Life at Gray Gables: Channeling a Writer- Day 12

Writing Challenge word of the day:

D E C A Y

Life as she had once knew it no longer made sense. Did Danny and Charlotte have something going on? Why would she use his last name? Where was Nathan? Her supposed Husband?

"Can I take a few hours?"

"Of course, take the day. Are you OK?"

"Sure. I am going to check some records out and do some research of my own, if that is OK?"

"Kat, be careful and don't start to soon. That is all I ask. I know you are stubborn and if it were my family, I'd be the same, but just pace yourself. I have our best, besides yourself, working on this. Mac has requested to assist you in your work, should you have it."

I nodded, knowing that there was more to this story than what I was being told at this point. The "be careful" signaled that something had been found that was less than desirable.

"I am going to run down to the Morgue, just to see if anything sticks out, since it is not fresh in my mind anymore."

"Sure. I will give Mac a call and send him down shortly."

The hallway to the Morgue was stagnate. The smell of decay surrounded a person, smacking them in the face. It was a smell that only one that had been accustomed to, could get used to. A mix between decay and chemical, that made a sweet and sour bitter smell fill your lungs.

"Kat, what can I do the pleasure?"

Will was a younger guy, dark complexion, bright eyes and perfectly straight and white teeth, to match his incredible personality. It made me wonder why he would pick this profession. He seemed so social able, so engaging, but yet he worked with the dead, in the brightly lite, stark white room, alone.

"Will, my favorite undertaker." a joke we had between ourselves.

"You seems in better spirits, any news?"

"Thanks, no, which is why you get my company today. Everything seems so weird and I feel like I am starting to imagine things that I don't know were really fact or fiction. Mind games, of which I knew to well."

I shared my thoughts with Will, who was more than obliged to listen,and listen intently.

"Do you think you are imaging it all, or do you think, somewhere within yourself, you were missing the relationship Charlotte and Danny were having?"

"I feel, in my heart, I am missing it. It would be to easy. I mean, he traveled, often. Charlotte was a live in the moment kind of girl. I have no idea if maybe he took her with him? What if he wasn't even traveling at all, what if he was jsut with her? Do I sound crazy?"

"Not with the information, no. How did the end happen?"

"It was amicable. It just wasn't working. We did not see each other, and when we did, I did my thing, he did his. We were used to our own space. We never argued, mostly because it wasn't right. There really was not anything to argue about. We sat down to dinner one night, his phone rang, he stepped outside. He came back in and we talked about our day. Somewhere in the conversation we started talking about living our separate lives and not really knowing each other anymore and without fighting, tears or much other emotion, we decided to break, clean, in half and move on."

"Seriously?"

"Right. Sounds crazy. We were kids."

"Sounds like you were both more Adult than anyone I know. My baby mama still gives me shit and we have not been together for six years."

"What, Kassidy is six already? No way."

"Lucky for you, no kids were involved and on a personal note, I might be out of line, but sounds like he already had a side piece and it might have been Charlotte."

I sat and thought about that. Maybe I was not as crazy and I felt.

"Do you want to look over the remains?"

"Oh, glad I got here before that."

"Hi Mac. How are you doing today?"

"Good. how are you holding up?" sincerity flowed from his voice.

"Talking out my thoughts with Will, who by the way is one excellent listening ear!"

I turned around, not ready to look at it...her. Will had pulled open the cooler drawer. I could hear the wheels of the metal tray pull out and knew she was before me.

"Are you sure you want to look, again?"

"I need to, it's been a few days and nothing is fresh in my memory. Nothing."

I turned slowly, seeing the blacken bones before me, a bit of white lurking from where Will had taken samples and dusted for evidence.

"Anything new here, Will?"

"I pulled two different fabrics from here. It could belong to her, but it is something. We also found hair, which was sent to the lab for processing. Obviously, no prints, but we did find that she had died before the fire."

"It originated with her, though." my question came off as a statement.

"Um, yes."

"OK, that is all I need. Thank you Will, for taking care of her."

He nodded, probably not knowing what to say. Being my sister made it a whole different dynamic, for everyone.

Back in the elevator, Mac by my side, I was lost in my thoughts.

"We should go back to the scene. Do some scaling of our own."

"Um, hmm." I shot back. Who was going to want to see me....the grieving sister of the dead pile of debris found where a house once stood. Of course, I kept this to myself.

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