*** NEW AND IMPROVED ***
With her father missing, Shay will do anything to get him back, even if that means teaming up with a cruel gang leader and his band of psychotic men.
CHARACTER VIEWS DO NOT REPRESENT MY OWN.
***WARNING*** OFFENSIVE CON...
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
SO COLD
The arriving officers at the front door were let in by a foul-mouthed Jade. The first was a dark-skinned Indian lady with glossy hair tied up in a low bun, hard hat under her arm, white shirt tucked into smart black trousers, slim-featured, dark lips. She was in her early twenties, and was introduced as Sam Gill. Her colleague – Philip Evans – was a white man in uniform, a little older, head shaped like a square, clean-shaven with bright blue eyes. He shook Jade's hand firmly. "Jade Canon?" he was greeted with an onslaught of abuse: I was very embarrassed by Jade's behaviour. He waited patiently, lips pressed together, seemingly use to abuse in his line of work. "If you could lead the way..." He interrupted.
She was like a drunken club-goer: out of place, and loud-mouthed. She gestured to the study door. "I don't know if he's in here or upstairs. He's not answering to any of my calls. I've been calling him. His daughter has tried his mobile. He's not answering." She repeated like the officer didn't hear her the first time.
"And you say the last time he was seen was a day ago?" Evans shared a look with Gill who took to the stairs two at a time. He knocked on the door, trying for the handle. "Richard?"
"I've already tried that!" Jade shot angrily. "What is the point of you being here?"
"If you could stand back, ma'am." He raised a black battering ram, slamming it into the door repeatedly. Sounds of the upstairs bedroom door being forcefully opened could be heard, and just as the lock to the study door finally broke, there was a call from upstairs from Gill: All clear! Gaining forceful entry into the room, Evans stopped a few feet into the study. "Ah. It looks–"
"I know what it looks like!" Irritation discoloured Jade's tone. "It's clear he's missing. I'll need to file a report."
"Is there anywhere we could sit whilst I take a couple of details from you?"
"The kitchen," Jade led the way. Evans followed. Footsteps on the stairs. Gill appeared, an apologetic smile on her face. We exchanged awkward expressions and she joined the adults in the black and white tiled room of cold appliances. Coffee was offered as I rounded the corner into the study room, eyebrows furrowing in confusion. The room was bare. Orderly just like Dad. But as I swept a gaze across the desk of stencils and walls with paintings of seas and boats too ancient to care about, I found it stripped of personal effects. I heard the beginnings of chatter and closed the door softly after me.
Stealthily. My feet sunk into the plush carpet around the desk, and I sat on the office chair, back straight against it, elbows on the arm rests. The study was marked off as 'Don't fucking go in there'. Dad was a very private person and spent a lot of time in here, 'working' as he called it, or 'mind your damn business and go to bed'. I spun in the chair, swivelling to face the Perennial styled front garden: trimmed shrubbery, with colourful begonias, tulips, black-eyed susans and lilies, with a pine tree hanging over the stone water fountain that once spurted years ago but now collected water when it rained and overfilled onto the stoned pathway. I spun again, feet on the ground to still the chair as I gripped the desk. I ignored the stationary and framed picture of my parents when they were younger with no children and tried for the first drawer. It was locked. No surprise. I tried the rest. The only unlocked drawer was full of old paperwork, mortgages details, old bills in a folder, a cheque book. Nothing remotely interesting.
