Adeline arrived at the crime scene and her team gathered around her.
"What do we know?" She asked them.
"White female, early thirties. She's the same as the others as far as we know, I've called our coroner in to take a look at her" Owens explained.
"Who found her?" Adeline asked.
"Her friend. She said they were supposed to meet for brunch but she missed it. She also said that her vibrator was missing" detective Taylor explained.
"What do you want us to do boss?" Detective Abbot asked.
"We need footage of the house. Bag anything that could help us, magazines, clothes, anything and everything" Adeline ordered.
"Here's the coroner now" Owens said turning towards a car that had just arrived. Adeline couldn't see who the driver was until she had stepped out of the car but once she did, Adeline felt like she had been hit by a brick wall. Memories of their shared childhood, their shared adventures, their hopes and dreams of the future hit her as she stared at the face approaching her.
"Cassie" Adeline managed to say just loud enough for Cassie to hear.
"Addie" Cassie said standing infront of her older sister.
"Your all grown up" Adeline remarked looking her sister up and down, twisting Jack's ring around her finger in nervousness.
"That's what happens when you're gone for 10 years, people change, they grow up" Cassie said plainly.
"How are you? How's mum?" Adeline asked.
"Why don't you ask her yourself? Now if you don't mind I have a job to do" Cassie said marching off towards a forensics van. The other detectives watched the awkward scene play out infront of them but when Adeline turned to them they all jumped too and got on with their work, in fear of their bosses wrath.
Adeline entered the bedroom of the victim. She was lay out to appear that she had been in bed but her nails had been painted and she had ligature marks around her wrists and ankles.
"Do you think her hair's been cut?" Adeline asked Cassie.
"Where?" She asked, rounding the bed to take a look.
"Just here, it doesn't match the rest of her hair" Adeline commented.
"Your right. He took a souvenir. I think he may have washed her too, most people deficate at their time of death but it's clean" Cassie suggested.
"He took care with her. He spent time with her, cleaned her, painted her nails, washed her sheets" Adeline listed off her eyes focused on the victim.
Adeline saw detective Abbot talking to the friend of the victim, she tapped him on the shoulder and he moved away knowing that she wanted to talk to the friend.
"Hello I'm detective Thompson. I'm working your friends case. I wanted to say that I will try my best to find who did this. I'm so sorry for your loss" Adeline offered a consoling smile but the victims friend broke down, weeping as Adeline watched. She remembered times like these, when she felt helpless and lost, she thought they were long forgotten, so far in the past they would never resurface. But they always did. Doubt has a way of creeping back in when it is least expected.
Adeline sat outside the coroners office waiting on the results of the autopsy. Cassie approached and took a seat next to her, making sure to leave one empty between them.
"Do you ever think about us?" Cassie asked, looking ahead of her instead of at her sister.
"I never stopped. It was easier to walk away Cassie, all I did was hurt you and mum" Adeline said sighing deeply.
"I'm all grown up now. I'm not that child you used to see anymore" Cassie tried to say calmly but Adeline could hear the anger in her voice.
"There are things you wouldn't understand Cassie, not even now" Adeline countered, looking at her.
"I'm a mother now you know. I met a nice man who loves me and we have a beautiful daughter together" Cassie told her and Adeline smiled at the thought of having a niece "When she's old enough we will teach her not to lie" Cassie said ending their personal conversation, turning her head away from Adeline.
"Is she ready?" Adeline asked turning back to her professional self, leaving behind the broken side of herself.
"Yes she is" Cassie said.
Adeline showed the father of Lizzie Borden her body. She watched as he cried over the loss of his only daughter, the final memory of his late wife. She listened as he cried- my baby, my baby- as if somehow those words would bring her back to life. This man loved his daughter, he could never hurt her. His pain made Adeline's heart ache for them both.
Adeline fell onto her sofa with a long deep sigh, the day had been tiring and she wanted to forget it all.
Addie- I know we said 10 but how fast can you get here?
Sam- I'm on my way.