Wild Thing: 'a chilling cold-blooded killer' (Ted Darling crime series Book 7)

by L M Krier

  The body had been carefully recovered from the river and laid on the bank. It would by now have been photographed in situ, exactly as it was found, from every possible angle, and a detailed initial examination carried out.

  Ted was pleased to see that the attending pathologist was Professor Elizabeth 'Bizzie' Nelson herself. He knew there was no safer pair of hands for finding out what had gone on. He was also aware of the amount of respect and concern she would show for the body of the little boy. He and Bizzie had become friends outside work since she'd taken over the post of forensic pathologist.

  Ted saw Jo's jawline tighten at the sight of the body as he slid the first of his lozenges into his own mouth. It was going to be a difficult one for all of them.

  'Professor,' Ted greeted formally. 'What can you tell us so far?'

  'Good afternoon, Chief Inspector,' she replied in the same tone, nodding to the other two. In private, they were on first name terms, but never in public, in a work setting. 'With the age and the distinctive hair colour, I think we can be fairly certain that this is, sadly, the wee boy who went missing earlier today.

  'I'm not able to give you anything conclusive at this stage, of course, but the reason it's been signalled as suspicious is that my initial examination has shown me two things. The first is that he very probably drowned, and the second is that, from these marks here, on his neck, it would appear that someone held him face down in the water until he did so.'

  She was indicating as she spoke. Ted didn't get too close, so as not to compromise a possible crime scene, but he could clearly see red marks on the scrawny neck which protruded from a Batman T-shirt, under a hoody, the only items of clothing on the body.

  Jo and Rob had already moved away, talking to the first responding officers, finding out what they knew, going about their routine work with no need to be told what to do.

  'The only crumb of comfort I can offer you at the moment is that so far I can see no sign of any sexual activity, despite him being naked from the waist down. There is no evident indication of penetration or anything else, but that, of course, is something I will only be able to confirm for you once I get him on my table.'

  Ted nodded his thanks, his experienced eyes wandering along the bank looking for tell-tale signs of the presence of a third party or parties.

  Bizzie Nelson noticed and told him, 'I've been careful where I've planted my big Welly boots but I have noticed, as you doubtless have, that there are footprints about. Quite small ones, too. The Crime Scene team can start in detail once I've finished with this poor little lad and had him taken away.'

  'Thanks, Bizzie,' Ted slipped into informality now that it was just the two of them. 'I know you'll look after him. When will you be able to do the post-mortem for me, please? I'll take this one myself.'

  'First thing tomorrow morning, Edwin, if that suits you. The sooner I give you everything I can, the sooner you can start getting justice for this little chap.'

  Ted nodded his agreement and turned to follow Jo and Rob to talk to the other officers on the scene. The two uniformed constables greeted him politely. His fairness and courteous manner made him popular with everyone, not just his own team.

  'Assuming it is the missing boy, which seems almost certain, what's his name?'

  'Tyler Bradbury, sir. Inspector Turner's sending someone round to the house now to inform the mother,' one of the officers told him, then added, 'It's not going to be easy for her. She's a single mum; Tyler was an only child.'

  They were all quiet for a moment, taking in the full implications, trying to imagine the impact the news would have on her. Then Ted switched back into professional mode as he asked, 'Who called it in?'

  'The two lads over there, with mountain bikes,' the same constable nodded in the direction of two teenage boys. 'They're a bit shaken, naturally enough, but also worried because they'd clearly come down here to smoke a bit of blow and sink a few cans, sir.'

  Ted nodded his understanding.

  'Right, Jo and Rob, take one each, separate them and get initial statements. You know what to do. Let them know we're not remotely interested in under-age drinking or smoking weed when there's a possible murder to deal with. Make sure you thank them for having the guts to stay and call it in.

  'Any sign anywhere of the missing clothing?' he asked, turning back to the first responders.

  'Nothing yet, sir, but we haven't looked very far so we didn't contaminate the scene. Inspector Turner is sending reinforcements.'

  Ted got out his mobile phone.

  'I'll get a dog team; they can help with that. They may pick up a trace of whoever's done this, at the same time. Professor Nelson thinks it's a deliberate drowning but hasn't yet seen anything to indicate a sexual motive. At least that's something positive to hold on to, as long as it's confirmed.

  'The Professor will do the PM tomorrow and I'll take it. But we need to let his mum see him as soon as possible. I can't imagine what it's going to be like for her, but the uncertainty of not knowing must be worse than even the harshest reality, surely?'

  His next phone call was to his partner, Trevor, to warn him that he would be late back. He seldom discussed his work in much detail at home, but he did mention that it was the death of a small child.

  'So sorry, Ted. Are you all right?' Trev's concern, as always, was for his long-term partner.

  'I will be once we get the bastard who's done this.'

  As Senior Investigating Officer on the case, Ted was responsible for coordinating everything about it. Although he wouldn't get confirmation until the PM that this was a deliberate killing, he trusted Bizzie Nelson enough to start the case as if it was. If he was wrong, his budget would take a clobbering in terms of lost hours and he would have some explaining to do. But if it was murder, an early start could be invaluable in terms of wrapping it up swiftly.

  Ted was particularly anxious to be present when the little boy's mother made the formal identification. It didn't bear thinking about, but he knew there was a high statistical probability that the killer was a family member, or at least closely connected, and he needed to rule out the mother early on.

  He put through a call to DC Megan Jennings to be on standby to go with him to the hospital when the mother arrived for the ID. Ted felt himself inadequate to deal with grief on the scale of a parent losing any child, let alone one so young. DC Jennings had a son herself, Felix, who was eight. He knew she would be a comforting and reassuring presence for this little boy's mother.

  He was also interested in what Bizzie had said about small footprints at the scene. He'd called Jo over and asked him to check the shoe sizes of the youths who had found the body. It would have been a monumental bluff if they had been involved in the killing and had coolly hung around for the police presence, having reported it. But they would need to be eliminated, as they had clearly been sufficiently close to the river to spot the body in the water.

  He'd been lucky enough to get an early response to his request for a dog team to attend, to help locate the missing clothing. Ted wasn't good with dogs, but he recognised how vital they were in police work and knew they were well trained and sociable. It didn't stop even the least imposing ones from intimidating him. He had no idea why they worried him so much. He made himself a mental note to ask his mother if she knew, now she was back in his life.

  He was relieved when he saw a dog handler coming down the bank with a small liver and white springer spaniel pulling enthusiastically on its lead. The man was looking round for the officer in charge, so Ted stepped forward to greet him. With his small stature, Ted looked far from an impressive figure of authority. People often dismissed him, finding it hard to believe he was a policeman at all, let alone a DCI.

  'You were lucky, sir. We'd just finished up a case not far away when your call came through to the unit. What do you need us to do for you?'

  Ted briefly outlined the details they had so far then added, 'The boy's trousers, underpants and shoes are missing and we really need
to find those asap; they could give us a early lead. Can you do that for us, please, Constable?'

  'Well, I can't, sir, but Ricky certainly can.'

  Ted let it go. He knew it was not disrespect, either to him, or to the enquiry. It was just a typical copper's dark humour, the thing which got them all through the hardest of the cases.

  'Also, when you've done that, can you backtrack to find how the boy got down here? What direction he came from?'

  'Different dogs, different specialities, sir. Ricky will find the clothes for you easily enough. The rest of it he's not quite so hot on. But you're hopefully our last shout of the day, so we can certainly give it a go for you, especially if, as I understand it, the trail is still quite fresh.'

  'Thank you, Constable,' Ted said, then looked down at the dog, whose entire body, not just his tail, was wagging frenetically in his eagerness to get on with the work he was trained for, which to him was just one marvellous game. 'Thank you, Ricky.'

  The dog handler went on his way, grinning to himself. He'd never worked with Ted before but he had heard how polite he was. It was the first time an SIO had thanked him before he'd even achieved anything, and Ted was certainly the first, in all his years in the force, who'd thanked his dog by name.

  Once Bizzie had finished with the boy's body at the scene and it was on its way to the mortuary at the hospital, Ted headed back to the station in his own car to pick up DC Jennings. Two officers from Uniform had gone to collect the mother and would meet them there for the identification.

  'I'm sorry to lumber you with this, Megan. I know it won't be easy, and I'm trying hard not to sound sexist when I say I'd feel happier with a woman officer present. I know you're a mum and that must make it harder for you, but you'll certainly be better at it than I would by myself.'

  'It's part of the job, boss, what I'm trained for,' she assured him. 'When it's over, I'll just be glad to get back to Felix and give him great big smoochy cuddles, which he'll hate.'

  Ted thought he'd better not voice that he was planning something similar with Trev, as soon as he could get home. Trev was his rock. He dreaded to think how he'd get through his job without him.

  He'd arranged to meet the uniformed officers bringing the boy's mother to identify him at the discreet side entrance, which gave direct access to the stairs down to the mortuary, in the bowels of the hospital building. He could see that she was sitting in the police car, parked close by. One of the two constables was waiting for him by the door.

  'We left her in the car until you got here, sir,' she told him. 'She's in a real state, almost shell-shocked, you could say.'

  'Genuine, do you think?'

  'I would say so, sir, but you'll be able to judge better for yourself when you see her.'

  'Is she Mrs or Miss, and is anyone with her?'

  She shook her head in reply.

  'She said there was no one she knew who'd come with her. She's not long moved to the area, doesn't know anyone well, yet. She's a Ms, but said we should call her Helen.'

  Ted went over to the car. The driver got out and opened the door for the white-faced woman in the back seat. She looked young and fragile, thin and anxious. She'd probably thought waiting for news of her missing son was going to be the hardest day of her life. She was about to have to confront her worst fears as reality.

  'Ms Bradbury? I'm DCI Darling, I'm the Senior Investigating Officer dealing with this matter. I am so sorry for your loss.'

  'Are you sure it's Tyler?' she asked, desperation in her eyes, wanting him to say there had been a mix-up, some grotesque administrative error that meant it was not true.

  'I am very sorry, but from the detailed description you gave earlier, and the photos you provided, it seems likely that this is Tyler. I need you to make a formal identification, and I'm sorry to have to ask you to do so. Would you please come with me and DC Jennings?'

  He held the door open to allow the woman and Megan to go through first, then guided them down the stairs to Bizzie's domain, a place he had visited many times, without it ever getting any easier.

  He showed them into a viewing gallery which overlooked the mortuary, currently curtained off. Only at his signal would the curtain be drawn back to reveal the small body.

  'Please take your time, but let me know when you're ready to see him. DC Jennings is here to help and support you in any way she can.'

  'I need to see him, as soon as possible. I need to know.'

  Her eyes sought his, clearly desperate for a last-minute reprieve, any possibility that what she most dreaded being true was about to confront her.

  'I need to. Now, please.'

  As the curtains parted, the three of them looked through the window at the body on a table in front of them. It seemed tiny, defenceless, the bright red hair showing up vividly against the stainless steel of the table and the white sheet which covered everything below the chest.

  'Tyler!' The sound ended in a choking sob. 'Oh, Tyler, what happened to you, love?'

  She held out a shaking hand, her fingers clawing at the glass as she tried to reach out to her child.

  'Can I touch him? I want to hold him. He looks so alone. And so cold.'

  'Ms Bradbury, I'm so sorry, we can't let you touch him yet,' Ted explained, as gently as he could manage. 'We haven't yet finished our examinations. There is a strong possibility that this was no accident. We need to find traces of who might have done this to him, if that is the case. As soon as we have, I promise that you will be able to do so.'

  She nodded in response, looking at Ted, trying to comprehend what he was saying to her, clearly not yet taking everything in. Then a look of panic came over her face and she looked back through the window.

  'Where's his flying Batman? Has he got it with him? Did you find it? He needs it. He can't sleep without his Batman toy.'

  'I'll do whatever I can to make sure that it's found for him. My team and I will do everything in our power for Tyler, please be assured of that.'

  It was late before Ted finally got home, tired and emotionally drained. He'd made sure that the boy's mother had somewhere she could go so she would not be on her own at such a time. She'd spoken of a sister with whom she'd fallen out. A phone call from Ted was all it took for her to be welcomed there. He arranged for her to be driven over to the house and seen to be in safe hands.

  He'd driven Megan back to the station, and they'd both been in agreement that there had been nothing in the mother's behaviour to arouse any suspicion. Then he'd been to catch up with both the Ice Queen and Kevin Turner with the broad outline of the case so far. Both parents themselves, they were clearly affected by what had happened.

  When Ted got back home, Trev had just finished eating his pudding and was siding his plates away to the worktop. He'd never got as far as learning to rinse things or put them in the dishwasher. It was always Ted who cleared away the inevitable clutter he left behind him. He may have been an excellent cook but he certainly needed a kitchen porter for the cleaning up.

  He greeted Ted with a warm hug and said, 'I wasn't sure what time you'd be back and I was starving, so I ate while I was waiting. I've kept yours warm; it's ready whenever you want it.'

  Ted shook his head.

  'I'm honestly not hungry. It was an upsetting one, for all of us. All I really want is a long, hot shower and an early night.'

  'I could scrub your back for you? Maybe give you a massage?'

  Ted smiled gratefully.

  'I think I'd really like that.'

  Chapter Three

  Early morning post-mortems were never Ted's favourite thing to start the day. He was less enthusiastic than usual about the current one. A life snuffed out so early was always tragic. The likelihood of foul play made it ten times worse.

  He'd told Jo to set the team on to anything ongoing but to be on stand-by for a full briefing on the Tyler Bradbury enquiry as soon as he got back from the PM with further details. Jo could make a start, checking things like CCTV footage anywhere between
where the boy disappeared and where he was found, although from his local knowledge, Ted couldn't think of where there might be any that would be of use to them.

  If there was no forensic evidence to help them, it could be a hard case to solve from the start, and he desperately wanted to get whoever had done this, as soon as he could.

  He changed his clothes, made sure he was well armed with his menthol lozenges, and went into the autopsy suite to join Bizzie as she was just preparing to begin her work.

  'Morning, Edwin. This is a bad business. I'll try to give you anything and everything I can. Do you have any initial ideas?'

  She was already working swiftly and efficiently as she spoke. Ted had to look away as she made the first incision into the body. It was a part he never enjoyed. With such a young victim, it was nothing short of obscene.

  'We don't really know very much at all yet. He went missing from the back garden first thing yesterday. We had officers out looking for him as soon as his disappearance was reported, but they didn't turn anything up. Then we got the call to the station that he'd been found in the river.'

  Bizzie was already deftly removing the lungs for closer examination.

  'We took samples of river water from the site. So one thing we can do for you is to confirm - if it is a definite drowning, which is looking more and more likely - that the water in his lungs matches that of the river. That will at least rule out the possibility that he was drowned somewhere else and his body merely dumped in the river, to make it look like a possible accident.'

  'The missing clothing bothers me at the moment. If there is no sexual motivation, and if someone wanted it to look accidental, surely they would have left him fully clothed? I'm having difficulty imagining a little lad like this toddling off all the way to the river by himself to begin with. But I'm beggared if I can see why he would take his kecks off before getting in the water. It would have been cold, for sure.'

  Bizzie was bending over the table, peering intently at the organs which had kept the boy's small body supplied with oxygen, until someone had seen to it that they were filled instead with cold river water, robbing him of life.