[2022 Wattys shortlisted story]
A missing family. A twenty year old murder. An old ghost story. And a private detective from London. But what do they all have in common? It's the job of DCI Neo Denzel to figure it all out.
In the quiet town of Mart...
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The car ride to the mortuary was quiet, but intense. Neo drove with DS Gwilt riding shotgun and Charlie in the back, refusing to be left behind when it was her idea that was inspiring their trip.
Once they arrived at the hospital, a receptionist guided them through the maze of corridors.
Neo could see Gwilt glancing at Charlie when he thought no one was looking, his lips pressed into a thin line. He'd already tried to argue with Neo about bringing her, but Neo had still asked her to come.
She had seen something that would have taken the police another few days to notice.
Whilst they were split four ways from Sunday, she was free to focus on Jane Bennett and her missing family. He was wondering if having her on the case would be a good thing.
The pathologist met them at the door, a fresh gown and white gloves already in place.
'DCI, DS.' His eyes landed on Charlie and he smiled like he liked what he saw. 'And who may this be?'
'This is Miss Hoggins, she's a private detective working on the case.' Neo interjected before Charlie could speak.
'Really, and what's a sweet thing like you doing in a dangerous job like that?' the pathologist teased.
'How else is a girl supposed to get a little excitement in her life?' she flirted right back.
Neo cleared his throat, breaking their game. 'I believe you have a body for us to inspect?'
The pathologist's smile slipped as he returned to professional mode. 'Right this way.'
The mortuary was a cold, foreboding place. No matter how many times Neo attended, he never got used to the oppressive feeling the tiled walls inspired.
A body was laid out on the slap with a simple white sheet covering it from view.
They all crowded around, spectators to life's final show.
'Dean Montgomery.' The man pulled the sheet down, revealing the boy's face. 'Seventeen-year-old from Welshpool. Cause of death was a heart attack from an overdose of heroin approximately 38 to 41 hours ago.'
He pulled one of Dean's arms up so they could see the puncture marks. 'This was the fatal wound. As you can see, there are several older marks on this arm.'
'So he did use his left arm to inject?' Neo asked, his gaze sliding to meet Charlie's.
'In the past, yes, but these marks are weeks old, though they don't look like it.' The pathologist moved to his right arm and held it up for everyone to see. 'The marks on this arm are much more fresh.'
'How fresh?' Charlie was quick to say.
The man pointed to one mark. 'This one was made just a few hours before the fatal injection.'
