Last Known Contact by Phillipa Nefri Clark

Author:Phillipa Nefri Clark [Clark, Phillipa Nefri]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2020-07-26T16:00:00+00:00

30

Whose Body?

Ellie woke when the front door clicked shut, sitting upright with wide eyes. A blanket covered her and she was still dressed.

Early morning light streamed through the windows. The storms were gone, leaving clear skies through the gaps between buildings. A lamp was on, so the power was back. She dropped her feet onto the floor, waiting for a headache, or worse, from so much wine last night. But none came, and her mind was clear. In fact, this was the first time she’d woken without battling exhaustion.

When Ellie opened the front door, the hallway was empty. Why had he left without waking her? She cast her mind back. They’d not argued, but emotions had run high. Cooking for Ben, sharing a table with him, touched a part of her heart she’d long buried. The stirring of memories was not what she needed now, if ever.

Propped against the coffee machine was a note.

Call when you are ready and I’ll have you picked up.

Retrieval underway.

Ben.

PS. Chef Ellie deserves happiness.

Much as she wanted to throw clothes on and get to wherever this retrieval was, she needed a shower. And to prepare herself.

Under a steady stream of hot water, she practiced a meditation technique to protect herself from what was ahead. Until the body was identified, there was doubt, and staying calm and logical was better than what she wanted to do—fall apart. By the time she dressed, her mind no longer chased thoughts into circles.

She sent a text to Ben as she made coffee. Ready for pick up. Once she’d poured coffee into a reusable coffee cup, she’d wait downstairs.

Ben’s note caught her eye. Chef Ellie was what he and Michael called her back in the days of university, dinner parties and big picnics on the beach.

Not knowing what to expect today, Ellie threw a packet of tissues into her handbag and sunglasses, then peeked out of the door. Running into gym man would be too much. She pulled her door shut and sprinted to the elevator, willing it to be quick. Her phoned beeped as she stepped in. Andy is downstairs. Ellie tapped the ground floor button.

“Hey, hold the lift!”

Gym man’s face appeared for a second before the doors completely closed. Exhaling in relief, Ellie watched the floor lights as the lift descended.

A police car was outside. Not like Ben’s plain one, but the lights and sirens type. A prickle of dread traced up her spine, so she raised her chin and pushed the door open before the concierge got to it.

Andy was coming up the steps and smiled. “Hey, Ellie. All set?”

“I guess. Where’s your car?”

Andy opened the back door. “Ben commandeered it. Some issue with his. This is Constable King.”

They exchanged pleasantries as Andy climbed into the front passenger seat, then Constable King pulled away from the curb. Ben’s car was parked further down the road, with both street-side tyres flat.

“How?”

“All four are slashed. Someone took a dislike to the car. Or Ben.”

“Where are we going, Andy?”

He turned as far as he could to speak to her.

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