hung up on her. “I guess we’ll see you down there.”
Katy’s brow twisted. “Everything all right?”
“Yep. I think Patti might have got out of the wrong side of bed, that’s all. I’ll ring SOCO, and then that’s it. Are you ready to shoot off?”
“Five minutes just to tidy up a few loose ends, and I’ll be free.”
When Lorne and Katy arrived at the scene, Stephen and Graham were busy cordoning off the area. “Was the engine still running when you arrived, boys?” Lorne called over the second she left the vehicle.
Stephen nodded. “I opened the door to check for a pulse, but it was obvious the guy was dead before we got here. I switched off the engine and closed the door again.”
“Can you see any other wounds on the victim?” Katy asked, slipping her small hands into a pair of latex gloves.
“I only took a brief look, boss. Nothing too obvious from what I could tell,” Stephen admitted.
Lorne put on her gloves, too, and approached the vehicle. She cupped her hand against the back window and peered through the glass. A tool bag and copper piping filled the rear of the van. “I’m thinking he’s a plumber,” Lorne suggested.
“That would fit. First an electrician and then a plumber. A pipe running from the exhaust. It has to be the same killer, surely?” Katy scanned the area around them.
“Both victims found in public car parks, too. Obviously, the killer—or should I say killers , as in the CCTV footage—don’t mind taking risks, judging by the brazen attempt to get rid of the bodies.”
Lorne began to circle the vehicle, her eyes cast down at the gravelled ground beneath her feet, searching for clues.
“Come on, Patti. Get a wriggle on,” Katy grumbled impatiently.
It was another hour or so before the pathologist and the SOCO team graced the scene with their presence. By that time, Katy had sent Stephen and Graham back to the station to begin the preliminary enquiries into the man’s ID. She hoped they could get a head start by using his number plate since protocol had prevented them from touching the body before Patti arrived.
“Don’t start on me, ladies. Blame the London traffic. One accident after another we’ve encountered on the journey over here. Right, what do we have here?” Patti placed her black bag of equipment on the ground.
“Looks like a similar crime to Paul Lee’s murder. Initial checks show that he’s possibly a plumber. No formal ID—we were waiting for you to arrive to establish that. If you can make that your first priority, Patti, we’d appreciate it.”
“Sure. Let me dive in there and see what I can find. John, take photos of the corpse before I have to move him, please.”
One of the assistants, dressed head-to-toe in a white paper suit and armed with an expensive camera, stepped forward to take numerous shots of the victim.
“We need to know if he has any other injuries on him, Patti,” Lorne stated.
“I know my job, Sergeant. Let John carry out his job first, and then I’ll get in there and examine the victim for possible wounds as well as try and find some elusive ID for you folks.”
“Sorry for stating the obvious,” Lorne apologised, her mouth twisting into a grimace.
Ignoring Lorne, Patti opened the passenger door to the van. Talking into her Dictaphone, she commenced her assessment. Katy and Lorne took a few steps back, aware that if the pathologist found anything significant she would call them to relay the news.
“Bingo. Lorne, Katy, here a sec,” Patti shouted.
“What do you have?” Lorne asked.
Patti turned the victim’s head to the side to reveal a bloody opening in the rear of the man’s skull.
“The same as Paul Lee’s,” Lorne said, moving in for a closer look at the wound.
“That gives us what we need to combine the two victims then,” Katy said.
“It would appear that way,” Patti admitted. “This man has defence wounds on his right hand, whereas Lee didn’t. I suggest he had an inkling
Katy’s brow twisted. “Everything all right?”
“Yep. I think Patti might have got out of the wrong side of bed, that’s all. I’ll ring SOCO, and then that’s it. Are you ready to shoot off?”
“Five minutes just to tidy up a few loose ends, and I’ll be free.”
When Lorne and Katy arrived at the scene, Stephen and Graham were busy cordoning off the area. “Was the engine still running when you arrived, boys?” Lorne called over the second she left the vehicle.
Stephen nodded. “I opened the door to check for a pulse, but it was obvious the guy was dead before we got here. I switched off the engine and closed the door again.”
“Can you see any other wounds on the victim?” Katy asked, slipping her small hands into a pair of latex gloves.
“I only took a brief look, boss. Nothing too obvious from what I could tell,” Stephen admitted.
Lorne put on her gloves, too, and approached the vehicle. She cupped her hand against the back window and peered through the glass. A tool bag and copper piping filled the rear of the van. “I’m thinking he’s a plumber,” Lorne suggested.
“That would fit. First an electrician and then a plumber. A pipe running from the exhaust. It has to be the same killer, surely?” Katy scanned the area around them.
“Both victims found in public car parks, too. Obviously, the killer—or should I say killers , as in the CCTV footage—don’t mind taking risks, judging by the brazen attempt to get rid of the bodies.”
Lorne began to circle the vehicle, her eyes cast down at the gravelled ground beneath her feet, searching for clues.
“Come on, Patti. Get a wriggle on,” Katy grumbled impatiently.
It was another hour or so before the pathologist and the SOCO team graced the scene with their presence. By that time, Katy had sent Stephen and Graham back to the station to begin the preliminary enquiries into the man’s ID. She hoped they could get a head start by using his number plate since protocol had prevented them from touching the body before Patti arrived.
“Don’t start on me, ladies. Blame the London traffic. One accident after another we’ve encountered on the journey over here. Right, what do we have here?” Patti placed her black bag of equipment on the ground.
“Looks like a similar crime to Paul Lee’s murder. Initial checks show that he’s possibly a plumber. No formal ID—we were waiting for you to arrive to establish that. If you can make that your first priority, Patti, we’d appreciate it.”
“Sure. Let me dive in there and see what I can find. John, take photos of the corpse before I have to move him, please.”
One of the assistants, dressed head-to-toe in a white paper suit and armed with an expensive camera, stepped forward to take numerous shots of the victim.
“We need to know if he has any other injuries on him, Patti,” Lorne stated.
“I know my job, Sergeant. Let John carry out his job first, and then I’ll get in there and examine the victim for possible wounds as well as try and find some elusive ID for you folks.”
“Sorry for stating the obvious,” Lorne apologised, her mouth twisting into a grimace.
Ignoring Lorne, Patti opened the passenger door to the van. Talking into her Dictaphone, she commenced her assessment. Katy and Lorne took a few steps back, aware that if the pathologist found anything significant she would call them to relay the news.
“Bingo. Lorne, Katy, here a sec,” Patti shouted.
“What do you have?” Lorne asked.
Patti turned the victim’s head to the side to reveal a bloody opening in the rear of the man’s skull.
“The same as Paul Lee’s,” Lorne said, moving in for a closer look at the wound.
“That gives us what we need to combine the two victims then,” Katy said.
“It would appear that way,” Patti admitted. “This man has defence wounds on his right hand, whereas Lee didn’t. I suggest he had an inkling
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