At First Sight (GirlxGirl) LGBT+

Chapter Thirty Three

Dani knocked on the door to Isla's office.
"I'm meant to go tell Indiana first but..."
"Come in" Isla looked up from the file. It was Christie's she'd been reading through the notes trying to find anything which would have alluded to this.

The school was a sad place this morning. The teachers had been told first thing. In lounge. Harrison had arranged a three school assemblies during first period. Both Dani and Isla had been in attendance at all three.

Until the moment Dani chapped on the door a second ago Isla and everyone else were working on the assumption it was a suicide. She had been getting rid of things, over the last few weeks. Her brothers had been fostered on a more permanent basis. Her mum was drinking again and had taken up with another abusive man. Her Gran had died. Isla had read the last month of notes in a mixture of Sam and Dani's handwriting. I should have been there for her. I still don't think she would have done this to herself.

"...so the PM has been done." Dani said "It will take maybe another day for the report to come through. But there was no water in her lungs"
"What does that mean?"
Dani took a moment, "Christie was dead before she went in the water. Now until toxicology is back we cannot completely rule out suicide. But points to eh, someone else being involved."
"Someone did this to her" Isla sobbed the line.
Dani nodded. There is still the possibility that she took pills at the waterside and fell in. But it's so unlikely. "Yeah looks more likely she was killed"

Isla was wailing again. God this must bring back so much shit for her. I hate seeing her like this. Dani moved over to Isla who grabbed onto her and cried.
"I'm so glad you're here" she said through the muffled tears. "I don't think I could di this without you"

...

Isla chapped the door and entered the base. "Hey Sam, Rachel" she said meekly. I'm just returning Christie's folder.
"You okay?" Sam asked.
"Not really, but Dani stayed with me last night"
"Thank god." Rachel butts in. "So glad your back together she might shut up about how much she loves you now"
"We're not together." Isla replied. "She was just making sure I was okay"
"I didn't get to know her very well." Sam said "but I know you had a bond with Christie. We've got to know her a bit better since the start of the year. She would come and annoy Dan. I think she liked them" Sam laughed.
"Do you never read the files, Sam?"
"What you mean?"
"She kissed or tried to kiss Dani last year. Wee bit of a weird infatuation, anytime she split with Kel. Dani would have her life made difficult" Isla half laughed at the memory. About time they sent us someone hot eh miss.
"Oh dear." Sam smiled. "Oh that reminds me. You got a letter."
"Why did it come to base?"
"Admin put it in my pigeon hole. I meant to bring it along earlier but with everything." He picked the letter up and passed it to Isla. "Where's Dan?"
"At the station, why?"
"This is Christie's handwriting" Isla held the letter.
"Should we phone her?" Sam asked.
"They will take it off me. I know the police I have to have it but I want to read it" Isla said.
The three teachers looked at each other. "Maybe we opened it. Not realising it was addressed to you. You then drew our attention to the handwriting once you unfolded it" Sam shrugs his shoulders.
Rachel nods.
Dani would kill me. It's evidence. She knows I'm not stupid enough to think that this isn't important. If I ask her then I involve her. I want to read the letter.
Isla sighs, "I can't open it. I think it has to go to the police first."
"What if we open it and you don't know. We hand you the letter"
"No what if she was made to write it and we destroy evidence" maybe I watch too many crime things. She noticed the other two looking at her. They don't know. Dani shouldn't have told me before Harrison but actually maybe she wasn't meant to tell me at all.
"I don't know, I just can't see her doing this to herself"
"Isla, I can" Sam said. "Over the last few weeks she wasn't herself"
"I'll phone Dan tell them about the letter"