6:15 AM. 21ST MAY 2019.

The alarm clock began to ring but Gia was already awake carefully applying makeup in the bathroom mirror. For once she did not dread the sound of "Wouldn't it be nice" by the Beach Boys summoning her out of bed to go about her day. Today it meant that she was that bit closer to going to breakfast with Rasmus. Gia found herself singing along in the bathroom before slowing drifting back to the bedroom to get changed. What to wear? She looked through her wardrobe of plain work clothes. The array of black jeans and t shirts made her slightly annoyed  for never buying anything that wasn't black. Finally Gia came across the summer dress she had worn last year to her mother's 50th. It was pastel blue covered in tiny pink flowers, tight around the waist but flowed down over her legs.

'Perfect,' Gia thought to herself.

This was the first date she had been on since high school. Gia had been so preoccupied with doing well at college and becoming a detective that she had put all that to the side. Rasmus was the first guy she had really felt connected to and she desperately wanted to see him again. As she sat on the bed, ready 15 minutes early, Gia flicked on the TV to see Louise Hammerson's face plastered all over the news. It was the girl they had found murdered yesterday. Gia's face hardened as she heard the woman speaking on the news,

"Louise Hammerson, Lou to all her friends, was a sweet and driven girl who had her sights set high on taking her music career to New York. Sadly, Lou's life was taken on this very street, in a town that we all trust and felt safe in. What are the police doing to investigate? Are they competent enough for us to place our trust in? This is the fourth murder in sixth months and the police have found nothing..."

Gia abruptly turned the TV off and threw the remote at the wall. She felt frustrated. The woman was right. They did know nothing. Except for the fact they were all connected by the same cause of death. But what did that mean? Suddenly she heard a knock. She tried to suppress the smile on her face as she strode towards her front door,

"You ready?" Rasmus said as Gia looked deeply into his grey eyes.

"Yeah just getting my coat," Gia had done this on purpose hoping to get a compliment out of Rasmus before she hid the beautiful dress underneath a coat.

"You look just stunning" Rasmus breathed as he looked her up and down.

As Gia turned to the coat hooks she bit her lip trying to hide her blushing cheeks as she swung on the denim jacket.

"Thankyou - where we going for breakfast then?" Gia asked as she locked up the flat.

"My place" Rasmus said as he took her hand and they strolled down the hall.

Gia felt slightly annoyed that she had got this dressed up to simply sit in the apartment next door but that soon went away as they both flowed into conversation as though they'd been friends for years. Gia couldn't shake the feeling that it was just right between them as she sat at his small dining table. Rasmus had gone into the kitchen to make pancakes and Gia noticed the trinket bowl in the centre of the table. She tried not to look in but she soon gave in to temptation. Gia saw a woman's purse. She felt worried that she was not the first woman Rasmus had lured back to breakfast so the detective in her enquired further. She looked underneath the purse and saw a Midwife ID card for the local hospital. Gia's heart sank. It was one of her mother's friends. Janice Holbue. Clearly Rasmus had other women around and clearly he preferred older women. She threw the card back into the bowl before getting up and going for the door. Stupid, stupid. Gia thought to herself. Why had she put so much trust in a man that she had never met. Before she could leave Rasmus re-entered with the stack of pancakes.

"Where are you going?"

"I know Janice has stayed here. You do know she's married" Gia spat.

"Janice? Who the hell is Janice" Rasmus responded

"Stop lying! I found her purse in the bowl!"

Suddenly Gia saw a brief flash of panic in Rasmus' eyes. But only for half a second. He placed the pancakes down on the table and his hands on Gia's shoulders,

"If you'd given me a second to explain I would have told you that I found that purse on my walk home last night. I looked inside to see who it belonged to and then decided I'd give it to you after breakfast in case she came to the station looking for it. Okay?"

He began to rub her shoulders and Gia was immediately embarrassed. Even if he had been seeing Janice she had only known Rasmus a day. What right did she have to be jealous. She nervously looked away fearing she had put Rasmus off with her ramblings. He gently touched her chin and raised it so that they were looking directly in each other eyes. Slowly Rasmus leant in and he began to move his hands towards her waist. His stubble began brushing against her chin as she had imagined and they passionately locked lips. His mouth felt soft and warm and it wasn't long before she found herself unbuttoning his shirt and slipping off her dress. She traced her hand down his muscular back as Rasmus kissed all over her naked body lay on the table where the pancakes had once been. Rasmus began kissing her neck a little too aggressively for Gia's taste and she felt a shooting pain. She sat up abruptly gripping her neck looking at Rasmus with a trickle of crimson blood down his chin,

"Sorry...I got carried away" Rasmus whispered whilst locking lips with Gia again as their sweaty bodies interlocked.

Rasmus was leaning on Gia's exposed breasts. She glanced a look at the time and realised she was going to be late for work. Rushing up she slipped her dress back on apologising to Rasmus. She leant down to give him one last kiss before rushing out the door. Gia was filled with adrenaline. She leant on the wall outside the flat as her heart beat out of her chest. She thought of the next time she would see Rasmus and of his deep mesmerising eyes as she strolled to work. As she sat at her desk Marv came up behind her,

"Just had a missing persons report. Pete Holbue has rung up saying his wife Janice didn't come home and has been gone a day or so. Do you think we should be worried yet?"

Suddenly Gia's heart sunk. It was although time had stopped and everything was moving was in slow motion. If Janice was missing why did Rasmus have her purse. Who was he? Did she really know him at all.

NEXT CHAPTER - RASMUS