Something Missing - ONC 2024

Chapter 7 - The Relationship was Fine

At around 9.30, Wayne Mandel got a knock on his door. He staggered out of bed. He had missed the alarm again; the room was still dark. The semi detached house he shared with Erica in their desirable Hertfordshire village was covered in vines and creepers and they were starting to creep up his windows.

Not for the first time he felt resentful of Erica. It was her money that had bought the house and he felt emasculated at times. He had a successful gardening and landscaping business with jobs all around the country, but nowhere near her level of fame.

His head throbbed as he stumbled down the stairs and opened the door. He didn't think he'd drunk that much yesterday. Driving back from London last night, he knew he had been over the limit. It was lucky he hadn't hit anyone or anything. Hopefully he had seemed sober enough not to have been caught on camera weaving about all over the place. Why had he been so reckless? He would lose his licence if caught. He could end up inside again.

But after what happened last night, he couldn't help it.

Two police officers stood in front of him, a petite woman in a hijab and a man of six foot.

Little and large, he absurdly thought. He felt ill. His days of trouble with the law were behind him. But there were lots of things they could choose to question him about. A cold finger of fear reached down his spine.

'Wayne Mandel?' the woman said. 'My name's Detective Constable Subeera al-Sabbagh and this is my colleague Detective Sergeant Alexander Mackay. I'm very sorry. We've got some bad news. Can we come in?'

'Bad news?' Wayne said as the detectives entered the house without waiting for an answer.

'Is there somewhere where we can sit down?' asked Alexander. Wayne led them to the living room. His Dalmatian lay asleep on the fluffy cream coloured blanket on the sofa. Although he had chosen the furniture, Erica had paid for all of it except one armchair. No way in hell would he have been able to afford that on his own.

'Is it my mum?' Wayne said. 'Has something happened?'

'No,' Subeera said as she sat down. 'It is about Erica Scott. You two had a relationship, didn't you?'

'Yeah, we live together,' Wayne said. The dog opened its eyes and jumped off the sofa. Every time people saw the house, they thought he had made it, they thought he was making good money. They didn't realise it was her bringing in the dough. How could they? The thought filled him with an irrational anger. It wasn't Erica's fault. He knew that. But he couldn't help the way he felt.

She was too sensible. He felt like he couldn't really ever be himself around her. There were things he hid from her.

Like his drinking.

And other things, too.

'I'm very sorry,' Subeera said. 'Her body was discovered last night. She has been murdered.'

'Oh,' Wayne said slowly. 'Wait. What? Murdered? Erica?'

'I'm afraid so.'

'What? How? Who would want to do that?' Wayne stammered.

'That's what we're trying to find out,' Subeera said gently. Wayne looked from one officer to the other.

'Do you definitely know she was murdered? It couldn't be a mistake?' Wayne knew he should feel sad but his overriding emotion was to feel irrationally, nauseatingly nervous, so anxious he wanted to throw up. It didn't feel real, any of it.

'Unfortunately, there is no mistake,' Alexander said in a deep Scottish accent.

'What -' he gulped. 'What did she die of?'