The Grotesques Read Online Free Page A

friends.”
    Ella’s mind reeled. A sixth girl missing, the second murdered, possibly last night.
    “At this stage, we believe her murder is linked to that of Alicia Moffat. We are not yet ruling out a connection between these murders and the disappearances of Cecily Williams, Caroline Jones, Bekka Todd, and Joanne Travellian, although I would like to stress that the latter have been missing over a week, while the bodies of Alicia Moffat and Melanie Denham were discovered within twenty-four hours of their disappearances. While we hold grave fears for the safety of the missing women, we have not given up hope of finding them alive. Needless to say, we are doing everything in our power to track down the callous murderer and urge members of the public who might have information to come forward.”
    Rob placed the sheet down to face the barrage of obvious questions.
    “What parts of the corpse were discovered?” an ABC reporter asked.
    Rob swallowed. “The medical examiner recovered the victim’s head and left arm.” The journalists’ shock formed a palpable wave of disbelief. “Divers are currently searching the river for,” the hardened detective faltered and dropped his eyes momentarily before making eye contact again, “the remains of her body.”
    “Were there any . . . eh . . . marks on the . . . eh . . . body parts?” a fresh-faced young man queried.
    “There were similar markings to those found on Alicia Moffat.”
    “Is there any evidence a shark has entered the Port River?”
    “Not at this stage.”
    “What about the dolphins? Could they have turned dangerous?”
    Scoffs muffled the detective’s first words. “. . . and expert advice suggests the trauma sustained is not consistent with a dolphin attack.”
    Ella rolled her eyes. The marine mammals that frequented the estuary suffered more from humanity’s indifference than humans ever would from them.
    A woman’s hand shot up. “Detective, have you been able to trace the victim’s movements prior to her disappearance?”
    “Ms. Denham is known to have attended a service at the Church of the Resurrection on the evening of her disappearance. She then dined at a friend’s house in the area, leaving to drive home at around ten p.m.”
    “Has her car been located?”
    Rob cleared his throat. “It was discovered—clean, I might add—near the Church of the Resurrection this morning.”
    The crowd erupted. Someone finally managed to shout a question above the uproar.
    “Have you spoken to the minister at the church?”
    “The caretaker is helping us with our enquiries.” Rob was looking increasingly harassed. Ella almost felt sorry for him.
    “Do you have any suspects?” another reporter called.
    “We are currently following a number of leads. Now, if you’ll excuse me, ladies and gentlemen . . .” Rob collected his notes and turned.
    Ella called out in a loud voice while still scribbling details, “What was the cause of death?” Rob froze. She met his stare, ignoring the dozens of other eyes trained on her. “The cause of death, Detective Hamlyn. Was she dead before she went into the water? The same for Alicia Moffat.” As far as Ella could tell, rumours of marauding sharks and a depraved serial killer sat at odds with each other.
    “The medical examiner is still investigating. Given the gruesome circumstances of the crime, it may be some time before the cause of death is established.”
    It sounded like a classic case of evasion if ever she’d heard one. “And Alicia Moffat?”
    “On both deaths.” Eyebrows raised, Rob peered at her over his glasses. “The nature of this crime has had a particularly devastating effect on the family. I would ask the press to tread sensitively when reporting.” After a lingering glare unmistakably aimed at her, he left the room.
    He hasn’t changed , Ella thought. She squeezed her way out, dodging several attempts at conversation by former colleagues whose smirks burned her back as she left the