Chapter 2

Chelsea

Friday

Chelsea sat on her overstuffed suitcase and forced it closed. Although she’d planned a three day trip, she’d packed enough for a week. She thought back to her last visit and realised it had been months since she’d visited her home town. Eagerness to escape from her busy schedule, along with excitement about seeing her family, rose within her. After hopping off the case on the bed, she threw the remaining items into a bag.

“I think you’ve packed enough,” said Elle.

“Probably. I never pack light.”

Chelsea shrugged before glancing over her shoulder at her friend and roommate. Elle’s tall, slim frame leant gracefully against the doorway. She flipped her long, blonde hair over her shoulder as she studied Chelsea through dark blue eyes.

“I’d better get going. If I’m late I’ll never hear the end of it.” Chelsea lugged the suitcase off the bed.

“Let me help you.” Elle took most of the heavy burden. “Seeing I have the house to myself this weekend, I might ask my new guy over for ... dinner.” She grinned.

“So when do I get to meet him?”

“If all goes well, this weekend.” Elle nudged Chelsea with her elbow. “Maybe we can organise something when you get home.”

“Sounds good.”

They walked into the garage and Chelsea hit the button to open the automatic door. Elle loaded the suitcase into Chelsea’s sleek, compact car while she jumped in.

Chelsea stuck her head out the window as she backed out. “Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do.”

“Doesn’t leave me much,” Elle grumbled before waving.

Chelsea waved as she drove away before glancing back at her home, which held many memories, happy and painful. The two storey contemporary house with a small colourful garden - which Chelsea tried to keep tidy when time permitted - was welcoming, while the two balconies extending from the front bedrooms added charm and a view. Regardless of the sadness that surrounded her within its walls, she felt a smile tug at her lips at the comforting sight of home.

Leaning forward she turned the radio up and settled in for the long drive ahead.

* * *

Amy

Monday

Lucas drove in brooding silence while Maggie scanned Libby’s murder file and Amy Miller’s statement about Kate. When finished, she turned to stare at him.

“What?” he asked and grinned, hoping it would deter her questions.

“Are you ok?”

“Yeah.”

“I just thought ...”

“I’m fine, Mags.”

“If you want to talk about it ...?”

“I know where you are.” He smiled. “Thanks.”

Their silence resumed and continued for the rest of the journey. Lucas parked out the front of the small townhouse where Kate lived with her sister Amy.

“Let’s get this over with,” he said.

The girl who answered their knock appeared to be a younger version of Kate and there was no doubt they were in the right place.

“Can I help you?” she asked.

“Yes, I’m Detective Hudson.” He showed the girl his badge. “This is Detective Johnson. We’re here in relation to Kate Miller’s disappearance.”

The hopeful smile which greeted them disappeared from her face.

“Did you find her?”

“Yes, Ma’am, we believe so,” Maggie said. “May I ask your name please?”

“Yes, my name is Amy Miller. Is she okay?”

“Are your parents at home?”

“Only Kate and I live here. Please will you tell me? What is it?”

“You might want to sit down. Can we come in?”

“Please, where is she?”

Amy’s anxiety-filled eyes darted between Lucas and Maggie.

“We believe we found your sister this morning.”

“Where is she? Is she ...?”

“Perhaps it would be better if we came in.”

“Okay.”

Amy led them to the sitting room and perched on the edge of the couch. Maggie sat beside her and Lucas took the chair opposite.

Amy stared at them for a moment wide eyed before asking in a broken voice “Please, where is she?”

“We’re really sorry ... your sister has been murdered,” Maggie said gently.

“Oh no, please no,” Amy whispered as the blood drained from her face. “Kate ...”

Tears streamed down her face as she sat rigid for a moment, her face full of shock and disbelief. She buried her face in her hands and broke into wrenching sobs. The two detectives glanced at each other; they hated this part of the job. Several heartbreaking minutes passed before Amy’s tears subsided and her composure returned. She took a deep breath and with a determined set to her chin, looked at Maggie.

“We’re very sorry about your sister but we do need to ask you some questions so we can find out what happened to her. Would you like to call someone? We could continue this later.”

“I want to help.”

“If you need time,” Maggie said.

“No, I want to do it now. What do you need to ask me?”

“When was the last time you saw Kate?” Lucas began.

“On Sunday night as I was leaving to go out with friends. About six, I think, as the movie started at seven.”

“Was she here when you got home?”

“I don’t know. It was about eleven and her door was closed.”

“When did you realise she was gone?”

“The next day. She’s usually home from work by six, so when she wasn’t home by eight, I began to worry. I rang her work and they said she hadn’t been in ...” Amy’s voice trembled. She dabbed at her eyes with a tissue.

“This was when you reported her missing?”

“I rang her phone first and heard it ringing from her bag in her room.” She paused. Lucas and Maggie exchanged another glance. Libby’s possessions had been left at home too. “I rang everyone we know and no-one had seen her ... so I reported her missing.”

Amy picked at the tissues scrunched in her shaking hands and chewed on her lower lip.

“Did she say if she was going anywhere or meeting with someone?” Lucas asked.

“No.”

“Do you know if she was having anyone over?” Maggie asked.

“Um, she mentioned she’d met this guy but she didn’t say if she was meeting him.”

“Did she tell you his name?”

“No.”

“Perhaps she had him over or he came to pick her up?”

“I doubt she would have invited him here. She’s really ... cautious. She might have planned to go out but she didn’t say anything. Kate would have told me if she was seeing anyone special. We are … I mean were, very close.” She bit her lip again and fresh tears threatened.

“Could there be anyone who may have held a grudge against her?”

“No! She’s a kind, beautiful person. I don’t know why anyone would want to do this.”

The tears Amy held back now ran down her face.

“Just a few more questions and then we will leave you in peace,” Maggie said.

“Do you or your sister have a lot of money?” Lucas asked.

“What?”

“Is your family well off? Were you spoilt?”

“No. Why are you asking me this?” She furrowed her brow.

“There was a ... note left at the scene.”

“No, our parents are working class. We rent this apartment. We pay our own way ... I ... I don’t understand.”

“Can you think of anything else about the man she was seeing?” Maggie asked.

She shook her head. Amy didn’t bother wiping away the flowing tears now.

“We don’t want to make this any harder than it already is but we need to send over some crime scene investigators to check for fingerprints and evidence, in case she invited someone in.”

She nodded her assent.

“We appreciate it.” Maggie paused. “We also need someone to come down and identify her. Would you like us to arrange for your parents to do it? We would have gone to them first but we didn’t have any contact details.”

“It’s ok, I’ll ring my parents. I don’t know how I am ... Can we do it later?”

“Yes, when you’re ready. Are you sure you’re ok?”

She nodded.

“Again, we’re sorry,” Maggie said as Amy showed them to the door.

Once in the car Lucas and Maggie sat in silence for a few minutes, both lost in their own thoughts.

“More of the same,” Maggie spoke breaking the quiet. “Both had a mystery guy and were missing five days or longer. Neither spoilt nor well off but had the words cut into them. Why use these particular words?”

“I’m having trouble with that too. They both have dark hair and are short and petite too. Maybe they resemble someone or they dressed well and he assumed they were rich.”

“Hopefully Dave will have something for us.”