Short Story

“Officer I don’t know what to do! Please help, tell me you can find her!” Despaired Ashlyn. Detective Mills looked at the ground, searching for answers. It took him what felt like an hour to finally lift his head and say, “Miss Copse, we will do everything we can to find your little sister, she is of an extremely high priority. To find answers we will need to search Lily’s room. Is that okay?” The 19 year old looked startled, she shook her head at the Detective. “Why do you need to search her room, there will be nothing of importance there, she went missing from the back garden!” She said very astutely. She was determined that one room of the house will not be touched, especially her sanctuary, where she was free to cry and wish that her sister was there with her.

Mills went quietly over to one of his other officers. He whispered something into their ear. And drifted back towards Ashlyn. “I am afraid it is absolutely necessary that we search Miss Lilly’s bedroom.”

Without looking back, the Detective marched straight up the stairs and into the bedroom on the far end of the landing. Instantly, he drew out his notebook and was writing down his observations faster than a flash of lightening. His eyes constantly batting to and fro. He wrote in his notebook;

Widely open window Mud on the window sill

Pen and ink dropped on the ground            

Camera on bed – displaying image of butterfly

Un-made bed

Clock had stopped

 

For each thing that was noted down had a reason behind it, these however were not written down. The detective made no hesitation, he ran toward the open window and jumped, he landed smoothly in the garden leaving no traces of his being there. Again he searched the garden, eyes twitching, darting from left to right, a new page in the notebook was immediately opened. The things he wrote down this time were;

7 Small blood splatters on the ground by the window

Trodden flowers

Gaps in the hedge

Foot marks in the mud around the grass

Back fence broken in 3 places

16 BUTTERFLIES

“Why is that in capitals?!” yelled Ashlyn who had popped up behind the inspector.

“Not for you to worry Miss Copse” he replied calmly.

Mills and his team instantly left, heading back to the police station for a meeting. The same officer that the detective had been whispering to, approached and said “All done Boss?” DI Mills turned and stated “Indeed, the boyfriends house next”

 Ashlyn swept her long brunet hair away from her eyes as she lifted her head to glance around the room that the detective had so rudely interrupted. She had thoughts to herself, ‘Why me? Why did I have to be punished?’

 Shortly after DI Mills, his short, chubby partner Barnaby and their team had left the strong, characterful country house belonging to Ashlyn and Lily; they arrived at the tall terraces townhouse that Ashlyn’s boyfriend was renting with a group of rowdy university friends. Sam, who was very tall and casually dressed, greeted them at the door as if he had known both of the inspectors for a lifetime. Detective Mills walked directly down the corridor, his eyes taking in every corner, crevice, piece of furniture and painting within the second he passed it. Sargent Barnaby took longer to reach the end of the tatty corridor, lined with striped red wall paper, peeling off the wall. A tall slender man pushed past everyone in a hurry and yelled “I’m off out!” to which Sam said, “That’s Rob, one of the others that lives here.” The inspector asked where all the other occupants were, and Sam replied with a simple “Out.” Once everyone was comfortably seated in the living room, full of beer stained sofas and carpet, Sam finally asked “So detective, the pleasure is mine, But to what do I owe this visit from you?” without any emotion at all. Barnaby explained to the seemingly innocent man that Lily has been reported as missing, and that the case was being treated as abduction. Sam instantly rushed out, leaping in his car and heading to his beloved girlfriends house after yelling “My poor Ash!”. In no hurry to leave, the two officers began searching the property. Instantly something stuck out to Mills more than anything in the property, a carrier bag on the dining room table, with a receipt attached stating the following;