In Cold Blood

Chapter 3

3

‘Are you going to keep giving me the side-eye the whole way there?’ Caroline asked as she turned off the A47 at Glaston and headed towards Seaton.

‘I’m not,’ Dexter replied.

‘You are. I can see you. Don’t worry, you’re not going to catch me nodding off or blacking out. I’m perfectly capable of carrying on. If only you knew the hoops I had to jump through just to get into the office again.’

‘And I know you’d find a way to jump through them, regardless.’

‘I’m fine, Dex. I’ve had the exact amount of time off the doctor suggested, and I’m back at work with the blessing of my superior officers, who, I might just mention, one should always listen to.’

Dexter raised his hands as if to surrender. ‘Alright. You’re the boss.’

A few minutes later, Caroline’s car came to a stop on the B672, a hundred yards or so short of the viaduct. The whole road had been closed, with an outer cordon formed to keep people away from the crime scene.

Caroline and Dexter got out of the car, feeling the bitter chill hit them the moment they did. Neither of them wanted to spend any longer out there than they had to. They showed their ID cards to PC Vickie Hughes, the officer manning the entry point, and asked her what she knew.

‘Male, probably late forties to early fifties. Clearly been out for a run, as he’s got all the gear on. Lycra shorts and all that. God knows how long he’s been out here, but he’s like a bloody Linford Christie ice lolly.’

‘You had a lick?’ Dexter asked, smiling.

‘Course. Had to check the flavour. Rude not to.’

‘Any signs of decomposition?’ Caroline asked.

‘Not much, to be honest. I’m no expert, but I’d say he’s probably only been there overnight. Plenty of people come and walk their dogs round here, so they would have found him earlier otherwise.’

Caroline and Dexter stayed outside the inner cordon, the area that had to be kept forensically secure. Right from the start of any investigation, one of the main focuses had to be on ensuring they didn’t cause any potential problems further down the line. It had been known for defence briefs to get their clients off a charge based on the same officers having attended the crime scene and later arrested the defendant. When the police then stood up in court to claim forensic accuracy, the case would fall apart over the possibility of cross-contamination.

‘What sort of build?’ Caroline asked.

‘Runner’s build. You know the sort. Slim. Wouldn’t have lasted five minutes out here with the temperatures the way they’ve been. If it weren’t for the blood, I’d have said it looks like he’s sat down for a rest and frozen to death.’

They got as close as they could, watching as the body was moved to allow them sight of the back of the victim’s head, which was caked with dried blood.

‘Not much on the wall of the arch, is there?’ Dexter asked.

‘No, I was going to say,’ PC Hughes replied. ‘You’d expect to see a lot more, particularly with a head wound. There’s not much on the ground, either.’

Another car arrived at the cordon. Dr David Duncan, the pathologist, spotted Caroline and walked towards them. ‘Beautiful morning for it, isn’t it?’ he said, his smooth voice alone raising the temperature a couple of degrees.

‘Not for him, it isn’t,’ Caroline said, nodding her head in the direction of the arch under the viaduct.

Dr Duncan smiled, the grey bristles of his beard moving as he did so. ‘Well, we can’t please them all, can we? Still, he’s our client today, so I’d better go and make myself look presentable.’

Caroline and Dexter went and sat back in the car, Caroline switching the engine back on to circulate some heat.

‘I don’t think we should hang around any longer than we need to,’ Caroline said, rubbing her hands to try and keep warm. ‘But if he’s been killed then put in that position, we’re going to need to get the whole area searched. I don’t envy the poor buggers who’ll have to do that. Just make sure they wrap up warm, at least.’

Caroline’s phone rang, so she pressed to answer it through her car stereo. It was DC Sara Henshaw.

‘Guv, are you still down at Seaton?’

‘Ish. Middle of bloody nowhere, to be more precise. What’s up?’

‘We’ve just had a misper passed to us,’ Sara said.

Dexter and Caroline looked at each other. A missing person reported on the same morning as a body was discovered didn’t tend to be a coincidence.

‘Go on,’ Caroline said.

‘A woman called Sandra Forbes filed the report. Says her husband, Martin Forbes, has been missing since last night, when he went out for a run. Last seen leaving his house on the edge of Seaton.’

‘Let me guess the next bit. Late forties or early fifties, slim build, dressed in running gear?’

‘Got it in one. Not a bad start to the morning, eh?’

‘Not a bad start at all. Can you text the details over to me, please? We’ll wait for Dr Duncan to do his bit, then we’ll pop in and see Mrs Forbes on the way back.’

‘Will do.’

‘Cheers, Sara.’

Caroline ended the call and turned to Dexter. ‘There we are,’ she said. ‘Now what was all that worry about easing me back in gently?’