by M A Comley
“I didn’t give it much thought. I suppose so, we’ll soon find out. Strap yourself in, the roads look busy.”
Charlie clunked her seatbelt into place. “Do I need to set up the satnav?”
“Not this time. I know where the spot is.”
“Makes life easier.”
Patti welcomed them with a taut smile, her brow creased into a deep frown. Katy knew as soon as she saw her pathologist friend this was going to be a challenging case.
“You’ll need to get suited up first,” Patti said. “Come and find me when you’re done.”
“Everything all right? You look pissed off.”
“You mean apart from another man losing his life? Yes, everything is tickety-boo from where I’m standing. I’ll see you over there.” With that, Patti left them to it.
Katy and Charlie got changed in silence, apprehension running through Katy with every movement she made.
She straightened up and pulled the zip up on her suit. “Are you ready for this?”
“No, but let’s get it over with.”
They found Patti a few feet from the edge of the river, crouching next to the latest victim. “I don’t suppose you’ve found any form of ID on him, have you?”
“Yep, it’s in the evidence bag, lying over there.”
Charlie went to have a peek. She jotted down the information in her notebook and returned to show Katy. “Mamadou Kouassi, looks like he’s a teacher at Blakeney College.”
Katy stared at the swollen face of the victim and shook her head. “What’s the cause of death, Patti? The obvious?”
Patti sighed. “So it would appear at this early stage. He was bludgeoned to death; there are different types of marks on his face and head, which leads me to believe different weapons were used.”
“Any idea what those might be?” Katy crouched beside Patti to take a closer look.
“He has several holes in his skull here and here. I believe they were possibly caused by a hammer. Either way, it was something used with relative force to cave his head in like that.”
“How dreadful. And the other wounds?” Katy pointed out a few that she could see.
“Maybe a bar of sorts, possibly a bat even. Hard to judge really. Heartbreaking, it is. The man possibly suffered over a period of time.”
“Are you suggesting he may have been held for a few days and tortured indiscriminately?”
“I don’t know, I’m hazarding a guess, although I have no real proof that went on. If that isn’t the case, then the man was beaten over and over until he took his last breath.”
Katy shook her head, disgusted as she surveyed the area. They were standing on a footpath, close to the river. “Where was he actually found?” She’d already noticed that the victim’s clothes were wet.
“He was floating face down in the river, a jogger found him.” Patti motioned with her chin to the man standing close to the bridge with a female uniformed copper beside him.
“Ah, right. Did he fish him out, or did your guys do that when you arrived?”
“He did it. Very brave of him, I might add. Most people would have left the body in the river for the fish to eat.”
Katy shuddered at the thought. “Silly question at this stage, but do you think he was thrown in here?”
Patti shrugged. “Who knows? The river is flowing fast because of the rain we’ve had overnight; that could make a significant difference. My guys will have to figure that out. I’ll get them to run the usual tests in these circumstances and get back to you with their findings.”
“Thanks. It would be good to know. Do you need us for anything else?”
“Nope. I’m going to carry on assessing the vic before I get him shifted back to the mortuary.”
“We’ll be back after we’ve had a word with the witness.”
“I’ll be here.”
Katy and Charlie approached the man in his late forties to early fifties. His gaze was fixed on the river. Katy acknowledged the police constable, and she stepped aside.
“Hello, sir, I’m DI Katy Foster, and this is my partner, DS Charlie Simpkins. Are you up to speaking with us?”
“I’m not sure. Sorry, I’m Gerald Pinner. I do this run almost every day and I’ve never stumbled across anything as grim as this down here before.”
“Sorry you’ve been faced with this dreadful situation. Can I ask what made you get the body out of the river?”
“I was worried in case it continued to float past. I know there are a couple of schools down that way, I didn’t want the kids dealing with this, so I got on the bank and dragged him out.”
“The river is fast today.”
He nodded. “That’s right, the body was caught on a branch close to the riverbank, it wasn’t difficult to fish him out. It would have been worse had he been in the middle of the river, out of reach, but I would have waded in there, if necessary.”
“You’re to be admired, not many people would have shown such bravery in the same circumstances.”
“I know. That’s the damn trouble with the world today. No one gives a bugger about anyone else if they’re in trouble. I’m of a generation who cares about what happens to people and who sees fit to help out in times of need. I felt this was one such time. Putting myself in the man’s shoes, I would have been grateful if someone took it upon themselves to save me. What am I saying? I wouldn’t be thinking anything if I was dead. I do talk a load of nonsense at times. Sorry.”
“You’ve had a shock. Our brains tend to deal with the situation differently in such horrific circumstances. I have to ask, did you see anyone in the vicinity when you arrived?”
“No. No one was around here. I always run under the bridge, come that way and go back via the main road.” He pointed to where the path veered off to the left and up a slight incline.
“And you jog here regularly? At around the same time?”
“Yes. Although today I had a few important meetings to attend first thing, therefore I postponed my run by a couple of hours. It usually sets me up for the day ahead.”
“Does that mean you were down here yesterday?” Katy pressed.
“Yes, I haven’t missed a day this week, even though the times have varied slightly. I feel it’s important to stick with a routine, it’s so easy to miss a day and slip up. Harder to get back in the swing of things once you mess up.”
“I can imagine. And there was no sign of the body there yesterday, I presume?” As daft as the question sounded, she needed to ask it.
“No. I would have fished it out, like I did today.”
Katy nodded. “Of course you would have. Okay, we’re going to need to get a statement from you in the near future, would that be okay?”
“Yes. Evenings would be better.”
“I can arrange that. If you’ll give my partner your details, we’ll get it actioned ASAP and get someone to call you later.”
“Thanks.”
Katy walked away and took a few paces towards the river. What happened to you, Mamadou? Were you killed by the same person or persons?
Charlie joined her a couple of moments later. “You seem deep in thought.”
Katy sighed. “Trying to figure out if the vic was dumped here or if he was thrown in farther up. Either way, he suffered before his death, which doesn’t sit well with me. Another racist attack? Probably. Something else I’m not comfortable with, I have to say.”
“I agree. What next?”
Katy heaved out an even longer sigh and stepped back from the edge. “We check back with Patti and then track down his next of kin, if he has one. Did you find his address with his other ID?”
“No, there was nothing else in his wallet. No cash, no driving licence.”
Katy inclined her head. “Strange, why leave the ID for the college in his wallet and take everything else? It doesn’t make sense, does it?”
“Not to me, no.”
“Okay. A quick chat with Patti and then we’ll be on our way.”
Patti was carrying out a thorough examination of the victim. “Nothing further to report, sorry. I’m taking his core temperature which is likely to be affected by the length of time he was in the water. Apart from that, I have nothing else for you. We’ll be moving him soon.”
“Okay. We’re going to head over to his workplace then, see if they can share his next of kin details with us.”
Patti nodded. “Best of luck. This one is going to be just as frustrating as the last one.”
“You think there’s a connection, though? Not just because both men were black, that’s not what I’m saying, although it could be a relevant fact.”
“Yes, that notion did occur to me. No, I would say the similar injuries are a contributing factor as well as the vics’ colour of skin. I’m not sure I’m ready to make that call just yet, not without having the results of both PMs to hand.”
“Makes perfect sense to me. I’m going to go along the line that the cases are linked for now, is that okay?”
“Go for it. It’s always better to be prepared than not. Good luck.”
“You, too. See you soon… er, not too soon. We’re going to dip out of this PM, if that’s okay with you?”
“Yes, of course. I have a feeling you’re going to be up to your neck in things for the next few hours anyway. I’ll get the results to you ASAP.”
Katy gave Patti a thumbs-up. “Can’t ask for more than that. Thanks, Patti.”
5
They arrived at the college twenty minutes later; it was almost lunchtime. The car park was full, and there were a few students starting to gather at the gates, no doubt waiting for their friends to finish class so they could venture off and find something to eat.
“Good time to come, possibly,” Charlie suggested.
“We’ll soon find out. At least we won’t have to disrupt any classes they’re teaching. I want to see what the other teachers have to say while we’re here.”
Charlie remained quiet.
“Something I said?”
“I was just thinking, I might be wrong saying this, but…”
“Get on with it, Charlie.”
They paused outside the main entrance. “Should we inform the next of kin before we tackle his colleagues? What if he’s married and someone rings her to offer their condolences?”
“Good thinking. Okay, let’s see what the head or principal has to say first and then make the decision. If we have to come back, then so be it.”
Charlie smiled, seemingly appeased by Katy’s suggestion.
The hallway was getting congested the more they progressed along its length to the reception area. “Hi, we’re DI Foster and DS Simpkins from the Met. Is the principal around to have a quick word please?”
“Oh, I see. Let me check if Mr Dobbs is available,” the receptionist replied. She had a friendly way about her and scurried into the office behind her desk. She returned almost immediately, lifted the counter door and invited them to join her. “He’ll see you in his office. Just caught him before he tucked into his sandwich.” She chuckled and led the way after securing the door behind them. “DI Foster and DS Simpkins, Mr Dobbs. Can I get you ladies a drink?”
Katy shook her head. “I don’t think we’ll be here long enough, but thanks for the offer.”
The woman smiled and backed out of the room.
“Come and sit down. I’m Malcolm Dobbs, what can I do for you today?”
Katy and Charlie sat in the two vacant chairs. Katy cleared her throat and said, “Thank you for seeing us at short notice, sir. This is a tough visit for us to make. We’re here about a member of your staff.”
His interest piqued, Dobbs sat forward in his chair. “Go on, I’m all ears.”
“When was the last time you saw Mamadou Kouassi?”
Dobbs frowned. “Funny you should say that, I had to ring his wife earlier to see if he was at home. I regret doing that now.”
“May I ask why?”
“Her English is very limited, and I got very little sense out of her. She was in tears, and I didn’t know what to say for the best.”
“Ah, I see. What was the purpose of your call, may I ask?”
“Mamadou didn’t show up for work this morning. That’s totally out of character for him. He’s never been absent before, ever. I called his wife to see if he was all right. She couldn’t tell me anything, so I’ve been sitting here wondering what’s going on. And yes, I’ve tried his mobile. It’s either switched off or his battery has run out—he’s always charging the damn thing at breaktime in the staff canteen. And then, as if there wasn’t enough to contend with, you walk through my door. If you’ll forgive me, I’m not getting a good feeling about your visit.”
Katy inhaled a large breath which inflated her lungs to the maximum. She let it out slowly and held the man’s gaze. “I’m sorry to have to inform you that earlier today, Mamadou’s body was found in the river and we’d appreciate it if you could keep that to yourself until his wife has been informed.”
Mr Dobbs’ expression was one of disbelief. “What? Are you telling me he’s dead?”
“Yes, I’m so sorry to have to break this news to you.”
He slapped a hand on his cheek. “Oh my, where? How? Why?”
“I can’t go into detail, not because I don’t want to but because the details we do have are very sketchy right now. What we do know is that a jogger was passing by the river this morning and Mamadou was found floating in the river.”
“He died in the river? Was he having a swim? I don’t understand. My mind is having trouble processing what you’re telling me.”
“No, he was fully clothed. We believe he was murdered.”
“What the…?” Dobbs shouted, shaking his head. “I don’t believe what you’re telling me, this can’t be true.”
“I’m afraid it is, sir. We need to get an image of his character and ask you a few questions, if you don’t mind? We’re also going to need his address, to contact his wife, to make her aware of what’s going on.”
“Oh heck. I bet that’s what she was trying to tell me over the phone. That she hadn’t seen him.”
“Possibly. Can you tell me what language she speaks? Sounds like we’ll need to visit her with an interpreter.”
“She and Mamadou were immigrants from the Ivory Coast. Good people, at least Mamadou was, I haven’t had a lot to do with his wife. He integrated into our system with ease. The pupils seemed happy to be taught by him. I visited his class several times at the beginning, and all the pupils always had a smile on their faces during his lessons. No mean feat with teenagers these days.”
“I can imagine. I take it he hasn’t had any form of trouble in the last few months around here?”
“Nothing. No trouble at any time of his career, not whilst teaching here. This is shocking news, I can tell you. Absolutely horrendous. His poor wife, whatever is she going to do now, without him? They have two children, quite young, she’s going to have a devil of a job coping without him, especially when she doesn’t speak English.”
“I’m sure we’ll be able to sort out some form of help for her. Has Mamadou been teaching here long?”
“Yes, around five years. When he started out, his English was very rusty, but he was eager to learn. I enrolled him in an English course at the local language college, and his English improved overnight. Such a willing student. He was determined to better himself for the sake of his family. He’ll be a great loss around here. The other members of staff all liked him, appreciated where he’d come from and the struggles he and his family have had to endure to ensure their future was brighter than the past they left behind on the Ivory Coast.”
“He sounds a decent chap. We’re at a loss to know what happened to him.”
“You must have some idea, a slight inkling,” Dobbs replied.
“We haven’t, and I’d rather keep the details we’ve gathered so far to ourselves for now. Can you give me his address?”
“Sorry, yes.” He left his chai
r and crossed the room to the grey filing cabinet in the corner. He removed a personnel file and returned to his seat. He then wrote down the address and handed it to Katy.
“Thank you, this will be a huge help and save us a lot of time. If there’s nothing else you can share with us, we’re going to leave now and head over to her address. She must be going out of her mind with worry, if her husband has been missing.”
“Yes, that makes sense, and no, I don’t think I can add anything else, not right now. No doubt I’ll think of something important once you’ve gone. Will you be coming back? I should imagine you’ll want to speak to the rest of the staff, see if they can fill in any blanks for you.”
“Yes, we’ll need to inform the wife quickly but we’d like to return later, if that’s okay with you?”
“Okay. Would you like me to mention anything to the staff?”
“No. Just prewarn them that we’ll be needing a chat with them.”
“I’ll do that.”
Katy and Charlie rose from their seats, shook Mr Dobbs by the hand and left the office.
En route back to the car, Katy rang the station and spoke to the desk sergeant, Mick. “You’re still there, good. Can you organise an interpreter for me, either in-house or ring the local language school? It’s important. I need to tell a next of kin her husband is dead and her English is limited.”
“I’ll be going home soon. Where is she from, ma’am?”
“The Ivory Coast, I’m not sure if they speak African or what there, sorry.”
“I think they speak French,” Charlie chipped in.
Katy smiled at her partner. “Charlie seems to believe they speak French.”
“Should be easy enough to find someone. Can I make a few calls and get back to you in a moment?”
“Sure. We’ll hang fire in the car until we hear back from you.” Katy jabbed the button to end the call and then dialled another number. “I’m going to check in with the lads, see how they got on down at the gym.” The phone rang once, and then Graham answered. “It’s me. How did you get on? Are you still there?”
“Hi, boss. No, we’ve just left, on our way back to the station. He was a regular down at the gym, everyone seemed to get on great with him. There are stories going around that he’s helped out a couple of the fellas down there, in fact.”