Thanks to all my reviewers; you've all brightened my day (which is pretty dull considering the amount of work I have to do for Year 12). Please keep R&R – ing! Love to all.
Stuart and Jo pushed through the CID doors early the next morning, and were met with Sam, her hands on her hips, as they hung up their coats.
"Where've you two been then?"
Stuart and Jo exchanged looks.
"Nowhere, Ma'am, we've just come in." Jo answered.
"Why, what's happened?" Stuart added.
"Another girl's been pulled out of the canal by Spicer Street." Sam informed them, crossing her arms over her chest.
"Is Spicer Street not dealing with it then?" Jo asked.
"No, I got them to send it over here; we'll be dealing with it."
"So it's another doll then?" Stuart asked.
Sam nodded. "They've yet to take photos, so if you want to grab your coats, we'll head down there now."
--
"DI Nixon, this is DS Turner and DC Masters, Sun Hill." Sam flashed her warrant card at the Spicer Street Officer standing in front of the police tape, by the waterside. He swiftly moved aside, and Sam reached up and pulled the tape over her head, passing it over to Stuart in the air, who held it up long enough for Jo to duck under.
"Looks like she's over here." Sam said, making her way through the mud, the bottom of her coat getting covered with it. She soon reached the body, covered with a white sheet, and when Stuart and Jo had caught up, she knelt by the body and slowly lifted the sheet off her.
Sam, Stuart and Jo stared at her for a moment, not speaking, their breathes caught in their throats. The girl they were confronted with had long red hair, which was straight and glossy, despite being wet. Her eyes were wide, and rimmed with coats of mascara, along with bright green eye-shadow, complimenting her green eyes. She was wearing a white dress, with small blue flowers printed on it, and frilly, white socks, with black Mary-Janes on her feet.
"She looks like she's straight out of a picture book." Sam said, kneeling next to her.
"Any ID?" Stuart asked the officers milling about, and a man handed him a clutch purse. Stuart muttered his thanks and rummaged through it, before extracting a small white card.
"Loretta Hamilton, date of birth 27th February, 1989." Stuart dropped the card to his side, revealing a smiling girl with long red hair in the small picture.
"She's almost 19 then. Does it say anything about where she's from?" Sam asked.
"Erm … " Stuart looked down at the card once again. "No."
"So she could be from anywhere at all." Sam stated, standing up.
"She doesn't look very tall." Jo commented, sizing her up. She looked from Sam down to Loretta. "I think she's about your height, Sam."
"We'll see in the official report, but, no, she doesn't look very tall." Sam said.
The three of them stood around for a few moments, before Sam broke the silence. "Come on, let's get back to the nick. There's nothing more for us to do here."
--
Stuart walked into the briefing room where Sam and Jo were standing. "Right, Loretta Hamilton." He announced, pinning the picture onto the board, alongside the other three girls. "Lived in Aberdeen, was down in London for a holiday I believe, traveling with her friends."
"Where are her friends now?" Sam asked.
"Well, apparently they raised the alarm of her being missing one afternoon when she hadn't returned from the previous night's conquest. They've gone back home though."
"They returned without finding her?" Jo asked, indignantly.
"Actually, there's a girl down in the front office asking to speak to the officer dealing with Loretta." Beth piped up from behind the three of them, having just walked in and catching the end of their sentence.
"Oh, thanks Beth. Stuart, do you want to deal?" Sam asked him, and he nodded, walking out of CID with Beth.
"So is Loretta another 'doll'?" Beth asked, walking quickly to keep up with Stuart.
"Looks like it." Stuart replied, walking down the stairs to the front office. "Which one is she then?" He asked, peering through the front office glass door.
"That girl sitting over there, Sarge." Beth pointed him in the direction of a brunette, sitting on a chair, nervously jiggling her foot, her pale face etched with worry.
"Right, thanks, PC Green."
Stuart pushed through the door and walked to the girl sitting down. "Are you a friend of Loretta Hamilton's?"
She nodded. "Yeah." Her voice was soft, with a Scottish accent.
"How about we talk in here?" Stuart opened the door to the front interview room, and she followed his arm in.
"Can we start with your name?" He asked, sitting down across from her.
"Kelly Henderson. Is there any news about Lorrie? Have you found her?" She asked, sitting forward.
"We have found her." Stuart started, and Kelly's eyes opened up. "But … she was pulled out of the Spicer Street Canal this morning. I'm sorry Kelly, but she was dead."
Kelly was motionless for a few seconds, before opening her mouth, but no sound came out. She coughed and tried again. "How did she die?"
"Erm … " Stuart tried to think of a way to put it nicely. "We believe she was a victim of a serial killer."
"A serial killer?!" Kelly asked in disbelief. This kind of thing only really happened in the movies.
Stuart nodded. "Is there anything you can tell me about her that may help us? Anything about the night she went missing?"
Kelly thought for a moment, before nodding. "Well, we were all down in London for a two week holiday, and one night we went out clubbing, and Lorrie went home with some bloke." She paused to look a Stuart who nodded encouragingly, before continuing.
"Well she said that she'd meet us back at our room at the B&B, but she never returned, and the next day we had to go back home …" Tears slipped down Kelly's white cheeks. "So the others went, but I had to stay; she was my best friend! And then today I heard that Sun Hill Police were dealing with her … and here I am."
"Thank you Kelly, this helps a lot." Stuart said as Kelly stood up to go.
"You will call me when you find who did this?" She asked, pulling her coat tighter around her body.
"Definitely." Stuart re-assured her.
She smiled sadly at him before walking out of the station, the cold air whipping her hair around her face, as Stuart went back up to CID.