*FIRST DRAFT* The Cover of Darkness (DCI Morgan Chester Series)

Chapter Six

"Rowan." Morgan called as she stepped out of the uber parked in front of St. Thomas Hospital. He had exited through the main reception with his phone in hand.

"I've spoken with Dakota; I'm going to pick her up from the office now." He replied bluntly as he walked past her. Morgan gripped his arm gently to stop him.

"How is she?" She asked quickly. Rowan raised his eyebrows at her.

"She's doing good. I left her with a very nurturing midwife." He chuckled. "What are you doing here?"

"The surviving victim is in a stable condition. I've come to ask her a few questions." She paused. "I'm sorry about this morning."

"Wow, Morgan Chester apologising. I never thought I'd hear those words." He laughed and she rolled her eyes.

"Keep me updated with what you find." She muttered and crossed her arms with a grin on her face.

Rowan nodded and walked towards the multi-story car park. He took the lift to the third floor. Apart from the staff cars, his Ford Focus was the only car parked in the visitor bays. A child seat fitted perfectly behind the driver seat. He climbed into the driving seat, secured his seatbelt, and switched the engine on.

The streets were starting to build up with people as he drove through Borough and onto London Bridge. Dakota waited outside patiently puffing on a cigarette. A blue folder tucked tightly under her armpit as she typed on her smartphone with impressive speed. She snapped her head up when she heard Rowan's car approaching. She stubbed the cigarette in the outdoor ashtray and climbed into the passenger side.

"Morning." Rowan chirped.

"Another splendours day in the office." Dakota replied with a smirk as she pulled out a piece of paper from the blue folder. "Here is the address of the baby's mother." Rowan nodded and input the address in his GPS.

"Any progress with the case?" He asked.

"Hallie is combing through the CCTV in and around the market. Cole is going to this knocking-shop the victim may have come from. And Morgan is at the hospital to walk with the survivor." Dakota told him.

"I bumped into her as I was leaving the hospital. She looked like a woman on a mission." He paused as they pulled onto the main road. "I got an apology from her."

Dakota laughed as she flicked through the paperwork in her lap. "She never means her apologises."

"No, she was really sincere when she said it. Caught me off guard."

The address had brought them to a small block of modern flats next to St. Martin's Gardens in Camden. Dakota was used to speaking with families during dark times. Rowan being a father himself, felt nervous.

"Nice area, seems worlds away from the sacrificial ritual." Rowan muttered as they exited the car.

"Not far enough. Easily a ten-minute walk." Dakota responded as she pressed the buzzer for flat 105.

"Do you think they had something to do with it?"

"Hallie pulled up their files; they're both clean." Dakota paused as the buzzer stopped and looked up to the windows above them. She pressed the buzzer again with furrowed eyebrows.

"Hiding?" Rowan asked.

"I'm not sure." Dakota muttered as Rowan pulled out his phone and called Hallie. She picked up after two rings.

"Hey, it's Rowan, we're at Miss Ryan's address but there is no answer. Is there anything pinging up on her social media?" he asked.

"Nothing new since a couple of weeks ago about the baby being due." Hallie replied, Rowan can hear her typing on the keyboard.

"Anything on the boyfriend?"

"Looking him up now and zilch on his social media," She paused. "I can see the landlord lives in the same block, flat number 201."

"You're the best Hallie." He chirped and disconnected the call. He taped on flat 201 on the buzzer. An elder voice answered and allowed Rowan and Dakota into the building. They climbed the carpeted stairs and met with the landlord at the top.

"I'm Family Liaison Officer Dakota York and this is Detective Inspector Rowan Anderson. We were hoping to speak with one of your tenants, Miss Bobby Ryan." She spoke as they showed their badges.

"Finally, you guys arrive. The girl was being a pain last night. Loads of banging and crashing. Woke me and my wife up." He complained.

"Is this a regular occurrence?"

"No, just last night. I know her and her boyfriend had a row, and he left. I did see her leaving with two people around 3am."

"Could we have access to the flat?" Dakota pointed to the front door. The landlord nodded and unlocked the door. Rowan and Dakota slipped on latex gloves and pushed the door open. Dakota waited in the doorway and Rowan slowly entered the flat.

The smell of blood hit him hard. He turned sharply into the living room and open-plan kitchen. The glass coffee table was smashed, pillows scattered across the floor, and dining room chairs were knocked over. Rowan slowly made his way through the narrow hallway and opened each door he would find. The final door he assumed was for the bedroom. He turned the handle and pushed against the white wooden door. He held his breath as he feared the worse. Various objects had been strewn across the room from either the dresser or night stand, apart from a small brown envelope. Rowan pulled the envelope open with his pen to see many fifty-pound notes inside. The cot beside the bed had been emptied as was the toy box on the floor. He noticed a blood stain on the door frame.

"It's secure." He called out to Dakota who entered with the landlord. The colour drained from the landlord's face as he entered, and he cursed under his breath.

"The two people Miss Ryan left with, what did they look like?" Dakota questioned as she carefully stepped around the debris in the kitchen.

"I couldn't see as I didn't have my glasses on, and it was dark." He replied as he looked around the flat.

"I'll call forensics to get down here." Dakota spoke as she put her phone to her ear and left the room.

"Has Miss Ryan had many visitors recently?"

"Mainly family as I met them at the baby shower. There was a couple that I've seen come and go, I assumed they were friends of Bobby." He explained with his hands in his pockets.

"Rowan, I found something." Dakota called as she entered the kitchen. In her hands was a pile of handwritten letters. Rowan carefully picked one from the top and read it.

The letter was recent and spewed words of hatred towards Bobby Ryan. The writer was to adopt the baby, but Bobby had changed her mind. Rowan looked at Dakota who was reading another letter. His eyes traced onto the broken wax seal on the back of the envelope. He put the edges together. It created the upside-down pentagram.

"This symbol was in the container we found this morning." He muttered. Dakota reached out for it, and he gave it to her. Her eyes widened and her breathing hitched.

"This is not a good sign." She muttered.

"I thought pentagrams are a symbol of the five-elements?" The landlord questioned.

"This is a Sigil of Baphomet. It's the official insignia of the Church of Satan; worshippers of the Devil." She explained.

"Every envelope has it." Rowan muttered as he flicked through the envelopes.

"Going by the tone of the letters and the destruction of this flat, it's possible there was a hit on Bobby." Dakota sighed. The forensic team gathered outside the front door and Rowan let them in. She followed him and the landlord into the stairwell.

"Do you think she's been kidnapped?" The landlord's shaky voice asked.

"It's looking that way." Rowan eventually replied. He watched the forensic team closely before he turned to Dakota. "I think we should go talk to the boyfriend."

"That's a good idea. You go, and I will wait here until forensics are done. Meet you back at the precinct?" Rowan nodded and shook the landlord's hand. Hallie sent him the address for the boyfriend's place of work as he got in his car.