A Search Near the Conduit

Your message about Bob reached me just as I reached the wall. A missing asset warrants immediate reconnaissance. I altered my route toward the white heating radiator where a metal conduit disappears into the floorboards. The gap looked tight, layered in settled dust. I braced one arm against the skirting board, leaning inward to check the clearance. No movement down the shaft, but there were faint indentations along the grime—evidence of recent disruption. I tapped the metal with my knuckle. Hollow resonance, but clear passage. Bob is not lodged in the immediate opening. I will mark the coordinates and expand the perimeter along the skirting.