Vanished Beneath: DS Lasser six (The Lasser series Book 6)

by Robin Roughley

  Medea eased herself upright and smiled. 'OK, what sort of dress would you choose?'

  Lasser thought for a moment, 'A white one.'

  'Well, that narrows it down, but would it be blinged to the max, plain or elegant?'

  'Definitely no bling.'

  Medea raised an eyebrow. 'Go on.'

  'And why would I buy something plain for a stunner like you?'

  Her eyebrow arched even higher.

  'So, it would have to something elegant but simple and understated, ' he smiled in satisfaction.

  'And what about the ring?'

  'Same again, I mean, I can't see you with a massive stone on your finger.'

  'Mm.'

  Lasser looked at her. 'Am I right?'

  Medea pushed a hand through her dark hair and Lasser shivered.

  'As a matter of fact you are,' she said before reaching for her wine glass. 'Oh, by the way, I heard back from Emma today.'

  Lasser wriggled his toes and sighed in contentment. 'What did she say?'

  'She should be here tomorrow, and I know it's asking a lot, and I hope you don't mind, but I said it would be OK if she stayed here for a few days.' She held the glass to Lasser's lips and he took a sip.

  'You don't have to ask, Med, you know that.'

  She smiled. 'I can't wait to see her.'

  'You two go back a long way?'

  'We started Junior School together, and then High School, we even went to the same College.'

  'It must have been hard when she moved away.'

  'I hated it, but I can understand why she went. I mean, she was always a high achiever and when the job came up, well, it was one of those that you couldn't say no to.'

  'What does she actually do?'

  'She's a graphic artist, very talented.'

  'And what about her parents do they still live locally?'

  Medea took a sip from the glass before placing it back on the table. 'Well, her mum died when she was fourteen and her father always wanted her to become a doctor like him.'

  'But she didn't fancy it?'

  Medea lifted her legs onto the sofa and Lasser slid his hand onto her knee.

  'It caused a lot of problems between them; he couldn't understand why she didn't want to follow him into medicine.'

  'I take it he didn't approve of her career choice?'

  'He was furious. In fact they haven't spoken for over five years.'

  'Is that why she's staying here rather than at the family home?'

  Medea slid her hand over his. 'I'm hoping her being here will help to build bridges between them.'

  'Or being back in Wigan could be a reminder of why she couldn't wait to get away in the first place.'

  'Believe or not she always loved the town.'

  Lasser gave her a quirky grin. 'Loved the town?'

  'Come on, Lasser, you only see the worst of the place, I mean, for normal people this is a good area to live in.'

  Lasser's grin turned into a frown. 'I take it she didn't live in one of the flats on Millers Lane or a little two-up two-down in Scholes?'

  'Well no but...'

  'So, where did she live?'

  'Standish.'

  'Well, that explains it.'

  Medea sighed, 'I agree, compared to some parts of town Standish is nice, but it's not millionaires row.'

  'Yeah, but you a have to admit it's a damn site nicer than the rest of the place?'

  'Anyway, she's arriving on the ten o’clock train,' Medea said in an effort to change the subject.

  'You're meeting at the station?'

  'That’s the plan.'

  Lasser stretched his arms to the ceiling and yawned. 'Well, you're off for the next three weeks so it'll give you plenty of time to catch up.'

  'Well, we've arranged a few things to do while she's here.'

  'Such as?'

  'We're having a day in Chester and we thought we might catch a show in Manchester.'

  'Sounds good.'

  'I mean, you can come if you want?'

  'Er, no thanks, I'm not really into the theatre.'

  Medea slid her arm around his neck before resting her head on his shoulder. 'Thanks, Lasser.'

  'What for?'

  'Well, I know you find it hard having one woman taking up your bathroom time, so two of us could push you over the edge.'

  Lasser shrugged. 'I'll just have to set the alarm earlier so I can do my moisturising routine in peace.'

  Medea sighed. 'Let's go to bed.'

  Lasser didn't argue.

  5

  Lasser watched as the bubbles trailed across the surface of the water before glancing up at a sky ominous with dark rainclouds.

  Bannister had his hands thrust into the pockets of his Berghaus, his face pensive. PC Spenner sneezed before wiping a hand under his nose.

  Doc Shannon glanced at him and frowned. 'Are you feeling alright, Spenner?'

  'I think I've got a cold coming on, Doc,' he replied with a heavy sniff.

  'Drink plenty of liquids and sweat it out.'

  'Not much chance of sweating it out here is there?' Spenner mumbled.

  Shannon shrugged his huge shoulders, his beard wild and untamed like a sporran that had been left out in the rain.

  Bannister sighed. 'Stop mollycoddling him, Shannon, it's only a bloody sniffle.'

  Spenner glowered, his lips drawn in a thin line.

  Out on the water, a man in a wet suit sat perched on the edge of an inflatable dingy.

  'I don't fancy that job,' Lasser said and shivered.

  'Why not, I mean, you spend half your time wet through as it is?' Bannister quipped.

  'Yeah, but I bet they can see sod all in there,' Lasser nodded towards the water.

  'Soft arse.'

  When the body broke the surface, it came out fast - like a cork blasting from a bottle.

  'Shit!' Bannister gasped.

  A couple of seconds later the second diver popped his head from the water and gave the thumbs up before gingerly pushing the cadaver towards the bank.

  'Right, Spenner, keep your eyes peeled, if anyone shows up then for God's sake keep them well back.'

  Spenner swallowed as the body drew closer.

  'Are you listening to me, man?'

  Spenner snapped his head up, his face flushed with colour. 'Sorry, sir.'

  Bannister flapped his hands. 'Well, get on with it then!'

  Spenner spun away and clamped his hands behind his back.

  'Right you two, come on.'

  Lasser followed as Bannister made his way to the edge of the pond, Shannon trailing behind, his black wellies swishing through the damp grass.

  The diver steered the body to the bank and Bannister frowned. 'I thought you said the body had dark hair, Sergeant?'

  'Well, that's what Hammond said.'

  As it reached the bank, the bloated corpse rolled over.

  'And you also said it was a female!' Bannister snapped.

  The man was bald, the head grey in colour and smothered with leeches.

  Lasser swallowed, 'Female with long dark hair - that's what we were told.'

  Bannister jabbed out a finger. 'Does that look like a woman to you, Sergeant, or are you going to tell me that the body could have been wearing a wig?'

  Lasser winced at the sarcasm. 'I...'

  'Right, Shannon, what do you think?'

  Shannon looked at Bannister and frowned. 'About what?'

  Bannister waved his hand at the body. 'Come on, man, don't act the bloody fool, tell me what you make of it?'

  'Well, why don't I dive in for a closer look…?’

  'Bloody hell!'

  Bannister glanced at Lasser, with a sour expression on his face. 'What’s the matter with you?'

  Lasser pointed. 'There's another one!'

  Bannister snapped his head round, in the centre of the lake another body had broken the surface of the water.

  Half an hour later, the bodies lay side by side on the bank. Somewhere high above a skylar
k warbled.

  Doc Shannon was crouched on his haunches studying the corpse of the bald headed man. The woman lay three feet away; her hair was short and blonde.

  Bannister scratched at his chin. 'So, if Hammond and his son are to be believed, then there's still another body out there.'

  Lasser grunted a response before leaning down over the body of the unknown female. Her face looked as if it had been moulded from pale yellow wax.

  'Tell me, Doc, how long does it take a body to bloat like that one?' Lasser asked, nodding at the bald-headed man.

  Shannon looked from one body to the other. 'I'd say he's been in the water for a while...'

  'And how long is a while?' Bannister asked through gritted teeth.

  'I can't tell you until I get him back to the lab.' When he saw the expression on the DCIs face he held up a hand. 'But if I had to hazard a guess I'd say he's been under the water for at least a month, possibly longer.'

  'And what about her?'

  Shannon pursed his lips, 'Not long, I mean, there's no sign of decomposition, the skin looks intact and of course no bloating, so I'd say no more than a few days, a week maybe, but not much longer.'

  Lasser nodded before standing up. Both bodies were fully clothed, the man was wearing a pair of dark jeans, the seams stretched to the limit by the swollen flesh beneath. His coat black and padded, though the zip had burst revealing a stretched dirty white T-shirt beneath.

  The woman was dressed in grey leggings with black trainers, her crop top revealed a silver belly bar in her navel. She also had a gold stud in her nose and one crucifix earring in her left lobe, the right one was missing.

  'Well at least we know it can't have been some kind of dodgy suicide pact,' Lasser said.

  Bannister grunted. 'Any idea how they died, Shannon?'

  'Impossible to tell with this one,' he said pointing down at the male.

  'What about her?'

  Shannon sighed. 'I'm not a miracle worker! We're in the middle of nowhere, they've been out of the water for ten minutes, and you want to know how they died'

  Bannister squared his shoulders. 'That's about the size of it.'

  With a shake of his head, Shannon scuttled over to the woman and leaned in close. 'Well there's no obvious trauma to the head, and it doesn't look as if she's been strangled,' he said as he peered at her neck. 'The clothing seems to be intact, no stab wounds that I can see.'

  'What about her arms?' Lasser asked.

  Shannon grunted before gingerly sliding the arm of her thin nylon jacket up, the needle marks where puckered and grey trailing from the crook in her left arm down to the wrist. 'Well, she was definitely using something,' Shannon said, before checking the other arm, a similar track of needle marks mirrored the first.

  'What about him?' Bannister said.

  'I don't know, and if you think I'm going to check, then you can sod off.'

  'What did you say?' Bannister asked in disbelief.

  'You heard, I refuse to handle the body until I'm in a sterile environment. I mean, if he blows are you going to help mop it up?'

  'I...'

  'No, you'll be over there throwing up in the grass.'

  'Don't be so bloody soft...'

  Shannon stood up and pointed down at the corpse. 'OK, be my guest; just let me get well out of the way first.'

  Lasser glanced at Bannister; the DCI licked his lips and looked down at the bloated body.

  'I thought as much,' Shannon said with a smirk. 'Now as soon as the meat wagon gets here I'll get them back to the lab and we can do this properly.'

  As if on cue, the black transit arrived, bumping over the uneven ground, followed by three police cars and a van loaded with officers.

  When a shout went up, all three men turned in surprise as another body rose to the surface, long black hair covering the face.

  'Fucking great,' Bannister hissed.

  6

  Medea parked in the short-stay bay waiting for Emma to arrive. Market Street was busy with Saturday shoppers, a gang of young lads were loitering outside the Victoria pub, some smoking cigarettes, others leaning against the wall watching as a couple of young girls sauntered past. Through the open window she heard a wolf whistle and one of the girls spun around and popped her middle finger, a couple of the lads cheered and laughed.

  When Medea spotted Emma walking from the station she smiled before climbing from the car and waving. As soon as Emma saw her, her face broke into a wide grin and she hurried over dragging a small suitcase on wheels behind her. Dodging around a passing taxi she threw her arms around Medea, from across the road another wolf whistle rang out.

  Emma shook her head. 'I see some things never change,' she said with a scowl.

  Grabbing her suitcase Medea hauled it into the boot before climbing behind the wheel.

  Emma was already in the passenger seat. 'God, it's great to see you,' she said as she dragged a hand through her shoulder length fair hair.

  Then they had their arms wrapped around one another; Medea felt the tears pricking her eyes. 'I still can't believe you're here.'

  'Hey, you're my best friend and besides I want to check out this fella of yours, make sure he's good enough for you before you tie the knot.'

  Starting the car, Medea couldn't stop grinning. 'So, how was your trip?'

  'Fine,' she looked out of the window at the people passing by, the black and white timber framed shops had been given a new coat of paint. 'The place doesn't look half bad for a change.'

  'Right let's get you settled. I've got a couple of bottles of red in the fridge.'

  'So, where is this Lasser today?'

  'Working as usual.'

  'I still can't believe you fell for one of the boys in blue.'

  Medea clicked her seatbelt into place before pulling away from the curb. 'Ah well you see, he doesn't wear a uniform.'

  'So he's a detective?'

  Medea nodded. 'Detective Sergeant actually,' she said with mock seriousness.

  'So does he pull the hand cuffs out if you don't do as he says?'

  'Chance would be a fine thing.'

  Emma grinned and shook her head. 'So, have you kept in touch with any of the other girls?'

  'I still see Susan and Claire but you know what it's like, most of them are married with kids.'

  'Well, you'll soon be catching them up.'

  At the traffic lights Medea turned left onto the one-way system. 'What about you, have you got a man in your life?'

  'Not at the moment.'

  'But you're looking, right?'

  Emma shrugged.

  'Too busy with work, is that it?'

  'Something like that,' Emma replied with a smile. 'So, you're really getting married?'

  'Well, we haven't set a date yet, I mean, neither of us is in a rush.'

  'Hey come on, Med, the biological clock is ticking.'

  'I'm twenty-eight, there's plenty of time to plan for a family.'

  'So, you both want kids?'

  'To be honest we haven't discussed it.'

  'Well you should, you need to make sure you want the same things. I mean, what if he decides he doesn't want kids and you do?'

  Medea shrugged. 'We'll cross that bridge when we come to it, besides you and I are the same age so mine isn't the only clock ticking.'

  Emma didn't reply.

  7

  It was half five before Shannon emerged from his sterile lair, Bannister and Lasser had waited in the corridor like expectant Fathers drinking tasteless coffee from the drinks machine outside the morgue.

  For once even Shannon looked pale as he walked from his office. 'Right, I've done the preliminaries; John Doe has needle marks on both arms and also some on the lower part of his left leg.'

  'So, they overdosed, is that what you're saying?' Bannister asked as he dropped the plastic cup into the bin.

  'It's too early to give you a definite, but there were no signs of violence on either body, so it seems likely.'

  'What about
number three?' Lasser asked.

  'Bit of an odd one, there’s no sign that she was attacked and as far as I can tell, no needle marks either.'

  'So how did she die?'

  'I'm working on it.' Shannon explained.

  Lasser took a sip from the plastic cup. 'That still doesn't explain what they were doing in the water.'

  'Yes well, I can tell you that the blonde female died about eight to twelve days ago, the male has been dead for about three to four months. The lady with the dark hair, somewhere in between.'

  Bannister pursed his lips. 'So, they were dumped there?'

  Shannon nodded. 'I'd say the girl was seventeen possibly eighteen years old, the man was well into his forties and his liver shows signs of alcohol abuse, the other one was probably thirty to thirty five years of age.'

  'What about the drugs, do you have any idea what they were using?'

  'I've sent samples off to toxicology; they should have the results by tomorrow morning.'

  'Birth marks?' Lasser asked.

  'Nothing obvious, although the man does have the name ‘Shelly’ tattooed on his left buttock.'

  'Tasteful,' Bannister shook his head in disgust.

  'Apart from that, he's clean, and before you ask the other two are ink free.'

  Bannister rubbed his hands together. 'Right, Doc, good job, and when you get the blood results let me know ASAP.'

  'Will do,' Shannon replied before pushing his way through the double doors and vanishing back into the morgue.

  'Right, Lasser, we need to check missing persons, some bugger must be able to put a name to these people.'

  'No problem.'

  Bannister checked his watch. 'Right, I'll call a meeting for eight in the morning and don't be late.'

  'I'll set the alarm.'

  'Make sure you do, Sergeant, or I won't be a happy chappie.'

  8

  Lasser opened the front door to the sound of laughter drifting out from the kitchen. Slipping his coat onto the banister, he walked down the short hallway to find Medea standing by the sink, tears running down her cheeks. When she spotted Lasser, she blushed and smiled. 'You're home early.'

  'A quiet day for a change,' he replied before smiling at the woman sitting at the kitchen table. 'You must be Emma,' crossing the room he stuck out his hand. 'Pleased to meet you, love.'

  Emma flapped her hands before rising to her feet and throwing her arms around his neck, he got a waft of alcohol. Medea grinned over at him and then hiccupped.