'This is such a bad idea,' Ash whispered.

'Shush. I want to see what she says,' Jess admonished.

They both sat in Ash's borrowed cherry red car, watching the Deputy talking to a pretty brunette in a lab coat.

'We shouldn't be making him do this. He's been wondering whether to accept her offer of dinner for two months.'

'And now he's accepting,' Jess argued.

'Because we need to get into the fucking morgue,' Ash harshly whispered back.

'She'll never find out.'

'You'd better hope not. The Deputy is a good looking man, but I don't think even he'll be able to sweet talk his way out of this one.'

'Shut up, he's going in.'

'Then let's get this over with.'

They both got out of the car and walked around the back of the building where the Deputy was already waiting with the door open.

'Nicely done,' Jess complimented him.

'It hasn't gone totally to plan,' he whispered. 'We're not leaving.'

The two girls skidded to a stop. 'What do you mean, you're not leaving?'

'We're not leaving right away,' he clarified. 'The psychologist is coming. Apparently, he wants to talk about the three bodies.'

'Perfect. So what do we do now?' Ash said.

'Elijah?'

'Quick, get in here.' The Deputy closed the door behind them and pushed them into an office.

The sisters dashed under the desk as a pair of trainers appeared at the door.

'Everything alright?' a female voice asked.

'Just needed a little fresh air.'

'The morgue can have that effect on people,' she admitted.

'So you said you were waiting for Henry?'

The sisters heard the woman sigh. 'He wants to build a profile of the three women. If you ask me, I think he's dying to prove that it's a serial killer. Thinks it'll make his career. If he finds that you're here, he'll definitely never leave.'

'Then he'll be disappointed. I haven't had much to do with the case.'

'I suppose you're still looking for that missing girl?' He nodded, and she grimaced. 'I just hope the poor thing doesn't turn up on one of my tables. How long has she been missing now?'

'About a week.'

There was silence. They both knew the odds. Only the Deputy knew those odds were already over.

A knocking came from the door and Ash's foot slipped, kicking Jess in the shin.

'That'll be him. If I had known you'd be here to accept my offer, I would have told him to postpone.'

'Just my bad timing.'

'What made you change your mind?'

Ash held her breath. And this was why she hated this plan. Not only were they playing with the personal life of the Deputy but of the pathologist as well.

'A friend made me realise that there were things I wanted to do but was holding myself back from having because I thought I didn't deserve them.'

The trainers squeaked to a stop as the pounding on the door came again.

'Sounds like a good friend.'

'She helped me when I was in a really low place.'

'We could all do with a friend like that.'

Ash and Jess both shook their heads at her forced enthusiastic reply. If there was one thing they knew, it was better for a man not to compliment another woman whilst in the company of a woman whom he wished to woo. It was archaic and stupid. And yet they could both tell that the pathologists had her feathers ruffled over his comment.

The trainers started walking again, and the back door opened once more.

'Deputy? I didn't expect to see you here.'

'A happy coincidence. How are you Henry?'

'Overworked,' the man grumbled. 'Somehow I seem to end up taking my cases home with me more and more these days.'

'At least that's not something I have to worry about,' the woman joked and the two men laughed.

'Do you need a hand with those?' the Deputy offered.

'If you could. I'd leave them in the car, but my boss would have my head if they were lost. We're not technically supposed to remove files from the office, but there's just so much work that needs to be done.'

'And you can't be too careful. There's been a few break-ins since they started turning the lights off,' the woman said.

Ash and Jess held still as the office door was pushed open.

'I'll just leave them on the desk, shall I?' the Deputy asked.

'That'll be fine. It's the file for that missing person's case you're working on. Some dark stuff there.' The psychologist shivered.

'So we'll be receiving your report soon?'

There was much spluttering before an answer came. 'Like I told the Sheriff, you'll get it when you get it. Half my office is out, and my secretary who types up all my notes. I'm practically at my wit's end as it is.'

The voices trailed away, leaving the girls in silence.

'Now what do we do?' Ash said.

'We'll have to wait until they leave.' Jess unfurled herself and peered around the edge of the desk. They'd lucked out that the psychologist had had the foresight to flick the light on.

'What are you doing?' Ash hissed.

'I'm going to look at his copies of Charity's sketchbook.'

'Why are you so obsessed with her sketchbook?'

Instead of answering her, Jess pulled the lid off the file and carefully removed the first binder. Someone had meticulously scanned and then enlarged the pictures. Jess only hoped that Henry's secretary had a strong stomach when they put the file together for him, because the images were more than just dark. They were grotesque.

'I was right,' she muttered loud enough for Ash to hear.

Ash stepped forward but reeled back when she saw the images.

'What the fuck is that?'

'I think it's supposed to be Pastor Jim.'

'What is he wearing? And why is he bleeding from his head?'

'It looks like an old monk's habit.' Jess peered at the image.

'Still doesn't explain why she's drawn her own father like that. He looks like he's in agony.'

Jess pawed through the binder. Faces of her housemates trapped in some awful torment jumped out at her. Their faces wide and gapping as they silently screamed in all their black and white horror.

The psychologist had written notes over the plastic sheets but Jess struggled to piece together the one worded thoughts. He'd numbered every sheet 2-9.

'What do you think he means by biblical?' Ash asked as she read the psychologist's neat handwriting.

'Maybe the images are connected to Charity's religion?' Jess guessed.

She paused at an image of Charity. It was so clearly her that it took Jess' breath away. She stood as though in a great storm, her arms wrapped around a figure with his back to the viewer, but it was very obvious a lovers embrace. In the photo she wore the glass cut ring.

Attached to the plastic was a note with just two words. 2. Lust. With question marks after it.

'Doesn't look like any pictures of Hell I've seen,' admitted Ash.

'That's because this isn't the bible version. She's in the second circle of Hell. Lust,' Jess gasped. 'It's Dante's inferno,' she whispered excitedly to Ash.

'You've lost me.'

'Charity drew it all. You were right, she had trust issues, so she drew us as she saw us. The pastor and I are in the eighth circle of Fraud.' She flicked backwards and stared at the collection. 'You're here as well.'

'What?' Ash pulled the file and gulped at the sight of her head twisted around grotesquely on her body.

'I bet the police thought it was another drawing of me. But it's the punishment for sorcerers. Also known as fortune tellers.'

'Ouch,' Ash muttered.

'Better than mine.' She tapped on her diseased face. 'Falsifiers. They're a disease on humanity and so that's what they're punished with.

'And the Pastor?'

'Golden gowns are worn by Hypocrites,' she remembered. 'Laura had found that one of the more amusing ones when we'd studied it.'

'This is some nasty shit.'

'It doesn't explain why Charity drew herself in the second circle of lust. It's for those that give into their carnal desires.'

'What's that when it's at home?'

'Typically adultery. I think Helen of Troy and Paris are supposed to be punished there.'

'The face that launched a thousand ships?' Jess looked at her sister, impressed. 'I read occasionally.'

'It was a romance, wasn't it?'

'Maybe,' Ash said, blushing.

Jess snapped a quick photo of the picture of Charity and her lover.

'I think they're coming back,' Ash urged, holding up the lid of the cardboard box.

Jess rushed to put everything back as she'd found it, and Ash secured the lid as the sound of footsteps approached them. They'd only just made it back under the desk when the door creaked open.

'Thanks for your help, Julia, Elijah.'

'Any time Henry.'

'Need a hand getting this to the car?' the Deputy offered.

'That would be great. My back isn't like it was.'

'I'll just go grab my things,' Julia said.

'Don't worry about it. I'll drive us back and you can pick them up then,' the Deputy said quickly, thinking on his feet.

Ash and Jess looked at each other. At least they weren't going to have to find their own way of opening the door. They waited patiently as the trio made their way out. They didn't move until they were sure that both cars had left the car park.

'At least Elijah isn't going to get involved if we're caught now,' Ash said.

'Agreed. He's helped us enough as it is.'

They both shuffled towards the morgue.

For all her brave words, Jess was beginning to wonder if this was such a good idea.

'No turning back now,' Ash muttered, mostly to herself.

'Why is this our life?' Jess asked.

'I've been asking myself that for years. After you.' Ash held the door open and Jess took a deep breath and stepped into the cold room.