Ophelia Coletto - Part 1

Instructions

(You don't need to have read Skulduggery Pleasant to follow the storyline. Does help tho.) -------------------------------------------------------------------------Ophelia looked up from her desk as someone cleared their throat. She had glanced at the time earlier and knew that it was close to the office's closing hour. Thank goodness. The past few hours had been a living hell. She couldn't find any of the information she needed for this new case she was given, with all the test’s coming back with no results. Several months ago was when the first disappearance happened. A young boy who went by the name of Conner Murphy didn't return home at nightfall. Things had only escalated from there. The most recent disappearance happened last night, a middle aged man, taken from his bathtub. Once again, the kidnapper (or murderer, though she had no evidence to support that theory yet) completed his procedure flawlessly, giving her no leads to go on. With a sigh, she closed the missing persons file on her desk that had been untouched for around an hour, now giving this new man her full attention - or, what remained of it anyway. She hadn't had a proper night's sleep for weeks. She'd have to have an early night tonight. “Please, take a seat.” She addressed the man, who, she noted, seemed to be much slimmer than most young men in the area. She got up and removed a pile of files she'd been going through, trying to find a link of any sort to another case. “You wouldn't believe the stress I've been through lately.” She told him, by a means of explanation. “Anyways, how can I help you?” She could feel the man's gaze on her, despite not being able to see his eyes, hidden under a pair of sunglasses and a wide, broad brimmed hat. Something about it made her feel rather unsettled, almost as if the man had something to hide. “Trust me, I've been through worse.” She very much doubted that. The man sat down in the chair as if he owned the place, which just made her resent him more. He went to say something else but changed his mind, instead saying, “Look, I believe you and I are going to be able to help each other.” His voice carried an accent, Welsh or Irish, if she had to take a guess. Whatever it was, he definitely was not from around here. Which was why she found it strange that he'd be offering his help. “Help each other with what?” She asked, confused. He motioned towards the stacks of case files cluttering her desk. “With this.” “This is a confidential case. If that's the only reason you're here I'd suggest you leave, because I can tell you right now that it won't be happening.” She stood up, ready to show him to the door. “Did your team notice the fibre left on the side of the tub?” “Pardon?” “Last night. There was a wisp of fibre left behind from our mysterious abductor.” “No I..." She frowned. "And it didn't belong to the homeowner?” “I checked, he didn't own any clothing made from this material.” “Where's your proof?” She wasn't about to believe some strange man who had just waltzed in unannounced over her own colleagues who did a very thorough inspection at every scene, even if they never did come back with any results. He produced a small testing bag which contained a few thin threads of fibre, and placed it before her. She lowered herself back into her seat. “Have you tested it for DNA?” “A team back at the min- at my lab ran it through all mandatory testing and unfortunately, no, he wasn't careless enough to leave his DNA for us.” He obviously saw she still didn’t believe him. “Run the test yourself if you want, it won't change a thing.” She narrowed her eyes. “I'm sorry, who are you?” “I'd ask you the same question, but I already know who you are.” “I very highly doubt that.” “Ophelia Coletto. Forensic scientist and detective for the LA police department. 23 years old, you live alone with your Alaskan malamute at 1933 Preuss Rd.” She gave him no facial reaction to that, going into the emotional numbness she used when dealing with the harder, less appeasing parts of this job. This was going too far.