Jade
In a mix of emotions, I grabbed Jesy's arm and pulled her aside. If someone, she was the one I could tell everything to without getting laughed at.
Jesy had been my partner since I first started in the force, and my best friend since my first day at the police academy, meaning she had gone through the same things as I and therefore was a great person to talk to when it came to things I felt insecure and weird about.
Not to mention that she was there throughout the whole Sam Duchannes-thing, when the police all across the globe worked together to catch him, and she was there when we spent days and nights trying to track him.
She was there when we found him in a cabin a few miles outside of London, and she was there when I handcuffed him and put him behind bars.
"What is it, Jadey? Are you alright?" Jesy asked anxiously.
"I have a feeling Sam did this" I said straightforwardly.
"Jade, Sam is in prison" she said calmly.
"I'm not sure he is anymore" I said, an ounce of fear lacing my voice.
Looking at my partner and best friend, it was easy to tell she was confused and didn't know what to believe.
I couldn't blame her for it, though. Because it was confusing. And it messed with my head too to even think that devil, out of all potential killers, had escaped prison and killed an innocent woman.
"What makes you think he is responsible?" Jesy asked.
"The symbol on Madison's back. Do you remember how he always drew or engraved the all-seeing-eye after every crime he had commit?"
She nodded, obviously remembering those five awful years when not a single soul was safe.
"Sam is also the only one that we know of who can be linked to the symbol" I said.
"Hmm...should we tell the others you think he has escaped?" Jesy asked cautiously.
"No, not before we know he's on the loose for sure" I said.
"You should at least tell chief Thompson about your suspicion" she said.
"Why?" I asked, confused.
"Maybe so he can call the prison where Sam is supposed to be locked up and ask the guards if he's still there?" She said, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.
"Okay...okay, I'll tell him. But I'll need your help" I said calmly.
"You know I got your back, Jadey."
A grateful smile spread across my face. Having Jesy in my life was a blessing. I thanked the higher powers each and everyday for leading me to her.
"We should probably get back to Rachel, see if she has found something else that we can use in the investigation" Jesy said softly.
With that said, we left our spot in the shadows and made our way back to Rachel and poor Madison.
When we came back to the extremely skilled CSI, she was removing the white medical gloves from her hands.
"Done already, McAdams?" Jesy asked.
"My job is done here. I have what I need. The coroners will be here in a minute and take over" Rachel said calmly.
Just as she finished her sentence, a black Van pulled over not far from where we were standing.
Two men with dark skin got out from the vehicle. From the back of the Van, they pulled out a stretcher, then they walked up to us.
We took two steps back, thought they could use some space to do their job. Without speaking a word, coroner number one held out the body bag while coroner number two put Madison in it.
Once her body was in the bag and they had zipped it up, they laid her on the stretcher. Afterwards, they rolled the stretcher in front of them as they walked to the Van.
"Now that they've taken her away from here, I think you know what we have to do" Jesy said calmly.
"Telling her parents" I sighed.
"Yeah, are you ready for that?" She asked tenderly.
"Not really, telling parents their child has died will always be the hardest thing to do" I said sadly.
"Agree...will you wait in the car while I get their address?" She asked softly.
I just nodded, then I made my way to our car. In my head I rehearsed what I would say to Madison's parents once we reached their house.
Would I just tell them she had been murdered or would I tell them their daughter had died but not tell them how, only to spare them some of the pain?
God, I don't know.
All I knew was that no matter how I told them, they would end up absolutely devastated, and there wouldn't be anything for me or Jesy to do to make them feel better.
Because the only thing, the only one, that could heal their broken hearts, she was no longer here.
**
The closer we got to mr and mrs Miller's house, the more the pain in my heart increased. They had no idea two cops were on their way to their house right at this moment, to deliver the sad news about their daughter.
Approximately five minutes later, Jesy pulled over outside a white two-storey house with big windows and a large front porch.
"Here it is" Jesy sighed.
"Let's get this over with" I said, sadness lacing my voice.
I opened the door and got out of the car. Not wanting to drag out on time, I walked as fast as I could.
When we stood on the porch, in front the door, we heard joyful laughter from inside. My stomach twisted. I really didn't want to do this.
Once we told them what had happened, the laughter we were hearing now would disappear, and be replaced with tears of sorrow.
It pained me to stand here, to carry the tragic news on my shoulders. This morning I had hoped I wouldn't have to do anything like this, because I wasn't good at it. And the faces of the affected would visit my dreams at night and haunt me for an indecisive period of time.
Telling a family they've lost a member was the hardest part of my job, no doubt, and even though I had done it a million times before, I just never seemed to get used to it.
"Are you ready, Jadey?" Jesy asked.
"No, but we have to do it" I said.
I raised my fist to knock at the door. The sound of a tied hand hitting a door filled my ears when I knocked three times.
Not more than a second could've gone by before the door flew open. Seeing a short boy who couldn't be more than seven or eight years old, with light brown hair and piercing green eyes standing in front of me, my heart took on the weight of a rock and dropped.
I cleared my throat to get rid of the lump in it, then I spoke.
"Hey, little guy, are your parents home?" I asked softly.
"Yes- Mum! Dad!" He called.
Within the next two seconds, mr and mrs Miller appeared. The smiles on their faces faded the moment they saw us.
Mr Miller told the little boy, whose name was William, to go inside and watch a movie. William disappeared inside without arguing with his father.
"What brings you here, officers?" Mr Miller asked politely.
"We are here because of your daughter, Madison" I said calmly.
"Madison? Has something happened? Is she alright?" Mrs Miller asked anxiously.
"Unfortunately, no..." I paused "...she has passed away."
Mrs Miller's face became white as a sheet. She looked like she would pass out at any second. Mr Miller, on the other hand, looked like he just had been stabbed in the back by his best friend.
"H-how?" Mrs Miller stuttered as tears started streaming down her face.
"She was murdered" Jesy said sadly.
"No...No, you're lying! Madison is not dead! You're lying!"
Mrs Miller made an attempt to throw herself at me, but mr Miller wrapped his arms around her and held her back.
With tears streaming down mr Miller's rosy cheeks, she buried her face in her husband's chest and let out muffled screams as she cried.
Mr Miller stroked her hair, kissed her on top of her head every once and a while, as he spoke calmly to her.
Jesy and I exchanged sad looks. As I looked her in the eyes, I could tell this pained her just as much as it pained me.
"Why is Mummy crying, Dad?"
William had come back, he must had heard his mother cry. Mr Miller looked away from his wife to look at his son.
"Go back inside, William" he said determinedly.
"Not before you tell me why Mummy is sad" William said.
"This is not the time to disobey me. Please, go back inside."
William looked at me and Jesy, as if he was waiting for us to say something. And when we didn't, he turned away and ran upstairs.
Mr Miller looked back at us, with pain and sorrow radiating from his crystal blue eyes.
"Can...Can we see her?" He asked, his voice near its breaking point.
"Of course. Me and my partner will drive you, if that's okay" Jesy said tenderly.
"Thank you" he smiled, though we both could see it wasn't a genuine smile.
"We'll wait for you by our car."
We shook hands with the heartbroken couple, afterwards we walked to our car to wait for them there.
Not feeling especially well after what we just did, I picked up my phone to dial the number to the only person who could cheer me up after an experience like this.
Two signals passed, then she picked up. Knowing she was there, on the other line, immediately made me feel a little better.
"Look who's calling! Hi, babe."
"Hey, baby."
"Are you alright? You sound so sad."
"I'm fine, it's just...I just told a family their daughter had been murdered."
"Oh my, how did it go?"
"Not so well. You should've seen their faces when I told them."
"Hearing you talk about the heavy parts of your job never fails to remind me how grateful I am that I chose to become a teacher. I honestly don't know how you do it, but I am damn proud of you who puts up with stuff like this and still manages to get out of bed in the mornings."
"Are you proud of me?"
"Of course I am. How can I not?"
Someone, probably Jesy, poked my shoulder. I turned around, only to see the Millers sit in the back of the police car.
Realizing it was time for us to leave, I mouthed "just a sec" to Jesy and returned to my conversation with Perrie.
"I have to get going. I'll see you at home later."
"Sure, stay safe, baby."
"I will...and, Perrie?"
"Yes, Jade?"
"I love you."
"I love you too."
Feeling much better, I hung up the phone with a smile on my face. That just talking to Perrie, hearing her voice, could change my mood was amazing.
So with a little lighter heart, I hopped in the car, riding shotgun as Jesy roared the engine to life and began the ride to the hospital where Madison had been taken.
At Royal Brompton Hospital.
Doctor Daddario lead us through a narrow hallway with bad lightning. We walked past at least fifteen different rooms.
Each time it turned out none of the rooms we walked past was Madison's, the lump in my stomach grew bigger.
Being down here, at the hospital's underground-floor, had shivers running down my spine. Just the fact that the rooms were full of dead people was scary.
That William didn't show any sign of fear was, to me, fairly impressive. Not many children in his age would stay calm and walk peacefully next to their parents. Most of them would cry and beg to get out.
"Dad, what are we doing here?" William asked curiously.
"We're here to see Madison" mr Miller said, sadness lacing his voice.
"What is she doing here?" William asked, confused.
"She's...sleeping."
Oh.
We stopped by a grey door at the very end of the narrow hallway. Doctor Daddario locked up the door, but didn't open it.
"As much as it hurts to say this, you are not allowed to touch her. Your fingerprints can ruin the investigation and make it harder for the police to find the one who did this to your daughter" Doctor Daddario said.
"We just want to see our daughter, Doctor" Mr Miller said tiredly.
"Of course" Doctor Daddario said softly.
"Jade and I will wait for you here while you're in there. If you need anything, don't hesitate to come out and tell us" Jesy said.
"Thank you, officers and thank you, Doctor."
The family of three turned their backs. The smell of death slapped me in the face as they opened the door and walked inside.
Mrs Miller's sorrowful scream cut through the thick anoxic air, caused goosebumps to appear on my skin.
I wrapped my arms around Jesy's body and buried my face in her chest, I needed to feel the presence of a loved one.
Especially now when a family was saying their goodbye's to their daughter and sister, who was taken away too soon.
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I swear, the weather is so weird. Just an hour ago the sky was really dark and it was freezing cold and now the sun is out and it's just too damn hot. Summer is amazing and all, but I can't handle the heat.
Anyway, to those of you who vote, thank you so very much, I really really appreciate it :)
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M