Undying Devotion

The scene was about to be taped off and locked up once she and the body exited. The forensics team had already headed back to the station to begin the lengthy process of processing the evidence. Removing her gloves and booties she addressed the officer outside. “Seal the scene once the body is removed, then escort Miss Kenard to a safe location.”

He nodded to her as she walked away. In her hands, she had Miss Kenard’s handbag which had been left inside by the door.

She approached the distressed woman. “Miss Kenard, may I have a few moments of your time?” Her voice was soft as she spoke. This poor woman had seen something horrible. She handed the woman her bag, it had already been searched having been in the house.

“Please, call me Danni.” The woman nodded, though it was clear that she was shaken up. Her hands were trembling as she took her handbag with a small smile as thanks.

“Walk me through what happened. Every detail matters.”

“My flight landed at around 12.20 am, I had expected Kayla to be there to pick me up, she always did, no matter the time, rain, hail or shine.” Her bottom lip trembled as she pressed on. “I had been receiving texts from her right up until I got on the plane in Paris.”

Shannara frowned but she didn’t say anything as she watched tears stream down Danni’s face. She handed the women a tissue from her supply bag, she found they always came in handy at times like these.

“Oh god,” Danni muttered as she realized what the detective already had. “She was already...gone hadn’t she?” She whispered the last word.

Shannara tried to comfort her the best she could, but Danni lost her composure as she realized she had been talking to the person who had likely killed her friend. She patiently waited for Danni to stop sobbing so she could continue.

“We didn’t find a cell phone inside, this could be a good lead.” She reassured her.

“I swear it seemed so much like her, I didn’t ever think something like this could happen, least of all here.” Danni was shaking her head, her trembling setting in again.

“So you were at the airport waiting?” Shannara encouraged.

“Yeah, I messaged her and waited, but after around an hour I went to the taxi rank and got a ride.” A tear slid down her cheek as she visibly swallowed. “It’s about a 45-minute drive from the airport to here, I got home a little after 2 a.m. I think.”

Shannara nodded, it lined up, allowing for the police to be called. But she would also call the taxi company for the exact time of the transaction.

“I unlocked the door. Now it seems silly... I was so pissed at her.” She sobbed as she continued.

She noted down that the door had been locked, from her time in the house she also knew all other entrances and windows were also locked from the inside. “Does anyone else have keys?”

Danni shook her head. “No...” she continued after a short pause. “I remember calling out, I called her all names under the sun, slamming my bags down beside the door.”

“You were tired and thought your friend had stood you up, it’s understandable.” She sympathized with the girl.

Danni was fidgeting with the strap on her bag as she recalled what came next. “I stormed over to the side table and threw my keys in the bowl, I looked up and that’s when I saw her.” Her face scrunched up as she forced herself not to break down again. “Just hanging there... I screamed and fell backward, more from the shock. I thought it was a prank at first.”

“What did you do after you fell?”

“Well, I went straight for it...her... I thought it was a doll, like one of her Halloween decorations. I grabbed hold of her arm and when I saw her face... I knew it wasn’t a prank.”

“You touched her?”

She nodded. “I gave my fingerprints to the people already, they also took a swap.”

Noting down the details in her pad she watched Danni carefully. Everyone was still a suspect until alibis were confirmed. “Then?”

“I was hysterical, I ran for my phone and called the police. I’ve never seen anything like that before.” Danni wrapped her arms around herself shaking her head. “Why would someone do such a thing?”

“Did Kayla have any enemies, or a boyfriend, or possible ex’s?”

Danni shook her head. “She was a bookworm, don’t think I’d ever seen her with a man...” She paused thinking about it for a moment. “She did mention that she had been talking to someone recently, which was unlike her. Don’t think it was anything serious yet.”

“Any information would be of great help.”

“You’re welcome to my phone records, you can copy all the messages.” Danni fumbled around in her bag trying to find her phone.

“That would be a great help, thank you.”

“Yeah, she seemed pretty excited about it, though I don’t know just how serious it was, it just sounded like someone she had met someone at a cafe.” Danni was fighting back tears. “I really hope it helps.” She managed.

“It d-” Shannara was cut off by a light jingle coming from Danni’s bag, her phone. She pulled it out and her face went white. Danni handed over her phone, panic crossing her features. The screen said she had one new message... from Kayla.

“That’s not...” Danni was visibly scared.

Shannara tapped the message, two photos had been sent. Her body stiffened, she was being toyed with. One photo was taken outside the house, Kayla in clear view hanging in the window of her living room, suspended in time. The second was of her getting out of her rental, which had been around 45 minutes ago. Whoever it was, they had been watching this the whole time. This was definitely different from the other murders. “Can I hang onto this?”

“I’d rather you keep it, probably better in your hands than mine.” Danni was shaking.

“Do you know if Kayla was hiring a storage lot?” She asked. She wanted to try to calm Danni down and thought it best not to mention what the message had been.

Danni shook her head. “No, though it wouldn’t surprise me if she had something like that. She was always coming home with cash from her job.”

That might explain the large amounts of cash she found stashed in the victim’s room. “Her job?”

“She worked for an antique dealer on main.” Danni was trying to answer the questions as best as she could. “I don’t want to speak ill of her... I don’t think the place was giving her a bonus like she said.”

Shannara continued to take down notes. “What were the places she would frequented most?”

“She liked cafes, antiques, books and the museum. So, any store or place with those things in mind. I’d often call her and she’d be at the library researching some new antiques that had come in.”

“Anything else you can think of that might be relevant?”

Danni frowned shaking her head again. “Sorry, I don’t think so.”

“Please let the officer who is to escort you to a family or friend’s house know your new contact details, I may need to contact you again.”

“Of course.” Danni nodded, a sorrow-filled expression on her face as she watched her friend, now covered in a white sheet being wheeled out of her house and into the back of a van. “Make sure you get him.”

“That’s why we’re here.” Shannara also left her with her card, telling her she was available to talk at any time. She saw that Danni was placed in the vehicle with the police officer and quickly filled him in as to what had just happened with the girl’s phone.

As the police vehicle left the street she surveyed the area. It may be early but the neighbours were already up, time to disturb the peace.

She walked across the street to an older woman who smiled sadly at her. “I’m guessing it’s not good news.”

“I’m afraid not ma’am, I’d like to ask if you saw anything or anyone on the street.” It was indeed going to be a long day. Her notebook was to get one hell of a workout in the next few hours.