Wednesday's Words on a Friday

The original Words for Wednesday was begun by Delores and eventually taken over by a moveable feast of participants when Delores had computer troubles.

The aim of the words is to encourage us to write. A story, a poem, whatever comes to mind.

If you are posting an entry on your own blog, please let us know so we can come along and read it.

This month the words are again supplied by Delores and can be found here.

This week's words are:

1. blasted
2. withered
3. derelict
4. broken
5. chained
6. ground 

and/or:

1. fresh
2. growing
3. alive
4. active
5. hope
6. dreams

Here is my story: a further installment of the Shark Cove tale

Roger came back in wiping his hands dry and showed Detective Inspector Stanley Grace and Detective Irene Fargo into his evidence room where he proudly displayed boxes of files arrayed in alphabetical order according to year of production. In almost no time at all, Stanley and Irene were opening boxes of files on missing persons from fifteen years ago, with more boxes going as far back as twenty years, stacked against the wall. There wasn’t much in them, Shark Cove was just a tiny town after all, but as Stanley said, “Fresh eyes may spot something useful relating to current cases, or even something that doesn’t quite add up.”

“I hope you do find something,” said Roger. “I have the active file relating to the most recent corpse on the computer and I’ll print that out as soon as I replace the ink cartridge.” As he did this, Bill Money came hurrying through the door, his face alive with information just bursting to escape. “Roger! Oh, I didn’t know you had company.” Introductions were made and Bill started again. “I think I have something important to tell you Roger. Do you remember a case from sixteen years ago? Two visitors to our town with their small son, a Cherie Kendall, husband Frank and the child Tom?”

“My memory is a bit vague on that one, I wasn’t here until the year after, but I read about it in the city papers. The woman was murdered and the husband and son never found, is that the one?” “Yes,” said Bill. “I think I found him, I think he’s right here in Shark Cove, right now.” Stanley and Irene had been listening I of course and both now turned to Roger and Bill. “Who is here, Bill?” asked Roger. “Frank? Frank Kendall after all this time?” “No,” said Bill. “The son, Tom. I only saw the parents once with him and then the mother, Cherie, again before I went to the city to do that business management course. But when I saw this young man who I believe is Tom, he looked familiar, but I couldn’t place him so I shrugged it off. I see so many people.

But then a new couple came into the Post Office just this morning, a Harry and Eleanor Cooper and she was asking about that photo on my wall, so I told them the story and remembered Frank immediately. That’s who this young man reminds me of. Frank.” “Wait just a minute here,” said Stanley. “The same Eleanor and Harry who had that skeleton found in their yard up near Littleton?” Irene got up and headed for the door. “I’ll see if I can catch them at the Bar, I’ll ask them to come here.” They let her go while Roger printed out the case file on the skeleton, which also carried pictures of Eleanor and Harry as witnesses. Bill then asked Roger if he could find the missing person photos from sixteen years ago and Stanley opened the two boxes with that year and pulled out a stack of files from one while Roger started on the other. With growing excitement, Bill had a hard time keeping still, he wanted to dig in and help, but he knew that wasn’t allowed.

“I seem to remember it was about this time of year way back then too,” said Roger. “Mid to late autumn, so we can start with any files from April onwards.” Flipping through the folders, they found one labelled May just as Irene came back with Eleanor and Harry Cooper. Roger asked them to sit and please have a little patience, they weren’t in any trouble and Stanley found an envelope with photos of the Kendall family. He showed the photo of Frank to Bill Money who went pale and still. “That’s him,” he whispered. “Tom. Well, the young man I’ve recently seen. His hair is darker, but the face is the same, almost.” “Almost?” said Stanley. “Here, look at both parents,” and he showed Bill the photo of Cherie, while keeping back the evidence photo of the dead body of Cherie Kendall. Bill looked from one to the other and was satisfied that the young man he’d seen must be Tom Kendall. “I sent him up to the Retreat, he was asking about this area and I thought he should speak to Ed and Sara Saunders up there. They’ve lived here a long time and knew Frank and Cherie better than I did, as they all stayed there a few days while Cherie took photos.”

“We were up there a couple of days ago,” said Irene. “They mentioned a young man, also a photographer, who had come to see them and then invited his parents. They didn’t say anything about recognising him, but I caught a glimpse of Stephanie, the one they are helping with the mental trauma and I recognised her without remembering where from.”
“I think we need to get back up there,” said Stanley. “We need to take these files and photos too.” Roger said, “I’ll put them in an evidence envelope for you. Bill, thank you so much for coming to me with this. It’s been a dream of mine for many years to solve at least one cold case before I retire and this might just be the one!”