Definitely Dead

by Kate Bendelow

  As Elaine drove them to Ryan Johnson’s address, Maya regaled her with details of Andy’s strange behaviour the night before.

  ‘I don’t get it.’ Elaine frowned, shaking her head. ‘He’s never pleasant to anyone. Maybe he fancies his chances with you,’ she added with a saucy wink.

  ‘Eugh, a little bit of sick just rose up in my mouth at the thought,’ said Maya as Elaine’s raucous laugh filled the van.

  ‘Seriously though, just be on your guard. Andy Carr is a slippery fucker. If he’s being nice, you can guarantee he’s up to something.’

  Maya nodded in agreement. Andy had unnerved her last night with his change in attitude and his sudden interest in her. She didn’t appreciate or want his attention and sincerely hoped that whatever was going on in Andy’s mind, his ‘friendliness’ wouldn’t be repeated. Elaine was right; she would be on her guard as far as he was concerned. She suddenly shivered with trepidation and a sense of foreboding.

  41

  Andy pulled up on the derelict pub car park where he usually met Donnelly. The location was perfect – free of CCTV and prying eyes and it wasn’t the sort of area that people would normally venture. Even police officers preferred to patrol this particular location in pairs. The only person Andy had spotted as he pulled into the car park was an old drunk who had scuttled away at the sight of Andy’s scowling face.

  Thirty minutes after arriving, Donnelly’s black Mercedes cruised in and parked opposite Andy. Donnelly motioned through the windscreen for Andy to join him and he meekly scuttled towards the car, slipping into the passenger seat.

  Donnelly surveyed the man, his lip curling with distaste. ‘Well, what have you got? It better be fucking worth it,’ he said as he jabbed a forefinger into Andy’s temple.

  Visibly shaking, Andy pulled his mobile phone out of his pocket.

  ‘I’ve managed to photograph the contents of her personnel file, Mr Donnelly,’ he said as he unlocked his mobile and handed Aiden the phone with the images ready to display.

  ‘Meh, meh, meh, Mr Donnelly,’ Aiden mimicked in a girlish voice as he snatched the phone off Andy. ‘You’ve still got a lot of making up to do for not knowing about the raid that got me arrested the other week. Prick,’ he said scathingly. He was silent for several moments as he absorbed the contents, taking in all Maya’s personal details including her and Dominique’s addresses.

  ‘Anything else?’ he sneered as he thrust the phone back at Aiden.

  ‘No, Mr Donnelly. Redford and Mitton have been antsy since you were released, but as far as I’m aware they’ve nothing to warrant pulling you back in at the moment. I’m keeping my ears to the ground as best as I can.’

  ‘Fuck ’em. The slightest sniff they’re looking at doing another search of my pad, I want to know, understood? You will not get a second chance after last time.’

  ‘I… I… I told you, Mr Donnelly, they played it close to their chests. There was no way of me finding out what they were up to. If I’d have known, of course I would have told you. Nobody on that warrant knew where they were going until they set off. Even a psychic wouldn’t have known what was going on,’ stuttered Andy.

  ‘A psychic? A fucking psychic? Are you taking the piss? You’re getting very close to needing a psychic to communicate with your family in future, you fucking wanker.’

  Aiden leaned in close, his nose practically touching Andy’s as he glared at the man, his face flushed with anger.

  ‘Sorry, Mr Donnelly, I didn’t mean any disrespect, honestly.’ Andy held his shaking hands up in front of him as he shrank towards the door and away from Aiden’s glare.

  ‘Whatever. I need to start making arrangements to have Nowak released. The items that you accessed from the McCluskey stabbing need to be placed on a bloke called Spencer James. I’m just waiting for an opportunity to get to his place and then we’re good to go. So next time I ring you, make sure you fucking well answer, okay?’

  ‘Yes, Mr Donnelly.’ Andy was trembling so much now he could barely keep his knees from shaking.

  Aiden surveyed him again with a look of sheer hatred and disgust on his face. Fishing in his pocket, he pulled out a wodge of fifty-pound notes and threw them in Andy’s direction.

  ‘Here, it’s payday. Now get out of my car and fuck off,’ he snarled.

  Frantically grabbing at the notes, Andy mumbled something incoherent and flung himself out of the car.

  Aiden watched him go. He really did despise the man. Even though he had been useful over the past year, tipping him and Nowak off in advance about the police investigation surrounding them, he despised the fact that a man like that would grass on his own. It went against everything he believed in. He watched as the odious shit circled in the car park before driving off. Even his car appeared to slither. He shook his head again, incredulous as to what a wanker Andy Carr was.

  42

  Lurch was doing the following again. He had followed Spence home from the gym and had been sat outside his address since late morning. Lurch thought the house was pretty. It reminded him of the sort of thing he used to build out of Lego. The housing estate was about twelve years old and the first signs of fatigue had started to show on the flaking paint on the gutters. The shrubs that had been planted in the gardens and flower beds which lined the roads had established well though, giving him plenty of coverage.

  He had watched as the lady and the little girl returned home from school. He thought the little girl looked sweet and the lady looked like Spence. Lurch had no opinion on the man. He travelled to and from the address like clockwork. He dressed conservatively and drove a spotless white car. Everything about him seemed nondescript, and the fact that Lurch had taken one look at him and established he was no physical threat meant he dismissed him relatively quickly.

  He knew which bedroom Spence’s was. He had followed him home enough by now to notice which light at the back of the house switched on not long after he came home. He also knew how easy it was to break into these new houses. The problem was, they were knocked up so quickly, it wasn’t unusual for the building contractors to scrimp on certain items.

  All the houses had fancy patio doors situated to the rear of the property, which opened out onto the boxy-looking gardens. Lurch knew that a bit of physical manipulation around the door, especially on a hot day, would cause the uPVC to be rocked easily from its frame, allowing the lock to pop open. Not that he would even need to bother with that seeing he had the lock-picking device Aiden had bought for him.

  It was time for Lurch to go. Spence would be leaving for work soon, the following had gone well again, and he knew Aiden would be pleased. He had one other job to do and after that he would treat himself to a couple of pints.

  He was determined to head back to The Eagle so he would be in his favourite seat before Spence arrived. If he was lucky, he might even get another free drink. He wasn’t going to have too many though, as he knew that any day now, Aiden would ask him to break into Spence’s house, so he knew he had to be ready.

  He grinned as he saw the little girl briefly appear in the lounge window, skipping around the room with a doll in her hand. She stopped at the window, gazing in his direction as he gave her a little wave and pressed his forefinger to his lips to let her know him being there was their secret.

  Goodbye little girl, he said in his head to her as he slipped out of his hiding place. He ducked past the neighbour’s hydrangea and back onto the road of the estate. Although the following lasted a long time, and made him get cramp in his lower back, sometimes it could be fun.

  43

  Maya and Elaine had worked quickly and efficiently at Ryan Johnson’s flat. On their arrival at the scene, they had donned their scene suits, overshoes, face masks and double-gloved. They signed themselves into the scene log and placed stepping plates throughout the one-bedroomed flat, to preserve any potential evidence on the floor. As Maya placed down a stepping plate, Elaine photographed, then videoed the scene. After this had been completed, Elaine r
ecovered Ryan Johnson’s mobile phone from the kitchen table.

  The phone was swabbed and fingerprinted before being placed in a rigid container within a tamper-evident bag. An exhibit number was allocated, and descriptions added. Next, it was signed, sealed and handed to the waiting exhibits officer. He had been tasked with submitting the phone to the forensic digital unit at headquarters, so it could be examined as a matter of urgency. Although it was accepted that Ryan Johnson was already dead, it was hoped that information from his phone would provide investigators with much-needed information as to his recent movements.

  Maya had already used the Kastle-Meyer presumptive blood testing kit to screen an area of staining on the lounge carpet. The kit worked by using a folded piece of filter paper to rub against the suspected bloodstain. Drops of the Kastle-Meyer reagent, followed by a drop of hydrogen peroxide were then added to the filter paper. A positive indication of blood caused the filter paper to turn a noticeable startling pink colour.

  Elaine had then swabbed some of the blood using a wet and dry cotton swab. This exhibit would be fast-tracked to the forensic service provider for analysis. They would then enter the profile onto the National DNA Database, which in turn would confirm that the profile matched the PACE sample they already had on file for Ryan Johnson.

  As they worked, an old, grey Volvo pulled up outside and the forensic biologist, Derek Billing emerged; a tall man with sparse grey hair, donning a ghastly bow tie. He was already visibly sweating as he suited and booted before making his way into the flat where Maya and Elaine met him in the hallway.

  ‘Hello, ladies, how goes it so far?’ He spoke in a polished, Pathé newsreader voice. He provided both with a flaccid handshake, barely grazing their fingertips.

  ‘We’re progressing nicely, thanks, Derek. We’re ready for the lab to come in.’ Elaine removed her face mask, gulping gratefully at the fresh air.

  ‘I’m aware from the strategy you’ve been asked to prioritise the lounge, so I’ll not get in your way. I’m just going to do a very quick search in there and mark up any obvious bloodstains.’ They watched as he took a series of still photographs on his own pocket-sized Nikon camera before commencing a search of the lounge with his torch.

  A short time later, another car engine heralded a new arrival, and Kym’s Mini pulled up alongside Derek’s Volvo. Maya and Elaine went to greet her at the scene tape, quickly followed by a panting Derek. It became immediately obvious from his reaction that he was a huge admirer of Kym’s. What little of his face was showing above his mask and below the hood of his scene suit reddened at the sight of her.

  ‘Oh, look. It’s Kym, oh my. I didn’t realise I would be having the pleasure of seeing you here, dear lady.’

  ‘It’s looking very likely that this will turn out to be a murder enquiry, in which case I, or one of the other senior SOCOs will always turn out,’ Kym commented flatly.

  ‘Oh, of course,’ blustered Derek. ‘I should have clicked when I saw your name on the forensic strategy. Oh my, what a treat. And now you’re here, you naughty girl, may I remind you that last time we spoke you promised to join me for drinks while I shared details of my latest paper on ageing bloodstains.’

  Kym physically bristled at the phrase ‘naughty girl’, before replying bluntly, ‘Yes, I’ve been very busy. This can be a twenty-four-seven job at times.’

  ‘You’re off this weekend, though, aren’t you, Kym?’ Elaine asked, all wide-eyed and innocent.

  Narrowing her eyes in a disparaging look, Kym glared at Elaine. ‘Yes, well, that remains to be seen depending on what happens with this job. Shall we concentrate on the task at hand, people? This is a potential murder investigation after all, there’s no time for social niceties.’

  Maya and Elaine exchanged a quick, bemused look before Elaine walked Kym through the scene and filled her in on how much they had processed so far.

  ‘As you can see, he hasn’t got too much in the way of personal effects.’ Elaine gesticulated with her hand and then scrolled through the images she had taken on her Nikon D300 to show Elaine and Derek what items they had already recovered from the flat.

  ‘It’s sparsely furnished. His bank card and mobile phone were on the kitchen table. The exhibits officer has already taken that to the digital unit to be examined. The TV in the lounge hasn’t been disturbed and there’s also a tablet and games console which hasn’t been touched, so whatever has gone on in here, robbery certainly isn’t a motive.’

  Kym nodded as Maya continued.

  ‘There were some beer cans on the floor next to the lounge and some items of post from near the front door which could possibly contain footwear marks. A stain on the carpet next to the couch here has tested positive for blood using the Kastle-Meyer kit. An area has been swabbed for fast-tracking so we can confirm that this is Johnson’s blood.

  ‘Great work, ladies. Thank you for your efforts so far and for working so promptly. The lab technicians are on the way, so we’ll start the luminol treatment once they get here. I’ve brought you some cold drinks and ice lollies in a freezer bag outside, so go and get out of your scene suits and have a breather.’ Kym nodded her appreciation as she took another walk round the flat with Derek Billing hot on her heels.

  Grateful for the refreshments, Maya and Elaine shucked off their scene suits and went and sat in the van.

  ‘She’s going to get you back for that “weekend off” comment,’ Maya said, causing Elaine to mock shudder in response. They sat and ate their ice lollies in a companionable silence before Maya asked, ‘How does the luminol treatment work?’

  ‘Blood is notoriously difficult to clean. Even though the stain might appear to have disappeared to the naked eye, the haemoglobin of the blood is very resilient. We use a brand called Bluestar which is mixed and applied using a spray bottle. Its purpose is to reveal traces of blood which have been cleaned away. When the Bluestar is applied to an area containing traces of haemoglobin, it gives a distinct chemiluminescent result.’

  ‘A what?’

  ‘Sorry, you’ve got me in geek mode. It basically emits a bright blue light, hence the name. Honestly, Maya, it’s amazing to see. It’s the sort of stuff they show on those shitty American forensic shows. The lab techs will darken the room to maximise the effect of the treatment and I’ll photograph the results. Derek will be able to ascertain from the volume of blood whether Johnson could have survived. It will also enhance any footwear marks in blood.’

  ‘I can’t wait to see it.’

  They sat and finished their drinks, watching as the neighbours stared in their direction, curious at the presence of police vehicles. Maya felt sorry for the poor officer manning the scene tape. He looked hot and bothered and was being constantly harassed by people wanting to know what was going on and complaining that they had to use the opposite pavement to the one which had been cordoned off outside the flat.

  ‘Hey up, the cavalry’s here.’ Elaine nodded towards another, larger vehicle which pulled up adjacent to the scene.

  The arrival of the laboratory staff caused even more of a stir. The vehicle they were in was a similar size to a large horsebox, marked with the police insignia. It was basically a mobile lab which contained everything they needed to process crime scenes. Maya had only met one of the lab technicians before, a quiet, bespectacled man named Ewan.

  Ewan introduced his colleague, a petite, attractive Asian lady called Ushra. Maya and Elaine re-suited at the same time as Ewan and Ushra, and after they’d signed the scene log, gave them a tour of the flat, again commenting on the work they had carried out so far. The lounge quickly became crowded as Kym and Derek joined them in the small room and they all shuffled around to find a suitable position on a stepping plate.

  Kym wedged herself between Maya and Elaine, seemingly keen to put a distance between her and Derek, who was gazing at her dreamily from above the confines of his face mask. Maya smirked to herself as she thought this could quite easily turn into a sketch from a 1970s sitcom, wi
th Derek chasing Kym over the stepping plates and throughout the flat.

  ‘Okay.’ Ewan surveyed the room carefully. ‘Ushra and I will cover the windows with the black roll. Then I just need a few moments to mix the Bluestar while you remove the stepping plates.’

  The roll was made of thick, rubbery tarpaulin, which was fixed to the window so the room could become completely blacked out. Once this was done, Maya removed the stepping plates, propping them up in the hall. Elaine made the necessary adjustments to her camera, which she then positioned on a tripod. Satisfied that the room was suitably prepared, Ewan gave the nod to Kym.

  ‘Ready to go?’

  ‘Yes please,’ said Kym.

  Ewan prepared to methodically spray the Bluestar over the carpet. He started at the far end of the room near the window. There was a moment’s hesitation as the water dispenser wheezed, and then Maya was astonished to see a bright blue glow emerge from the carpet. Elaine snapped away, recording the dramatic results. The room remained silent as the luminol reacted and the light intensified.

  ‘Jesus,’ Maya breathed as a huge patch of blue staining emerged. The glow was reminiscent of a fibre-optic Christmas decoration. A pattern emerged which resembled the shape of a body, slumped in a prostrate position next to the couch. The heavier blue staining emitted from the head area. Drag marks were evident, leading from the side of the body to the centre of the lounge. Several footwear marks were also visible across the carpet.’

  ‘Very minimal blood spatter with little cast-off,’ Derek observed, and Kym murmured in agreement.

  Gradually the light faded as Ewan finished spraying the room. Everyone remained silent for a moment. They were gathered at the door now and all equally stunned by the intensity of the staining they had just witnessed.