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Tuffin’s house was new when he was new, and now both of them were 60 years old. At 11.15 p.m. on Thursday, he sat in his chair in the sitting room.
He knew that beneath his feet was a red rug, a brown carpet, grey linoleum, and wooden floorboards.
He went to the tool shed. He selected a jemmy and a claw hammer.
He moved his chair, lifted the rug, rolled up the carpet, and peeled back the lino. With the jemmy and the claw hammer, he removed a small area of floorboard. He exposed the joists and the brickwork, but it was dark.
Tuffin went to the tool shed again and collected a torch. With the torch he was able to see down beneath the joists.
Beneath the red rug, the brown carpet, the grey linoleum, and the wooden floorboards, a thick layer of grey dust covered a concrete floor.
Embedded in the dust were several fresh footprints, as finely wrought as the finest filigree.
May 17, 2017