by Celina Grace
Kate had never been to the area before; she was barely aware of its existence. Perhaps the other Abbeyford residents had a similar knowledge of this part of town, and this was why the killer had chosen to dump the body here. Or had killer and victim met here?
As it turned out, Kate wasn’t off the jogging hook after all. She and Olbeck were close enough to the site to make their way there on foot, and Olbeck had insisted that they run, “to get in some more training.” Kate arrived at the scene knowing that her face was tomato-red and that her tracksuit was stained with patches of sweat, but after one look at the huddled body of the woman on the ground, these minor concerns faded away.
Scene of Crime officers had already erected the tent that hid the body from prying eyes. Kate and Olbeck ducked under the flap that covered the entrance. The victim was a small, thin woman, with long, dark hair tied tightly back in a high ponytail. She lay on her side, curled in a foetal position, her back to the detectives. One dirty-soled foot was bare; the scuffed silver ballet pump that had fallen from it rested a few inches away. Kate couldn’t see any obvious wounds, although the mottled, bare legs were spattered with small amounts of blood.
She studied the scene as intently as she could in the short time that she had, taking in everything that she could see. Get a feel for the scene, Anderton was always telling them. It’s amazing what you can pick up without even realising. It can come in very handy as the case progresses. Kate knew she would never again have this first impression, so she observed with laser-intensity focus, trying to burn the image onto her retinas and into her mind.
Detective Chief Inspector Anderton was there along with Detective Constables Jerry Hindley and Ravinder Cheetam – Rav to his friends and colleagues. The three of them were in a huddle, talking quietly, whilst behind them, the scene was being preserved, photographed and otherwise documented by the Scene of Crime officers. Anderton looked up as Kate and Olbeck approached.
“You got here commendably quickly,” was his opening remark. “Glad to see all this running’s starting to pay off.”
Olbeck gave Kate a ‘you see?’ look but said nothing. He nodded at Jerry and Rav.
“Let’s go outside,” said Anderton. “Too many people in here.”
Outside, the air felt fresh and the sunlight was warm and welcoming on Kate’s upturned face.
“What’s been happening?” she asked.
“The body was discovered this morning,” said Anderton. “A couple of hours ago, so that makes it, what – twelve thirty or so?”
“Who found it?” asked Kate.
“Two young lads. They were a bit reticent about why they were down here in the first place. Probably here to do some tagging or something. They’re back at the station at the moment, giving their statements.”
“Cause of death?” asked Olbeck.
“We don’t yet know. Stanton should be able to tell us more when he’s finished – talk of the devil—” Anderton looked up as the white-clad figure of the pathologist emerged from the tent. “Stanton. Stanton!” he called. “What’s the quick and dirty?”
Doctor Andrew Stanton joined the group, brightening a little as he realised Kate was amongst them. He had an undisguised admiration for her, which always led to a day’s worth of teasing from Olbeck after the three of them met.
“Hi guys. Hi Kate,” he added, with special, caressing attention. The other men grinned, and Kate managed to grit her teeth and smile politely at the same time.
“What have we got?” asked Anderton.
Stanton immediately became professional.
“Stab wounds, several of them, mostly through the lower thoracic region. Stomach and lower chest.”
Anderton shook his head.
“Definitely one for us, then. Oh well. Any sign of sexual assault?”
“Difficult to tell. I’ll be able to give you a better answer once we’ve done the PM.”
“Right,” said Anderton. “Stab wounds. That puts another possible spin on things.” He didn’t elaborate on what this spin could be. “Any chance of fixing the time of death?”
Stanton shrugged.
“Probably sometime early in the morning, very early. Two or three o’clock. You know I can’t be accurate at this stage. You’ll have to wait for the PM.”
“It gives us a starting point,” said Anderton, briefly. “Okay, thanks, Andrew. We’ll speak later.”
Once Doctor Stanton had left, Anderton ducked into the tent, quickly followed by Rav and Olbeck. Kate found herself standing alone with Jerry Hindley, and her heart sank a little. Jerry was the colleague she knew and liked the least. From the very start of her career at Abbeyford, he’d made it plain that he didn’t like her. She’d asked Olbeck and Theo why this might be, and they’d explained that it was probably jealously. “You got the promotion he’d been angling for, Kate,” Olbeck had said, and although this sounded plausible, it seemed strange that he’d still be acting hurt and resentful two years later. Again she reminded herself that she didn’t care about the opinion of someone so petty and sexist. Occasionally she’d attempt to be friendly, wondering whether he’d ever respond in the same way. She tried again now.
“What do you think happened, Jerry?”
He sighed in an irritated manner. “Didn’t you hear the guv? We don’t know anything other than what you just heard.”
Kate said nothing more. Why did she bother? Was she trying to make him like her? Why? She didn’t care about his opinion, did she?
She was relieved to see the other officers exit the tent and make their way back to where she stood.
“Do we have an ID on the victim yet, sir?” Kate asked Anderton, provoking an irritated sigh from Jerry. She ignored him.
Anderton shook his head.
“There’s no ID at all on the body. No cards, no purse, no bag.”
“Really? That’s strange. You’d expect her to have a purse at least, even if she didn’t use a handbag.”
“Exactly,” said Anderton. “It was almost certainly removed from the body by our perpetrator.” He looked at the still surface of the canal. “We’re going to have to have that searched. It could easily be in there, as well as the murder weapon.”
Olbeck was glancing around at the buildings surrounding them.
“Any cameras here?” he asked. “CCTV footage would help.”
“I can’t see any,” said Kate, scanning the scene. “It doesn’t look the sort of place where people would care about vandalism or theft.”
“Right, well,” said Anderton. “We need to start digging. We don’t know whether the murder actually took place here, although from the blood found at the scene, it seems likely. We don’t know who the victim is. We don’t know what the murder weapon was – yes, some kind of knife, but what kind? We’re currently operating from a standpoint of complete ignorance, and that’s not a position I like to be in.” He paused for breath. “Let’s get back to HQ, and we’ll take it from there.”
Buy Imago (A Kate Redman Mystery: Book 3) on Amazon Kindle now.
The first Kate Redman novel Hushabye (A Kate Redman Mystery: Book 1) is also available from Amazon Kindle.
A missing baby. A murdered girl. A case where everyone has something to hide...
On the first day of her new job in the West Country, Detective Sergeant Kate Redman finds herself investigating the kidnapping of Charlie Fullman, the newborn son of a wealthy entrepreneur and his trophy wife. It seems a straightforward case... but as Kate and her fellow officer Mark Olbeck delve deeper, they uncover murky secrets and multiple motives for the crime.
Kate finds the case bringing up painful memories of her own past secrets. As she confronts the truth about herself, her increasing emotional instability threatens both her hard-won career success and the possibility that they will ever find Charlie Fullman alive...
Hushabye (A Kate Redman Mystery: Book 1), available on Amazon Kindle now.
Celina’s psychological thriller, Lost Girls is available from Amazon.
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Twenty-three years ago, Maudie Sampson’s childhood friend Jessica disappeared on a family holiday in Cornwall. She was never seen again.
In the present day, Maudie is struggling to come to terms with the death of her wealthy father, her increasingly fragile mental health and a marriage that’s under strain. Slowly, she becomes aware that there is someone following her: a blonde woman in a long black coat with an intense gaze. As the woman begins to infiltrate her life, Maudie realises no one else appears to be able to see her.
Is Maudie losing her mind? Is the woman a figment of her imagination or does she actually exist? Have the sins of the past caught up with Maudie’s present...or is there something even more sinister going on?
Lost Girls is the new novel from the author of The House on Fever Street: a dark and convoluted tale which proves that nothing can be taken for granted and no-one is as they seem.
This book is for my brother, Ross McConnell, who patiently answers all my questions about police procedures. Thanks, bro. This is for you, with love.
Bought by Maraya21 -- kickass.to / 1337x.to / demonoid.pw / h33t.to thepiratebay.se
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Many thanks to all the following splendid souls:
Chris Howard for the brilliant cover designs; Brenda Errichiello for proof-reading and editing; lifelong friends and Schlock Monsters David Hall, Ben Robinson and Alberto Lopez; Kathleen and Pat McConnell, Anthony Alcock, Ross McConnell, Naomi White, Mo Argyle, Lee Benjamin, Bonnie Wede, Sherry and Amali Stoute, Cheryl Lucas, Georgia Lucas-Going, Steven Lucas, Loletha Stoute and Harry Lucas, Helen Parfect, Helen Watson, Emily Way, Sandy Hall, Kristýna Vosecká; and of course my ever-loved Chris, Mabel, Jethro and Isaiah.