[Macchiarulo]

She was still feeling the effects from the booze when she reached the steps of the apartment block. Almost at the front door, she stopped as her mother opened it. The sight of her so pissed off actually made Jennifer smile.
Maria forced her inside and slammed the door shut, "It's nearly five in the morning. I've been worried sick."
She just shrugged, "So what?"
"So what? Is that all you've got to say?" Maria focused on her daughter's face, "You're only fifteen years old."
Jennifer's fingers encircled the blade in her pocket, "I'm not a little girl." Then she stormed into her bedroom, slamming the door as hard as she could.
Her hand hovered over the door handle. Maria thought about going inside to continue the conversation and stopped. She decided it'll best to let her daughter sleep it all off and continue the talk first thing in the morning.

Detective Inspector Philip Reese emerged from his black land rover. He was dressed like all the other detectives on site in a plain grey suit. Passing two officers stood at the gate of a construction site, he walked casually to the officers stood by a large sheet covering part of the ground.
He promptly knelt down and lifted the sheet.
The girl's body had been stripped naked and dumped. What was left her looked like it had been ripped apart by some kind of wild animal, right here in the middle of Manchester.
"Has she been identified yet?"
Detective Sergeant Sharon Granger shook her head. "There's an indication that she's a suspect in the robbery of that jewellery store yesterday. Looks she and her friends might have had a falling out."
Reese remained silent. He knew full well that this wasn't do by people who could be described as remotely human, but the truth was something that had to remain hidden whenever possible. "Make sure Doctor Thorne performs the autopsy as soon as possible."
As he replaced the sheet over Stacy's mutilated features, Reese glanced at Sharon. He was satisfied that she didn't suspect a thing.

The woman was almost invisible, her dark skin making her blend in with the shadows of the closed down amusement park.
Reese closed the door of his car and approached her. Glancing back to make sure no one was watching, he looked back at her and noticed the bulge of a handgun under her jacket. "There's only been one victim, so far."
Linda Stanton nodded, "There will be others. The police report indicates that the victim was part of a local street gang, it'll be a suitable cover for the moment."
The memory of seeing the eaten flesh made him shudder, "I know I'm only supposed to be an observer and report any suspicious events, but I want to look into this personally. This street gang is suspected of committing a dozen robberies during the last month and two killings."
Clearly expecting the request, she nodded quickly. "I'll leave you to it then. I'll report back to Alex and inform him that the investigation is underway."
He turned away, letting her walk into the darkness without another word. Then he wondered where he was going to begin.

Maria dressed quickly for work, made her bed and then turned her attention to getting her daughter up for school. She didn't waste time knocking on the door.
She stood there, glaring from the open doorway.
The bed was empty, the covers still arranged neatly to suggest that Jennifer hadn't even used it. Then she saw the open window.

Reese noticed the concern on Sharon's face as she entered the office.
"What's happened?"
She gave him the bad news, "I've heard from Doctor Thorne. The girl's body never got to him. We're still looking for the people who were transporting her. But on the plus side, we have made a positive i.d. Her name is Stacy Quinn, she's a runaway. Her family have been looking for her for a couple of years now."
Knowing that her family had been searching for her for so long didn't make the truth any easier to take. He began going over everything Sharon had dug up about the girl, trying to come up with a way to advance the investigation. "I want a full list of everyone in this gang that we know about. One of them might help us catch this monster."
The last word puzzled her, "Monster?"
He realised he had said too much and tried covering himself as best he could, "What else would you call him."

Jennifer rose from the small bed that Angel was allowing her to use. She saw Adrian's limousine when she reached the window overlooking the yard. Adrian himself was standing by the gate, talking with Angel and Lisa, a girl who had just joined the gang after getting kicked out of school for trying to sell drugs.
She hurried out, ready to ask about Stacy.
The limousine was leaving when she emerged from the warehouse and there was just Angel standing by the gate, ready to close it.
Jennifer looked around the empty yard, "Where's Lisa?"
Shoving a couple of hundred pounds into her jacket pocket, Angel smiled. "She's working for Adrian now. Don't worry, honey. Your turn will come."
She was still worried, "What about Stacy? She's not been back yet."
"There is no need to concern yourself about Stacy. Adrian will take good care of her. He'll take care of all of us sooner or later." Angel decided it was time to step up Jennifer's involvement in the gang, "I've got a small job for you, Jen. There's this old man who refuses to pay us for protection. Make an example of him." She removed an Uzi from a case on the table and handed it to Jennifer.