Snow Light

by Danielle Zinn

  “Have you decided yet where you want to spend the night?” Thomas asked carefully.

  “Sexton has ordered me to stay here until the case is solved.” She grunted as if this was Thomas’s fault. “Booked a room at this County Inn in your village.”

  To his surprise, Thomas felt quite relieved, but only mumbled something about a sane decision. At the door, though, he turned around and looked directly at his colleague.

  “I was wondering…” he started, “whether you would like to come over to my house for dinner?”

  Collins looked up.

  “If you have other plans, that’s perfectly fine. Please don’t feel obliged to accept,” he added quickly and prepared himself for some infringing response.

  She fixed him with her eyes and played with a strand of long, shiny hair, twisting it around her finger. “Well, there’s really not much else here to do. You cook?”

  “Yes.” Thomas was surprised by her response. “I thought about steak, oven-roasted potatoes, and veggies.”

  For a second, her eyes lit up like he had never seen them before. “That’s actually the best thing I’ve heard all day,” she replied, cracking a tiny smile.

  “Great. Then I’ll pick you up on my way back from the pathologist. You can leave your car here if you like, and I’ll bring you in, in the morning.”

  “Okay… erm… thanks,” she said suddenly shyly.

  Thomas had an inkling that his colleague felt more at home with taut word-fights, where repartee was essential — probably the remnants from her life on the streets. The exchange of niceties still offered room for improvement. Nevertheless, he hoped the tension between them would ease… at least a bit.

  “Oh, I have asked my neighbour and his wife over for dinner as well, if that’s okay. He cleared my driveway this morning, so I felt like I owed him something. They are a lovely couple — Richard and Allison — and he fenced in his youth, so I thought he could explain the sport to us.”

  “Sounds good. I googled it, but we need to see a full-size epee. I think this weapon was chosen on purpose, so the better an understanding we get of it, the better a feeling we get for the case.”

  “Right. I’ll ask him if he still has one at home and if he could bring it over. And one more thing… erm… do you mind a dog and an eleven-year-old girl joining us too?”

  She raised her eyebrows in utter surprise. “Eleven, already? How did you do that? You’ve only been gone for a year.”

  Thomas pulled a face and laughed. “Sky isn’t my daughter. I just have to take care of her every now and again when her father is away on business. David and I are close friends. We grew up together, and he helped me a lot last year. And the girl has known me all her life as well.”

  “Poor thing.” And with that, Collins swung her chair back to the desk and started a search on the computer system.

  Thomas wondered how bad an influence she could be for Sky.

  8

  LAURA was waiting for Thomas at the entrance of the morgue. The sweet scent of death hit him unexpectedly hard, and he fought to keep his nausea at bay. He had not been in a room with a dead body in over a year, and obviously his senses were no longer as blunt to certain smells and looks as they had been before the incident.

  I’m getting old and sentimental, he thought when putting on gloves and a green plastic apron.

  The victim lay naked on an examination table. His body was stiff, and his skin looked pale and waxy. On his lower legs and knees he had dark purple bruises from kneeling on the frozen pyramid floor, and livor mortis on his chest, where Laura had made a Y-shaped incision earlier on.

  Even though she had closed Wright’s eyes, Thomas still felt the mortal fear emanating from the dead man. Every aspect of his body was screaming in silent horror.

  Thomas shook his head, bringing himself back to reality, and looked down at the pathologist.

  “Enlighten me.”

  “He was killed between midnight and one to one-thirty with this broken epee.” She nodded towards the examination table next to the body. “That was rammed with brute force right into his heart. It was not moved after the first blow, and there is no exit wound at the back of his body. The entry wound is consistent with the profile of the epee. He bled out from the puncture wound, so the cause of death is blood loss and a damaged heart. A quick test showed he had not taken any drugs, but for a detailed blood test you have to wait another day. As far as I can tell, he was not murdered in his sleep, but was awake at the time of the attack. Maybe he knew the attacker… maybe they spoke with each other. It was a slow, cruel death, but it seems he took his last breath with great patience, as he did not try to pull the epee out of his body. Rather, it looks to me like that he was left in such utter disbelief about the crime he forgot to fight back.”

  “Or he was aware that he wouldn’t stand a chance. I am wondering if he knew who did this to him,” Thomas said, immersed in thought.

  “He was dragged through the snow. His clothes,” she pointed towards another table, “were soaking wet. Well frozen by the time he was found, and they clung to his body.”

  “We still don’t know where he was killed. There was no blood… neither inside the cabin nor at the pyramid. But since he was not wearing any winter clothes either, he must have been forced or lured from the cabin, then killed and dragged through the snow to some vehicle that took him to the market square. And we don’t even know his bloody name!” Thomas felt his temper rising, but he bit his lower lip and mumbled an excuse in Laura’s direction.

  “Don’t worry. Tomorrow I’ll get the DNA and blood test results, and I’m sure they’ll tell us who this poor fellow was. And the computer is still comparing his fingerprints to everyone we’ve got in our database.” She patted Thomas’s back reassuringly, and walked him over to the table with the clothes on it.

  The sad pile consisted of cheap black slippers, grey socks, underwear, black tracksuit bottoms, and a grey long-sleeved shirt — its front covered in blood. Everything was damp and had loyally acquired the sweet smell of its late owner.

  “The pockets were empty except for this,” Laura said, pushing two crumpled receipts towards Thomas. Both were in Bohemian korunas, but he could not identify where or what had been bought.

  It was a job for Collins for the next day.

  Thomas and Laura turned towards the murder weapon. “En garde!” Laura said behind him.

  Thomas turned around and eyed her suspiciously.

  “That’s what they say when they start the game, isn’t it?” She shrugged.

  “I doubt he would have called it a game.” He pointed his thumb over his shoulder to where the body was lying.

  In front of them was a shiny silver piece of metal. The three-sided blade was broken in the middle. Laura had washed the blood and tissue off, and Thomas noticed a clean break. The front piece of the epee with the tip was missing, and from forensics he knew that it was neither found at the cabin nor at the pyramid.

  Attached to the blade were a scratched bell guard and a pistol-like-looking handle. Inside the bell guard was a round blue piece of cloth with wires sticking out at all ends.

  “And?” he asked, already knowing her response.

  “To me, it doesn’t look like the epee broke of its own accord. Rather, someone cut it in half with a metal saw. See…” She put the blade under a magnifying glass and moved her finger along the edge. “It’s too neat to be broken.”

  “So, it wasn’t an accident or a spontaneous attack. This epee was meant to kill. It had been prepared. And it’s easy to hide in a backpack or even under a thick jacket.” Thomas let his fingers run along the scar on his temple. “But why an epee? I mean, there are a dozen easier ways to kill someone. Why not use a kitchen knife?”

  “It might have a special meaning to the killer. The bell guard looks fairly battered; it must have protected a fencer’s hand in many a fight.”

  “Do you think the murderer had to be a fencer?” Thomas wondered.


  “No, not necessarily. Anybody can buy an epee online and cut it in half. As far as I know, it’s a sports weapon and doesn’t have to be locked away like guns.”

  He nodded. “Hmm, that means we can’t really exclude anybody from our investigation. Have you found any fingerprints on it?”

  Laura shook her head. “Neither on the blade nor the handle. But I’m not surprised. It’s winter; people even wear gloves when they don’t want to kill.”

  “Thanks. Can I take the receipts and this with me?” Thomas pointed at the epee. “And please give me a call as soon as you get the DNA results.”

  Laura bagged the requested items and replied with a small wink, “Sure, will do. Have a good night, sir.”

  He left the morgue and called Sky on his way to the police station to let her know about the dinner plans. The TV was blaring in the background. He told her he would be home in about half an hour and would appreciate at least an attempt to tidy up.

  Collins was already waiting for him in the lobby. They put her suitcase in the boot of his SUV, and he gave her the details from the pathologist report, asking her to examine the receipts first thing in the morning.

  By now, it was seven o’clock, and a black sky hung above them. But it was far from dark.

  Every window in every house was illuminated with light arches casting a warm orange glow towards everybody not fortunate enough to be inside.

  “It’s quite a nice tradition,” Collins said thoughtfully.

  “It always reminds me of how the miners must have felt when they walked home in the dark and cold after a long shift underground… a sign that they weren’t forgotten down there.” Thomas nodded.

  They left St Anna and the bright houses behind and plunged into darkness.

  “Should I be aware of a wife or girlfriend?” Collins asked carefully.

  He smiled and shook his head without taking his eyes off the frozen road.

  “Then tell me something about your child.”

  Thomas laughed. “As I said before, Sky’s not my child, but the daughter of my best friend, David James. He’s an independent consultant specialising in graphic design. His ideas and designs are used for a huge variety of product packaging and corporate identity. He’s fairly successful, but the downside is, as a one-man show, he has to travel a lot… at least when he presents his work to customers. He tries to work from home as much as possible, but he had to go to Australia for a month, and that’s why I have to help babysitting his daughter. They’ve travelled the world together, but he knew sooner or later, he’d have to settle down for Sky to receive some proper schooling.”

  “Why did he settle down here?” Collins asked blankly.

  “His parents lived in Turtleville, so he bought a house there, and when Sky couldn’t join him on his journeys she stayed with them.”

  “So why is she staying with you now? Change of air?”

  “Her grandparents died two years ago in a car crash, so David had to work from home. He tried to time his business trips so they’d fall during the school holidays, but when that didn’t work he asked me to stay at his house and take care of the kid. In the end, they convinced me to buy a house there and get some distance from Turnden and HQ. That was in January this year. Later on, though, I found out the ulterior motive for their solicitude — to look after Sky when David was away, and what can I say…? I fell for it.” He shrugged.

  “What happened to her mother?” Collins asked, not looking at him.

  “She died when Sky was a baby, and with her grandmother gone as well, there aren’t really that many women in her life to talk to and…” He let the sentence hang for a moment. “It’s not always easy… neither for her nor for us.” He sighed.

  “Why did David never get a new girlfriend?”

  “I can tell you several dozen tricks about how to get rid of daddy’s new girlfriend,” Thomas said, looking at his colleague.

  The corners of her mouth moved upward ever so slightly. “Sounds like a very determined girl.” Collins grinned.

  “I’d rather call it stubborn and cheeky. Anyway, could you please not talk about the case this evening when she is around?”

  Collins’s smile went as quickly as it came. “Why? Will she think a monster is waiting under her bed?” Thomas disliked her sudden change in attitude.

  “Look, she’s just eleven. All I’m asking of you is to show some sensitivity, okay?”

  “It’s never too early to face the real world,” Collins snapped.

  He tightened his grip on the steering wheel until his knuckles turned white.

  “Why do you question every request? If you want to be left alone I can drop you off at the inn. No need to ruin an entire evening.” He took a breath. “So, we either play this by my rules or I’ll play it without you. Up to you.” Thomas had already begun to regret his invitation.

  “Whatever,” she mumbled like a sulking child.

  “I’ll take that as a yes,” Thomas said curtly. “So, no details about the condition of the victim or about the case in general. I promise you she’ll ask, and she certainly knows a thing or two about getting information out of adults.”

  “So, what am I allowed to talk about with her?” Collins asked miffed, but he was glad she said something at all.

  “Sports, for example, is a good topic. Sky loves all kinds of sports. She is quite athletic. School, on the other hand, is probably not the best icebreaker.”

  “Sounds good,” Collins said, stretching her arms in front of her chest.

  “I feared you might think so as well.”

  “You said something about a dog.”

  “Yeah, Barney. After the death of her grandparents, when David started travelling again, he got her a golden cocker spaniel puppy that is now ten months old and follows her wherever she goes. I have to be honest, it really looks cute when they go cross-country skiing together, and he jumps through the snow with flapping ears, but the dog is so wild and badly behaved; he chews on everything he can get his paws on. And he sheds fur in all seasons. Next time I’ll stay at David’s house so he can do the cleaning afterwards.”

  “Well, it’s a hunting dog, isn’t it? They need their daily exercise.”

  “Do you have one?”

  “Nope. Always wanted one, but…” She bit her lip. “Never really got around to it.”

  9

  JUST as Thomas pulled into his garage, Richard walked towards them. “Evening, mate!”

  “Hi, Richard. This is DS Ann Collins. We’re working together on the case. Collins, this is Richard Cunningham, my dear neighbour.”

  “Your hungry neighbour,” Richard exclaimed, shaking hands.

  “You and Allison can come over in an hour. I’ll start right away. Listen, I need a favour. I know you fenced. Do you still have an epee that you could bring over? We need to learn as much about fencing as possible.”

  “Ah, now there’s the real reason for this dinner! This isn’t about saying thanks to a neighbour for shovelling snow. You’ll get roped into a case without getting any information about the case! Now, I’m asking again, what’s in this for me?” He beamed at Thomas.

  “Okay, one whiskey after dinner and…” Meaningfully, he leaned closer to Richard “What’s off the cards is any information about the case. See you in an hour, and don’t forget the epee!”

  He opened the front door and was immediately greeted by a golden fur ball with flapping ears. Barney barked with joy and jumped up on Thomas’s leg. He ruffled the dog’s fur and looked at Collins. “Welcome to my home.”

  “It’s very snug.”

  “Sky! I’m home.” The door to his office opened slowly, and a barefoot girl dressed in black football shorts and a white T-shirt looked expectantly at them. Her long auburn hair, curly at the end, played around her shoulders. She had a slender face with dark, curious eyes and a cheeky grin.

  “What are you doing in my office?” Thomas looked at her firmly.

  “What happened to ‘hello, how are you�
��?” she returned.

  Just the perfect start to the evening, he thought, seeing Collins’s surprised face out of the corner of his eye.

  He didn’t reply but locked eyes with Sky. Finally, she saved herself. “I just put my homework on your desk.”

  “Good. I’d like you to meet DS Ann Collins. She’s from HQ in Turnden, and we’re currently working together.”

  Sky walked towards them with light footsteps, never losing eye contact with Collins, and extended her arm towards Thomas’s colleague. They shook hands in silence.

  “What are we having for dinner?” Sky looked up at Thomas.

  “We’ll have oven-roasted potatoes, veggies, and steak. Richie and Allison will be over in an hour as well, so I better get started.” He clapped his hands together. “Sky, please show DS Collins around the house and then change into something more appropriate for dinner.”

  “I find this very appropriate.” Her hand moved elegantly from head to toe, and Collins giggled.

  “Excuse us,” Thomas said, ushering Sky into the kitchen. “Listen, I’ve had a long, rough day, and I’m in no mood to argue, so please do as I say at least this one evening. And look at me when I talk to you.” He was tired and hated this to-and-fro before something eventually got done. Thomas never really regretted having no children of his own; taking care of one was just as much as he could bear next to a full-time job, but he had to admit that he could not really be angry with her. If she wanted to, Sky could be as good as gold. But now she lifted her head, pouting.

  “Did you enjoy skiing?” he placated.

  “Yes! Conditions were perfect!” She beamed at him.

  “Sounds great. All right, now do you want to have dinner with us, or do you want to go upstairs?”

  “Have dinner with you guys. Aaand I’ll show her around aaand change,” Sky replied, stressing each ‘and’ longer than necessary.