Superstitious Death

by Nicholas Rhea

‘Yes, sir.’

  ‘Good. Well, the sooner that news release gets into print or on to the radio networks, the better. Let’s hope it leads to her identification.’

  When Russell left to go about his part in the enquiry, Pluke opened the door and called for Wayne Wain. Wain, who had been explaining to a pretty secretary the system for abstracting computer data from the incoming statements, hurried to Pluke’s office.

  ‘Close the door and sit down, Wayne,’ invited Pluke as he entered. ‘There is something I wish to do, but I do not want the entire incident room staff to know, not at this stage. But I feel you, as my deputy, should be informed.’

  ‘Sir?’

  ‘First, the victim. There is evidence to suggest she is not British, or alternatively, that the person who buried her is not British. Or that neither is British.’

  ‘How on earth did you reach that conclusion, sir?’

  ‘The mirror which was buried with her. When that came to light, I had some such suspicion in my mind but when the pathologist confirmed she was a virgin, it lent more weight to my supposition.’

  ‘Go on, sir.’

  ‘It used to be the custom in Sweden, when a maiden died, to include a mirror in her coffin. It was believed that young girls and maidens should be able to tidy their hair on Judgement Day. Married women did not require mirrors because their hair was braided, and they were buried with it in that condition. I know of no other European country who clung to that belief – indeed, I believe the Swedes have largely abandoned the superstition although it could linger in some areas, especially among the older generation.’

  ‘She has the look of a Swedish girl, sir, white skin, blonde hair, blue eyes, well built. But her clothes were typically British. High street stuff.’

  ‘And she is a virgin, Wayne.’

  ‘I find that astonishing, sir, really I do!’

  ‘Quite. I would expect that from you. So perhaps she had been in our country for some time? Or perhaps a Swedish burial-person wanted us to believe she was British?’

  ‘Are you saying this death could have some careful planning behind it, sir? In other words, it is not a spontaneous burial, not one of urgent necessity?’

  ‘I am sure her death was not planned, Wayne, because the cause of death is very odd to say the least, hardly the sort of thing a murderer would plan. I cannot ignore the possibility of a tragic accident. But the means of burial does suggest some careful and reasoned planning.’

  ‘Surely that strengthens our belief that we are dealing with a murder?’

  ‘Perhaps yes, perhaps no. I retain an open mind at this stage. So, Wayne, for your ears only at this stage, that is my prognosis. Now, I shall ring the office of the National Central Bureau of the International Criminal Police Organisation – Interpol to you, Wayne – with a request that they contact the Swedish police in the hope we can learn whether any Swedish ladies are missing or not accounted for, or whether any are known to have come to Britain in recent times. Or Swedish men – might she have come to this country with a male friend? Did a man travel from Sweden especially to kill her? There are many permutations, Wayne, and you may remain here while I make the call.’

  Pluke was quickly connected and in careful terms explained his case to Inspector Birin, the duty officer at Interpol’s Scotland Yard office. Pluke was told that enquiries would be made, but that when the woman’s fingerprints were available they would be of great value; a photograph of the victim, even in her present condition, would be welcomed too.

  Pluke was told that checks would be made with the immigration authorities in this country and with the emigration authorities in Sweden, but it was explained that it would be most difficult to trace the victim’s movements and family without knowing her name or home address, and without any idea of the dates she might have travelled, her mode of travel, whether or not she had one or more companions, or her port of emigration, whether by sea or aircraft, or through other countries. But if such a blonde was known to be missing by the Swedish authorities,

  Pluke would be informed and Binn asked that Interpol be updated on any relevant developments during Pluke’s enquiry. Confirmation in writing was requested and Pluke said his secretary would prepare the necessary paperwork.

  ‘It will be like searching for the proverbial needle in a haystack, sir,’ said Wayne Wain. ‘They can’t trace her unless we give them a name, and we can’t get a name until she’s traced. Catch-22 and all that.’

  ‘Did you know that the original phrase was “looking for a needle in a bottle of hay”, Wayne? Haywain… I like that. I might even have added “constable” had you not been a sergeant. But joking aside, that was the original phrase, the word bottle coming from the French botte meaning bundle…’

  ‘I had no idea, sir,’ and Wayne’s eyebrows rose to the heavens.

  ‘But finding a needle in a bundle of hay is not too difficult, Wayne, far easier than finding one in a complete haystack or, shall we say, a spindle or bolt in a haymaking machine… So let us not be prematurely defeated by the magnitude of our task.’

  ‘I am sure we can cope, sir.’

  ‘Indeed we can. If it is possible to put a name to that girl, then we shall do so, with or without the help of Interpol. And remember, without a name for her, we will have immense difficulty in tracing her movements. I want you to liaise with the teams who are trying to establish her movements.’

  ‘No problem, sir. But if she is Swedish, it is quite likely she has been touring this country. Back-packing perhaps? With or without a companion? Youth-hostelling? Hitch-hiking? English girls know that it is dangerous to hitch-hike unaccompanied. Maybe girls from overseas do not realise this? I know hitchhiking is still a popular means of travel in southern Ireland, and safe there. Or she might have been camping, alone or with someone else. She could have used that quarry as a resting place overnight, like so many other people appear to do. I can imagine her with a violent man, things went wrong because she refuses him, and so she’s murdered and left in a grave…’

  ‘Absolutely, Wayne. In light of that possibility, I wonder if a tent peg might have caused her injuries… there are some with points at the end of long metal stems, although that would not explain the accompanying bruises…’

  ‘And if she was back-packing or camping, she would have her belongings with her all the time. Camping gear, sleeping bag, passport, money, spare clothes…’

  ‘Absolutely right again, Wayne, and she might have possessed a small pink mirror. So she could tidy her hair when she was travelling on this earth rather than in the next.’

  ‘Of course, sir. If that mirror has survived, then where is the rest of her luggage? And especially her passport. She could not travel all the way from Sweden without having a bag or haversack or suitcase of some kind, or a sleeping bag. A large handbag, even. We’ve not found a handbag, sir, nor any personal belongings.’

  ‘Precisely, Wayne. Perhaps you would bear all those factors in mind as you make your own enquiries, and as you liaise, carefully, with the teams?’

  ‘Yes, sir, I will.’

  ‘Right. Well, off you go and keep me informed of developments. I am now going to see if our esteemed Mr Eric Burholme is known to the police, although from what I have seen of him both recently and in the past, he does not seem the sort of gentleman who would have a criminal record.’

  When Wayne had gone, Pluke picked up the telephone once again, and this time rang the Criminal Record Office at his own Force Headquarters.

  ‘Detective Inspector Pluke, Crickledale,’ he announced himself. ‘I want you to carry out a search of criminal records for me, please – local first, then national. It is in connection with a murder enquiry within my sub-division.’

  ‘No problem, sir. Who is the subject?’

  ‘A man called Eric Burholme of Harman’s Farm, Barughdale in this county. I do not have a confirmed date of birth but he claims to be eighty years of age, with a birthday last February. He is well over six feet tall, slim build with
a good head of white hair. He might describe himself as a farmer or agricultural engineer.’

  ‘Is he under arrest, sir?’ returned the voice. ‘Not yet,’ said Detective Inspector Pluke.

  Chapter Six

  ‘Hold the line, sir, the local search won’t take many moments.’

  Pluke waited and then, after a lull of some two minutes, the voice returned. ‘Your Eric Burholme, Mr Pluke. He’s not in our records. We’ve checked on the computer among the names of suspected criminals too – but nothing’s known. He’s as clean as a whistle. There are no Burholmes of any age, old or young, male or female, in our local criminal or traffic offence records and I have checked the alternative spellings. Sorry I can’t be more helpful.’

  ‘Can you do likewise in the national records? I appreciate it will take longer.’

  ‘No problem, Mr Pluke. I’ll call you the moment I have news.’

  Meanwhile, in spite of the fellow’s philanthropic behaviour and his particular gift of the shoggling sticks to the community of Crickledale, Pluke knew he must carefully research the background of Eric Burholme. His lonely life did lend an air of mystery to him, but Pluke and his teams should be able to unearth a good deal about his background. Pluke then returned to the incident room and saw that both Detective Sergeant Tabler, the officer in charge of the Scenes of Crime department, and Inspector Newton in charge of the Task Force had arrived with the results of their searches at the burial scene.

  ‘Well done,’ Pluke greeted both. ‘Let’s start with you, Inspector Newton. You’d better each hear what the other has to say, and I would like Sergeant Wain to be present.’

  He called to a secretary and asked her to send Wain into his office; when he arrived, Pluke asked Inspector Newton to proceed.

  ‘It’s a case of many negatives, Mr Pluke.’ Newton checked from a pad in his hands. ‘We examined all the combine harvesters and other machines in the quarry. They’ve not been used for months, not since last autumn in fact. The dust and cobwebs confirm no one has moved them or interfered with them recently. One of our officers is experienced in agricultural machinery and he found no reason to think any component part had been removed or in any way involved in the woman’s death. That applies only to the machines in the quarry, however. We have not yet examined those within the farm buildings, but spiked components of the kind we are seeking are rarely, if ever, used.’

  ‘Spiders’ webs are very good for stemming bleeding in an emergency, gentlemen,’ Pluke reminded them, having heard the reference to spiders’ webs. ‘Not that I think one was used in the case of our victim. But go on, Inspector Newton.’

  ‘We examined the plastic covering of the bales along the edge of the quarry. These plastic wrappers are fitted precisely by machine, Mr Pluke, rather like those plastic-covered joints of meat you get from supermarkets, and none had been opened or cut in any way. They were fitted prior to the woman’s death. I wondered if either the murder weapon or the grave-digging tools might have been concealed there. But the answer is no in both cases.’

  ‘Good, so we can eliminate that possibility.’

  ‘Yes. Next, my team of eight officers, men and women, searched the ground area of the quarry, a fingertip search. We did find various objects which may or may not be relevant – I have handed these to Sergeant Tabler for scientific examination but my gut feeling is none can be linked to the death. There are used condoms, a man’s black plastic comb, a pair of sun-glasses, a pair of women’s knickers and a bra, both black, one or two coins, several empty beer and lager cans, and three bottles of cheap German plonk – empty.’

  ‘Nothing can be ruled out at this stage so have the items examined,’ cautioned Pluke. ‘Although our victim’s underwear was not missing.’

  ‘Quite. I am aware of that.’

  ‘You did not find anything that might have caused her injury or which could have been used to dig the grave?’

  ‘No, Mr Pluke. Nothing, in spite of the meticulous fingertip search.’

  ‘All right. Proceed, Mr Newton.’

  ‘We found the remains of several camp fires, some with evidence of cooking, but we believe none was lit after Saturday. The fires were from different dates, some very old, but the ashes in all cases were wet, they’ve not dried out since Saturday’s rain. We found no dry ashes – there was no rain on Sunday.’

  ‘And what time was the last rainfall on Saturday?’ asked Pluke.

  ‘Six fifteen in the evening, sir,’ Sergeant Tabler chipped in.

  ‘Before the grave was dug?’

  ‘I think so. The soil in the grave was very dry, the rain hadn’t penetrated the grass covering. A short, sharp shower, sir,’ said Tabler. ‘The bottom of the grave had not been exposed to rain either.’

  ‘Thank you, sergeant. Now, Mr Newton. Campers? Apart from the fires, is there any other evidence of campers?’

  ‘Yes, Mr Pluke. Our fingertip search found several sites. The holes from tent pegs and tent poles made them easily identifiable, but in most cases, the sides of the peg holes and the base were damp, suggesting they were made before Saturday’s showers. We did find evidence of one small tent which was on the site on Saturday. The rectangular outline was dry, the tent peg holes were dry too, so we think it was in position during Saturday’s thunderstorm, being removed sometime after the rain had stopped. Unfortunately, there is nothing to indicate the identity of the camper or campers – it was a two-person size tent, Mr Pluke.’

  ‘And was there any evidence of tent peg holes near the grave?’

  ‘There was. The grave was in the centre of where a tent had earlier been pitched, although evidence of its presence had been largely obliterated by activity around the grave, much of it our activity.’

  ‘I wonder if the tent had been erected as the grave was being dug, Mr Newton? In other words, did a tent conceal the body as it lay there, and then conceal the work of grave-digging?’

  ‘It’s a possibility, Mr Pluke. Most certainly.’

  ‘Good. So, if the campers, i.e. the persons who erected those tents, arrived on foot, there would be no tyre marks from a car, motor cycle or pedal cycle nearby. Yet Mr Burholme did say he heard a car in this vicinity late on Saturday night,’ Pluke reminded Newton.

  ‘It did not enter the quarry, Mr Pluke. There would have been tyre marks in the covering of earth, the rain would have softened the ground which forms the thin covering of the quarry floor. There was sufficient rain to cause softness which would retain those marks. There were none.’

  ‘Burholme did say the car might have been on the road outside the quarry, sir, along Barughdale lane,’ Wayne Wain reminded Pluke.

  ‘Yes, that’s true,’ nodded Pluke. ‘So, Inspector Newton, anything else?’

  ‘No, nothing. My conclusion is that there is a very noticeable lack of material evidence with absolutely no sign of a likely murder weapon or any grave-digging tools.’

  ‘OK, thanks for that. Now it’s your turn, Sergeant Tabler.’

  The sergeant began. ‘We commenced our examination of the scene at the graveside, once the body had been removed, sir. Bearing in mind the careful activity by our own officers in and around the grave, there were indications of other footprints in the soft earth but it was clear that an attempt had been made to eradicate them. They’d been raked over, sir. Some of the surplus earth had been raked over too, then spread around quite widely so that it merged with the grass. Marks had been made in the vicinity of the grave during the digging, during the lifting of the victim into the grave, during the re-covering of the grave with earth and grass – but all those marks had been quite deliberately removed or obliterated to such an extent that we could not photograph any of the prints or marks, nor could we take plaster casts. If there had been any tyre marks close to the grave, they’d have been obliterated too.’

  ‘Tyre marks?’

  ‘Well, sir, if she’d been killed away from the quarry, a vehicle of some kind would have been needed to convey the body there for burial.’ />
  ‘Thanks for that, sergeant. Go on.’

  ‘We did note small holes in the ground made by tent pegs and tent poles, these providing indications that a tent had been on the same site as the grave, although we could not state that it had been there at the very time the grave was being dug. It’s a possibility, sir, that’s all. But any other evidence of its presence had been obliterated by the actions I mentioned earlier.’

  ‘In all, a deliberate attempt to conceal the evidence, you think?’

  ‘Undoubtedly, sir, this burial was not done in a great hurry, sir, great care was taken, along with considerable thought, and I agree the work of burial might have been concealed within a tent which covered the site.’

  ‘Most interesting. Now, you have photographs of the attempts to cover the grave-digger’s tracks or wheel marks or the presence of the tent?’

  ‘Yes, we have, sir.’

  ‘So, in spite of these attempts to conceal evidence, the holes made by the tent pegs or tent poles had not been filled in?’

  ‘No, sir. Perhaps they got overlooked?’

  ‘By someone as meticulous as our grave-digger? Yet, if he was as careful as we believe, why would he leave the holes in the ground? Now, the grave itself? Did you examine the soil in the bottom? It did occur to me that the murder weapon could have been concealed there, hidden beneath the body.’

  ‘Yes, sir, we thought so too, but only an inch or so below the level where the woman rested, there is solid rock. Nothing else was in the grave. We sieved the soil which remained in the grave as well as that which had been removed by the pathologist. We did so with great care but we found nothing.’

  ‘And the items referred to by Inspector Newton? They will be given a very careful examination?’

  ‘They will, sir, but none was close to the grave site and there is no discernible link with the burial or the body. Now, as you instructed, my officers examined the barbed wire along the fence which borders Harman’s Farm and the Barughdale road.’

  ‘Yes, that is important. If the body had been lifted over that fence, or if someone had climbed over instead of using the stile – I doubt if anyone carrying a corpse would use a stile – then there would be evidence on the barbs. Fibres in particular.’