashlight toward the sound and it illuminated a gloved hand with a gun. He was about to run for cover when he turned his flashlight higher and saw the face above the gun. It was the woman who had hired him.
“What are you doing here?” he asked. “And what’s with the firearm?”
“This?” she said innocently, dropping the gun into her purse and sauntering over to him. “One can’t be too cautious. As for why I’m here, I wanted to drop by and see your progress.”
“Well, you picked a heck of a time because I think I just cracked this case. I’d prefer if you had told…” He pointed his flashlight on the floor in front of her and saw something that made him suddenly hold up his hand and urgently say, “Don’t move! Don’t come any closer.”
But it was too late. She stepped on a loose beam, like the one D.W. had tripped on, and the floor suddenly gave way with a large cracking sound. A purse and a bone-chilling scream were all she left behind as she disappeared into the darkness below D.W.’s flashlight beam.
Oh no! What will happen next? Will she survive and learn Dave Williams’ secret? Find out next week in the exciting conclusion of “Something Fishy: The Tale of the Missing Inventory.” And I hope you’ll keep coming back to the Fishbowl Inventory Blog for the latest insights into inventory software solutions for your business.