[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...
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
Neo stared at his daughter. 'What do you mean, "She's at the door"?'
Willow shuffled nervously. She swallowed twice, struggling to find her voice. Everything was happening too quickly for her to process.
'After I talked to you, I called Dante and told him about Mom. He agreed to talk to her, so I phoned her, but Dad, I never thought she'd just show up here like this. I'm so so sorry.' Willow's lip quivered.
Neo smothered his immediate reaction, not wanting to upset his daughter even more, but the truth was the idea of his ex wife being anywhere near his home frazzled him.
Dante skidded into the room with wide eyes, though even Neo could see that he was happy.
And then in she walked; the woman that Neo had once thought of as the love of his life. The same woman who'd left his family in tatters.
She'd styled her hair into following waves of brown that fell to below her shoulders, and framed her face. Her skin was still a beautiful caramel colour that set off her hazel eyes to perfection.
But Neo could tell it was all an image. That's all that ever mattered to Samira.
Her hair was dyed with not a hint of grey, although she was closer to fifty than him. The smooth skin he remembered was still there, but it was stretched painfully tight over her high cheekbones, a result of the fillers and Botox she'd already been messing with when they were married.
What surprised him the most was that he felt nothing towards her. The love he'd struggled with after she'd left had faded and in its place was indifference. He was no longer the same man he'd been when he'd fallen for her. And the man he was today found her false image a further deceit.
'Hi, Neo.' Samira smiled, her perfectly neat teeth flashing white, though it dimmed when she spotted Charlie hovering at the table. 'And who is this? Your girlfriend?' Samira chuckled as though she'd made a joke and Neo bristled.
'This is Charlotte-'
'I'm helping Neo with a case.' Charlie finished.
Samira's eyebrows rose. 'Oh, you're with the police force,' she said dismissively.
'Nope,' Charlie replied, not giving any further details.
'I'm not sure I follow,' Samira said politely, though Neo could tell Charlie's presence and his coolness rattled her. No doubt she had returned expecting him to still be the husk of a man that she'd left, having not found that had unsettled her.
'Not to worry.' Charlie smiled in her direction and picked up her bag. 'But I should let you two talk.'
'Thanks for dinner, Charlie. It was epic,' Dante rejoiced, inadvertently setting Samira's teeth on edge.
'True, that was the best pasta I'd ever eaten. Thanks Charlie.' Willow's thanks had more feeling. It wasn't just the food she was trying to thank her for, but also for bringing her home.
