Hit and Run - страница 4

The stretch of water behind the weir was pitted with eddies and ripples and patterned with fractured blue reflections from the sky above. Below the weir, the river seethed, a gushing torrent of white and silver, before regaining its equilibrium.

Fifty yards away, towards the large riverside pub and parallel with the weir, Janine could see the white incident tent that was shielding the corpse. Scene of crime officers, clad in white, were going about their business. She dressed in her own protective suit and locked the car.

At the edge of the car park, she gave her name to the officer keeping a log of entry to the site. She could see Richard near the tent, dark-haired and a head taller than many of the others. Slim in his long, black, winter coat. Attractive looking, if you liked that type, and she did. She’d almost slept with Richard years ago, but her engagement to Pete held her back. There was still a pull between them, apparent in the flirting and teasing they enjoyed. But now, in the aftermath of Pete’s departure and Charlotte’s arrival, she knew she wasn’t ready for a relationship with anyone. Not yet. Never mind the risks of getting emotionally entangled with someone at work.

He nodded as she reached him, his head tilted in concern. ‘You OK?’

She sighed. ‘No, not really.’ She paused, took a breath. ‘She’s only seven, the little girl.’

‘How is she?’

She looked away across the water. It was easier than meeting his gaze. Stopped her from getting tearful. ‘They’ve taken her to hospital. She’s in Tom’s class,’ she added.

‘Close to home.’

Janine bobbed her head, sniffed hard, swallowed. ‘So,’ she gestured towards the tent, ‘what’s the story?’

‘Female. The Rivers Authority guy reckons the body will have gone in upstream. Flows east to west.’

Which way was east? Janine tried to get her bearings, pointed in one direction, thinking if that way was south…

Richard set her straight. ‘That’s east – Stockport.’

The river marked the boundary between the city of Manchester and the adjoining town. ‘We got a time frame?’

‘Not yet. But she’s reasonably intact. Day or two.’

The pair of them covered the few yards to the plastic tent. As she stepped inside Janine caught the rank smell of river water and the sweet reek of death. She opened her mouth; breathing that way would cut out the stench that made her gag. She focused on the body. The face was shrouded by long, wet, dark hair, tangled with bits of straw, flotsam from the river. Tattered bin-liners covered the torso. Janine glimpsed raw flesh on the face, in between the banks of hair, and on one exposed thigh. She noticed straps at the ankles and colourful plastic dumb bells.

The pathologist, Dr Riley – Susan as Janine knew her – was still bent over the body. She looked at Janine.

‘Looks like she was strangled; bruising to the neck. The face is very badly damaged.’

‘From the water?’

‘I don’t think so.’

Janine grimaced. The woman’s face had been spoilt deliberately.

‘ID?’ Richard asked.

‘Nothing. No clothing. There’s a wound to the upper right thigh. The surface skin removed.’

Janine looked back at the body. ‘A tattoo?’

‘Could be.’

‘Or a birth mark?’ Richard suggested.

The pathologist nodded. ‘She was weighed down. Gym weight strapped to each foot, one round the neck.’

‘But she didn’t stay down?’ Janine said.

‘Not heavy enough. And as the body filled with gas…’

They needed to identify the woman as soon as possible. Knowing who she was would be the key to the direction the investigation would take. ‘If we move fast,’ Janine said, ‘we can get an appeal on the news this afternoon.’ She looked at Susan. ‘Can you give us vital statistics?’

‘Twenties, dark hair. Five foot six, slight build.’ Richard entered the details in his daybook.

‘Perfect.’ Janine told her. ‘How soon can you do the post-mortem?’

The pathologist smiled. ‘You queue jumping?’

‘Moi?’

‘See what I can do.’

‘And the report?’

Susan raised her eyebrows, folded her arms.

‘One’s no good without the other,’ Janine studied her.

‘Early afternoon – if I skip lunch,’ she said dryly.