by Carole Pitt
'What's her name?' Elizabeth asked, half expecting them not to tell her.
Daly and Davidson exchanged a glance. Daly spoke, 'Dr Virginia Dalman. Moved to London a couple of years ago and has worked with several forces including Scotland Yard. I believe she’s Swedish. She specialises in cold cases and her credentials make interesting reading. She’s also worked in war zones like Bosnia.’
Elizabeth suddenly had doubts about the wisdom of this reconstruction. 'When will we know her decision?' Elizabeth asked.
'Sometime within the next couple of days,' Daly answered. First time I've ever been involved with this. Most people know everything there is about forensics but this is sophisticated stuff.'
'Callum Davidson stood up and spoke to Daly. 'I've got to go but maybe we could agree to meet up again in an hour to go over the release?'
Daly didn't look in the mood for any further conversation. 'I'm happy to leave the fine tuning to you.'
Davidson seemed pleased to have autonomy and hurried away without a goodbye.
Daly stood up. 'I'm off then, make sure you go to the docs. You might think I'm being blasé but I am concerned. I'd noticed you were limping. My advice is to take a few days’ sick leave.’
Elizabeth wanted to say I'd love to but knew she couldn't. If she stayed away from the investigation when it started to kick off it would be hard to come back and take over the reins.
'I'll wait and see what the doctor says.'
Daly nodded then seemed sheepish. 'I've got news for you. We've bought a dog. A German Pointer puppy and don't ask me the name because we haven't chosen one yet.'
Elizabeth was surprised. 'I hope you gave it a lot of thought. An animal like that is a big responsibility. They're fast and need a lot of exercise.'
'Mrs Daly decided, and that was that.'
'Can I see him sometime, or is it a she?'
'It's definitely a male, only nine weeks old.'
'You really are a big softy.'
Daly smiled. 'Don't repeat that word. It will harm my new reputation.'
'I'll get off now,' Elizabeth said, the urgency to get home and go to bed getting stronger by the minute.
Daly's mobile buzzed. Elizabeth had no qualms about hanging on. If there were any developments, she needed to know about them.
He finished the call and sighed. 'I want everyone in early tomorrow for a briefing. That was Grayson. He's secured the services of Dr Dalman who is coming in to speak to us about the facial reconstruction.'
Elizabeth was about to ask Daly what else he knew about this expert when his phone went again. He headed for the corridor; Elizabeth hung on hoping for there might have been some developments.
‘Eldridge,’ he said, when he came back.
'I hope he's following orders,' she said.
'Listen Liz, Eldridge has knuckled down recently under my guidance. He's just informed me he's found nearly all the temporary addresses for the residents of the two sites. I want you and Patterson to get started on chasing these people and interviewing them.'
Elizabeth stood up and felt a sharp pain shoot through her knee. To stop herself falling she gripped the table.
Daly leaned over and caught her by the elbow. 'You're not waiting until to tomorrow to go to the doctors. You’re going to casualty.'
'There's no need for that.'
Daly's voice was emphatic. 'I don't want any arguments. I’m taking you.’
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
Wednesday March 19th
Elizabeth had slept soundly for the first time in weeks. The visit to casualty had partially eased her mind about her physical problems. Facing up to them had alleviated some of her worries and unlike most people who felt anxious waiting to hear a diagnosis, Elizabeth felt the opposite because she knew she would deal with it.
Daly had insisted he stayed until she came out from the examination. The female doctor who saw her had been thorough. She’d checked her joints, her blood pressure and taken several blood samples. She’d also asked a lot questions about her physical and emotional state.
She was to have x-rays on her joints for signs of osteoporosis or osteoarthritis. The terms had scared her, surely, she was too young, but the doctor’s next question had worried her even more. Had she experienced any menopausal symptoms? Elizabeth hadn't anticipated that one. The doctor had explained the relationship with osteoporosis.
Elizabeth had felt brave and decided if she had to take pills, she may as well go the whole hog. She’d explained she hadn't been sleeping. The doctor hadn’t hesitated. She’d given her two weeks supply. She checked the time and jumped out of bed. Her eating habits had gone downhill in recent months so after her x-ray appointment she would go online and look for nutrition experts who specialised in food supplements for pain management.
Outside the day appeared overcast and Elizabeth wondered what to wear. With the recurring pain, she was finding certain clothing like jeans or anything too tight, uncomfortable. She couldn't blame her weight; the scales showed she had lost a few pounds. In the last few weeks, she'd noticed red marks and slight swellings left by any close fitting garments. Her bra straps and waistbands seemed to cause the most trouble. She rummaged through her drawers looking for loose tops and trousers. Dr Dalman would be at the briefing and she wanted to make an impression if they were going to work together.
She ran the brush through her hair. It was brittle and no amount of conditioner had made it any better. Her complexion had taken on a sallow tinge and she wondered why no one had said anything. Perhaps they hadn't noticed or the dramatic change had only happened in the last few days. She felt miserable about her appearance and for a moment thought it unfair, to finally recover from a serious injury only to end up with another health issue. A lot had happened in her life during the last two years.
Elizabeth turned away from the mirror wondering why Calbrain had suddenly come back to haunt her. It seemed odd that since the day she threw his wedding invitation into the bin she hadn't heard from him. He hadn't returned to Cheltenham and Patterson had not mentioned him either. Only once did her curiosity compel her to walk past his old office only to find the premises had changed hands and according to the sign was now a temporary shop selling every item for a pound. Another sign had caught her eye, a London agent advertising a longer lease. So they hadn't come back to the UK, Calbrain must have moved permanently to Spain. Patterson had recently liaised with the CPS so he must have known Francisca Montero had not returned to her job either.
She found a lightweight sweater and linen trousers and did the best she could with her hair. There was no point resorting to make up, she could feel rough patches of skin on her forehead and cheeks. Eczema, as a child she'd suffered quite badly but hadn't had a recurrence since her late teens.
Bagpuss as usual was standing by his plate, waiting patiently. After she fed him, she cut the strong painkiller in half rather than risk any adverse effects. Seeing such a range of drug addictions had made her determined never to succumb, she'd seen too many horror stories over the years.
Elizabeth was about to shut the front door when the phone rang. She ran back into the kitchen to answer it.
'Your mobile's switched off,' Patterson said.
'I'm leaving right now.'
'Daly says to tell you Dr Dalman has arrived early and to get a move on.'
'After this briefing Tony, I want to have a personal chat with you but don't broadcast it.'
Patterson took a while to answer. 'Why would I do that?
'I don't suppose you would.'
'I thought you trusted me.'
Elizabeth knew she was being churlish. 'Let's change the subject. I don't fancy sitting through a lecture on facial reconstruction. We know the basics so why waste time going over it?'
'Because it's important we learn the latest research and development. The process is extremely expensive and we need to get our money's worth out of Dalman. Hang on a minute Liz, I’ve got another call.’
When he got bac
k, he sounded hyper. 'That was Daly. He's just had an urgent call from a mate of his at Cirencester cop shop. Change of plan. Another body's turned up.'
'Where?' Elizabeth asked
'Near Westhope Sailing Club. South Cerney.'
'That's the place with the biggest lake in the Cotswold Water Park?'
'And the deepest,' Patterson said.
'Did Daly give you any other details?'
'Just directions, the park's a navigational nightmare and it's easy to get lost, well it is for me. According to Daly, the victim was found near the old railway line, the one that used to go from Cricklade to South Cerney.'
'Water again,' Elizabeth said.
'I know, but let's wait until we know more. Can you pick me up from the car park?'
'Did he suggest any similarities to Upton Woden?' Elizabeth asked.
'All he said was it's a bloke. It could be flood related, back in January that area was another one of the worst in the county.'
'Okay I'm on my way. See you in ten minutes.’
As she headed towards Cordover Street, her adrenaline kicked in and anesthetised her throbbing knee.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
The last time Elizabeth had visited Cirencester was four years ago to attend an old friend's wedding. As they passed the Abbey, she remembered the endless June day vividly, the elaborate arrangements and dancing until three in the morning. Both the bride and groom were old secondary school friends and like her, had moved from Oxfordshire to the Cotswolds.
Cirencester was a lovely old town and as she watched the busy streets, Patterson turned into the police station car park. Elizabeth looked over the road to another car park, the one she had always used on her shopping trips.
She leaned back and looked out of the window at the plain square building, one police station she had never been in and certainly didn't know any of its officers. Patterson got out and made his way over to the entrance where someone was waiting for them. He looked late forties with cropped grey hair. She watched him shake hands with Patterson and slowly eased herself out of the car and when she started to walk found she was limping again. Face to face she recalculated his age to early fifties, very fit, nice looking. He held out his hand. 'Jack Woods,' he announced.
'DCI Woods,' Patterson corrected.
'How long have you been in Cirencester?' Elizabeth asked.
'Ten years. Before that, I was in Stroud.'
'I assume you've contacted Joe Grayson,' Elizabeth said.
Woods nodded. 'I don't know him, as we don't have many suspicious deaths in this area,' he laughed, 'but I have heard about him.'
'I don't suppose many people haven't,' Patterson joked.
'Come with me and I'll fill you in on the way. Your Sergeant can follow.'
'Take it steady, I don't know the roads,' Patterson said.
'It's not too far,' Woods replied.
Elizabeth got into the passenger seat strapped herself in before Woods headed into the traffic, 'Another culvert,' he said.
'That’s too much of a coincidence. Grayson hasn't yet confirmed the Woden victim was definitely murdered, but this changes everything.’
'Decomposition makes it harder to confirm cause of death.'
Woods’s statement startled Elizabeth. That must be the reason why he rang Daly immediately. 'Are you telling me this body is also badly decomposed?'
'I wanted to warn you. Daly told me you aren't feeling well and I watched you struggling across the car park.’
'Thanks for being considerate,' Elizabeth said, 'but I'm fine.'
They turned off towards the sailing club and within a few minutes arrived at the old railway line.
'This is a cycling and bridle path now,' Woods explained.
'Who found the body?' Elizabeth asked.
'A young lady out riding, as she passed the culvert her horse spooked and she almost came off. She thought it was because of the digger parked next to it. She dismounted and led the animal over to see what had scared him. He kept on whinnying so she tied him up and went into the culvert in case another animal hiding there had jumped out at them.'
'Brave girl,' Elizabeth sighed, reminded of her lifelong fantasy to own a horse.
Woods pulled up, reached over to the back seat and picked up a folder. He flicked through it until Patterson drove up behind them. Woods got out of the car and handed Patterson the folder. 'I've printed off the planning application for the culvert. It took years before the council approved it. The reason being it had to go under the old railway line and that meant digging out tons of the sub ballast that supports the track bed for the sleepers. Their excuse was the expense, but they were at fault for not clearing it all out as soon as the railway line closed.'
Elizabeth assumed he was describing the crushed stone lying between the rails. 'Cheaper to cover it up with tons of soil you mean.'
'Trouble is they forgot the ballast seals the ground so water can't drain away. The council soon pushed the planning through bloody fast after a decade of flooding.'
'I haven't been here for years but read about how severe it was.'
'Severe doesn't describe the conditions. The area was bordering on catastrophic and they were lucky there were no fatalities, until now of course. The Cotswold Water Park consists of one hundred and fifty lakes, that's a lot of water in this area. Have you seen any of it?'
Elizabeth had, but wasn't keen to be reminded. 'I haven't. I don't do water sports.'
Patterson added. 'This area attracts a lot of tourists. Maybe the perp isn't local.'
'Well once this gets out, they'll have another attraction,' Woods stated and led them through a gnarled hedge onto the bridle way.
'Over there,' he pointed at the customary white tent.
'I thought the body was in the culvert,' Elizabeth stated.
Woods hurried ahead. 'It was a couple of hours ago. Grayson had to move it.’
Building materials partially blocked access from the edge of the bridle path to the culvert. Elizabeth surveyed the immediate area; uniforms had cordoned off a good stretch on either side of the crime scene, no doubt inconveniencing the cyclists and horse riders. Elizabeth had no idea how long the original railway line was and made a mental note to find out. She waited until Woods had disappeared behind the forensic tent and turned to Patterson.
'We'll wait here until Grayson's finished talking to the crime scene techs. I need to gather my thoughts before he starts lecturing us.'
Patterson grinned. 'Got any brilliant deductions yet?'
'Other than this is the same MO, no I don't.'
'What if the killer was pissed off he didn't get much publicity for the Woden case so put on another show to be sure it hit the headlines.'
'If you're suggesting the motive for this murder was publicity, then what was the motive for the first one? Sorry Tony, that's stretching credibility a bit too far,' Elizabeth said.
'Okay. Maybe he or she has an obsession with culverts.'
'Or maybe we have a serial killer? They definitely crave media attention.'
Joe Grayson emerged from the tent. 'Seen any photo hacks?' he asked.
Elizabeth turned round and wondered where the nearest decent vantage point was. 'No sign of them when we got here.'
'They're out there, I can smell them,' Grayson said.
Elizabeth checked her watch. 'I've promised Daly an update.'
'Before we go in, some news for you. Victim number one, definitely drowned,' Grayson said.
Elizabeth wasn't sure how to interpret what he'd said. 'So you're saying it's not murder.'
'On the contrary, I've no doubt she was murdered. She didn't drown accidently or by her own hand. Someone forced her head under water. Get inside Liz. I want this wrapped up before the vultures get here.'
'I didn't think journalists bothered you,' Patterson stated.
'I'm writing a paper for an American colleague. He's paying me so I don't want the press naming me.'
'You're absolutely sure someone drow
ned her.'
'This is why you lot are supposed to attend post mortems, to learn about how the human body works. DC Gardiner turned up with the excuse no one else was available. Nice girl.'
Elizabeth trod carefully over the building rubble hoping she wouldn't trip. 'Why hasn't someone moved this lot?' she asked.
‘What's up with you Liz? You know it all needs checking first.'
Elizabeth suddenly felt stupid. Her brain seemed fuzzy, as if it had lost its usual clarity. 'Tired and not thinking straight.'
Grayson stared at her. 'You're colour isn't good. Have you seen the doc?'
Typical of a pathologist, she thought. They'd seen every skin colour imaginable. A sense of panic welled up and for a moment, she was on the brink of tears. 'I have. Now can we get on?'
Patterson steered Grayson to another topic. 'Why choose culverts?'
'Definitely unusual, can't say I've come across it before.'
'Neither has the data base,' Patterson added.
Grayson pulled out a fresh mask. 'Dumping bodies in rivers, lakes or the sea usually comes back to bite you on the ass. The culverts were available, as good a place as any to hide a body. Remember at Woden, we found rocks packed around the body to stop it from moving, the same applies here. Another observation for you, a body lying in a partially flooded culvert even for a short time will speed up decomposition because of exposure to the damp atmosphere.'
They changed into protective clothing and went in. Elizabeth wished she hadn't. The smell was unlike any other she'd experienced. She stepped back, opened the flap and breathed deeply.
'Westhope Sailing Club has a lot of members. Dragging a body here seems foolhardy, even at night,’ Elizabeth said.