Dr Blake turned to Nathan and Maggie. ‘No head injuries, external or internal, present.’
She then went on to explain that other than the bones she had highlighted in her discussion on X-rays, the skeletal system was unremarkable and within normal limits. Dr Blake paused then and picked up a large set of tweezers. She carefully separated the lips and reached in to pull out the rolled-up ball of paper.
Maggie got as close to the glass screen as possible and watched as the pathologist unravelled the paper.
‘Well, this is interesting. Five dots. Quite similar to the ones found drawn on Tim Griffiths’s body. I don’t think this is a coincidence, do you, detectives?’ She held it up for them to see before passing the paper over to the assistant, who bagged it. Maggie noted down the configuration.
The post-mortem continued as Dr Blake discussed the heart and other internal organs. Maggie’s mind, however, was stuck on what had been found shoved in Mrs Hastings’s mouth.
When Dr Blake reached the genital system part of her examination, she confirmed that there was no evidence that the victim had ever given birth. Maggie now wondered whether adoption was the only option that Mrs Hastings had. Not that it was important in terms of who she was, but Maggie had known friends and relatives whose marriages were under a lot of strain due to fertility issues. Could there have been a deep-seated resentment about this?
Blood samples were also taken and sent for toxicological analysis. As bad as it sounded, Maggie hoped that Mrs Hastings had been drugged, as the number of wounds indicated it was more than probable she’d suffered a painful and tortuous experience.
Dr Blake turned to the detectives. ‘Sorry. I hope that was clear. I got caught up in my world and forgot I had an audience. I’m now just going to summarize the injuries and whether they contributed to the cause of death.’
Dr Blake began recording the details of her findings in an almost list-like manner. This time she also used the handheld recording device. The pathologist looked at the pair again before describing the stab wounds – eight in total covering the chest and lower abdominal area. Each wound was deep, with some described as fatal and others nonfatal; however, it was the wound to the neck which severed the carotid artery and death would have followed shortly after.
Dr Blake recorded other defensive injuries, including wounds on the palm and base of both hands. These appeared to have been inflicted before the fatal stab injuries.
Maggie looked at Nathan. His brows furrowed. ‘What an awful ordeal to have had to endure.’ He couldn’t tear his eyes away from the victim as he spoke.
‘I couldn’t even imagine the fear she must have felt, especially if …’ Maggie couldn’t finish the sentence, but Nathan nodded his understanding.
Dr Blake concluded by saying that, overall, most of the wounds suggested a single-edged blade, although a double-edged blade could not be excluded. The neck wound was caused by sharp, handheld garden shears which were found on the body. ‘I can’t give you an exact time of death, but I think I can say with some certainty that Mrs Hastings was killed on the Friday – following her abduction, which you believe occurred some time on Thursday night or the early hours of Friday morning. Immediate cause of death: exsanguination due to multiple stab wounds on the torso and neck. Manner of death: homicide.’ Dr Blake then said something to her assistant and walked over to the detectives. Removing and then discarding her gloves, she opened the door and came into the observation room.
‘Hope that helped somewhat. I’ll get a more formal report over once we have the tests back and I’ll send over the paper with the dots.’ She indicated the exit and they followed her out.
‘Thanks for letting us observe. It was … useful.’ Nathan coughed. They headed to the car.
‘What do you think about the marks on the paper stuffed in her mouth?’ Maggie sat in the passenger side of the car.
‘It’s a message, but what it means I have no clue. What are you thinking? Your face has done that scrunchy-up thing it does when you are putting pieces together.’
‘It’s probably nothing.’ Maggie paused before turning to Nathan. ‘If the marks on the paper are significant, it could mean that Sophia was killed before Tim – if the dots are decreasing and not increasing, that is – and maybe their murders are linked. But what reasons would Hastings have, if he did do this, to kill Tim?’
‘That’s what we’ll need to find out.’
Nathan put the car in gear and headed back to the station.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
When they arrived back at the office, Maggie shared her experience of the post-mortem viewing with Kat and Bethany. She laughed inwardly at the difference between the two – Kat very keen to hear the specific details while Bethany cringed before turning around and focusing on her computer monitor.
Once finished, she returned to her task at hand. Maggie stared at her computer screen after inputting the markings into Google and seeing things such as a dice and morse code pop up as possibilities. Nothing was jumping out at her and her frustration grew. She threw her pen down.
‘Hey! This might be something,’ Bethany shouted across the room.
Maggie pushed her chair out and walked over to Bethany’s desk. ‘What are you looking at?’ A newspaper article was displayed on the screen.
‘You asked me to do some digging on old cases and I came across this article. Do you remember the case? It was before my time.’
‘Oi! How old do you think I am?’ Maggie placed her hands on her hips. ‘It’s before my time too, you cheeky cow.’ A sideways smile formed on her face. ‘That’s a recent article though, so you’ll have to spell it out for me, as my psychic abilities seem to have fizzled in my old age.’ Maggie squinted at the small print on the screen. She rubbed her eyes and realized she may have to bite the bullet and get tested for glasses.
Bethany laughed. ‘Okay. This guy, Craig Nolan, was given a life sentence for a string of robberies and a murder. It looks like he was suspected of or connected to another string of murders, but no evidence for those – organized crime maybe?’
‘How is this connected to Tim’s murder or Sophia’s?’ Maggie scanned the screen looking for a commonality, but nothing jumped out.
Bethany scrolled down the article a bit further and Maggie continued to read. ‘It seems DCI Hastings, who was a DS at the time, was the one who put this guy away.’ Bethany pointed and highlighted the section on her monitor.
Maggie leaned in closer. ‘Hmmm. Has this guy made some recent threats?’ Maggie had often come across offenders who openly threatened officers involved in their case – Bill Raven immediately came to mind, but these generally panned out to nothing. Just words shouted in anger.
Bethany closed the article and pulled up some statements. ‘Once I saw the article, I pulled these up. This guy made some pretty vicious threats towards DCI Hastings – basically saying that Hastings stitched him up and he would get his own back one day.’
‘Shit – that article says he was released. Do we know when?’ Maggie tapped the screen and Bethany pulled up the article.
‘No date listed here. But it was a high-profile case, and he was interviewed by …’ Bethany scrolled down the screen to the end of the interview, ‘Julie Noble. Isn’t she your mate at the Stafford Gazette?’
‘Fucksake. I should have known she’d be involved somehow. Good spot, Bethany. Can you email me over everything you have? I’m going to contact Probation and see what they can tell me.’ Maggie returned to her desk and called Markston Probation Office, where she learned that Sarah Hardy was Nolan’s supervising officer but was unavailable to speak with her.
Maggie ended the call and tapped her fingers on her desk. She knew she’d need to speak to Nathan to find out how much she could share with Sarah. She looked over into his office and saw he was on the phone. His forehead was creased, and his free hand was waving about. She didn’t envy whoever was on the other end of the line. Maggie felt a bit sorry for him then; he had taken the te
mporary DS role because he thought it would be less risky and less stressful. He had told her that his wife wanted to start a family and have him at home more. But lately it seemed like the police station was more of a home and he looked to have aged about ten years. She wouldn’t tell him that though, not yet.
While she waited for him to get off the phone, Maggie waded through the statements that Bethany had sent over. Craig Nolan was not someone to be messed with by all accounts. He had form dating back twenty years and the recent photo showed he had kept himself very active in the prison gym. He was pure muscle from head to toe and covered in what looked like a mix of professional and prison tattoos. Maggie could only hope that he wasn’t involved in the DCI’s disappearance, as she feared Hastings would not come out on the better side in a fight. Though it could be what took the DCI off their persons of interest list.
Fuck it. She went over and knocked on Nathan’s door. This couldn’t wait.
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Maggie stood in the doorway; Nathan looked up and waved for her to come over. She sat and he finished his conversation, placing the handset down.
‘Sorry to interrupt you but Bethany may have just found something worth pursuing. Just wanted to get your thoughts on it.’ Nathan didn’t need to know that Maggie had already tried to speak to Probation in the first instance.
‘What’s that then?’
Maggie had his full attention.
‘Bethany came across a news article – an old case of DCI Hastings’s. Looks like the guy was involved with organized crime – lots of robberies and he was put away for life but must have cooperated or cut a deal, as he had a short tariff. After ten years in prison, parole was granted and he’s been released on life licence.’
Nathan held up his hand. ‘The short version, Maggie.’
‘Sorry. Reading between the lines, it looks like he wasn’t too happy and made accusations that DCI Hastings fitted him up. He’s only been out a few months. What if all this is revenge? Kidnap the Hastings family and – without sounding horrible – this guy, or maybe he got someone else to do it, is murdering Hastings’s family, possibly setting him up the way he feels he was stitched up.’ Maggie took a breath.
‘Hang on a minute. Don’t you think that’s a bit far-fetched? Why would this guy risk going back to prison, especially if he felt Hastings set him up? I don’t think we can jump to those sorts of conclusions without solid evidence.’
‘I agree. That’s why I’d like to talk to his Probation Officer – it’s Sarah Hardy. See if he’s been behaving strangely or maybe let something slip in supervision. We could bring him in for questioning.’
‘Back up. What are you going to pull him in for questioning on? A random comment he said over ten years ago when he was angry? Or a throwaway comment to Probation? You’d need more than that, and we’d have to clear anything with Rutherford in the first instance. Once all the information we have hits the news, there will be a media frenzy and this guy has already spoken to the papers. There’s protocol to follow.’
‘But what if …?’
‘But nothing. Stay away from this until we know more. If you go and raise suspicions before we have any reason to, you could screw up the whole case.’
‘Fine.’ Maggie huffed. ‘Shouldn’t we liaise with Probation anyway, to see if they have any other potentially risky cases?’
‘Of course. Just make sure that you don’t mention anything about Hastings’s possible involvement at this time.’
Maggie stood. ‘No problem.’
Maggie wouldn’t mention Hastings’s possible involvement, but Nathan hadn’t said that she couldn’t mention Hastings at all.
Chapter Thirty
Maggie picked up her mobile and walked down the hall in search of an empty office. Nathan made it clear that she shouldn’t be sharing any information with other agencies yet, but she could always ask for forgiveness if this blew up in her face. This wouldn’t be the first time she acted on a hunch.
There was a free office at the end of the corridor and Maggie closed the door behind her. She sat facing the door, dialled Probation and tapped the table to the music from the other end of the line as she waited for Sarah to pick up.
‘Sarah Hardy speaking. How can I help?’
‘Thanks for taking my call. I can’t risk anyone overhearing our conversation at this stage, and I trust you’ll keep whatever we speak of in confidence for the time being.’ Maggie waited for a reply.
Sarah sighed down the line.
‘Sounds serious. Am I going to get into trouble for any of this?’
‘Honest answer? I’ve no clue. So, if you want to just forget we even started, no harm done, and we can wait for the official request. I totally understand, but I want to stress that people’s lives may be at stake.’
Sarah paused. Maggie realized she was placing Sarah in an awkward position but felt she had no choice. Waiting could mean another victim and Maggie didn’t want that on her conscience.
‘Shit, Maggie. I’ll hear you out and we take it from there.’
Maggie could hear Sarah’s keyboard clacking in the background.
‘What I’m about to tell you is highly sensitive and confidential. If any of this information is leaked, my arse will be on the line … I could lose my job.’ Maggie bit her lip. ‘So, promise me that what we discuss goes no further.’ Might be a bit dramatic, but she needed to get her point across.
‘Shit! Shit! Shit! That’s a lot of pressure.’
‘Listen. We don’t have a lot of time. I’ll keep your name out of it for the time being. And if it comes to nothing, then there is no need for me to share your involvement at all. This will all hit the news at some point and at that stage, we’d be looking to speak to the agencies any way. I just need a bit of information for now.’
‘I know you wouldn’t be asking me if it wasn’t paramount but fucksake, why does trouble seem to follow you?’
Maggie ignored the comment. Sarah wasn’t wrong though. ‘I need to know what you can tell me about Craig Nolan.’
There was more silence and clacking of a keyboard.
‘Why do you need to know about him?’
‘Are you okay?’ There was something in Sarah’s voice that made Maggie wonder if there was more to Sarah’s nervousness. Had she hit a nerve?
‘I’m fine. You just caught me off guard. That guy is a complete dickhead. So far up his own arse and … never mind. What do you need to know?’
‘I was going to ask how he was presenting in supervision with you, but your reaction has said it all.’
Sarah’s voice cracked.
‘Yeah, he’s a bloody pain. His attendance is fine, but he tries to turn his sessions around every time he’s here and thinks he has an audience. Never gives a straight answer and has this tone … like he’s threatening you without actually threatening you – do you know what I mean?’
‘Hmmm. Does he ever talk about his arrest and conviction? I know you do some work on that in your sessions from what I can recall when I worked in the DAHU, but I’d be interested to know if he actually brings it up?’
‘It’s all he fucking talks about. How he was stitched up. How the police have it out for him. How karma is going to get every officer who fucked him over. He was pretty pissed off with one in particular. Hang on …’
Maggie could hear Sarah typing on her keyboard.
‘DS Hastings. Says he is the reason he ended up in prison.’
‘Fuck. I was hoping you wouldn’t say that.’ Maggie rubbed her temples.
‘I take it that’s significant?’
Maggie wondered how much information she should share and, in the end, realized she had probably said too much already, so offered up enough without revealing everything – if Sarah understood the seriousness, she may be willing to share more information than she had in the first place. ‘It’s DCI Hastings now and his family is missing. I think there is more to the story and Mr Nolan may be the key to some answers.’
‘Nothing yet. That’s why I wanted to talk to you first. If Craig still has bad feelings towards Hastings, maybe he has something to do with the disappearance of the family.’
‘Well, I can’t just leave this now. I’m really sorry, Maggie, I am going to have to speak to my manager.’
‘Just give me a bit more time. I still need to speak things through with DS Wright. Please, Sarah. We don’t want to alert Craig and have him do something to Hastings or his family if he is involved.’
‘This really is unfair. You’ve really put me in a situation I would have rather avoided.’
‘I know and I’m sorry, but I couldn’t think of any other way. I’m going to speak to Nathan as soon as I can and get the official ball rolling. I just have to convince him and Rutherford that Craig is a person of interest.’
‘Fine. But make it quick. I’ll be seeing him soon – what the hell should I say?’
‘Just ask him about his latest offence and jot down anything that may be significant in terms of Hastings. He needs to say it himself though, no prompting from you. I promise I’ll come back to you ASAP.’
Sarah ended the call, and Maggie hoped she hadn’t overstepped the mark. She’d go and speak to Nathan – she had just about convinced herself that he wouldn’t have an issue with having Probation involved if Craig Nolan was the perpetrator. After all, it took the heat off the DCI and that couldn’t be seen as a bad thing.
Chapter Thirty-One
A loud crash coming from DI Rutherford’s office caused Maggie to jump out of her chair. When Nathan came bounding out of his office, Maggie chased after him towards the location of the boom.
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