Chapter Five

                                    

                                          
Chapter five
                          
With a glove, the body was gently rolled an inch to the left as Layla inspected the partially ripped clothes, stained with mud. 
                          
In the corner of her eye, she could see her partner, the detective, who'd called only an hour and a half ago. He leant against the closed door, a solemn look on his face, arms crossed. 
                          
They were the only two people, or rather, living people, in this part of the morgue. 
                          
From the soft, blue and yellow skin, it looked like Abby Teller had died a few days back. The earthy, mossy smell couldn't cover the unmask-able scent of fast decaying flesh. The rain, had created a muddy bog-like area where she'd been found. 
                          
Earth still filled the corners of her slightly parted mouth. A thin layer of watery soil seemed to coat her body, tangled in her hair and clothes, under her bitten down nails. It clung, in muddy clumps to her eyelashes, and stained most of her teeth a dark brown. 
                          
Layla wrinkled her nose. It was a habit she'd picked up whilst concentrating. That and the smell that attacked her nose. 
                          
The purple dress that clung limply to the thin girl, had a rip near the bottom of the skirt and was beginning to unravel. There was gravel caught up and embedded in parts of the flimsy material. 
                          
Her feet were bare, and scratched, and gravel also infested the shallow grazes along her calves. 
                          
Trying to focus on anywhere but the face, Layla was reluctant to asses, what may now be yellowing grey skin, in the early stages of decomposition. 
                          
After finally walking to the other end of the narrow silver table, a grim expression lit up Layla's face as she took in the grazed, bloodied face of the girl before her. 
                          
Something she'd missed before, hidden by the girl's hair, was the dark strip of clotted blood stretching from the bridge of her nose, sloping diagonally, to the bottom of her left ear. 
                          
That was the only visible injury. But it was deep. The gash still wept blood if the body shifted even slightly. 
                          
Layla snapped her cream gloves off and dropped them onto a tray by the side of Abby's body. 
                          
She didn't feel like calling for an autopsy today, not to mention she needed to get a pathologist first. 
                          
It wasn't that she didn't know what she was doing. Layla knew exactly what she was doing, but she knew that today, wasn't the day, to cut open this girl. 
                          
"She was found half buried in the woods." The detective behind her added to the noiseless room. 
                          
Layla had forgotten he was there. 
                          
"A dog walker?"
                          
"No, jogger. He looked quite agitated I don't think-" 
                          
"Of course it wasn't the jogger." Layla gave her partner (who, to be fair, had only joined her less than six months ago), a withering look before leaning over to zip the cold black plastic over Abby's face. "She's been buried since Monday." 
                          
"The day she went missing?" 
                          
"Well where do you think she was the whole time... Besides, your skin doesn't turn this," she gestured briefly to Abby, "colour, in a matter of hours... Look whoever killed her panicked, the first place they'd see, would be the woods." 
                          
"Any indication of how she died?" 
                          
"Not yet, well not 100%, not unless we proceed with a postmortem." 
                          
Layla paused as she inspected the man leaning on the grey wall across the room. His hair was a mess, and his eyes shadowed by large dark circles. He looked as stressed and tired as Layla felt. 
                          
He'd get used to it. He was still a newbie.
                          
*************
                          
Layla slumped in her car seat for a few minutes. In terms of finding the murderer, especially with four or more suspects involved, she didn't have much time. 
                          
She didn't have enough time.
                          
She'd only been given 5 months at the most. 
                          
Sighing, she started the car, which grumbled noisily as she pulled out of the car park. 
                          
It was late. 
                          
After seeing Janna, bumping into Dan, and paying the body of Abby Teller a visit, the day had suddenly disappeared. She still felt that lingering chill she got whenever she went to the morgue. 
                          
Flicking the car headlights on, she drove home in silence, her note book sat on the passenger seat to her left, already filled with a couple of pages worth of scribbles. 
                          
A shiver settled in the air and worked itself down Layla's spine, as she drove past a section of trees wrapped in lengths and lengths of police tape. It flashed bright yellow for the second her headlights illuminated the scene. 
                          
By tomorrow, Abby's face would be plastered all over the news, it wouldn't make Layla's job any easier. 
                          
*************** 
                          
A/N 
                          
Sorry this wasn't up yesterday, I don't really have an excuse, the end of this chapter wasn't really done, but don't worry guys, chapter six will be up tomorrow :)
                          
Please vote, comment, share etc... :)