The Shadows Of Westford

CHAPTER ONE, PART ONE: THE DISCOVERY.

It was early morning when Westford woke to the sound of sirens echoing through its narrow streets. The town, nestled against the rugged cliffs, rarely saw this kind of disturbance. Here, time moved slowly. Locals greeted one another in passing, children played football on the green, and the biggest event in recent memory had been the annual beach carnival. That was before the morning jogger stumbled across the lifeless body of molly winters at the base of the cliffs.

Detective Inspector Eve Harding arrived at the scene just after sunrise. The horizon was tinged with pale orange casting an eerie glow over the cliffs. The wind was stronger than usual, whipping her coat as she stepped out of the police car and headed towards the cliffs edge, where the body lay below on the jagged rocks.

As she approached, she had noticed a small crowd had gathered- a few curious locals, their faces stricken with the kind of morbid curiosity that comes with small-town tragedy. A perimeter had already been established, and uniformed officers were trying, unsuccessfully, to keep people back. Eves partner, Detective Sergeant Marcus Hale, was already there, his broad frame a reassuring presence amid the chaos.

He glanced up as she approached, his eyes grim. "You're not going to like this, Eve."

"I already don't." She replied, pulling her coat tighter as she scanned the scene. Her breath caught when she saw the girls body below.
Molly winters. Sixteen years old. She was lying face down, her body contorted naturally against the rocks, blood trailing from a gauze on her head. Her long blonde hair, once neatly braided, was now a tangled mess, matted with sand snd sea spray. The sight of her, broken and alone in the cold morning light, sent a chill down Eve's spine.

The cliffs loomed above, sharp and dangerous, but eves instinct told her this wasn't just an accident. She knelt beside the body, careful not to see turn the scene.

"There no way she fell on her own." She muttered, more to herself than Marcus. "This is wrong."

He nodded, crouching beside her. "I thought the same. Look at her wrists." He pointed to a faint bruising on molly's pale skin, almost invisible against the chill of the morning air "someone must've grabbed her before she went over."

Eve's jaw tightened. "And nobody heard anything?"

"Not yet." Marcus said, standing up and gesturing to the cliffs above. "The rocks would've muffled the sound.but we've got forensics combing the area. Maybe they might find something."

Eve glanced around, the hairs on the back of her neck prickling, The cliffs were a popular spot in Westford, frequented by hikers, photographers, tourists and teens looking for a place to escape. But at this hour,the wind howled with an eerie stillness. There was no sign of struggle, no obvious footprints near the edge.