Interim 1: An Echo(9)

"Life rarely has closure. I'm disappointed in the character, not the story." The tapping on the wall returns. 
He's thinking too much.
"Towards the end she donated most of her money to charities that help women escape abusive situations." The tapping ceases instantly, but again the computer fans pick up, even more than the last time. "There's your final piece of the puzzle. Though the only person who can solve it is gone."

He stays silent, eyes unfocused as he thinks about the story. It's not that he hasn't put it together yet. Far too smart for that. He's going on some tangent. I go back to writing in my book. The comfortable sounds of the fans spinning and pen scratching setting me at ease.
When he speaks again, it's much more quiet than before. That mountain of a man finding himself more of a mound.