CapriUni: The issue of the cats is one that the landlord and I were puzzling over, the other night. There were no cats in the apartment when the landlord entered. Yet both he and I have heard meowing sounds from behind the closed door in the not-too-distant past. We don't know if he gave his cats back to his ex-girlfriend or what. There's still a 6-foot cat tree in his living room, but no kitties. Makes me wonder if the cop was mistaken in assuming that Bruce had had a heart attack after all; perhaps he gave away his cats as part of a suicide plan, then took an intentional overdose of something and sat himself on the pot knowing that the body would void itself upon his death. I don't know if there are any plans to do an autopsy.

Good point, Capri – and ozmacca and Mudlark too – about letting people know you're there, and having a plan of regular contact with others. It's a lesson I need to take to heart as well, particularly since I too have a pet who would need to be cared for and taken in if I die unexpectedly (or even if I'm in a traffic accident and hospitalized, unable to tell anyone where I am).