Taken Away

CHAPTER 3

"She's... she's dead?" Hannah stared at us with a horrified expression, her whole body trembled as she processed the news we had just dropped on her. Her wide eyes dart around, trying to make sense of this devastating information. As she absorbs the gravity of what we have told her, her face contorted into a twisted mixture of fear and grief. She couldn't believe what she had just heard, and the impact of the revelation was clear on her face. We could see the realization and understanding dawning on her, causing her to be overcome with emotion and shock. As I look at Hannah's face, I notice the pain and devastation she is feeling as she processes the news of Lia's death. It's a look that I have seen many times as a detective, the realization that someone dear to you has been taken from you forever. As much as you try to remain calm and professional, the human emotions of grief and sorrow always seem to find a way to break through. As we gave Hannah some time to process the news, I took this opportunity to look around her dorm room taking notes of any details that might help with our investigation. The room's walls were covered with photos, pictures, books, boyband albums, and other personal items, The room was relatively small, with enough space for two single beds and a wooden desk and chair for each roommate. The walls were lined with shelves and a small closet.

As I look over at Hannah, she seems overwhelmed and stricken with grief. "I'm sorry," I said in a gentle voice, "We didn't mean to surprise you like this. Lia meant a lot to you, we know this is hard to process."

I could see the pain and sorrow on Hannah's face as she spoke, "I... I don't understand. I just saw her yesterday. I..." As Hannah began to become more emotional and distraught, I kneeled in front of her and tried to comfort her. "It's okay," I said gently, "Take a deep breath, we know this is difficult, but we need to stay strong right now." I put my hand on her shoulder and tried to reassuringly comfort her. "It's hard to accept that someone you care so much about is gone forever, and we know you must be feeling a lot of emotions right now." I give her a moment to compose herself before asking, "Can you tell us about yesterday?"

Hannah took a deep breath, but she was still clearly shaken by the news she'd just received. "She texted me yesterday afternoon," she murmured, "Saying that she wasn't feeling well and wouldn't be able to make it today. That was the last time I heard from her." She looked at us with a solemn and sad expression, her eyes filled with tears and a hint of fear. Joshua takes a small notebook out of his jacket pocket and starts writing down every detail we just received from Hannah. "Do you have any idea why she might have felt sick?" he asked. Hannah thought for a moment before responding, "Maybe, we do have a lot of sudden changes in temperature this time of year." She took another deep breath before continuing, "I should have called or went to check on her, that was stupid of me." She hangs her head and wipes away her tears with her sleeve.

I put my hand on her shoulder and comforted her, "There's no way you could have known what was going to happen. Don't beat yourself up over this, focus on helping us discover what happened to Lia." Joshua nodded his head, taking notes as best he could while trying to comfort and reassure Hannah. "Do you mind if we look around?" he asks, "We just want to make sure we leave no stone unturned." Hannah nodded while wiping away a tear, "Of course, look around as much as you need to."

we took a closer look at the desk and drawers. The desk seemed neatly organized, with nothing out of place. Upon opening the top desk drawer, we could see a few items, including a set of pencils, a couple of erasers, and a handful of pens. In the next drawer, we find some notebooks and papers, along with a few loose sketches. As we continue to look around, we head over to the closet. Inside, we found a few hanging items of clothing, including a few jackets, shirts, and jeans. The shelf inside the closet also has a few pairs of shoes, socks, and other accessories. The closet looked fairly standard, without anything standing out or catching our attention. "Did Lia keep a journal or a diary, by any chance?" Hannah shook her head, "Not that I'm aware of." She paused for a moment before adding, "Although, she kept a lot of things to herself, so there's a chance she did and just never told me about it." I walked over to the desk sitting in front of the window and pulled out the chair, sitting down in front of Lia's laptop. I opened the laptop to start searching for any additional information. As I do, a message pops up on the screen, asking for a login username and password. "Looks like her laptop is locked," I said to Joshua as I pointed at the message. "Do you know the password by any chance, Hannah?" Joshua asked. Hannah shook her head, "No, sorry. I never used her laptop before."

I leaned in closer to the computer screen, thinking about how to bypass the password. After a moment, I looked at Joshua. "We might have to crack the laptop." I reached out and closed the laptop. After a moment, "We'll need to take this laptop with us since Lia's phone is no longer an option." Hannah looked a bit uneasy at this but eventually nodded her head in agreement. "I... okay, if it will help you solve this case, then yes, I understand," she said.

The drive to my apartment was a long and quiet one, broken only by the sound of the engine and my thoughts. It was late at night, almost 1 p.m. and the city was quiet except for the occasional siren in the distance. I couldn't help but think about the case as I drove, turning the information we'd gathered over in my mind. I let out a sigh as I walked through the front door of my apartment, taking off my shoes and leaving them by the door. I closed and locked the door behind me, then took a moment to survey my apartment. It's a small place with a living room, a kitchen, and a bedroom, but it's cozy and feels like home. I hang my jacket in the closet next to the door and walk into the living room, where I collapse onto the couch and let out another big sigh. I took a few deep breaths, trying to relax and process everything that's happened. As I sit on the couch, I run my hands through my hair and try to make sense of everything that's happened. The case has been particularly difficult for me, and now that I have a moment alone, I find myself replaying the events of the past few days in my mind.

I stood up and walked over to the bulletin board next to my bed, where I kept all of my notes and evidence. I glanced at the various pictures, documents, and clippings that were pinned to the board, then turned my attention back to the case. I took a sticky note and wrote the word "SAVE" in large letters. I stuck the note to the bulletin board next to the map of the locations where the victims had been found. I stepped back and surveyed the information on the board, trying to make sense of it all. "The killer took their phones, and the three victims have different personalities but...same appearance," I whispered to myself, I turned to the newspaper articles I had pinned to the bulletin board, skimming over the headlines quickly. "Heartless killer still on the loose, police desperate for leads." As I walked into the kitchen to make myself a cup of coffee, I was struck by a sense of urgency. Tonight is going to be a long one, I turned on the coffee maker and took a seat at the kitchen table. As I waited for the coffee to brew, I tried to take a few deep breaths and center myself. I can feel the weight of the case bearing down on me, but I won't let it break my focus. I walked over to the coffee maker to take my cup when my phone rang. I look down to see a call from Josh on the screen. "Still investigating?" he questioned. "You know me," I responded with a slight scuff. "Have you found anything new?" "Not yet, but I'm getting closer," I replied. "What about you? Any progress on the analysis of Lia's laptop?" "Alex is working on it." he sighed. "Alright, well, let me know as soon as you find anything. I'm going to keep looking around and try to connect any dots I find." With that, we both hang up and return to our work.