THE VELVET KILLERS II

(3) THE DAY AFTER CHRISTMAS MARKET

FRIDA

The new apartment was mesmerising: panoramic view on the heart of London, a spacious kitchen and living room, and how could one forget the beautiful bathtub in the huge bathroom - Kosse really worked her magic, and this bonus on my already enormous Guardian salary really did the trick. 

I put my boxes on the ground, exhausted: the past week, I have had quite the sleepless nights, with a total of 10 hours of sleep for the whole week. As I see my face on the mirror, I start to get why Andres called me obsessive: the dark circles under my eyes, my face with no make up, as well as my hair let loose and naturally wavy, really changed from my usual look. 

Shaking my head, I get dressed and go out on the streets, that were empty on a beyond cold Sunday afternoon, during which it was snowing heavily. 

This is when it hits me - at a random time under the snowflakes falling all over my face and body : 'Look through the dirty windows made of steel', that's what the mysterious text message said... There is only one place in London where buildings are made of steel... at Westminster Waste, aka the half-abandoned buildings near the waste collection center.

Grabbing my phone, I immediately call Alexia Putellas, and when she picks up I waste no time in saying:

"Westminster Waster" 

There is a small silence, before Alexia sarcastically says:

"Good morning to you too, Roflö. Usually people contextualise what they are talking about when mentioning a waste collection center."

"Look through the dirty windows made of steel?" I cite, fed up, before quickly adding: "I'm on my way there, join me ASAP."

"Roflö, don't go there alo-"

But I hang up.

"Oops" I let out, smirking. 

When I get there - mostly thanks to traffic but also a very talkative and slow driver - however, Alexia is there already, accompanied by two agents (Danielle Van de Donk and Ana Crnogorcevic) armed to the teeth. 

As I salute her wordlessly, she hands me a bulletproof jacket, before saying:

"Never hang up to my face again, Roflö, otherwise I let you die on your own."

"Duly noted" I ironically let out, smirking.

Nodding her head in turn, she makes a sign to her team (I hadn't seen it before, but a whole swat team was lurking in the dark edges, ready to storm into the dozen abandoned buildings) that immediately split and go inside all the buildings. 

Alexia, on the other hand, just grabs my arm when I am about to follow them: her eyes are enough to make me change my mind, as I would've died from bullets coming out of them either way.

We wait about ten minutes in total silence, before agent Crnogorcevic walks right at us with a small object inside her hands: when she comes closer, however, we can see the shape of a creepy doll with green eyes and black, long hair, as well as a needle planted right inside her neck...

I frown, as Alexia says:

"Well... at least we didn't come for nothing: whoever took Ingrid is a player, and we're gonna make them lose to their own game."

As she starts giving out orders about collecting fingerprints and everything, I start feeling anxiety coming out from the depths of my stomach : what if this doll was explanatory of Ingrid's current state...?

Then, another agent brings a small note visibly found next to the doll, with written on it:

Next time, don't come with the cops: nobody likes Spanish food either way.