“Oi,” I said, rapping on the bars. No response. As far as I could tell he was muttering to himself, but chances were it was just absolute gibberish, so I turned and hurried back out of the building.
I found the man I was looking for just outside, or rather I almost ran straight into the bastard. Shaw was just rounding the corner with a cigarette – one of my cigarettes – dangling from his lips, just as I slipped back outside. I pulled short just in time and breathed out.
“Shaw, Jesus, you scared the living shit out of me.”
“Surprised there’s any left in you,” he said with a smile, “after that daft bastard almost ran us down.”
“You’ve got to come with me, right now,” I said, grabbing his arm and dragging him back around the makeshift prison. He staggered after me, almost dropping his fag.
“Woah, hey, what’s all this about?”
“I found a body, in the woods. The dog, the dog found it and I just tripped over the fucking thing.” I realised I was yammering on but I couldn’t help myself. An overdose of adrenaline was pumping through my entire body, giving me the shakes and making my tongue run ahead of me.
“Body? You mean a dead body?”
“Aye, of course, a dead body. A woman, a young woman. I couldn’t see who it was, it was too bloody dark, but she was dead for sure. We need to take the dog and more men and go find her again.” I staggered and twisted around, staring him in the eye. “Shit, the doc, we need the doc an’ all. He’ll know what to do.”
“What can the doc do?” Shaw asked. “If the poor bugger’s dead, that’s it. Bury her and send ‘er off with a farewell whiskey.”
“No, Jesus,” I said, grabbing him by the shoulder and squeezing tight. “We can’t just bury her. It’s murder! We’ve got to gather evidence, find out what happened.”
“How do you know it’s murder?” he asked, his face creasing. “You said you could barely see her.”
“Of course it’s a murder. Why would someone just go out to the woods and drop dead?”
“Well, maybe it’s just some girl who was caught in the crossfire when we took the town. Crawled into the woods and died right there where you found ‘em.”
“No, it’s too fresh. There was still some warmth, for god’s sake. Whoever it is, they died today. Maybe just an hour or two before I stumbled across her.”
“Jesus Christ,” Shaw said, his shoulders slumping. “Two murders in one day? I need a bloody drink.”
“Three murders,” I replied, eyes narrowed. “You forgetting Lane?” Shaw swept a hand through his hair and sighed.
“Three murders, right. Make that drink a double.”
We hurried to the lake and recruited two other volunteers, Second Lieutenant Moss and Private Kali, to come help us find the corpse. Kali was even drunker than Shaw, but at least the bastard could walk and Katz seemed to actually like him. The mutt was dancing around his legs when we showed up, his tongue flopping all over the place. I left them all whooping and laughing at Katz’s antics while I scuttled off in search of the doc, eventually finding him sat by himself with a book spread open on his lap and a miniature torch clasped in his hand. He was so lost in the thing that he jerked in surprise when I called his name.
“What is it?” he asked, folding a corner of the page he was on and closing the book before jumping to his feet. His tone was the usual cocktail of irritation, anger and exhaustion that I’d come to know and love. For someone tasked with saving human lives, the doc sure didn’t enjoy spending any time with his fellow man. I got the feeling he’d be entirely satisfied if the entire species just died out and left him alone to enjoy his two favourite pastimes: reading and smoking.
“Body,” I gasped, realising that I was out of breath again. I paused to fight down some air, which made the doc sigh and cross his arms.
“Body? Which one? What the bloody hell’s wrong, King, for God’s sakes?”
“In the woods. A new one.” I couldn’t make out his face to see realisation dawn, but when he opened his mouth again, his tone had softened.
“Right. Anyone we know?”
“I don’t know, couldn’t see. All I know is it’s a young woman.”
“And she’s definitely dead?” the doc asked. I nodded.
“Aye, definitely dead. You’ve got to come.”
“What do you want me to do exactly?” The irritation was seeping back. “If she’s dead, she’s slightly beyond my help.”
“We’ll need to know how she died,” I said, starting to feel slightly exasperated myself. “You’ll spot things we might miss, any clues that might help us figure out who did it.”
“Bloody hell, King. I’m a fucking medical student, not a fucking pathologist.” He jabbed a corner of his book into my shoulder. “You know what I was learning when I was drafted into this godforsaken squad? How to diagnose a fucking whooping cough. For the last three years I’ve been forced to do shit I never even trained for, it’s a miracle I haven’t killed off more people than I saved.”
“Well then,” I barked back, “if you’re used to doing things a little out of your comfort zone, what’s your problem?” That seemed to silence him, at least for a moment, so I spoke up again while I had the chance. “Look, I just need you to take a look. Please. Then I’ll leave you in peace. It’s a five minute walk away, that’s all.” I could feel the doc’s eyes burning into me but eventually he sighed and tucked the book into his jacket.
“Fine, come on then you maddening bastard, let’s get this bloody well over with.”
We all set off towards the woods, the five of us plus Katherine and Katz and I filled them in while we walked, my torch lighting up the damp soil ahead of us, turning the ground a brilliant yellow as if we were trekking across sand. The others listened to the whole story, the only interruption coming from Kali’s occasional burst of wind. When I was done, Moss patted me on the shoulder.
“You’ve really been through it all today, eh?” he said. “I mean, what’s the chances of you stumbling across that body? Weren’t for this dog, I doubt anyone would’ve found it.”
“I guess not,” I replied, watching Katz dart in a zig-zag up ahead of us.
“Maybe you should recruit that thing,” Moss continued. “Lane’s replacement. Seems to have a nose for it.”
“Pretty poor taste to talk about replacements so soon,” the doc said. “The man’s still lying on that slab, not even dead a day.” Moss cleared his throat.
“Didn’t mean any offence, it was just a joke. You lads aren’t offended, are you?” He slapped me lightly on the arm and I ground my teeth.
“No. But I’d rather not talk about it.”
“Alright then,” Moss said. He took a deep breath, then just kept on going. “So, what are you going to do with Turner after his little stunt tonight?”
“Mental bastard,” Kali croaked.
“He was completely shitbrained,” Shaw said with a shake of his head. “Couldn’t understand a word that came spewing out of his mouth. I was close to just knocking him down and dragging him to his cell.”
“Somebody else already tried that,” I said. “He got right back up and tried to drown himself in the lake.”
“What’d he been drinking?” Kali asked and I couldn’t help but wonder if the big man was taking notes. He almost sounded envious of the crazy prick.
“Breath smelled of vodka. He must’ve downed a bottle on his own to get that messed up.”
“So what are you going to do with him?” Moss repeated. “Slam down the hammer of justice for almost crushing your skulls?”
“We’ve got some ideas,” I said, although in truth I had none at all. I hadn’t even thought about it, after everything that had happened. All I knew is that we couldn’t just wait until he sobered up, which might well be half a week from now, before letting him go. Releasing him with no punishment would be like handing out a free pass to every soldier in Rottstein, to do what the hell they wanted. Already the drinking was getting out of control.
If things kept up, the entire town would be ash and timbers come autumn.
When we hit the road the mood turned more sombre, as we collectively anticipated the horrors to come. Katz trotted just ahead of us as usual and I prayed that he would pick up the scent and go to the woman again. Sure enough, just a quarter of a mile down the road he stopped at the edge and lifted his head, peering into the darkness. A high-pitched whimper filled the air.
“Right,” I said, aiming the torch into the trees. “She’s just in there. Kali, Moss, you stay here with the girl and the dog. Rest of you, follow close behind, alright, and mind the bloody roots. I almost brained myself on the bastards last time ‘round.”
Slowly I pressed into the woods, stamping down any thorns and brambles. I swept the torch beam left and right, sweeping the area as best I could and trying to remember how far in she was. Tell the truth, I had no idea. I was stumbling blind on my way in and shifting arse blind on my way out. Just behind me, twigs snapped and leaves shook as Shaw and the doc kept up.
“Somewhere ‘round here,” I called back. Deeper and deeper we pushed, until I was almost certain that we must’ve already gone past her. But then my light caught a flicker of movement up ahead and I almost dropped the bloody torch in shock, my stomach lurching halfway up my throat. I focused the beam and saw two glowing red eyes staring back at me. “Jesus fucking Christ,” I muttered.
“What,” Shaw said, pushing up next to me. “What is it?”
“Bloody fox.” The eyes blinked and then disappeared as the furry bastard twisted around and tore off into the undergrowth. For a moment I stood there, swallowing back the bile. Cold sweat was sheeting down my back, soaking into my freshly-dried shirt. The itching sensation was all I could concentrate on, until the doc piped up.
“What are we stopped for, for Christ’s sakes? I’ve got a dozen fucking ants crawling up my leg.” Beside me, Shaw squeezed my arm and breathed wine vapours into my face.
“Come on then, chief. Let’s find this dead girl before the local wildlife carries her off.”
“Aye.” I sucked down a breath and took a second to gather my thoughts, but before I moved on I noticed something caught in the torch beam, just below where the fox had been stood. It was a red coat, half trampled into the dirt. I hesitated, then slowly stepped towards the thing.
Ten feet away, I saw her. She was spread out on her back, just beyond the coat, her limbs splayed out like some kind of dismembered puppet cut free from its strings and her head twisted to the side, eyes locked right on me. When I saw that face again, the look of terror, my heart collapsed into my guts. But that wasn’t even the worst of it, not even the fact that someone had torn her clothes off and scattered them all around the body. I realised now that I recognised the girl. The pale features, those golden curls, even the red coat she’d been wearing.
“Oh, Christ,” I grunted, feeling my legs begin to tremble again. Shaw came to my side, peering over my shoulder at the horror spread out before us.
“Bloody hell,” he said, exhaling sharply. “That’s another one for the nightmare bank.”
“I know who she is,” I told him. “Her name’s Loriett. She’s Herr Schmidt’s granddaughter.”
“Schmidt?” He paused for moment, until the wires finally connected. “Oh, shit, the old man who had his head smashed in this morning?”
“That’s the one.” To our left, the doc stumbled around a tree, cursing and shaking his head, then he staggered to a halt when he spotted the girl. He shone his own torch in her direction, throwing shadows across the undergrowth. Together, the three of us paused and soaked up the scene. Too horrible to take in, but too horrible to look away at the same bloody time.
It’s funny, really, when you think after everything that’s happened. We’ve seen our friends and fellow soldiers killed right beside us, over and over. I know only too well that look of terror as someone’s lights fade and then snap out for good. I’ve cradled far too many heads and fed the poor wretches shite about everything being okay, just go towards the light and get the hell away from all this horror. But something about this murder, and the killing of Herr Schmidt this morning, just felt different. This wasn’t death in battle, kill or be killed. I had a feeling it wasn’t even a killing in desperation, like poor old Laney. I knew just from the look on her face, the expression that screamed betrayal, that this was cold-hearted murder.
“At least we know for sure it’s a fresh killing,” I said, my voice somehow sounding obscene as it cut through the silence. “I saw her alive and well just a few hours ago, coming out of the morgue.” The shaking was getting worse, until I had to lean against a tree and tear my gaze away. Same thing as earlier, the panic rushing in through every bloody pore, making me shiver and slowly turn numb. Only this time there was no toilet to hide in.
“She almost looks alive still,” Shaw said, cautiously stepping forwards. The doc did the same, until they were stooped down at her side.
“How did she die?” I called out, forcing each word as my fingernails dug into the bark. Black spots popped in front of my eyes, heat spreading across my cheeks and down my neck.
“Looks like she was strangled,” the doc replied. “Only obvious marks on the body are deep bruises around her throat. Can’t see anything else.”
“She looks like she’s seen the goddamn devil himself,” Shaw said. I swallowed hard and glanced over again, peering at the crack of light between them. I could still see her face, those anguished eyes spread wide.
“You’re not fucking kidding,” the doc said. “Soil all over the body, but she’s just been left out here in the open. That’s a little strange.” I took another breath and forced myself to straighten up, then I pushed away from the tree and shuffled across on leaden legs.
“There’s a shallow pit just beside her,” Shaw said. “Maybe someone started to bury her, then changed their mind?”
“What about animals?” I asked, almost slurring my words. “Someone could have covered her up, then the foxes got her scent and dug her out again?”
“I don’t know,” the doc said. “Perhaps. I’d have thought there’d be more marks on the body though. Bite marks, scratches, things like that. Apart from the bruising, there’s nothing.”
“This is seriously fucked up,” Shaw muttered. “Where do we even begin?”
“We roughly know time of death,” I said, trying to shake the fog from my head. I knelt down beside the doc and forced myself to look at her again. “What about location. You think she was killed somewhere else, and then dumped here so no one would find her?”
“If that’s the case,” Shaw said, “We’re after someone with a car or some way of shifting the body out here.” He scratched his chin, then he turned to me with a disgusted look. “Bloody hell…but that means her killer dragged her out here, then they ripped all her clothes off after she was already dead.”
“Good point,” I muttered. Why the hell would someone drag a corpse out into the woods to dispose of it, then undress it before leaving it out in the open? That would take this thing to a whole new level of psychotic.
“The killer’s most likely a man too,” the doc interrupted, peering closely at Loriett’s throat. “A woman couldn’t have exerted that much pressure and left marks like those, unless she had hands like an ogre. The bruises are far too wide.”
“Alright,” I said, releasing a breath. “So two possible scenarios. First, a man killed her earlier this evening, then he brought her body here in some kind of vehicle, stripped her naked, maybe tried to bury her and then left again.” I rubbed my palm against my face, my skin smelling like earth. Thinking things over like this seemed to be helping a little. The sickness faded as my brain concentrated on this girl’s final hours, trying to piece together what led to her being stranded, naked and alone, in these woods. But I wasn’t satisfied with the picture we were sketching. “It just doesn’t fit,” I said, easing the torch beam over the scattered clothes. “Why take her clothes off after she’s dead, if
all you’re trying to do is hide the body?”
“So maybe it’s the second scenario then,” Shaw said. “She wasn’t killed somewhere else, she was murdered right here.”
“Maybe she came out here with a lover,” I ventured. “Some kind of attempt to escape disapproving eyes and ears.” I mulled it over, wiping the sweat from my brow with a sleeve. Seemed somehow off that she’d be out here frolicking with a man so soon after the horrors of her grandfather’s brutal murder. The whole thing just didn’t feel right. For a moment I wondered if this was somehow linked to her grandfather’s death; surely it was too much of a coincidence, two family members dying like this in the same bloody day. But I shot Jurgen before Loriett was killed, so he couldn’t possibly have been involved. Unless he was working with someone else, or…or else he’d been telling the truth. He really did just nick the old bastard’s food, after finding the swine with his head bashed in.
Suddenly I was aware of a bitter taste in my mouth, but when I tried to swallow it back, my tongue stuck to the roof of my mouth. I almost gagged, turning my head from Loriett’s body to hack and cough until the cool air rushed back into my lungs. When I glanced at the doc, dabbing my lips with the back of my hand, I saw his face twist with concern.
Just then, we heard a voice calling out from back near the road. It sounded like Moss and he sounded upset. The others turned and peered through the trees but I quickly rose, leaning lightly against Shaw’s shoulder.
“I’ll check it out,” I said, stumbling back the way we’d come with my torch clutched in front of my chest. Somehow it seemed like twice the distance on the way back, just as it had earlier when I’d been lost in near total darkness, flailing wildly in a mad panic to get the hell away. Moss called out again when I was almost out and I yelled back, picking my way through a mesh of brambles.
Devil's in a Different Dress Page 6
