pebbles crunching under the tyres. Before getting out she hooked the lead up to Samson’s red leather collar, then went round and opened the passenger door.
“Let’s go, boy.”
Samson jumped down onto the dirt and immediately started sniffing around. It was only early, but already the sun was quite hot. By the time they’d walked around for five minutes, a sheen of sweat was forming on Summer’s forehead. She wiped it away with the back of her hand and let herself be dragged into the forest as Samson explored further. His keen nose had picked up a scent that really had him excited and he took off, almost pulling Summer’s right shoulder out of its socket.
“What is it, boy?” she asked, trotting along behind him, her shoes kicking up dust.
Samson’s nose was going crazy now as he made a beeline for what he could smell. Even before he’d reached it, Summer saw the standout colour of pink on the ground beneath some branches and bits of wood. Samson led them right up to it and started whining as he sniffed his find.
Curiosity getting to her as she got a whiff of something unpleasant herself, Summer started removing the branches that loosely covered the object. She soon discovered it was a pink blanket of some kind with something wrapped inside it. With feelings of trepidation, knowing full well what it looked like it might be, Summer let go of Samson’s lead and bent down to unroll the blanket. The object inside was heavy, the stench stronger as the material was removed. She gagged and felt bile rise in her throat. When she’d uncovered it completely, she staggered back in shock and disbelief.
Inside was a naked young woman, the skin extremely pale and slightly greenish in hue. Lifeless blue eyes bulged from the face, and the body was bloated from bacteria, intestinal gases and the heat.
Samson started sniffing around the corpse and nuzzling his nose into the face and neck area. Summer roughly dragged him away. With a shaking hand, she struggled to remove her mobile from her pocket so she could call the police.
* * *
Homicide Detective David Marks came to a stop behind a bunch of other vehicles; including unmarked cars, patrol cars and a waiting ambulance with its red and blue lights flashing. Marks figured that the ambulance wasn’t going to be needed.
He jumped out of his blue Ford Falcon and made his way towards a line of a yellow and black crime scene tape that cordoned off a section of the forest. The tape had been looped around tree trunks and the branches of small shrubs. Marks lifted the tape and ducked under it, nodding at a couple of uniforms as he made his way over to the body.
The Scenes of Crime Officers (SOCOs), today wearing fluorescent orange suits, were already there doing their thing. They had on their mandatory latex gloves and plastic boots. Some were busy gathering evidence and placing items into labeled plastic bags. Video footage was being shot and a police photographer was actively taking numerous photographs of just about everything. Numbered yellow markers had been placed on the ground near anything of interest.
Marks saw what looked to be a pink quilt from a bed lying spread out on the ground. On top of the quilt was the body of a young blonde woman. One of the SOCOs was currently taking some measurements while another was performing various cotton swabs on the corpse and placing the results inside plastic vials.
Sitting on a fold-up chair, just outside the line of tape, was a woman with a Golden Retriever dog beside her. Marks figured she must be the lady who found the body. A female constable was there talking to her.
“Please don’t come any closer, Detective,” one of the SOCOs warned. “We’re not done processing the scene yet.”
Marks stopped in his tracks, then ducked back under the tape and decided to chat to the woman with the dog. As he approached, he nodded to the constable and she stepped away.
“I’m Detective David Marks,” he said to the woman,
“Let’s go, boy.”
Samson jumped down onto the dirt and immediately started sniffing around. It was only early, but already the sun was quite hot. By the time they’d walked around for five minutes, a sheen of sweat was forming on Summer’s forehead. She wiped it away with the back of her hand and let herself be dragged into the forest as Samson explored further. His keen nose had picked up a scent that really had him excited and he took off, almost pulling Summer’s right shoulder out of its socket.
“What is it, boy?” she asked, trotting along behind him, her shoes kicking up dust.
Samson’s nose was going crazy now as he made a beeline for what he could smell. Even before he’d reached it, Summer saw the standout colour of pink on the ground beneath some branches and bits of wood. Samson led them right up to it and started whining as he sniffed his find.
Curiosity getting to her as she got a whiff of something unpleasant herself, Summer started removing the branches that loosely covered the object. She soon discovered it was a pink blanket of some kind with something wrapped inside it. With feelings of trepidation, knowing full well what it looked like it might be, Summer let go of Samson’s lead and bent down to unroll the blanket. The object inside was heavy, the stench stronger as the material was removed. She gagged and felt bile rise in her throat. When she’d uncovered it completely, she staggered back in shock and disbelief.
Inside was a naked young woman, the skin extremely pale and slightly greenish in hue. Lifeless blue eyes bulged from the face, and the body was bloated from bacteria, intestinal gases and the heat.
Samson started sniffing around the corpse and nuzzling his nose into the face and neck area. Summer roughly dragged him away. With a shaking hand, she struggled to remove her mobile from her pocket so she could call the police.
* * *
Homicide Detective David Marks came to a stop behind a bunch of other vehicles; including unmarked cars, patrol cars and a waiting ambulance with its red and blue lights flashing. Marks figured that the ambulance wasn’t going to be needed.
He jumped out of his blue Ford Falcon and made his way towards a line of a yellow and black crime scene tape that cordoned off a section of the forest. The tape had been looped around tree trunks and the branches of small shrubs. Marks lifted the tape and ducked under it, nodding at a couple of uniforms as he made his way over to the body.
The Scenes of Crime Officers (SOCOs), today wearing fluorescent orange suits, were already there doing their thing. They had on their mandatory latex gloves and plastic boots. Some were busy gathering evidence and placing items into labeled plastic bags. Video footage was being shot and a police photographer was actively taking numerous photographs of just about everything. Numbered yellow markers had been placed on the ground near anything of interest.
Marks saw what looked to be a pink quilt from a bed lying spread out on the ground. On top of the quilt was the body of a young blonde woman. One of the SOCOs was currently taking some measurements while another was performing various cotton swabs on the corpse and placing the results inside plastic vials.
Sitting on a fold-up chair, just outside the line of tape, was a woman with a Golden Retriever dog beside her. Marks figured she must be the lady who found the body. A female constable was there talking to her.
“Please don’t come any closer, Detective,” one of the SOCOs warned. “We’re not done processing the scene yet.”
Marks stopped in his tracks, then ducked back under the tape and decided to chat to the woman with the dog. As he approached, he nodded to the constable and she stepped away.
“I’m Detective David Marks,” he said to the woman,
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