The Murder of Bella Abbott (Friday Barnes)

~12~

                    ~the body of Bella Abbott 2~
1 week

Ian appeared in the doorway a few minutes later, the four officers right behind him.

They all came over to the box.

The senior officer, a scruffy looking man with brown curls and sharp eyes called Teddy took charge.

He ordered the four of them leave to shed because they didn't know what they might find.

"That was the worst thing I have ever smelt." Friday gasped, sitting on the patches of grass in Nigel's back garden. "And I've smelt a lot of things."

They all took deep breaths.

"Do you think it's her?" Ian asked.

"I already asked that," Melanie sighed. "Friday says yes, but she definitely isn't a whole human."

Ian turned to her.

"Well, the size of the cloth wrapped things looked like they're torso size, leg size, arm size and stuff like that. Also, a human body can't fin into a box like that."

Arthur frowned. "But there were only two or three chunks in that box and we've only found one box."

"That means that there are more boxes with more body parts." Friday said.

"I can't believe Dylan and Marissa cut her apart like that." Melanie gasped, scrunching up her nose.

"Ok wait." Ian said. "We don't actually know if it's her. It could just be something he hunted then forgot about?"

Nobody said anything. They were hoping it wasn't her and hoping it was. Because if it was, then they would've solved the case. And if not...

Teddy called them back in, and handed them each a mask.

Friday put hers on and dust filled her nose.

"We're going to take this back to Interpol for the routine tests but first we're going to help you search for more. There are only 3 chunks in that box and that isn't enough for a human body. We think that there might be another box or boxes, plural." He said, as one officer picked up the box and took it outside.

Arthur threw her hands in the air, "see. I told you."

Friday looked around the shed.

"There. That box looks exactly the same as the other one."

Ian nodded, running over to pull it out from under its layer of dust and grime.

"And over there." Melanie said, pointing to the far corner of the shed, under some other cardboard boxes.

One of the officers pulled it over.

In total, they found another 3 boxes, all the same size, shape and colour of the other one.

They stood back as Teddy and the other officers pulled off the lids.

A new wave of stench rolled through the shed, making their eyes water.

Teddy and the remaining two officers took the boxes out to the car and left the four of them alone in the shed.

Nobody spoke. It seems like the weight of the world was on their shoulders.

"What do we do now?" Ian asked, quieter than usual.

He seemed shaken.

"We go back to Interpol." Arthur said. "Close off the house and get more people in to search for other bodies. We run tests on the body and we inform her family so that they can ID her."

Arthur paused, "we need to tell the Abbotts sooner rather than later."

They walked slowly back to the car.

Arthur and Teddy put the house and Nigel on lockdown and taped off the shed.