At that moment the door opened and Dyfan rushed in. ‘Another suspicious death in Ynys Melyn.’
Images of the staff and residents flashed through Meadows’ mind in quick succession and the feeling of foreboding that had hovered all weekend shrouded his body. ‘Bethesda House?’
‘No, the council estate. Matt called it in.’
The team had fallen quiet and all eyes were upon Meadows.
Blackwell broke the silence. ‘We don’t know that it is related yet?’
‘A bit of a coincidence, though,’ Rowena said.
‘Let’s see what we find when we get there,’ Meadows picked up his jacket and signalled Edris to follow.
‘I don’t know what’s worse, an unconnected murder or us getting it completely wrong,’ Edris said as they sped towards Ynys Melyn.
‘Two murders, the same village. I’m inclined to think the latter.’
‘And you already had doubts about Jane and Miles.’
‘Some, like I said. It doesn’t add up.’
As they approached the council estate they could see two police cars and an ambulance parked outside a house, while a crowd had gathered on the opposite side of the road.
‘Why do people have to do that? Are they hoping to see a body?’ Edris said.
‘Morbid curiosity.’ Meadows smiled. ‘It’s just human nature.’
They parked behind the ambulance, where a woman wrapped in a blanket was being attended to by a paramedic. Meadows stepped out of the car and was met by PC Matt Hanes.
‘What have you got for us, Matt?’
‘Tara Lane, forty-five years old, lives alone, found by her friend, Sarah Higgs,’ he indicated the woman in the ambulance. ‘She’s had a bit of a shock. Came to pick her up for work, the door was unlocked, no sign of a break-in. Doc’s in there now.’
‘OK, we’ll talk to her later.’
At the front door they covered their shoes and snapped on latex gloves before crossing the threshold and following the path laid down by Forensics. The first thing Meadows noticed was the stale smell of alcohol mixed with an acrid smell of urine. They stood in a small entrance hall with stairs to the left and an open door leading to the living room on the right. His stomach tightened with tension. He turned to Edris, ‘Are you OK?’
‘Yeah,’ Edris wrinkled his nose. ‘It’s just the thought of what’s behind that door.’
Meadows nodded and walked forward. The room was cluttered and untidy. Light streamed through the window, falling on the body of Tara Lane which lay upon the sofa with the doctor leaning over it. Her eyes stared, glazed and lifeless. One hand trailed the floor while the other clutched an empty bottle to her chest. Another bottle was tucked at the side of her head and various wine and spirit bottles were lined up on the floor.
‘Looks like hell of a party,’ Edris commented. ‘Probably drank too much and choked on her own vomit.’
‘Not far off,’ the doctor straightened up and turned towards them. ‘But my guess is she had some help.’
Meadows stepped closer and peered at her face. There were marks on both cheeks and vomit had trickled from her mouth and dried on her chin. ‘Mouth forced open?’
‘Looks that way,’ the doctor said. ‘And there’s this.’ He grabbed her forearm and pointed to the marks around her wrist.’
‘Tied up, so looks like she was moved after she died. Laid out for show,’ Meadows said.
‘Or to make it look like she passed out and choked on her own vomit.’ The doctor dropped her hand which fell with a thud. ‘She emptied her bladder at some point,’ he indicted the stains on her trousers. ‘Dead about eight hours.’
Meadows turned to Edris, ‘Give Daisy Moore a call. I’d like her to take a look before we move her.’
‘I don’t see what more she can tell you without the post-mortem,’ the doctor huffed.
‘Puts things in context,’ Meadows smiled. ‘Better than looking at photographs.’
‘Right, there’s no more for me to do here.’ The doctor picked up his kit and walked out.
‘Is that man ever cheerful?’ Meadows asked.
‘Not that I’ve seen. Guy needs to get laid once in a while,’ Edris chuckled.
While Edris made the call to Daisy, Meadows looked around the house. In the kitchen, SOCO worked silently gathering prints and bagging various items. The sink was filled with dirty dishes and the kitchen table was smeared with crumbs.
‘Anything interesting, Mike?’
‘Not much. There’s a stain on one of the kitchen chairs.’ He pulled it from under the table.
Meadows peered closely. ‘Urine?’
‘Yes, looks like it.’
‘Likely she was tied to the kitchen chair, poor woman.’
‘Daisy is on her way,’ Edris called through the door.
Meadows felt a tingle brush his skin at the mention of her name. ‘Thanks, Mike,’ he walked back into the living room. ‘We’ll have a look upstairs then have a chat with Tara’s friend while we wait for Daisy.’
Upstairs was in the same disarray. In the bedroom clothes were strewn on the floor and drawers were half-open, the contents spilling out.
‘Not one for housework,’ Edris said.
‘I guess not,’ Meadows opened the bedside drawer, which held several packets of condoms and a vibrator.
Edris peered in the drawer and smirked. ‘That explains the lack of cleaning.’
‘Looks like she had a boyfriend,’ Meadows said. He moved into the bathroom and checked the cabinet. ‘Not a regular boyfriend though, only female products in here. Let’s talk to the friend.’
They walked outside. Meadows inhaled the fresh air, trying to eliminate the smell of death. Sarah Higgs sat in the ambulance, a blanket around her shoulders, clutching a cup.
‘I see someone has brought you a hot drink.’ Meadows smiled and sat next to her.
‘One of the neighbours,’ Sarah croaked.
‘Are you feeling up to answering some questions?’
Sarah nodded and looked into the cup.
‘Can you talk me through what happened this morning?’
‘I ... I came to pick Tara up for work. I beeped outside as I usually do. When she didn’t come out I thought maybe she’d overslept.’
Sarah shivered and pulled at the blanket. ‘I knocked the door then tried the handle, the door was open.’ She drew a shuddering breath. ‘I went inside and called upstairs then went into the sitting room, that’s when ... she was ... just lying there, eyes open.’ She covered her mouth as a sob shook her body.
Meadows laid a hand on her arm. ‘It must have been a terrible shock for you.’
Sarah nodded and wiped her tears with the back of her hand.
‘Do you often pick Tara up for work?’
‘Yes, she doesn’t drive.’
‘Where do you work?’ Edris asked.
‘BM Packing, Coopers Hill.’
‘Have you known Tara long?’ Meadows asked.
‘About eight years.’
‘Does she have a boyfriend,’ Edris looked up from his notebook.
‘No, her husband died a few years ago. I don’t think there’s been anyone since.’ Sarah’s hands shook as she sipped from the cup.
‘Just a few more questions,’ Meadows said kindly. ‘We need to contact Tara’s next of kin, do you know who that might be?’
‘No,’ she shook her head.
‘Children? Siblings? Are her parents still alive?’
‘Tara didn’t have any children. Her mother’s in a nursing home in Cardiff. She took the train to visit her some weekends.’
‘OK, thanks. We might need to talk to you again.’ Meadows stood. ‘One more thing: did Tara ever mention Bethesda House?’
‘No, I don’t think so.’
Meadows stepped out of the ambulance leaving Sarah in the care of the paramedic. He noticed that the neighbours had come out despite the cold and stood on their doorsteps either side of Tara’s house. He turned to Edris. ‘Let’
s see if they saw anything.’
‘I’ll take the one on the left,’ Edris grinned.
Meadows studied the young woman on the left. Her long blonde hair was tucked to one side, she stood with a toddler balanced on her hip watching the activity. ‘Now why doesn’t that surprise me? Go on then, use you charm.’
‘Oh I will,’ Edris walked off.
Meadows joined Matt who was talking to a man he guessed to be in his late forties. He was unshaven, dressed in jeans and a hoodie and leaned heavily on a walking stick.
‘This is Colin Evans,’ Matt said.
‘Hello, Mr Evans,’ Meadows smiled. ‘Did you see Tara last night?’
‘I saw her about seven, I was putting out the bins.’
‘Did you talk to her?’
‘No, not really. Just said “hello”.’ Evans took a pack of cigarettes out of his pocket.
‘Do you know where she may have been going?’
‘Up to the Crown, I would think. She goes most nights.’ He pushed a cigarette between his lips and lit up.
‘How long has she lived next door?’
Evans drew in a lungful of smoke and let it dribble out slowly. ‘Must be about ten years. She moved down from Cardiff.’
‘With her husband?’
‘Yeah, Wayne. Died of cancer a few years ago. Tara took it bad, started hitting the bottle.’
‘Did you see or hear her come back last night?’
‘No, I would’ve been in bed. Tara didn’t usually come back until closing time.’
‘Did Tara have many visitors?’
‘You mean men?’ Colin smirked.
‘Not necessarily, but go on.’
‘She sometimes brought company back from the pub.’
‘Anyone in particular?’
‘Not really. So what’s going on in there?’ Colin took another drag of the cigarette pulling it down to the tip. ‘Her friend is in hell of a state, I took her a cup of tea. You think someone has done her in or you wouldn’t be here.’
‘It’s too early to tell,’ Meadows said.
‘Do you think it’s one of those lot?’ He inclined his head in the direction of Bethesda.
Meadows felt a prickle of irritation. ‘No, we have no reason to believe that the residents of Bethesda House have any involvement. Why would you think that?’
‘Well, after what happened last week, we’ve all been a little worried.’
‘Did Tara have any connection to Bethesda? Work or visit there?’
‘No, I don’t think so.’
‘OK, thanks. PC Hanes will take your statement.’
As Meadows turned away he saw Daisy approaching and felt a warmth spread through his body. Oh stop it. Creamy skin with a hint of colour in her cheeks, her hair was pulled back with small tendrils coiling behind her ears. As she neared, she smiled, illuminating her face.
‘Nice to see you again.’ Meadows struggled to hold his poise.
‘Nice?’ She raised an eyebrow. ‘Most greet me like the Grim Reaper,’ she laughed.
Save my soul, I’m going to have to get lessons from Edris. ‘Well, I ... I appreciate you coming out here.’
‘No problem, it’s nice to get out.’
‘Hiya,’ Edris joined them. ‘Neighbour didn’t see or hear anything. Doesn’t sound like she was particularly friendly with Tara, so couldn’t tell me much.’
‘I got much the same, it’s seems that she frequented the local most nights – maybe we’ll have better luck there.’ The sky darkened and there was a rumble of thunder. He turned to Daisy. ‘Shall we go in before the rain comes?’ An image of removing his coat and draping it over Daisy’s shoulders flashed across his mind. He groaned inwardly as he followed her into the house. Get a grip.
‘Right then, sweetie, let’s take a look at you,’ Daisy knelt beside Tara. ‘Forty-five you said,’ she addressed Meadows.
‘Yes, she looks a lot older,’ he stepped closer.
‘A hard life perhaps.’ She picked up Tara’s right arm with care and examined it closely. ‘Old scars, looks like she was a user in the past, but nothing to indicate any recent use of drugs.’ She moved a gloved finger over the marks on Tara’s wrist before gently placing the arm back to its original position. She repeated the same process on the left arm. ‘No rope burns or residue from tape on her wrists. Cable ties?’
Meadows was touched by the way Daisy examined the body. She continued to talk to Tara as she made her examination, making notes and instructing the photographer.
‘You should take a look at this,’ Daisy called over her shoulder.
Meadows peered into Tara’s mouth where Daisy pointed to a swelling at the back of throat. ‘It looks like something was forced down her throat.’
‘Do you think a bottle?’
‘No, I don’t think so. Something with a sharper or thinner edge. Whatever it was scraped the side of her throat.’
‘Maybe they tried to force pills and alcohol down her throat to make it look like suicide,’ Edris suggested.
‘A poor attempt,’ Daisy smiled. ‘The bruising on her cheeks? Marks from fingers prising her mouth open. I don’t think she died quickly. See these tiny spots – burst blood vessels consistent with asphyxiation. Then the marks on her wrist. I don’t think your killer was trying to cover his tracks. It looks like he chose this method to kill her. I’ll know more when I carry out the post-mortem.’
‘Did she die on the sofa?’ Meadows asked.
‘No, she was moved after death.’
‘There’s some staining on one of the kitchen chairs,’ Meadows rubbed his chin. ‘I think she died in the kitchen and was moved in here. The killer wanted her found like this, surrounded by empty bottles.’
Daisy stood and snapped off her gloves. ‘I’ll carry out the post-mortem as a priority. I’ll call you as soon as I have something for you.’
‘Thank you,’ Meadows smiled. He was aware of Edris watching him closely. ‘We’d better get back to the station and brief the team.’ He picked up a picture of Tara before leaving the house.
‘You should just ask her out,’ Edris said as they climbed into the car.
‘I don’t know what you are talking about.’ Meadows started the engine.
‘Come off it! The air was thick with sexual tension. I could barely breathe,’ Edris laughed.
‘She probably already has a boyfriend, and besides we are in the middle of an investigation. It wouldn’t be professional to go asking out the pathologist.’
‘She’s single.’
‘Is she?’ Meadows smiled.
‘Well, it’s not as if she gets a lot of dates. Who’d want to date someone who works with dead bodies all day?’
I would. ‘It’s not going to happen. I’m not about to make a fool of myself.’ Meadows stretched out his hand and turned on the stereo. The music vibrated through the car as he tried to chase away thoughts of Daisy.
Chapter Twenty-seven
‘Chief is in,’ Dyfan called out as Meadows walked through the station doors.
‘I’d better start calling you “sir”, then,’ Edris grinned. ‘Do you think he’s come to take over?’
‘It’s unlikely; he has enough to deal with, can’t be easy covering as many stations as he does. He does have a right to be concerned, though. Two murders in one week.’ Meadows hurried up the stairs. ‘Don’t look so worried, he’s just a man doing his job like the rest of us.’
‘No he’s not, he’s the chief. Our careers are in his hands,’ Edris said. ‘I don’t know how you’re staying so cool.’
‘You worry too much,’ Meadows laughed as they walked into the office.
DCI Lester stood talking to Blackwell. He was dressed in a dark grey suit with a crisp white shirt. His expression was serious as he listened intently.
Is Blackwell filling him in on the case or complaining about my work ethic? Meadows stepped forward. ‘Good morning, sir.’
‘Morning.’ Lester turned his slate grey eyes to Meadows. ‘Black
well has just been filling me in on the case. I expect you want to brief the team so I won’t delay you. We can talk after.’
‘Thank you, sir.’ Meadows walked to the incident board and pinned up a picture of Tara as the team gathered around. Lester took a seat and sat with his hands folded on his lap.
‘Tara Lane,’ Meadows pointed to the picture. ‘Found this morning at her home by her friend Sarah Higgs who had come to pick her up for work. Lives alone, no family apart from a mother in a residential home somewhere in Cardiff, who we need to trace. She was killed sometime after midnight – initial examination suggests asphyxiation, she was tied up, her mouth forced open and an object forced down her throat, possibly to pour down alcohol or pills until she choked.’
‘Nasty,’ said Lester.
‘Yes. We’ll know more when the post-mortem is carried out, hopefully later this afternoon. There was no sign of a break-in, so either the killer caught her unawares as she opened the door or she knew her killer and let them in. The body was moved and placed on the sofa with several empty bottles of vodka and absinthe.’
‘Absinthe! That stuff is lethal,’ Blackwell said. ‘They certainly meant business.’
‘Why kill her in this way, and what’s the connection to Alan Whitby and Bethesda House?’ Meadows looked around the team.
‘You think they’re connected?’ Lester asked.
‘I’m fairly certain. Two murders, the same village, a week apart. Too much of a coincidence. It looks like Tara was seeing someone, not a regular boyfriend. Perhaps Alan Whitby – he was known to have had several affairs. We need to speak to everyone that knew Tara, find out if she had been seeing Alan or anyone else at Bethesda. She may even have worked there at some time.’
‘Perhaps she witnessed something on Monday night. She lives close to Bethesda,’ Rowena suggested.
‘Good point,’ Meadows smiled, ‘but the nature in which Tara was killed and laid out suggests something more personal. The killer wanted her to suffer. Blackwell, Rowena, can I leave it to you two to carry out the search of the house when Forensics have finished? Go through everything. I don’t think she was well-off, judging by the way she lived, but there may be an insurance policy. We also need to find her mother. She needs to be told before she sees it in the news, and she may be able to provide some valuable background. Better check Alex Henson and Rhys Owens, see if they have any connection with Tara.’
Frozen Minds Page 17