Hush, Little Baby

Chapter One

DCI Morgan Chester sighed as she grabbed the second bottle of red wine from the top shelf. The child three aisles down had grown tired of shopping and waiting for its mother to stop her gossip with a friend, he had unleashed the loudest blood curdling scream to attract attention. The commotion had brought Morgan a dull throbbing headache. She used her index fingers to rub her temples in a circular motion until she reached the self-service checkout. At the age of thirty-two, Morgan was in no rush to have children. She loved kids but could not imagine herself being a mum. Her job is too demanding, and she would be away from home for weeks on end.

After being away in Quantico for six months training and graduating the class of 2018, she was not due back in the office until Monday. A checklist brewed in her mind of tasks to complete over the weekend: food shopping, meal preparation for the working week, overlook reports sent whilst she was flying back to the UK, finally wash and iron her clothes.

She paid for her small amount of groceries that will last until tomorrow afternoon and departed the Tesco before she made her way up Camden High Street. She flinched as a car horn blared beside her, the culprit was a black BMW new series parked on the kerb. Once she had calmed but still annoyed, she tapped her cold knuckles against the window. A beautiful blonde with flawless make up appeared as the window wound down.

"Wotcha Detective." She spoke, her accent had started to lose its strength after she moved to London from Liverpool three years ago.

"Evening Layla." Morgan responded and bent down further to see the driver. "Silas." She muttered.

"Detective. It's good to have you back." He muttered. "Can we talk?"

"Nice to see you too." She chuckled quietly and checked the time on her watch.

"I won't keep you long Detective, I know you are a busy person and it looks like somebody has company tonight." He cocked his eyebrow.

"Yes, with paperwork." Morgan rolled her eyes. "Park down the street next to my apartment block and I will meet you in the lobby." She agreed as Layla climbed out of the car. Morgan carefully assessed the girls' outfit, a tight blue dress with a cream fur coat to keep her warm. Her long blonde hair that was usually tied up in a ponytail was down and styled in loose waves. Silas must have had a good month for his girl to be done up.

"You best get in Detective, its freezing tonight." She offered politely. Morgan smiled at the small gesture and looked at Silas who beamed with pride. She thanked Layla and climbed into the passenger seat that was warm.

"I'll see you afterwards Silas, phones on full battery." She spoke to Silas before she turned to Morgan and placed her hand on her arm. "It's so good to see you again Detective." And she vanished into the crowd of people lingering on the High Street. Silas did not hesitate to pull out on the main road and towards Morgan's apartment. They made small talk along the way until they reached the street beside her block of flats. He helped with her shopping bag as they entered the lobby, she waved kindly to the concierge. No questions needed to be asked, she was DCI and former royal marine cadet, she had also helped him with a personal case he had brought to her attention. She investigated in her personal time, and now every night he tucked his son safely into bed whilst the groomer rotted behind bars. The elevator was empty, and they took a quiet ride to the fourth floor.

"I see nothing has changed." Silas whistled in admiration when Morgan unlocked the door and invited him inside. She chuckled and closed the door behind her, her instincts prompt her to put the chain on the door until Silas is ready to leave. Her trainers squeak against the wood floor in the hallway to the living room.

Her flat was spacious and expensive. Money is no object to Morgan as her job at the Serial Crime Unit payed for the apartment easily with some extra left over to add to her savings account, where the money from her time in the marines was placed. Her extra income – that she had kept a secret for years, payed for her lifestyle. When Morgan received her first ever paycheck at eighteen, she had promised herself a better life than her childhood.