Page 9 of Her Hidden Shadow

Lauren stared. ‘Do you think he did this? Do you think he could have dropped us off and then went back to my home and…’ Lauren took a succession of deep breaths and placed a hand over her heart. ‘Why was Sienna in my bed?’ More tears began to flow. ‘I can’t think,’ she wailed.

‘Could Sienna and Robbie have been in a relationship?’

Lauren frantically shook her head. ‘She would never do that to me. She was my best friend in the whole world and Robbie loves me. We’re getting married.’ Her brows furrowed and she sobbed. ‘It’s obvious though, isn’t it? He must have been sleeping with her.’ Lauren gripped the sheet and let out a long painful cry into the fibres.

Gina felt her pain. An affair between Robbie and Sienna was looking likely. Maybe Robbie had invited Sienna over to call it off and then, Sienna had threatened to tell Lauren and then bam – he killed her and now he was on the run. The motive could be that simple. ‘Could I take your friends’ details? We’ll need to speak to Maxine and Dee.’

Lauren lay down in the bed and sobbed like a child. She had lost her dreams and her best friend. ‘I don’t have my phone. Their details are in my phone.’

‘We’re really sorry, it’s more than likely been booked into evidence if it was found at the scene.’

‘Can someone call my mum? Her number is listed under Mum?’

‘Of course. Is there anyone else you want us to contact?’

‘No. I just want my mum.’

‘Again, I’m really sorry for what you’ve been through. An officer will arrive shortly to take a formal statement. If, in the meantime, you think of anything that might help us to catch Sienna’s killer, please ask a nurse to call us straight away. I just need to ask, were you arguing with someone at the end of your street on the nineteenth or twentieth of January, evening time?’

‘Who said I was?’

‘A witness.’

‘A drunken guy nearly fell on me, that was all. I’d just got off the bus and I think he was attempting to run towards it. He crashed into me and I was angry. It was nothing. The guy could barely stand.’

Gina waited for Jacob to catch up. ‘When you’re discharged, where will you go?’

‘Can I go home?’

Gina felt her stomach knot. ‘I’m sorry again. Forensics are there and it’s an active crime scene. I’ll let you know as soon as we’re finished but it could be several days. Also, for your own safety, I’d rather you didn’t stay there for now. Is there anyone you can stay with?’

‘I’ll have to stay with my mum. Please call her. Tell her I need her. I’ll need someone to pick me up from here. My passcode is Lauren1234,’ Lauren said, her voice getting hoarse.

That was one less phone for Garth in tech to crack. ‘I’ll go to the station now and do that right away. You shouldn’t be alone at a time like this.’ Lauren looked almost child-like as she turned to lie in the foetal position. Gina wished she could stay with the young woman until her mother arrived, but she was expected at the station. She’d need to get back and go through Lauren’s phone. Maybe Lauren took photos while out, or sent messages back and forth to Robbie Shields. Gina spotted a uniformed officer peering through the little glass square in the door. He nodded. At least someone would be there if Lauren thought of anything else to tell them. In the meantime, they’d have to put out a missing person notice for Robbie Shields. Right now, he was their prime suspect and she wanted him in an interview room. Her phone beeped and a message popped up from Briggs.

Can you head back to the station now? We need an urgent briefing. It has been confirmed that the nail file was used to stab Sienna Moorcroft and we have two phones. One belonging to Sienna and one belonging to Lauren. Garth in tech is just about to crack them.

Six

Gina headed straight to her office, grabbing her suit jacket and a couple of painkillers. After being woken from such a deep sleep, she was cursing the pulsating ache in her head. She swallowed the pills down swiftly as she entered the hustle and bustle of the incident room. DC Harry O’Connor sat at the back of the room eating a doorstop sandwich, the strip light reflection shining on his smooth head. DC Paula Wyre removed her thick coat and drank from her water bottle, her black hair pulled in a tight bun. That’s when she spotted PC Jhanvi Kapoor, smiling.

Briggs cleared his throat. ‘Right, today was going to be a day of big announcements and celebrations, but all those celebrations are now on hold. I’ll say what I have to say quickly, and we can all go down the pub and do this properly when things calm down a bit around here. After successfully impressing in interview, PC Kapoor has been admitted onto the Initial Crime Investigators Development Programme. She will be working with the team as a trainee DC. Congratulations, Jhanvi!’

A small round of applause filled the air and Briggs continued. ‘That leaves us with a gap. Having specified PCs on the team has proven to be invaluable. Jhanvi Kapoor had given us a lot of support and we need another PC to take her place, so let’s also welcome PC Shafiq Ahmed. He will be assisting us alongside PC Smith who is currently still at the murder scene.’

Another round of applause filled the room. PC Ahmed stood and uncomfortably half waved. ‘Thank you for having me. I’m excited to be a part of this team.’ He swiftly sat back in his chair as if nervously trying to get out of the limelight.

Gina knew of Jhanvi’s new position, but she hadn’t said a word to anyone else.

‘Let’s waste no more time. Like I said, once things settle we’ll celebrate properly. On to the case. Gina, can you fill us in on what you know, then we’ll go over what’s in Lauren Cross’s and Sienna Moorcroft’s phones. Trainee DC Kapoor, can you take the pen and jot everything down on the board?’

Jhanvi stood, a full smile on her face as she began heading up the board. Her smart black trousers and white shirt looked brand new out of the shop.

Gina headed to the front of the room. ‘Jacob and I have visited the scene and the hospital. On the surface, it looks like Sienna Moorcroft had been having an affair with Robbie Shields. Lauren Cross came home after a night out, got into bed and found she was lying next to her dead friend. Bernard is managing the crime scene. He said that Sienna had recently had sexual intercourse, but there were no signs of force. Robbie’s phone hasn’t been found at the scene. Sienna had been stabbed and then strangled with a scarf. She died as a result of the strangulation. While we were there, a nail file was found outside and there was blood on it. These are all preliminary findings, so we need to wait for Bernard and his team to arrange the post-mortem and lab work. As for Lauren, she’s currently in ward sixteen at Cleevesford General and has been treated for shock. When Jacob and I saw her, she looked distressed.’

Briggs took a sip of coffee and put his cup on a desk. ‘The main suspect is Robbie Shields?’

Gina nodded. ‘Yes. We don’t know where he is at present. We also need to speak to the taxi driver who dropped Lauren home. We spoke to a neighbour, and she overheard Lauren telling the taxi driver to get off her. I asked Lauren about this, and she didn’t seem overly concerned about him, but the neighbour said that the driver parked up and walked back to Lauren’s bungalow once she was inside. He spent a short while in her front garden then came back out. Why was he loitering there?’

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