Daisy’s body lay cold against the shiny steel of the mortuary table. She was covered up to the neck by a thin white sheet.

‘I know this is hard’ said Detective Cloud.

‘What happened…?’ Gilly’s voice was barely more than a whisper. The lights in the room were so bright.

‘We’ve caught the man who did it. He’s been taken into custody. It’s just–’

‘What happened!’ he screamed.

He watched as the Detective eyes filled with pity.

‘He picked her up from school. Then he murdered her.’

It felt as if all the breath in the world had been crushed from his body.

‘He confessed to everything.’

Gilly’s words were coming trapped again, ‘Everything?’

He watched as Detective Cloud’s eyes twitched toward the body beneath the sheets.

In a second Gilly was there trying to throw them back. The Detective tried to stop him.

‘Get off me!’

‘You don’t want to see this!’ screamed Cloud.

‘Get the – fuck – OFF!’ He shoved Cloud away, tearing back the sheet.

Gilly’s mouth went wide, a short sharp intake of air as he gasped. Each of Little Daisy’s fingers were broken, mashed.

Just like little spindles.

As for her body it was bent, twisted, misshapen. Immediately he thought of the man from the factory – those terrible red eyes.

‘What… what happened to her?’

Detective Cloud covered her up, his voice catching as he said, ‘I’m sorry Mr. Rivers. Truly I am.’

Gilly stumbled back against the wall, his face white as the mortuary lights.

‘Why?’ Cloud’s head sunk, and this time Gilly asked again, only deeper, almost as if to some long-lost part of himself. ‘Why…?’

The Detective’s face turned to ash, ‘I’m sorry Mr. Rivers.’ After which he turned, opened the door, and left.