[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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Neo spent most of his morning in a blur. Charlie had requested her friend email through his findings on Harry Bennett so that Neo could present it to his team without having to go through her. It was a clever way of keeping under Palmer's radar, but he still received a few knowing glances. Thankfully, his team kept their opinions to themselves.
Before too long, he was heading towards the Phillips' house, on the ruse of asking Alice Phillips a few more questions about the night her husband left.
Charlie's car and an unknown people carrier were already parked on the drive when he arrived. He let himself into the house when no one answered the door.
The moment he walked in, it became apparent why no one had answered. A loud wailing was coming from upstairs, so Neo headed in that direction.
A busty nurse stood at the bottom of the stairs with a young man in a pale blue uniform. Despite the noise from upstairs, they seemed detached, almost unaffected.
Neo guessed they'd seen similar scenes played out hundreds of times before. People's suffering was easy to get used to when you were surrounded by it, day in and day out. He'd seen the same thing happen in his profession, seen the same thing happen to himself in his first few years of service. At least he'd had his kids to pull him out.
'DCI Denzel, I'm here to oversee Mrs Phillips' move.' He introduced himself.
The nurse smiled brightly. 'I'm Tina, this is Alberto. We're from the respite facility in Shrewsbury.'
'Is everything okay up there?' Neo thumbed towards the stairs.
Alberto shrugged. 'Happens. No want to go. Need convincing.' He replied in a heavily accented voice.
'Bert's right. It's an emotional day. The woman - Charlie - is with her now, and once Mrs Phillips is more settled, we'll get her belongings packed and ready to go,' Tina reassured him.
Neo sent them off to make everyone a cup of tea and made his way up the stairs. He'd expected to find Charlie in Jerry and Alice's bedroom, but it was in one of the smaller rooms that he found the two women.
He knew, stepping in, that the room belonged to one of the Phillips' daughters. Judging from the slightly dated bedspread and curtains, he wondered whether he now found himself in Lucy Phillips' bedroom.
Splashes of colour littered the wall, as though she herself had spilled paint. Multiple posters of bands, films, and iconic places covered the rest of the space. Everywhere he looked, framed photographs showed her life. As short as it had been, it showed how loved she was.
'Why do I have to go? I don't want to go?' Alice Phillips cried.
'I know, but Jerry would want you taken care of and I'm trying to do that,' Charlie whispered.
'But I can't leave my girls. They need me. And Jerry, I have to have his tea ready for when he gets back. He has to have his sausages and gravy on a Wednesday. If I'm not here, who'll cook him his tea?' Alice sniffed.
