(I own nothing except plot.)
Nina woke up, expecting to smell pancakes and fried foods as she did every morning. Instead, she heard running water, talking and she smelt shampoo, conditioners, perfumes and body wash. No food.
She went downstairs and there was no food on the table, no preparations for anything like it.
She asked Victor if he'd seen Trudy and he shook his head.
Nina went to Trudy's room, to find it a mess, as if there had been a struggle. The bed was unmade, something very unlike her, the flowers had been thrown to the floor, there were a few bloodstains and her makeup was trodden into her carpet.
The floor was covered in her clothes, her wardrobe open, though nothing was missing. Her computer was smashed up, the monitor's screen cracked, her chair had been thrown backward and her curtains pulled down, the window shattered. There was no sign of the woman herself.
Nina called Victor.
Meanwhile, Trudy herself was lay in an alleyway, trying to call for help. She was breathing harshly and she was desperate to get help. She screamed as loudly as her throat and burning lungs would permit.
She was found by Fabian's uncle, who had her to a hospital in moments.
They did everything possible, but she was badly injured and had a few internal bleeds. She gasped for air and knew she didn't have long. She thanked Ade, who had got Jasper back over there for her. She told them both that she was grateful that they'd both been kind enough to care about her.
Before either one could ask her what had happened, she couldn't talk or breathe and she started spitting blood. They called a doctor, giving her a bowl for the blood.
The doctor arrived, but she was already an inch from death.
While the doctor tried, Trudy stopped spitting blood and collapsed into the pillows, her eyes tightly shut. The heart monitor they'd had her on suddenly stopped and she just wasn't breathing.
The doctor checked her eyes, but it was no use. She was dead and her murderer remained a mystery.
The two men decided on her funeral, but they insisted on telling her friends.
They went back to Anubis.
Ade had a store to run, so he went back there, unable to face his nephew and his friends.
Jasper was a bit stronger, though he didn't want to admit that the woman he loved had been murdered.
He got everyone's attention and said "I know you all know that Miss Trudy went missing."
Nina said "Yeah, she did. Have you found her?"
Jasper shook his head. "No, I didn't. Ade did. And he took her to hospital."
Fabian said "Is she OK? Can we see her?"
Jasper shook his head again. "She's not OK. She was murdered, though she never got to tell us who it was that killed her."
Patricia snapped "Well, there has to be some clues. Tell me, what looked like it had happened?"
Jasper said "As far as I saw, she had bruises all over her face and neck, I was told she had bad internal bleeding and before anyone could ask what had happened to her, she started choking up blood."
By this time, everyone was in tears. Even Victor, who had actually developed feelings for her during their one date. She was the light and joy of the house, as far as everyone in it was concerned. And now she was dead.
Her murderer went and claimed her body, as they pretended to be a relative who had dearly loved her. They threw the body into a suitcase and put the suitcase into the attic at Anubis house.
Two weeks later, Jasper decided to go and look in the attic.
He got up there and smelled something horrible. He walked to the suitcase and found a decaying body, still recognisable, clumps of black hair around it, wound marks on the body
He knew that person. He knew the black hair. He called a funeral director and had the body buried. He made sure it was private funeral, that much was assured. He found a tiny note in one of her diaries.
"Jasper has a daughter, my own child. I gave her to my cousin, Hannah, to look after her until summer. My child was named Summer because of the season she was born. Nobody knew about her except Hannah and myself. When I collect my baby, I will introduce her to Jasper. I visit her every weekend."
Jasper decided to meet the child Trudy had secretly given to him.
He visited the address Trudy had written for this Hannah and she opened the door to him.
A tiny, four month old child rested on her mother's cousin's hip.
Jasper said "Are you Hannah? Trudy's cousin?"
She nodded. "Yeah, that's me. You are?"
"I'm Jasper Choudhary, Summer's father." He told her. The baby smiled, looking like a little Trudy.
"Oh, yeah. She said she was coming to visit and that you didn't know about Summer." Hannah told him.
"I didn't. I literally just found out fifteen minutes ago. Trudy was murdered, my friend found her in an alley." Jasper told her, around the choking lump he always felt in his throat when he thought about her.
"Oh, God. Not Trudes." Hannah gasped.
"That's what I said. Anyway, before we make ourselves cry, let's change subject." He said, then lay his gaze on his daughter.
The baby gooed at him, smiling. Hannah said "Here, try her. She's a social thing, just like her mum."
Jasper took hold of Summer and she beamed. She seemed to know her father and she allowed him to kiss her cheeks.
The baby took well to him and didn't want him to give her back.
Hannah groaned. "She was like this with Trudy. Never wanted her to give her back. You know, if you feel ready to, you can take her."
The baby girl cooed and looked at her father. Jasper felt a strong pull to the baby.
"OK, sure, I'll take her." He told the woman who gave the baby back.
She said "You know, taking your kid off my hands, I could kiss you for it."
He laughed. "I'm sure Summer isn't that bad."
"She screams the house down every night and she yells for her mum and dad all the time." Hannah told him.
Summer said "Dada." Jasper glowed with pride. He had a little part of Trudy all the same.
At the house, where he had previously lived alone, he set up a huge nursery, where the baby had tons of toys and videos.
The little child had a VCR and a plasma screen TV alongside a massive sofa all her own.
Everything was pink, yellow, lilac and plushy. It was beautiful. The baby had her own cradle and she had everything she needed in there.
Jasper didn't get any spare time, what with caring for his baby and making sure he learned to cook nutritious meals for her and cleaning.
The baby seemed happy enough, never causing him any trouble. He'd fixed the house up and had a giant picture of Trudy hung in the living room.
There was also one in his room, just across the landing from the baby.
Every night, he heard soft singing and a gentle, nurturing voice talking to the baby. He'd left a photo of Trudy next to the cradle. It would always be lay face down when he went in there and the baby would be happily lay awake.
He'd stand the picture up and then get the baby her bottle. She drank it happily, watching him.
One night, a note in Trudy's curly handwriting appeared on the photo.
"Summer loves you, she's always so happy. I watch you every day. You make such a wonderful father. I should have told you when she was born, but I thought you'd reject her. She's such a happy baby, I hoped you'd love her as much as I do. I love you, Jasper. True. ;)"
He knew that the only person she'd ever let use that nickname, or the only person she'd use that nickname to sign a note to, was him.
He knew then that she was watching and it was her he heard every night, looking after the baby for him. He laughed softly and murmured "Only you, my beautiful Trudy."
He heard her laughter and knew he truly wasn't alone.