The wind howled outside as rain came crashing down onto the roof above me. I sighed and eyed the whiskey bottle on the table – sure, it was only 3:00 pm, but it had been a quiet day, and things weren’t likely to pick up anytime soon. 

Taking in the dank smells of my shoddy rental office, I leaned back in my chair and threw my legs up on the table, then grabbed the whiskey bottle and flicked the lid away. As the amber liquid kissed my lips, I heard a bang. 

I was certainly used to those sorts of noises, with the building prone to strange sounds and storms a regular occurrence above the Melbourne office. There was something different about this one, though. Not quite a bang at all actually…

A knock.

Unusual…

“Come in,” I shouted over the raging storm.

Slowly, the door opened to reveal a timid man drenched in rain, wringing a hat in his hands. “Are you the–”

“Glass Whisperer?” I interrupted. “Sure am. Expert detective for mysteries of the balustrade, window or residential glazing nature.” Noticing how dark it was in the room, I motioned toward the switch by the door. “Flick the light on, would ya?”

As the man turned on the light, I put down the bottle of whiskey and instead reached for a pack of cigarettes on the desk. I pulled one from the pack, toying with it in my fingers. I didn’t smoke the damn things – just kept them around to look cool. 

Inviting the man to sit across from me, I extended my hand. “Melanie Callahan, Glass Detective,” I said as we shook. “How can I help? Having trouble with some glass balustrade installation? Melbourne has had a lot of bloody balustrades lately.”

“No, no, nothing of the sort,” said the man. “It’s my father’s will, you see. My pa was an artist, and he left me one of his most famous works. A glass installation. Before the will could be distributed, however, someone smashed it to bits. I want to know who did this to my father’s pride and joy.”

“I understand,” I said with a brisk nod. “Well, I’m no Benny Blank, but I think I can get to the bottom of this case.”