A Perfect Pose

3

3

“How are you doing?”

The question startled Nathan, who was lost in thought, contemplating his reflection. He turned away from the mirror, and was glad to see his sister had brought him a coffee to go with her query.

He crossed the bedroom to take the steaming mug from her, lifted it straight to his lips and sipped. The caffeine was more than welcome, for he wasn’t yet fully awake, despite having been up for more than an hour; he hadn’t been able to get a proper night’s sleep in months, which was leaving him almost permanently tired, and in constant need of coffee to keep himself awake during the day.

It was a situation that was exacerbated by the medication the doctor had him on, which left him feeling more like a zombie than anything else.

“Thanks,” he said, both for the drink and for the fact that it had been laced with more than his usual amount of sugar. The extra sugar gave him a sorely needed jolt.

“You don’t have to go back to work,” April said, concern in her voice. “Not if you don’t feel up to it.” Her eyes moved from his drawn face, with its sunken, bloodshot eyes, to his torso. “You’ve lost so much weight, so quickly, and you’re still not eating properly. You’re not sleeping properly either.” A ghost of a smile crossed her lips at the surprised look that appeared in his eyes. “I hear how restless you are every night, and I know you spend half the night on your laptop, torturing yourself with all those pictures and videos you’ve got, and doing I don’t know what else. That doesn’t matter, though, what does is that you’re not sleeping.”

“Staying off work isn’t going to help,” Nathan said. “It’s been three months, and sitting around the house hasn’t really done me a lot of good, it’s just given me too much time to think, despite all your efforts to distract me. Yours, and gran’s, and Stephen’s, and even Louisa’s. It’s been appreciated, it really has, but going back to work might just give me something else to think about; hell, it might be just what I need.”

April nodded her reluctant agreement. She had done everything she could, as had Stephen and Louisa, to keep her brother’s mind off the tragic events that had led to him taking a leave of absence from work, without success, at least no long-term success. They had been able to distract him for short periods at a time, but the instant he had a few moments to himself his thoughts returned to his wife and kids, and the fire that had taken them from him.

“As long as you’re sure,” April said, before adding firmly, “You’re having something to eat before you go, though. I’m not letting you go off to the station without something inside you, you’ll collapse by lunchtime if you do. I’ve got toast in the toaster, and bacon under the grill.” No sooner had she said that than the smoke alarm in the kitchen began wailing.

Nathan went white at the noise. He hadn’t been at home at the time of the fire that took his family, but the sound still made him freeze, but for a tremor that threatened to spill his coffee. The blood drained from his face, and his mouth fell open.

“Oh bugger!” April swore as the alarm sounded. She saw her brother’s face and immediately reached out to take his hand. “It’s alright, Nate,” she said reassuringly, pulling him to her so she could hug him, a move that resulted in coffee being spilled down the back of her top; it was uncomfortably hot, but not scalding, so she ignored it as she sought to comfort her brother. “It’s just the bacon, it’s only your breakfast.”

She broke the hug after about ten seconds. “I’ll be right back, I’d better do something about that racket.” Reluctant to leave her brother, April hurried from the room so she could silence the alarm, and do something about the bacon, which she was sure must now resemble charcoal.

**

APRIL WAS IN THE KITCHEN, throwing away the blackened bacon, putting fresh bread in the toaster, and making herself a fresh cup of coffee, while the smoky air cleared out the open back door, when she heard Nathan’s phone ring upstairs. She heard him answer it, but couldn’t make out what was being said, only that her brother’s voice was approaching the top of the stairs, then she heard his footsteps as he descended.

“I’ve got to go in early,” Nathan said when he appeared in the kitchen doorway.

“What? Why?” April was surprised and dismayed by the sudden change in her brother’s plans. “I thought you weren’t going in ‘til eight.” Not as clever as Nathan, she was still smart enough to work out that the phone call was the reason for his announcement, and that it must mean something had happened.

Nathan looked unhappy as he said, “A body’s been found.”

“Murder?”

“Uncertain at the moment. I’ve been given the case until it’s been determined one way or another. The location of it makes it unlikely the death is going to be natural, but Frank didn’t have much in the way of details to give me.” As he spoke, Nathan finished doing up his tie.

April spotted the touch of strain her brother was trying to conceal as she searched his face. “Why have they given it to you?” she wanted to know. “You haven’t even officially started back yet. Surely someone else can handle this case, while you ease back into things. What about the inspector they brought in to cover for you? Can’t she deal with it?”

Nathan shrugged. “I got the impression from Frank that she’s busy with something else.”

“Frank? Is that Frank Wells, the sergeant I met at the...” Her voice trailed off before she could finish the sentence as she sought to avoid mentioning the funeral, for fear of causing her brother distress.

It surprised Nathan that his sister remembered the duty sergeant for their meeting had been a brief one. He nodded. “Yeah. If the inspector covering for me is already on a case, he’ll have gone down the list and called the next detective in the rotation, which must be me, even if I haven’t properly started back yet...”

The toaster popped then, and April quickly grabbed the two slices of lightly browned bread. “Are you sure you’re up to this?” she asked as she began buttering the toast. She worried that dealing with something as serious as a body on his first day back would be too much for him.

“I guess I’ll find out soon enough,” Nathan said, doing his best not to reveal that he was as worried as his sister. In an effort to conceal his concerns, he accepted the slice of toast that was held out to him and took a bite, though his appetite was no stronger than it had been since his family was cremated. The toast was liberally spread with butter and strawberry jam, yet it still caught in his throat, and only reluctantly scratched its way down to his stomach.

“Is Stephen picking you up?” April reached for the kettle after handing over the second slice of toast.

“No, I’m driving myself there.” It was no comfort to Nathan, but the one thing he still had after Kurt Walker’s arson attack on his family home was his car.