The Rusty Badge

Detective Sergeant Miller was found dead in the precinct's basement archives on a stormy night. His right hand was locked in a death grip around a rusted, corroded police badge—badge number 409, which belonged to a rookie partner who supposedly died in the line of duty twenty years ago. The autopsy revealed a bizarre contradiction: Miller had effectively starved to death. His stomach was pristine, completely empty of food. Yet, the entire squad had watched him devour a large steak dinner at his retirement party just forty-eight hours prior. Even stranger, janitors reported that for the last month, Miller had taped thick cardboard over the mirror in the locker room. They often heard him alone in there, screaming violent arguments at the covered glass. How does a man starve on a full stomach?