Mess

Walking into the house, the smell hit her, Rachel wondered what had happened here.  Dirty dishes piled on the table; clothes thrown on the floor and Milk left out of the fridge.   Walking into his office she was confronted by a sea of paper. She could no longer see the pattern on the carpet.  This was not like Mike, he was a man who took pride in his appearance and was highly organised.  How could his house be in such a mess?

She had last visited months ago.  She had sat in his office drinking tea and had admired the colours and swirls in the carpet.  Everything had been tidy then, certainly not the mess it was now.

Having been contacted by his neighbour as concerned, Rachel was not sure what to think. Reggie had not seen him for over a week and having let himself into the house had been taken aback by the state of the place.  The only number he had was Rachel’s. Phoning the police had seemed extreme.

Now stood here, Rachel did just that.  This was not like her brother, where was he?

Police

As Detective George Smith read through the scattered paperwork, photos were taken of the state of the house. It appeared that Mike was involved in finance and large sums of it.  Trying to work out what had happened here. Judging by the mess it was obvious that there had been a disturbance and Mike had possibly been taken. Running client names through the police database they were drawing a blank.

His work appeared legitimate, what were they missing? Or had the perpetrator found what he wanted, taking all evidence.  He thought about Densmead Finance, he wondered if the answer might lie with his employees.

Densmead Finance

George noted how nervous the receptionist appeared. He introduced himself not wanting to intimidate her.

“Is this about Mike? He’s been missing days.”

“Lizzie, can you go and check on Beth?”

He noted the large man walking towards him and was immediately suspicious.

Reggie

Sat in Reggie’s garden, she could see the police at work in Mike’s house. She had not been allowed to stay but had been advised that they might need her and Reggie for questioning later. Listening to his chatter she had dismissed it as just chatter, nothing important.  Until she realised that his observations could be crucial to this case. However, she then wondered what this meant for her brother.

Over the last few months, he had often had visitors and had rarely left his house. He had always remained friendly with Reggie on the odd occasions when he had seen him. Apologising for the noise and then complaining about lack of sleep.  So, what did this mean? Who were the visitors? What mess had her brother got himself into?

Densmead Finance

“Has that pesky Policeman gone Bill?”

“Yes, he’s gone.  We need to get this cleaned up before they work us out.  There’s to much at stake to lose out now”.

“And Lizzie, how did she fair?”

“Ted, that woman is a liability and needs to go, Mike should’ve never hired her”

“We needed a front, we needed a receptionist”.

Lizzie

She had watched the Detective leave. Knowing that something was not right she decided to approach Bill Page, one of the managers.  Hesitating at his door she heard her name mentioned.

“There’s not much going on between Lizzie’s ears.  She would’ve dropped us all in it if I hadn’t stopped her. She needs to go!”

The tone on his voice was not friendly. She was not as stupid as Bill might think.  Walking quickly back to her desk she grabbed her bag and coat and walked out.  She didn’t need this job, certainly not one where the boss vanishes and then the staff seem to be in on something. The companies business was finance, she could only imagine that large sums of money were involved.

Heading for the police station she would find the detective again and then possibly take herself on a long holiday.  She was not staying around to find out what, she needs to go, actually meant.

Mike Densmead

Sitting in his hotel room, he had fooled the police and his sister. The old guy next door didn’t know anything, and his offices and staff gave the perfect front.  Shifting large sums of cash all day had made him a very wealthy man and now he was sat on the heist of the century.  Soon they would find his car, burnt out with a body inside and they would assume that he had a nasty accident.  The house had been left in a state to give the impression that he was in danger and all-important incriminating paperwork was with him. Not on any hard drive for the police to find.

He smiled as he thought of the office, of the staff who had trusted him, he now didn’t care.  He had a new life, and they would all soon not be his concern, he lived by the motto to trust no one.

Densmead Finance

As Bill pushed the button on the photocopier, he heard the familiar whirr and then ticking started.  Unsure what was happening he shouted, but it was too late. Set on a timer for this day there was a loud bang as it caught fire along with everything in its wake. Bill was thrown back violently, and the alarms started to sound.

A month later

Not many had survived the Densmead Finance fire. Lizzie had shared what she knew, before leaving to spend time with friends in Edinburgh.  Police had found Mike’s car but had not been convinced that it was him inside.  Going round in merry circles for  a perpetrator they had finally found Mike alive in Spain, he was found on cameras at the airport and then the police had liaised with the local authorities.

Mike had now swapped comfortable living for a police cell.  With murder charges, theft and money laundering he would be inside for many years. His smug happiness had not lasted long and now he wanted to be back in his small house with his annoying nosey elderly neighbour and infrequent visits from his sister.

How things change.  Looking at the four walls of his cell, he reflected on his life.  What a mess he had made of it. Things couldn’t get any worse, or could they? What could be worse than this?

Written for Blog battle -Messy

For more see A perfect ending to a painful day – Blog Battle- Perfect