Superstitious Death

by Nicholas Rhea

  ‘Fallen?’ queried Pluke.

  ‘It’s one possibility, Mr Pluke, and it could fit your accidental falling-into-an-agricultural machine theory. Got herself impaled on a spike which was among some other metal sections perhaps? Fell on to iron railings even? Those with spikes? But that’s not a positive theory, Mr Pluke – to be honest, I have no idea what the object could be.’

  ‘There are no iron railings with spikes at Harman’s Farm, they’re all wooden ones.’

  ‘Whatever caused the wound, I think it was made of metal, it was heavy in weight and solidly constructed, and I think that the pointed section which produced the wound was painted black. There are minute traces of black metal paint in the wound. The spiked object has a diameter of four-tenths of an inch, that is nine millimetres, and it has a sharp point.’

  ‘It does sound like something from an agricultural machine, Mr Meredith.’

  ‘We must not let ourselves be persuaded by what we saw near the grave, Mr Pluke. That missile, whatever it was, could have come from anywhere or anything. It wasn’t a bolt from a humane killer, though – they have hollow tips and this weapon was pointed. I would add that considerable force would be required to drive it into her head. In trying to guess what the object might be, beyond a fall on to something spiked, I must confess to being baffled.’

  ‘So either she fell into it, was knocked into it, or it knocked her over, or someone used it to knock her over… My men will conduct a very meticulous search of the locality, including the machinery and the places in which it is stored, Mr Meredith. Rest assured you will be the first to know if we find anything likely to have caused that injury.’

  ‘Good. Now, Mr Pluke, I sought deposits on her body and clothes and found some items of relevant interest. For example, there were tiny pieces of gravel in the lacerations on her hands, consistent with her putting out her hands to save herself as she fell on to a hard surface. Similar gravel was found in the fabric of her jeans, on the left side, again consistent with falling on to that side. Her clothing was damp too but that might have been due to her lying in the moist earth of the grave – or, of course, she might have been caught in one of Saturday’s thunderstorms. The soil samples I took from the grave were remarkably dry, Mr Pluke – the rain had not penetrated that far down – and the soil was not the same consistency as the pieces of gravel in her hands and clothing. I think that she might have got wet in the rain and that she was alive at the time of the shower.’

  ‘So the question which faces me, Mr Meredith, is whether this is an accidental death or murder. That is what I must establish if I am to be allowed to continue this investigation.’

  ‘There is every indication it is murder, Mr Pluke. The absence of the instrument of death, the force required to kill her with it, and the circumstances of her burial all add up to a murder. It is difficult to envisage how such an injury could have been caused accidentally.’

  ‘I must state that I believe she could have fallen and impaled herself on something,’ said Pluke. ‘There is some evidence to suggest that. The gravel in her hands and clothes, and the accompanying minor wounds.’

  ‘Then where is the object which caused that fatal wound, Mr Pluke? Indeed, what is it? And why did no one call in the emergency services to give her medical aid? Why hide the body, why bury it in an isolated quarry without notifying the authorities?’ asked Meredith. ‘All those factors indicate murder, Mr Pluke.’

  ‘Then if my supervisory officers try to prevent me carrying out my investigation, you will support me by agreeing that this is a murder hunt?’

  ‘I will indeed, Mr Pluke. I am as intrigued as yourself.’

  ‘Fine, although privately, I must say that I have doubts. But if we can treat it as murder, it means I can avail myself of professional expertise in order to determine how she died. Now, the time of death, Mr Meredith? Can you give me any indication of that?’

  ‘Taking everything into account – weather, temperature of the body, burial, the rain, the lack of advanced decomposition – I’d say she has not been dead more than two days. If you ask me to be more precise, I’d say probably she died sometime on Saturday, later in the day rather than earlier. I’d support my earlier estimate of around tea-time. Her damp clothing might be a factor, too, and I think the blood of her wound was exposed to rain. Maybe she lived and died in the rain.’

  ‘There was a new moon early on Saturday morning.’ Pluke spoke softly, almost to himself. ‘A Saturday new moon is never a good omen, Mr Meredith, it heralds bad weather, heavy rain, storms at sea and bad fortune in general.’

  ‘In her case, she did have some appalling bad luck, didn’t she?’ There was a tone of dismissiveness in Meredith’s voice.

  ‘We should not mock or ignore such omens, Mr Meredith. So often do they prove to be accurate.’ Pluke now paused to reflect upon the information which had been passed to him, then asked, ‘So, Mr Meredith, in your expert opinion, shall I launch a widespread search for a component part of an agricultural machine?’

  ‘You can’t ignore that likelihood, Mr Pluke. I cannot be more positive than that, but remember a highly polished or oily part was not responsible. The part you seek is covered with black paint, and it has a sharp point. I’ve already said I believe it was not a humane killer. To do the damage it did, I think it would be fairly heavy and applied with extraordinary force. That doesn’t sound like a bolt or a spindle from a piece of machinery – and I think it was part of something heavier and rather complex in its construction. Remember her other cuts and bruises.’

  ‘We can have photographs of those, can we?’ asked Pluke. To help match the object when we find it?’

  ‘By all means,’ agreed Meredith.

  ‘What we do need here, Mr Meredith, is some very imaginative thinking. I’ll work on that. In the meantime, what about her clothing? Is there anything else you can tell me?’

  ‘I feel sure she was wearing it when she was injured – there were some tiny tears in her blouse which match the bruises I mentioned earlier. Don’t overlook the gravel particles either: I can match those with control samples if you find the place she fell. Because she was wearing those clothes when she died, you can publicise details – someone might recognise the clothing or may have noticed her wearing it. That is something you may wish to stress when you issue a description to your officers. And your officers might wish to trace the source of her clothing, Mr Pluke, although there is nothing which adds greatly to our knowledge. All her clothing, and her underwear, are of mass market manufacture, easily obtainable in department stores and high street shops. Modest in price, not fashionable items. The only thing in the pockets of her jeans was a single small white handkerchief – no money, make-up, combs. Nothing.’

  ‘Nothing that would lead to her identification?’ asked Pluke.

  ‘No, I’m sorry, nothing. You’ll want to take her fingerprints, I suppose?’

  ‘Yes, I have already asked Detective Sergeant Tabler to arrange that,’ Pluke said. ‘He will contact you to arrange a time.’

  ‘You have informed the coroner?’

  ‘Yes, but the inquest cannot be opened until we have an identification, and that might take time. And we’d like a photograph for showing to the public during our enquiries, that’s if we can get one which doesn’t make her look as if she’s dead.’

  ‘I am sure all that can be arranged. She will remain in our refrigerated unit until the body is required again,’ said Meredith. ‘So, Mr Pluke, I don’t envy you as you search for the device that killed her even though it might be fairly close at hand. Do remember that people get impaled on railings and spikes of all kinds, while bolts and other pieces of machinery can fly out under pressure, rather like the bolt from a crossbow. Lethal things, bolts from crossbows. You might consider that, Mr Fluke – a crossbow bolt, I mean.’

  Pluke pondered on this, then said, ‘If it was a mere accident, it might have been in abnormal circumstances which caused her to be buried secretly.’

&nbs
p; ‘Like being a man’s mistress, you mean? She sustained her accident on his premises while his wife was away… Someone who’s trying to urgently and desperately cover up his tracks and his deception?’

  ‘Something along those lines, Mr Meredith. Someone with a big secret to maintain.’

  ‘But accidental death followed by unauthorised burial of a corpse is hardly the crime of the century, Mr Pluke!’

  ‘Whatever happened, Mr Meredith, someone knows all about it. Someone took the trouble to bury her secretly and to remove or conceal the instrument of death… and I shall find that person or persons.’

  ‘Then consider yourself with a major enquiry on your hands, Mr Pluke. I wish you good luck.’

  ‘To help me, I shall establish a four-leaved clover in my office just as soon as I can find one,’ Pluke told him, and replaced the telephone.

  While Pluke left the office to obtain a four-leaved clover from a nearby field in which he knew they could be found, Detective Inspector Horsley completed the preliminaries for the incident room. By five thirty, it was ready to receive the thirty detectives and the civilian staff who would add their clerical expertise to the enquiry and as six o’clock approached, they began to filter into the premises. Inevitably, it became known as the Plukedom.

  When everyone was present and recorded on the duty sheets, Pluke, with Wayne Wain at his side, strode into the room, called for silence and stood upon a chair to address his teams. After introducing himself and his senior officers, he provided a detailed outline of the discovery and of the work currently under way at the scene, then continued:

  ‘To all intents and purposes, this is a murder investigation and as usual in such an enquiry, I require two detectives per team. Detective Inspector Horsley will allocate your actions, but there are certain priorities. First and foremost, we need to identify the victim. Make yourselves familiar with her appearance and dress. Who is she? Where is she from? How did she travel to the quarry? Was she dead upon arrival at the quarry or did she die there? We need to trace her movements during the latter days of last week, Saturday in particular. Who was she with? Where is her family, who are her friends… you know the sort of things we must establish. Check all missing persons lists, local and national. Her fingerprints and a photograph of her will be available shortly, they might help, she might have a conviction of some kind. She is a virgin but that does not rule her out from being a prostitute. Prostitutes provide services other than normal sexual intercourse. Find out who has been using the quarry and question them closely to establish reasons and times – campers, picnickers, hikers, people dumping household litter, courting couples. They might have seen the blonde on a previous visit, or they might even have seen her over the recent weekend, alone or with someone. A camper might have arrived with her and left without her after some skylarking in the machinery sheds or elsewhere. She might have been sheltering, her clothes were wet. And there were particles of gravel in lacerations on her hands and in the leg of her jeans, these suggesting a fall. If she fell, where did it happen? What did she fall on to? There are no metal railings with spikes at Harman’s Farm.

  ‘Next, we need to find the weapon which caused her injuries. Mr Horsley will allocate teams to that task, to examine all the agricultural machines on Burholme’s premises, and indeed any others that might be in the district. In particular, we need to trace any component part which could have caused her injury. But the object could come from anywhere else. Think about that as you go about your enquiries – think of large bodkins, tent pegs or some other camping or hiking device, a bolt from a crossbow, an awl of some kind, a stone or metal punch – this is a rural area full of craftsmen and craftswomen, so consider a craft tool of some kind, one for making deep holes. Try to envisage such a device which could be part of some larger fabrication, then try and work out what it might be. It might bear traces of blood although that will not be easy to find, and it will be covered with black paint. It is likely to be made of metal with a sharp point, nine millimetres wide, and capable of penetrating to a depth of at least three and a quarter inches, which equals eight centimetres. How did such a large object manage to penetrate her skull? It would require great force. Mr Meredith, the forensic pathologist, will examine anything you discover and once we identify the object responsible, we might be able to trace its recent movements and those of the people who have had access to it. Mr Burholme, the owner of the quarry where she was discovered, hires a wide range of machinery to local farmers. We have a list of his customers – each must be visited in an attempt to identify the deceased. Is she a girlfriend of one of them? She’s a virgin, so she’s hardly likely to be a wife… but she could be a girlfriend who likes to say no. Is that a motive for murder, perhaps? So, ladies and gentlemen, we have a lot to be going on with. We can make a start this evening. We shall work from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily until further notice, and overtime will be paid. It means we have fewer than three hours’ work left this evening but even that could produce a wealth of information. Now, any questions so far?’

  ‘Sir…’ A detective in the crowd raised his hand. ‘You said a mirror had been found in the grave. Are we to try and trace its source?’

  ‘Yes. It is being examined by Scenes of Crime at the moment, but once they have finished, I shall have photographs distributed. It is a small pink-framed mirror, plastic-framed that is, with a round glass. It has a handle too; rather like a child’s toy mirror in fact. We need to find out where it was made or purchased, and who bought it. Did the girl buy it, did she bring it with her, or was it bought by the person who buried her? Detective Inspector Horsley will allocate a specific action for a team to trace the mirror’s history, but I would ask you all to bear it in mind during your enquiries. Now, is Inspector Russell here?’

  ‘Sir,’ and a youthful, dark-haired man in civilian clothes raised his hand.

  ‘See me when I dismiss the others, will you, inspector? We need to draft a news release this evening.’

  ‘Yes, sir.’

  Considering that this initial briefing contained sufficient information to launch the investigation, Pluke dismissed the detectives.

  He reminded them to update the incident room records before going off duty, and then to parade for duty tomorrow morning at nine. With a bustle of activity, the detectives, male and female, began their work as Paul Russell, carrying a briefcase, followed Pluke into his small dark office which adjoined the incident room. A small glass vase stood on Pluke’s desk; it contained a freshly picked four-leaved clover which stood in water.

  ‘Sit down,’ invited Pluke, and the inspector obeyed, placing his briefcase on the floor.

  ‘You are new to this job?’ Pluke asked.

  ‘I’ve been press officer for six months now, Mr Pluke. I was drafted in from the Crime Prevention Department. But this is my first murder enquiry.’

  ‘I am sure you will be a great asset to my investigation, Mr Russell, and I feel sure we will not encounter too many problems. First, I must inform you that I am not convinced this is a murder, but I shall deal with the case as if it is. I say that because I need the co-operation of your friends in the media as well as the dedication of my own officers. Now, it is too late for us to catch the regional evening programmes on television, and of course, the evening papers will have been printed too. So we are thinking of tomorrow’s dailies, radio programmes and television news.’

  ‘Yes, sir.’

  ‘You heard my briefing?’

  ‘I did, sir, yes. You want me to concentrate on the victim? Is there any chance of photographs which are suitable for use by the media?’

  ‘Talk to Sergeant Tabler, he’s making the necessary arrangements. Happily, our victim is not disfigured about the face. Otherwise, an artist’s impression might be useful. Initially, a verbal description should be sufficient to commence our publicity campaign. That will provide the necessary element of intrigue. Now, I do not want any mention in the press of our theory about components of agricultural machines. That is o
ne very localised line of enquiry we are actively pursuing and I don’t want to frighten people into disposing of good evidence. Should you receive any queries, just say she was suffering from a head injury and that we are seeking the object which caused it. Leave it as vague as that.’

  ‘I have drafted a news release, sir, for your approval. I got the facts from Sergeant Cockfield pronounced Cofield,’ and Russell opened his briefcase to produce a typewritten sheet. It said, ‘The body of a woman was today found in a shallow grave in a disused quarry on land at Harman’s Farm, close to the Crickledale-Barughdale road. She was suffering from a head injury and police have launched an investigation. The identity of the victim is unknown but Detective Inspector Montague Pluke, head of Crickledale CID, said, “She is about thirty, well built with blonde hair and blue eyes. She is wearing a light blue blouse, blue jeans and trainer shoes. I should be pleased to receive any information which might lead to her identification.” Thirty detectives have been drafted on to the enquiry and an incident room has been established at Crickledale police station. The telephone number is 456654.’

  ‘That’s fine,’ agreed Pluke, noting that the word ‘murder’ did not feature in the release. ‘You can circulate it now on the usual media distribution list. You can work in the incident room if you wish, rather than your own office at Headquarters. That will enable you to answer the press calls which will inevitably follow as the enquiry progresses. I shall hold news conferences at 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. daily, which should enable you to plan your press campaign, and between us we shall deal with any matter which might arise in the meantime.’

  ‘Can news photographers visit the scene, sir?’

  ‘Once Scenes of Crime and the Task Force have concluded their work, yes, of course they can. In fact, I have no objection to them taking pictures of my men working at the scene, provided they do so from a distance and do not interfere with the scene or the progress of the investigation. You’ll supervise those who do approach you?’