The Shadows Of Westford

CHAPTER TWO, PART ONE: THE INVESTIGATION BEGINS.

Eva Harding watched as molly's body was carefully lifted from the rocks, now zipped inside the black body bag, it's finally hitting her harder than she expected. The wind howled at the cliffs, carrying with it the sent of salt and the echo of waves crashing below. But eves attention had now shifted. She turned to the jogger, the man who had found Molly, now huddled in the back seat of the police car.

His name was Peter Clancy, a local in his early forties. He sat with his elbows resting on his knees, his head in his hands, trembling slightly. Eve opened the car door and slit in next to him. The smell of sweat and sea water filling the confined space.

"Peter" she said, her voice calm but firm. "I'm detective inspector Harding. I know this has been a shock, but I need you to walk me through what happened this morning."

He looked up, eyes red-rimmed, his breath uneven. "I—I didn't expect to see... that." His voice wavered. "I just... I go running every morning, it's part of my routine. i take the same route, down by the cliffs and back toward the beach... this morning, when I was coming back, I... I saw her." He swallowed hard, glancing out the window, as if to escape the memory, Eve could tell he was fighting to keep his emotions in check.

"Did you see anyone else up there?" Eve asked, leaning forward slightly "anyone near the cliffs before you found her?"

He shook his head, his brow furrowed with concentration "no, no one. It was quiet. Too quiet. I usually pass a couple of early walkers, but today it was only me... and her."

Eve exchanged a glance with Marcus, who stood just outside the car "did you hear anything? A shout? Footsteps? Anything unusual?"

Peter hesitated, then shook his head again "no. The wind was loud this morning. Stronger than usual. I couldn't hear much over it, but when I got close enough, I saw her... and I knew something was wrong. She wasn't moving... I didn't get too close. I-I panicked and called the police right away..." he fidgeted, running a hand through his damp hair " she was just... there. Lying still. I thought maybe she'd fallen, but... I don't know, it didn't look right."

Eve nodded, taking in his account. There was nothing in peters demeanour that suggested he was anything but a witness caught in a tragedy. His story matched the scene — a silent, empty morning, the wind masking all the sounds, leaving Molly alone and broken on the rocks.

"Thank you, Peter." Eve said softly, placing a hand on his shoulder " we'll let you go home soon, but please stay in touch. If you remember anything — anything at all — call me directly" she handed him a card, and he took it with a shaky hand. As she stepped out of the car, eve's mind was already racing ahead.

The jogger hadn't seen or heard anyone, but that didn't mean no one had been there. The cliffs were isolated, but they weren't completely hidden. Whoever had done this had been deliberate, methodical. And there were still too many un answered questions.