by J Lymer
She decided to check into Leia’s past, the story of not travelling because of her father’s accident, didn’t ring true. Only because she knew, he would have got sickness pay and if it had been at work then compensation would have supported them enough. The dyed blonde-haired woman in bed, her ex had dyed blonde hair, was it connected, or did she want it to be connected. Going back to the hotel
wouldn’t she have changed before going to the bar or did she want people to see her in her work clothes. Megan felt as though it had been staged, now she needed to know why. Phone records showed that Grace had rung Leia at midnight. She rung her tech expert DS Woolridge.
“Yes, Megan what have you got for me now.”
“Nothing, just a question, can you tell where a phone call was made from just over two weeks ago.”
“Have you got the phone number”
Megan read it to him over the phone.
She could hear him typing something into the computer. She waited a few minutes before he came back on the line.
“Peculiar, it was next to the phone it rung.”
“Shit, thanks.”
She rung Detective Sergeant Jones,
“Yes ma’am”
“Go and arrest Leia Hudson again for the murder of Grace Roberts.”
An hour later a phone call came through “she’s left the country ma’am”
Megan rung Skylar and Sandie,
“do you know where she’s gone”
“I think it would be France they were always going to start from there.”
They were both upset they had been set up, they believed she was a nice person they had been knocked for six.
The next morning, they went into the office feeling a bit subdued, if they hadn’t asked Megan to look into it, Leia would be in court.
“stop worrying you two, the French police will find them.”
“We’re worried about Julia’s safety in all this, she’ll be in danger.”
“We can’t do anything about that at this moment we need to gather the rest of the evidence to make sure we have a solid case. She would have walked on the evidence we had.”
In the following week they had discovered her father’s death had been unusual. They had spoken, to Emma’s parents, they had sent their daughter away for her own protection after she had been beaten up by her. Dried blood in the drains of the shower. It all lead to a cold calculated murderer.
Unfortunately, they knew who her next victim would be unless they caught her.
Three weeks later she was caught trying to sell Julia’s jewellery in a jewellers just outside Paris. Although the team were ecstatic, they were convinced Julia had ended up murdered in the remote countryside.
Megan and DS. Jones picked her up from the airport and charged her with murder.
It was three weeks later when Sandie stood at the sink washing the dishes, her mobile was buzzing on the kitchen table she picked it up.
“Hi”, she dropped the phone.
Skylar looked at her as she fumbled with the phone, tears pouring down her face.
She rushed over to her.
“Oh Julia, don’t worry we’re here for you, we’ll fetch you don’t worry. See you in a bit.”
Skylar had a smile on her face she picked up the car keys.
Twenty minutes later they were slinging their arms around a very thin looking waif.
“Welcome home let’s get you fed and watered by the look of it, and a bed.
“I’m so glad I’m back, it took me ages to earn enough money to get the fare.”
“I’m just going to ring my boss, she’ll be glad she’s not dealing with two murders.”
“Have you spoke to your mum and dad”
“I don’t want to they had a chance to be part of my life and they didn’t want to”.
Sandie nodded “I can understand that.”
“Megan as invited us over now, including Julia”.
“Okay, we’d better go.”
When they got there the kids came running to them.
“Sansee, Skyle.”
“Hiya Ruby where’s Elle and Daniel.”
“playin”
“Where’s mama.”
She pointed to the kitchen.
“whos tat.”
“This is Julia, she’s our friend.”
“ok”
She ran off to play and they went in the kitchen to Megan and Jess.
“I’ll go look after the kids, see you in a minute guys.”
Megan gestured them to sit down.
“You don’t know how happy we are to see you Julia.”
Julia smiled but was taken back by the comment.
“We had the French police looking for you for ever.”
“I didn’t know where Leia had gone, did she do the murder.”
Megan nodded.
“But why?”
“We believe, she killed her father, she had also beaten up Emma Humphries after a disagreement, so bad her mother sent her away. I don’t know why is the answer to that, she must have had a disturbed mind.”
Julie sighed.
“Anyway, what are you going to do now?”
“I have no idea, I don’t have any qualifications, I can’t return to my parents.
I’ve no money and nowhere to live. Perhaps you can put me in prison for a bit.” she laughed.
“How old are you Julia.”
“Twenty.”
“Have you worked before.”
“A secretary at some solicitors. I’d really like to get a career, it would be great helping teenagers whose parents have thrown them out for being gay, but I have no idea how to go about it.”
“What are you like with children”
“Okay”
“we’ll have a think about it. Let’s get something to eat.”
Jess took her round the farm with the kids while Skylar and Jess managed to knock up enough food for all of them.
“Do you trust her.”
Sandie and Skylar looked at Megan
“Please tell me she’s not a suspect?”
“No, I was wondering whether she could stop here a bit to find her feet.”
“do you think Jess will mind.”
“it was her idea, since we have stopped emergency fostering, she is feeling guilty.
When I mentioned Julia to her, she said
we should take her in, like emergency fostering an adult.”
“Brilliant.”
When Jess and Julia came back in Ruby was holding her hand and Daniel was on her shoulders, Elle was on Jess’s shoulder.
They talked over dinner and the kids went to bed.
“Julia, we want you to stay here for a while until you know what you want and have enough money to rent somewhere.”
“Thank you but I couldn’t do that”
“Why, you could help with the kids and we could look at what you need to do for your job.”
“I can’t believe you would do this for me.”
“Julia, you are going to do great things for kids whose parents disown them if we can help just a little we’d like to”.
“Thank you so much,” the tears flowed down her face. “For the first time in my life someone believes in me, you don’t know what that means”
“I think we do.”
THE END
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