The leather of the couch was shiny black and sort of slippery. Qingxian found it hard to relax against it, plus there was an unattractive squeaky kind of noise everytime she moved. She hated these kinds of couches. What was wrong with other couches? Surely there were other ways to display your wealth than spending it on this?
"Emma's out at the moment," the woman had said to her and Sugar, "just make yourselves comfortable and I'll call her and tell her to come back home."
A moment later all three of them heard a ting-a-ling sound from upstairs. Emma's mother paled.
"Oh...that's her phone," she said quietly. "She must have left it behind. I'm really sorry about this."
"It's alright!" Sugar smiled. "Teenagers are like that. I know I was!"
Qingxian frowned.
Two hours went by. Emma's mother prepared them coffee and answered the women's questions. Emma herself, however, was nowhere to be seen. Everytime her mother glanced up at the clock, she swallowed hard.
"So, where exactly did Emma go?" Qingxian asked impatiently.
"To the park," Emma's mother responded. "I'm sure she'll be back soon."
That's what you said two hours ago, Qinxian thought bitterly.
Sugar got an unusually worried look on her face. "Would you like us to go and pick her up?"
"Okay." Now her mother looked even more worried.
During the drive over there, Sugar fidgeted the whole way.
"Someone's restless today," Qingxian commented.
"I've just got this really funny feeling that something might have happened to her."
Qingxian rolled her eyes. "I'm sure she's fine. You're worrying yourself over nothing."
Sugar made a small noise of disagreement and the two of them were silent for the rest of the ride.
When they reached the park, Qingxian gazed up at the sun and shielded her eyes as she stood with one hand on her hip, legs parted slightly. Sugar watched her. Why on earth would Qingxian wear a trenchcoat on a day like this? It wasn't cold or anything. And why was she staring at the sun?
Qingxian then glanced around the park. "Alright, let's find Emma."
It didn't take the two women long to come across the scene. When your eyes are trained to spot something like that, you rarely ever miss it again. To Qingxian, it couldn't be any more obvious. The grass was trampled with flecks of blood. You might as well have been standing with a massive white flag, jumping up and down and screaming "RIGHT HERE, SUCKERS" at the top of your lungs.
Emma was found pretty easily, too, though from the way she was hidden she may have been completely missed for a few days if anyone else was looking for her.
"Oh, dear," Sugar said as she gently lifted the fragrant branches concealing the body. "Oh…" She clapped a hand to her mouth. "Her mother…"
Qingxian would be lying if she said she wasn't spooked by the timing of the whole thing. Something told her Piko would feel the same way.
Speaking of whom…
As she pulled out her phone to call the squad in, Piko rang her. She answered hesitantly. "Hello?"
"You seem happy today," Piko said sarcastically. "How are things on your end going?"
"Just peachy. We have another victim."
"Really?! Where?"
"In the park, under the rose bushes. There are signs of a struggle here, too. Looks pretty violent."
"I'm coming over straight away."