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Hatchley was right, though; there was something very fishy about the whole setup, fishy enough at least to warrant a thorough preliminary investigation before deciding upon the scale of the inquiry. As A
When A
“I’m Detective Inspector Cabbot from Western Area Headquarters,” she said. “I understand you found the car?”
The woman turned her face away from the protection of the man’s shoulder and looked at A
“Can you tell me what happened?” A
“We already told the policeman in the uniform. He was the first to get here.”
“I know,” said A
“There’s nothing to tell, really, is there, love?” he said to the woman, who shook her head.
“First off, why don’t you tell me your names?”
“This is Sam, Samantha,” he said, “and I’m Adrian, Adrian Sinclair.”
“Okay, Adrian. Where do you live?”
“Sunderland.” A
Well, they’d certainly remember it for as long as they lived, A
Adrian pointed up the hillside. “We’re renting a cottage. Greystone. Just up there.”
A
“Just walking,” Adrian said. “It was such a beautiful morning, and the birds woke us so early.”
They were dressed for walking, A
“What time did you arrive here?”
“It must have been a bit before seven,” Adrian said.
“What did you find?”
“The car stopped in the lay-by, just like it is now.”
“Did you touch it?”
“No, I don’t think so.”
A
“No,” Samantha said. “But you might have touched the roof, Adrian, when you bent to look inside.”
“It’s possible,” Adrian said. “I don’t remember. At first I thought maybe she was looking at a road map, or asleep, even. I went over to see if she needed any help. Then I saw her, with her eyes open like that and… We might never have gone over, unless…”
“Unless what?”
“Well, it was me, really,” Sam said. “I mean, like he said, Adrian just thought it was someone pulled over to rest or look at a road map.”
“But you didn’t. Why not?”
“I don’t know, really,” Sam said. “It’s just that it was so early in the morning, and she was a woman, alone. I thought we should make sure she was all right, that’s all. She might have been attacked or upset or something. Maybe it was none of our business, but you can’t just leave, can you, walk on by?” A little color came to her cheeks as she spoke. “Anyway, when we got closer we could see she wasn’t moving, just staring down like that, and it looked as if she’d hit the wall. I said we should go over and see what was wrong with her.”
“Did you know she was dead when you looked through the window?”
“Well,” said Adrian, “I’ve never seen a dead person before, but you can sort of tell, can’t you?”
Yes, A
Samantha gave a little shudder and seemed to melt deeper into Adrian’s embrace. “And the flies,” she said.
“What flies?” A
“On her face and her arms. Flies. She wasn’t moving. She wasn’t even trying to swat them away. I thought how much they must be tickling her.”
A
“Yes,” said Samantha. “Just like they are now. We really didn’t disturb anything. I mean, we’ve seen Morse and Frost on television.”
“I’m sure you have. I just have to make certain. I don’t suppose you saw anyone, heard any other cars or anything?”
“No.”
“What did you do when you found her?”
“Rang the police.” Adrian pulled a mobile from his pocket. He wouldn’t have had much luck with it around these parts a few months ago, A
“And there’s nothing else you can tell me?”
“No. Look, we’re just so… devastated. Can we go home now? I think Sam needs a lie-down, and I could do with a strong cup of tea.”
“How long are you staying at Greystone?” A
“We’ve got another week.”
“Stick around,” said A
A
After feeling for a pulse and examining the woman’s eyes, then listening for a heartbeat through his stethoscope, Dr. Burns confirmed that she was, indeed, dead.
“The corneas haven’t clouded yet,” he said, “which means she’s probably been dead less than eight hours. I’m sure the flies have laid their eggs already, which you’d expect to happen quite soon in summer with the windows open, but there’s no sign of advanced insect activity, another indication we’re dealing with a relatively recent death.”
Dr. Burns slipped off a glove and slid his hand inside the woman’s blouse, under her arm. “Best I can do as far as temperature is concerned,” he said, noticing A
“It was a warm night,” said A
“Can’t say exactly, but I’d guess about five or six hours at the most.” He felt the woman’s jaw and neck. “Rigor’s present where you’d expect it to be, and as the heat probably speeded that up, we’re still working within much the same parameters.”
A
“I wouldn’t swear to it, of course,” said Dr. Burns, with a smile, “but that sounds about right. And don’t tell Dr. Glende
“Any thoughts on cause of death?”
“That’s a bit more difficult,” said Dr. Burns, turning to the body again. “There are no visible signs of strangulation, either ligature or manual, and no petechial hemorrhaging, which you’d expect with strangulation. Also no signs of a stab wound, no blood that I can see, at any rate. It’ll have to wait until Dr. Glende
“Could it have been a heart attack, or something like that?”
“It could have been. Heart attacks aren’t so common in healthy young women, but if she had some sort of genetic disorder or preexisting condition… Let’s say it’s within the realm of the possible, but unlikely.”