Strange Ideas: Details

Continuing with the A to Z Challenge 2016

The next day brought joy and misery in equal measure: the joy of getting his car back tempered by the misery of how much it cost to restore his bumper; the soft kisses and forgiveness he’d received this morning from Suzanne moderated by his guilt over how much more he needed to be forgiven for.

Ted was in a foul mood too, and not inclined to hide it. Harrison had already received a roasting over his handling of the second viewing at the Gatford property which, according to the Keanes, had been “amateurish” and “uninspiring”. Needless to say, he hadn’t closed the deal, and he couldn’t really blame them. His head had been so mixed up with the details of the newspaper article that he’d had a hard time remembering even the most basic of specifications to do with the bungalow. The only aspect of his workday that could be considered anywhere near joyful was the fact that Ted had left the office for a “business lunch” at eleven, and probably wouldn’t be back for the rest of the day.

And it was the need for details that continued to nag at him, even as he typed up the glib script for the glossy handouts for this house and that house. As well as he thought he had known India, as huge a part of his life she’d been, there was so much he still didn’t understand.

Facebook, the go-to social platform for casual stalkers, had proved annoyingly private. The only additional information he’d been able to glean was that, just over a week ago, she’d changed her relationship status from “married” to “it’s complicated”. Harrison couldn’t help but let a wry smirk slip at that, even as his stomach sank.

I wonder what her husband made of that? What the police will make of it?

The rest of what was publicly available, the profile pictures and life events and such, he already had committed to memory. He couldn’t find her on any other sites, not under her real name anyway. But maybe there was something he’d missed…

Harrison glanced over his shoulder to check no one was nearby, and minimised the property details document he was working on. He loaded up India’s Facebook profile and scanned the page again. There. Under the tab marked “More”, all the way down at the bottom. Instagram. How had he not spotted that before?

Another furtive glance around the office. Satisfied the coast was clear, he clicked on the link, suddenly afraid of what he might see.

The story continues tomorrow with Enigma.