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"I'll call forensics," Ulman said. "We'll get another team down here. Don't touch anything!"
Finn nodded, though disliked his tone. Then, something glinted under the gray sun.
Nearby, it caught the light—a locket, its chain entangled around a branch. Finn slipped on a pair of forensic gloves that he always carried in his inside pocket and carefully disentangled the piece of jewelry.
"I said don't touch anything!" Ulman said.
"Keep your shorts on," Finn said. "It's in danger of falling into the water, and besides, it's not on the body."
Finn examined it in his hand. The locket was covered in silt from the river, but it still held a certain luster.
Opening it cautiously, Finn found an inscription inside. Amelia's voice echoed from below, tinged with curiosity and concern. "What is it, Finn?"
He called down, "It's a locket. There's a date and initials inside." He squinted to read the finely engraved script. The date was old, several decades past, and the initials, though faded, were still legible. The locket held a mystery, a tangible link to the past, and perhaps a clue to the identity of the unfortunate woman before him.
Finn's gaze shifted back to the woman's body, a sense of solemnity washing over him. Here, among the chaos wrought by nature, lay a life cut short, her story entangled in the branches beneath him. He wondered who had given her the locket. Was it a lover? A parent? A friend? Whoever had loved her was about to receive the call no one ever wanted.
Finn pulled out a small evidence bag and placed the locket inside of it. As he climbed down from the debris, Finn was already keen on getting to work on the locket and trying to identify the victim. He carefully made it down from the tangle of branches and trees, his mind heavy with the grim discovery.
As he re-joined the group, Inspector Ulman's voice cut through the air, tinged with irritation. "Don't touch anything else, please. This is a job for forensics."
Finn nodded in understanding, as another team appeared on the riverbank. He stepped back to give the other professionals space to work. Beside him, Amelia's expression was thoughtful, her mind clearly piecing together the fragments of the case.
"I'd like to review everything we have so far," she said, turning to Finn. "We need IDs on the new victim and the unnamed woman back up the riverbank. Then, we need to interview anyone connected to all three victims."
Ulman, still seeming displeased with their presence, directed Constable Mulberry to assist them. "Take Miss Winters and Mr Wright to Helford Station. They can use it as their headquarters."
“Inspector Ulman,” Amelia added. “We can't be sure that there aren't any more bodies. Can you assign two teams, one to head up river, the other down river? Just to be sure.”
Ulman nodded. “We are thorough, Inspector Winters.”
“I believe you,” Amelia said. “But I'd hate to think of some poor soul lost out without their remains being returned to their families.”
“As you wish.”
"Thank you, Inspector," Finn said, though Ulman's response was a curt nod, his demeanor unyielding.
With a quiet word of thanks to the forensics team, the trio made their way back to the police boat, Ulman staying with the other officers. Mulberry, still a little pale from the earlier journey, managed a weak smile as he started the engine.
"I've... I've never attended a murder before," he said, driving the boat up river.
Finn looked at Amelia and shook his head. This was no case to cut your teeth on, but Mulberry had clearly been thrown into the deep end.
"Mulberry," Finn offered. "Winters and I can take care of everything if you need to sit this one out."
"No... No, I'll be fine."
Amelia patted him on the back. "If it gets too much, just let us know."
"It's okay, you can count on me," Mulberry said.
"Ulman seems a difficult one," Finn then said, looking at the castle in the distance getting closer.
"He's not all bad," Mulberry explained. "He doesn't like people being brought in over his head."
As the boat glided away from the scene, Finn found himself glancing back at the riverbank, his eyes fixed on the spot where the body had been discovered. The image of the woman's outstretched hand and the locket with its mysterious inscription lingered in his mind. Who was she? Could the locket hold the key to identifying her?
There was only one way to find out.
