CHAPTER 1

Date: 23^rd October 2024

Time: 4:27 am

Head Detective: Angela Hullen

Crime: Abduction and Murder

Case: Ava and Avery Gelding

Scene of the crime: The Gelding’s Lake House

Walking into a crime scene always felt surreal. Angela (Or as everyone knew her, Angie) had seen it all. She knew all that could be known when it came to being a detective. She knew how horrific a crime scene could look. She knew things were not always as they seemed. Today, she arrived at the scene of the crime, not knowing what to expect. As she walked in, she noted the puddle of blood on the floor, the hair stuck in the doorway, and the indent on the stairs. The indent may have already been there, but the blood could be either twin’s. The hair was Avery’s; she was the only one downstairs at the time of the crime. The labs back on the blood were inconclusive as they had been contaminated by the police walking into the house.

“Ready to see the body?” John asked Angie. John was her husband and worked with her as a detective. His ability to identify how people really feel, and Angie’s logic and focus, meant they were the perfect team.

They trudged upstairs and were greeted by the forensics team and the police officers who arrived first. The body of Ava Gelding separated them. Her eyes were open, staring into the abyss, and she had angry bruises on her neck from where she had likely been strangled. What Angie guessed was her phone sat smashed about a metre away from Ava’s limp hand.

“We think she was strangled, but we have to wait for the coroner and the autopsy report. We were waiting for the parents beforehand, though, just to make sure that this is Ava Gelding and not her twin,” Officer Browne explained.

“When are the parents expected to arrive?” Angie briskly asked. She never cared for niceties, a fact that was widely known.

“About 30 minutes now.” Perfect, 30 minutes to examine the scene with the body and without hysterical parents.

Ava looked to be in her late teens, maybe 19? She had a tattoo of a dandelion on her wrist, great for identification. They hadn’t received the transcript of the 000 call she had made yet, but they knew the details. She was hiding in a closet when on call, and her sister was tied to a chair downstairs. The call disconnected when she heard footsteps coming up the stairs. This made Angie wonder if the phone had been used as a weapon by Ava or the murderer.

The team photographed as much as they could; however, they found minimal evidence that could link to the murderer. They needed to question all available suspects. There were only 4 people who knew the password to get into the lake house; therefore, 4 people could be linked to the case.

1.     The twin's mother: Elise Peal

2.     The twin’s father: Robert Gelding

3.     Their Cousin: Reagan Gelding

4.     Their Stepfather: Greg Peal

Whether they were the ones to murder Ava Gelding and abduct Avery Gelding remained unknown; however, one of them was linked to the case. How, Angie didn’t know, but she did know one of them was responsible, whether they knew it or not.