It's always the ones you least expect

‘Good one Nahel!’ ‘You did it!’ ‘Truly gifted, you are!’ Cries like these could be heard all over the office as Ashanti Nahel made her way towards the exit after solving an impossible case. A gruesome murder of a young woman and her two children in their own home. Head slightly raised and eyes displaying her visible exhaustion, Ashanti regarded everyone with gratitude as she left the building, breathing a huge sigh of relief. As she started the engine in her car, she hesitated for a moment and finally decided to stop and sit for a while. Arms gripping the steering wheel, her head collapsed onto them, as she started heaving huge sobs. The poor woman. Her two beautiful children. And it was her husband that ended them. The man she had trusted. The man who had been her rock. Once she started, Ashanti could not stop as she released all her built-up emotions from this horrific week onto her trembling hands. Images kept flashing in front of her eyes. The blood splattered on the walls in the living room as the young woman lay on the sofa. The two small corpses in the nursery after their milk had been poisoned. How serene and eerie they had looked, lifeless creatures eradicating an angelic aura, hugging each other in their last embrace.

The next-door neighbour had been a huge help throughout all of this. 73-year-old Greta had welcomed the detectives into her own house as she comforted them with green tea and biscuits that tasted a decade old. Regardless, they provided an odd sense of a hug, especially to Ashanti as this was her first big case, being of such a young age. ‘It’s always the ones you least expect’ Greta had murmured in Ashanti’s ear as they had exited her house, and she remembered nodding dolefully, still shocked by the scene next door.

A loud knock suddenly pulled Ashanti out of her train of thoughts, as she turned her head fearfully towards her window. Her smiling partner on the case was standing on the other side, but upon viewing her tear-stained face and swollen eyes, his smile faltered as he viewed her with a concerned gaze. Sighing, she motioned towards the passenger seat, to which Ha-rin (her partner) reluctantly accepted and seated himself beside her. Ashanti was suddenly enveloped in an embrace by Ha-rin’s strong arms as she lay her head onto his beating heart, dissolving in a fresh round of sobs full of grief. ‘It’ll be ok’ Ha-rin mumbled repeatedly , his head burrowed in Ashanti’s hair as he continuously rubbed her back, hoping to provide her some assurance. After what seemed like hours, Ashanti’s sobs came to an end as she lay motionless in his arms, grateful for his warmth and presence. Ha-rin gently propped her up as she gazed into his eyes with a sense of endearment, which was quickly masked by fatigue. ‘How do you feel about pizza?’ Ha-rin regarded her enquiry with interest, then in a soft voice, exclaimed ‘delicious!’

Two weeks had passed since her breakdown and the solving, and Ashanti was readying herself on a bright Saturday morning for the hearing of Beckett Mander, the husband of the young woman. The beauty of the day almost seemed illegal as Ashanti trudged from her car to the courtroom, dreading the unravelling of the horrors that would take place. However, in what seemed like no time, the husband was found guilty with the corpses and weapons reeking of his fingerprints. Surprisingly, Beckett had utter disbelief splashed across his face has he repeatedly claimed not to be guilty, and something in his eyes made Ashanti start to question everything. But science was science. Shaking her head, she tutted herself for even doubting her decision and left the hearing with an empty feeling in her stomach. Standing next to her car was no other than Ha-rin, and Ashanti ran into his arms, relieved for a familiar presence. He had been a guidance angel to her throughout this time, making sure she got home safe and keeping her company during her dark thoughts. Her previous friendly attitude towards him had developed into a romantic one, as she would gaze into his beautiful brown eyes for long period of times and feel safe next to him.

The thirty-minute car journey from the court to Ashanti’s house seemed to fly like the wind as Ha-rin lightened her mood with entertaining stories about his niece, which left Ashanti’s stomach aching with laughter by the end and her face hurting from smiling so much. As the car pulled up Ashanti’s driveway, her phone suddenly started to ring. Confused, Ashanti raised the screen to reveal ‘Greta’ flashing, to which Ashanti immediately answered, heart pounding in her ears. ‘Good morning dear I was wondering if you’d be interested in a cup of tea!’ Greta’s bubbly voice proclaimed as she continued to express how she understood that Ashanti must be overwhelmed from the morning’s hearing. Pleasantly taken aback, Ashanti graciously accepted the invitation and agreed to make her way over soon. Ha-rin had suddenly narrowed his eyes, placing a hand on Ashanti’s arm. ‘Do you want me to go with you? I don’t feel right about this’ he voiced; his unease apparent. Ashanti had to stop herself from bursting into laughter as she realised how serious he was; it was almost too funny to see him this stressed over a harmless lady. After constant reassurance, she agreed to call him once she arrived as she made her way to Greta’s house, chuckling to herself.

Upon arrival, Greta ushered Ashanti into her cosy living room where she was greeted with a batch of fresh cookies that seemed to be a poor attempt to mask the strange odour in the air. Ashanti disregarded it and pulled out her phone to call Ha-rin as Greta bustled to the kitchen to grab the tea. ‘No signal’ could be read across her phone screen, which seemed odd to Ashanti as she had full bars two weeks ago in the same location. Blaming her phone company, Ashanti made a mental note to request a phone call from Greta to inform Ha-rin. ‘I’m so glad you could make it dear; I just couldn’t get your frightened eyes out of my mind all week’ exclaimed the old lady as she poured Ashanti and herself a hot cup of delicious smelling tea. The kindness in her voice almost moved Ashanti to tears as she recalled Ha-rin’s discomfort earlier , which made her smile again at the absurdity of his assumption. Bringing the cup to her lips, Ashanti took a big sip, reeling from the sudden sharp twang in the taste. ‘Beckett was such a good man you know, it’s a shame he found out’ Greta had started monologuing. Ha-rin’s warning suddenly swam into Ashanti’s mind as she continued to drink her tea and listen to the old woman’s strange story. ‘Always helping my little Tommy out and mowing my lawn when I couldn’t find a gardener’. Ashanti slowly started to feel lightheaded as she struggled to concentrate on Greta’s words. ‘You are so young dear, but this has to be done. It won’t be too long until they find out, but you’ll be long gone by then’ . The sharp twang . No signal. Ashanti suddenly started to realise what had happened, but it was too late, she was slipping into a lifeless sleep as Greta’s voice rang out clearly ‘so young so naïve’ ……

’73-YEAR-OLD WOMAN FOUND GUILTY OF MURDER OF FAMILY AND YOUNG DETECTIVE’ the news headlines read out on Ha-rin’s coffee table. The framed murder. The poison in the milk. The avenging of Beckett Mander. Greta was serving a heavy sentence following this plot twist as a distraught Beckett was photographed being released from prison, his head sunk low depicting the perfect image of a man who had lost everything. As for Ha-rin, he had given up on love and was last seen at the airport, bloodshot eyes and tousled hair a visible reminder of a broken soul. It truly is the ones you least expect.