"Find anything?" Michael asked
Anabella looked at him startled "Jeez, detective! I didn't see you there" she gasped
Michael tilted his head to one side "You're a little jumpy for a woman who works with the dead" he observed
Anabella rolled her eyes "This one's got me spooked" She admitted "Doesn't make any sense"
"How so?"
She pointed to the bloody stab wound in Chloe's stomach "This is the only place she was stabbed, the attacker didn't hit anything in her that would cause a quick death but the victim died almost instantly. It should have taken her a while to bleed out."
Michael knew why the girl had died so quickly, but it wasn't information that he was willing to share with just anyone, still, he needed to know how much information the medical examiner could get from the body so he pressed her further.
"What's your theory?"
Anabella shrugged "Not got much of one at the minute, a fast acting toxin or poison on the blade perhaps? We won't know until the post mortem is done though."
Michael nodded "You'll let me know what you find?"
"Sure" Anabella replied
Michael looked away from Chloe's body. In the distance, a few officers were trying to get rid of several onlookers, Michael had always wondered what it was about crime scenes and dead bodies that seemed to draw the general public and turn them into hoards of transfixed, gawking busybodies. Ironic that a scene of death attracted so much life.
Beside him, Anabella Rose turned Chloe's head.
"Damn flies" She sighed when several of the winged bugs flew out from beneath the corpse
Michael smiled at the flies, if he wasn't one hundred percent sure about who had killed Chloe before, he was now.
"Her attacker grabbed her from behind, looks like he ripped out some hair in the process" Anabella noted
Michael stood up and ran his fingers through his hair, the sun was making him sweat and he yearned for a cold shower. He decided he had seen all he needed to.
"I'll let you know about the post mortem" Anabella called after him as he walked away.
Michael climbed into his car, a sleek black porsche Cayman S and started the engine.
A few minutes later he was pulling up outside the home of one Jenna Atkins, the victim's best friend and the last known person to have seen Chloe before her murder.
He climbed out of the car, strolled up to Jenna's front door and knocked on it.
Jenna didn't take long to greet him. Her eyes were puffy and red, her grieving process already well underway.
"I'm Detective Michael Layford" He smiled "I'm investigating Chloe's murder and wondered if I could speak to you?"
Jenna nodded and stepped aside, granting him access.
They sat in the lounge, a large room with beige walls and bland furniture.
"I still can't believe she's gone." Jenna sniffed
"Do you know if Chloe had any enemies? Anyone who would want to hurt her?" Michael asked
"No, she's a good person. She's liked" Jenna replied
"You're sure. There isn't anyone? It's rare a person goes through life without someone taking a disliking to them" Michael pushed
Jenna looked at him for a moment in dibelief, then she repeated firmly "She's liked. She's made mistakes in the past but nothing that anyone would want kill her for"
"The mind of a killer is a strange thing" Michael insisted "People kill because of all sorts of things. Don't try to make sense of it"
Jenna said nothing
"So, still no enemies?" Michael asked
"How many times? No. No enemies"
Michael nodded. At first he had been under the impression that Chloe had no enemies too, but he never had to do much digging in deaths like these to uncover the truth. It had taken less time than he expected in Chloe's case, he had already gotten most of the story before he even saw the body.
He reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a photograph of a lean, dark haired man.
"Do you recognise this person?" He asked, showing Jenna the photo
She looked at it quickly and sighed "This is Richard Malone. He wouldn't hurt Chloe"
"What makes you so sure?"
Jenna handed the photo back. "He's her boss. They get on well" She explained
"How well?"
"They were a couple" Jenna admitted
"And what about this woman" Michael said, producing another photo from his pocket, this time of a tall woman with black hair.
Jenna glanced at the photo and then glared at Michael but she didn't say anyhting
"Am I to understand by your silence that you don't recognise the woman in the photo?"
Still Jenna didn't speak
"Not to worry" Michael continued in an upbeat tone of voice "I can tell you who she is. This lady is Elsie Malone. Mr Malone's wife of nearly ten years. Now, Jenna, I'll ask you again, do you think Chloe had any enemies?"
"Fine. Richard is a rat but Elsie doesn't know about the two of them, I suppose though, if she had found out, she wouldn't have been Chloe's BFF." Jenna snapped "Happy now?"
Michael nodded "Thrilled, thank you"
"I don't like your tone detective" Jenna spat
Michael shrugged "Fortunately for me, that doesn't really matter" he said
"I'll be filing a complaint" Jenna informed him
Michael picked up the photographs and returned them to his pocket. Then he got to his feet and looked at Jenna "Feel free." he smiled "Though I don't recommend it. You see Jenna, I know what you are, what Chloe was, and if you were to upset me I could always send Chloe's enemy here before we get rid of it"
Jenna's skin quickly turned a sickly ashen colour "You think that's what this was? An order?" She spluttered
"I know it was." Michael nodded
"And you're on their side I take it?" Jenna frowned
"Actually, no. I'm not, but I'm not on your side either. I'm on our side. It's my job to send you all back where you came from"
Jenna's pupils grew larger and larger until her eyes were as black as night "I'm not going back" she growled
"You don't have much choice." Michael chuckled "You don't belong here. There are rules that allow you to stay but Chloe broke those rules and if you knew about it, which, let's be honest, you did, then you broke the rules too. For God's sake, you can put your eyes back right now though, a party trick like that doesn't scare me and I'm not here to collect just yet. Luckily for you Chloe's killer is a bigger threat to us than you are, but once that's sorted, I'll come and help you move back home... if you're still alive that is"
"I'll run" Jenna threatened
"Knock yourself out. I'll still find you" Micheal replied "Or something worse then me will. Anyway, pleasure meeting you. See you soon"
Jenna snarled, her mouth opened that little bit too wide and her teeth suddenly strectched into long pointed fangs, He nails grew quickly into claws and she stared dtraight at the detective.
"Don't be ridiculous" Michael sighed, he turned and walked out of the house back to his car.
It was only when he was driving away that he thought about Jenna.
"Fuckin' Demons" He sighed
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