The Key

The ambulance officers exchanged worried looks. It was possible that the hit and run driver had come back out of guilt but it was also possible that the shock in Lucie Umbridge went deeper then they originally thought. So they sat her up in an ambulance - thoughtfully a different one to the bodies - and drove her down to the hospital.

"Grandma?" the little voice broke into Lucie’s light nap and she turned to smile wearily at her granddaughter. The nine year old girl smiled radiantly back, her pale green eyes sparkling. Liana Umbridge was a tiny girl, small for her age, with light blonde - almost white - hair. Her older brother stood behind her scowling. A hospital was not his favourite place to be, especially as he would prefer to be locked in front of the TV screen, playing his games.

"Did you really see a dead body?" Liana asked in fascination. Lucie shuddered and turned her memories away. "Well? Did you?"

" Liana," a voice warned from the door, " Brendan, take your sister down to the cafeteria." Their father entered, carrying a tray with coffee. Brendan’s frown deepened and grabbing Liana’s arm he practically dragged her from the room. She refused to walk at all and was towed along on her heels. They passed a notice board and a poster caught Brendan’s eye. He paused and his sister took the chance to twist out of his grip. He barely noticed, being intent on the picture.

She crept back down the hall and halted outside Lucie’s room. Her father and Lucie were talking, their voices muffled. Liana pushed open the door a crack so she could hear what was being said. " Mother, you need to go home. To our home. This, this episode makes it obvious that you need to be looked after." Simon Umbridge insisted angrily. Lucie didn’t seem to be paying any attention to her son’s words. "The poor girl," she murmured, "Who was she, Simon? Do they know?" She clutched frantically at his arm. "Oh, just some student living in a dingy flat on a parenting allowance. Now about..."

"Oh dear, the poor thing, all alone like that."

"Mother..."

" Did they catch the horrible man? Did they?"

"They don’t even know it’s a man!"

"Of coarse it is." Lucie said sharply. "What else would it be? And now she’s all alone and cold in the morgue.." Liana crept away, the voices trailing off in the distance. With a happy smile on her face she skipped down the corridors, stopping to read the signs at every turn. Eventually she found herself at the bottom of the short flight of steps leading to double doors that opened into the morgue. With a delighted laugh she pushed through them.

She trailed between the rows of bodies, unconcerned about being so close to the dead. Taking occasional peeks at the covers, she wandered down to where she thought the newest bodies would be. She pulled the cover off a body, wrinkling her nose at the smell of old blood. She peered with nothing more than curiosity at the battered face of the young woman. About the only thing you could tell was that she had had brown hair. Liana covered her up again, at the thought that she mightn’t have wanted to be stared at by a little girl.

She walked around the bench looking at everything she could until she came across the plastic bag that held the woman's belongings. Liana poked curiously through them, absently slipping a few things into her pockets. She turned to leave and jumped back with a squeal. The dark, blue-eyed man stood in front of her. He smiled pleasantly. "Good afternoon, child." he said politely, hidden barbs in his voice. Liana smiled back. "Hullo." she said. "What are you doing here?"