The body of Mr. V. Broadleaf was discovered this evening pitched accross the bookshelf top. There were no signs of a struggle, and there were no incriminating marks on the body. At first glance the cause of death appears to be root rot, but Broadleaf’s robust good health call this into question. The residents of the area, Mr. Bromeliad, Ms. Jade, and the eccentric H. Basket, were questioned without any obvious result - Mr. Broadleaf had apparently had only recently moved to the bookshelf top, having previously resided accross the room on the Other Bookshelf. However, he apparently had some acquaintances among the inanimate population of the first shelf, a circumstance which makes the case decidedly murkier.
Did he have enemies among the fiction section? Is it possible that someone wanted him dead? Clearly, further inquiry is recommended.
After intense questioning, the fictionals have been removed from reasonable suspicion. It appears that they and Mr. Broadleaf were on remarkably good terms, doubtless necessitated by their mutual “business” interests. It is possible that Broadleaf was removed by the fiction section’s most prominent enemy, the engineering mechanics section. The prospect is unlikely, given the recent territorial battle between the two; it’s doubtful that either would want that to flare up.
A new possibility emerged during the questioning of Broadleaf’s former neighbors on the Other Bookshelf. He apparently once had an association with the loose papers, an anarchic group of ne’er do wells. At this point his connection is unclear.
On a side note, it is stated in Broadleaf’s medical record that he suffered and recovered from a case of neighbor induced dehydration while vacationing in December. However, the entire bookshelf top community suffered the same illness.