Time to Die

‘Go home,’ he mouthed, before speaking into the phone.

She nodded, tight-lipped, not trusting her response. But she was never one to do as she was told, and made herself a cup of coffee before checking her work emails in the empty office of Operation Moonlight. The budget only ran to one shift, but the sheer volume of mysterious cases hitting their desks dictated that soon the team would grow. She sca

Chapter Fifty-One

Efforts to communicate with Will had proved fruitless, and Je

‘Are you sure you want to do this?’ Christian asked. ‘Will’s been gone some time, I may not give you the answers you’re looking for.’

‘I need to know where he is, dead or alive. I hate to ask so soon after Felicity’s passing, but I don’t know where else to turn.’

‘I’m just dropping off the kids, I’ll be with you in just over an hour. Together we may be able to pick up something.’

‘Thank you,’ Je

‘You’re more than just colleagues, aren’t you?’ Christian said, his soothing voice relaying his empathy with ease.

Je

‘Hold tight. I’ll be there as soon as I can. If you hear anything in the meantime just call.’

[#]

Je

Ethan rang to inform her that Will’s parents were visiting the police station to speak to his colleagues. Je

Walking into the kitchen, she poured herself a glass of filtered water from the jug in the fridge. Closing her eyes, she stared inside the cool white box, inhaling the cold artificial air. The smell of cleaning fluid was barely discernible, and that unsettled her even more. She could clean it while she was waiting, use the extra thick bleach, then the kitchen cupboards … ‘And what good is that going to do?’ she moaned, closing the fridge door, pushing her forehead against the white sterile steel. It calmed her, making her think like a police officer instead of anxious ten-year-old Je

She wanted to grill Bert, to demand he provide her with answers. He had to be responsible for Will’s disappearance. But she was not going to be allowed anywhere near the suspect she had been thrilled to arrest. Never before had she felt such an anti-climax. Think, girl, think, she thought, gently tapping her forehead against the fridge door. She recalled her case the previous year, when she looked to the past for answers. Her knowledge of Bert’s history was vague. He had lived between the mental institution and his home all his life. Officers had attended both addresses but it had not progressed their investigations. But they were level-headed men and women. They weren’t like her. Pulling her bag from the counter, she headed for the door, car keys in hand. If she put her foot down she could make it to Bert’s home and back in under an hour.

[#]

Satnavs weren’t of any use when it came to finding Bert’s address, so it was just as well she had sca

The journey to Bert’s home was easier than she thought, as she followed the tyre tracks from the police 4x4 dug into the soft soil of the narrow laneway. Je

The gloomy building was bigger than she imagined, and in a state of total decay. Half-drawn graffiti was daubed on the side of the home, discarded cans of paint thrown on the ground. Like many places on that side of Haven, visitors did not stay very long before beating a hasty exit. There was no beauty to be found in the grounds either. It no longer lay in the dying flowerbeds, choked by the weeds taking dominance over the soil. Rotting brickwork glistened with torn cobwebs, dancing mournfully in the breeze like silken fingers pointing, go back, go back. It was the same breeze that carried the sour smell of the woods. A crow’s caws echoed in the distance. Je