by Helen Phifer
Josh parked behind the ambulance, and as he climbed out of the car another pulled up beside him. But there were no other cars around, which was good. He smiled at Sam, who mouthed ‘suits and boots?’ He nodded. Until he was sure it was accidental death, he wasn’t taking any chances. It wasn’t unheard of to have two drowning cases so close together, but it was unusual. They would take all the precautions they needed.
Sam joined him at the boot of the car as he ripped open the plastic packaging for his paper suit.
‘This is a bit strange, don’t you think?’
‘Yes, it is. It’s not the first time we’ve had a spate of drowning in the lake though; it does happen. Apparently this one isn’t so nice. Wonder how the lad is who found it?’
Sam was already dressed and fastening the shoe covers around her legs, and he did the same. Lastly, they tugged on the powder blue nitrile gloves that were standard issue throughout the constabulary.
‘I was ready to go home, have a glass of wine, put my feet up and watch a couple of episodes of Killing Eve. Have you seen it?’
‘No, I don’t tend to watch thrillers. Not in front of Beth anyway.’
‘God, no. I can see why, but if you ever did want to, I think you’d enjoy it.’ They walked towards the wooden gate which led onto the public footpath and he pushed it open, holding it for her to walk through.
‘What a gentleman.’
‘Yeah, most of the time.’
Turning on torches to illuminate the slippery path, which was littered with fallen leaves, they walked the short distance to the shore at a brisk pace, the thundering sound of a nearby waterfall rushing down Wynlass Beck towards Lake Windermere getting louder as they approached.
‘It’s beautiful.’ Sam nodded at the view. ‘I always forget about this part of the lake. I used to bring the kids when they were younger to go canoeing and windsurfing.’
‘Don’t they canoe any more?’
She laughed. ‘No, sinking shots of vodka is the current sport of choice.’
Josh smiled, remembering how easy his life had been as an eighteen-year-old. They rounded the bend and saw the assortment of officers, paramedics and a pale-faced teenager with a silver foil blanket wrapped around his shoulders. A sense of déjà vu washed over Josh, so overpowering that he blinked hard as an officer approached him.
‘Sarge, the body has just been recovered by the lake wardens.’ He looked towards the shore where a dishevelled, sodden black mass lay. ‘The poor kid’s pretty shook up.’
‘Cheers, I’ll go speak with them now.’
The smell of decomposition filled the air as he got nearer to the body, but the two wardens didn’t look phased at all. Spotting his approach, they walked towards him, introducing themselves as they met in the middle.
The woman held out her hand. ‘I’m Melanie, this is Fraser, we were on our final lap of the lake when we heard the screams. Poor kid looks traumatised.’
‘Thanks, both of you. It’s very much appreciated. It can’t have been easy. If I could ask you to give your details to the officer standing over there we’ll be in touch for a statement.’
‘No problem. We weren’t aware there were any missing persons alerts for the lake. This is a bit of a shock to be honest.’
Josh glanced over at the teenager, who was staring at the body in front of them. He whispered to Sam, ‘Get one of those officers to put him in the back of a car and away from the corpse.’ He then turned back to Melanie. ‘Thanks again, good shout.’
They followed Sam towards the officer and the paramedics.
Alone now, Josh took a deep breath and prepared himself to face whoever it was that had been released from their watery grave.
Twenty-One
Beth arrived at Miller Ground, parking on the grass verge as there was no room in the small lay-by. As she carried her heavy case down towards the shore, she couldn’t help but admire the beauty of the area. It was dark and an officer had met her at the gate, leading the way and shining a dragon light to illuminate the steep path in front of them. She was thankful to have some company – it stopped her heart from racing too fast – and even more thankful she’d had the foresight to wear her walking boots. The ground underfoot was soft, slippery from the low mist which had settled over the area as the sun had set. The cool autumn air blew away the overwhelming exhaustion she had felt back at home; she was wide awake and in full professional mode now. It always amazed her how she could slip from one persona to the other in the blink of an eye: exhausted, anxious Beth left at home, while cool, confident, professional Beth attended the scene of a sudden death.
She wasn’t usually called out to drownings – paramedics were more than capable of certifying that life was extinct – but she understood Josh’s unease; everyone was still on high alert since they’d caught a serial killer burying his victims in other people’s graves just over a month ago. They rounded the bend where the path opened up onto a small cottage; a bit further around and there was the lakeside. There were a couple of stone jetties jutting out into the water; steeped in darkness they looked as if they disappeared into the lake. A few police officers, two paramedics and a teenage boy wrapped up in a foil blanket were sitting on a low wall. She recognised Sam sitting next to him, her head bent near to his as she chatted to him.
She looked around for the body and her heart skipped a little beat when she saw Josh standing over it. Even though she couldn’t make out his handsome features in the shadows, just knowing he was there was enough to make her pulse quicken. As if he sensed her staring at him, he looked up, lifting his hand to wave. She waved back and began to walk towards him. He came to meet her, shining his torch along the uneven shoreline so she didn’t stumble.
‘I thought you weren’t on call tonight.’
‘I’m not, but something came up with Charles so here I am.’
‘Good, not good about Charles, but I’m glad you are here.’
‘What have we got?’
‘I’ll let you see for yourself. That poor lad was fishing and thought he saw a discarded sleeping bag floating in the lake and did his civic duty by wading in to pull it out. Got the fright of his life when he saw two empty eye sockets staring back at him. Whoever it is has been in the water for some time.’
As they moved closer to the corpse, the stench overwhelmed them. Beth took the torch from Josh and shone it down onto the distorted, bloated face. It was hard to tell whether it was a man or a woman; any distinguishing features had gone. As she moved the torch down the torso she shuddered. It looked as if the body was still breathing although she knew it was impossible. Bending down, she lifted the black jumper to reveal a writhing mass of tiny crabs and fish that were feasting on the rotten flesh. Josh groaned, and she tugged the material back down, not needing to see any more.
‘There’s a lot of skin slippage. I’m sorry but you’re going to have to wait until we get the body back to the mortuary before I can tell you what sex it is. I don’t want to risk damaging any evidence out here. We’re better off waiting until it can be properly undressed, hosed off and safely contained on the table.’
‘It’s horrific. I didn’t think this sort of thing happened in real life. You know, maybe in a movie, but for the life of me…’ Josh shuddered.
‘We need to get them to the mortuary, Josh. There’s really nothing I can do or tell you in these conditions. I’m sorry.’
He looked at her, concern etched across his face. ‘You have nothing to be sorry for, Beth. I know you’re a doctor but you’re not a miracle worker. I just feel bad for whoever this is. When we do identify them, their family isn’t going to be able to view them or to say goodbye. I can’t think of anything worse.’
‘I’ll go straight there. I’m sure Abe will be happy to meet me. Until I know for sure what’s happened, I want everything treated as evidence. Tell the undertakers I want full forensic removal. Have you had any missing persons reports for the area?’
‘Paton is on the case with that. Thank
s, I’ll get the attending officers to meet you there. I have a couple of loose ends that need sorting out here. I’ll see you later, OK?’
Picking up her case, she made her way back to the car alone. The body would be wrapped in a nylon sheet then bagged ready for her and Abe to do their best to find out who this was and how they had ended up in such a terrible state.
Twenty-Two
Beth sped through winding lanes to the hospital at Barrow to wait for the body. There was talk about moving all forensic post-mortems to the Royal Lancaster Infirmary, but she was holding out as long as she could. Lancaster was nearer than Barrow, but Abe worked in the Barrow mortuary and although she had no doubt the staff were as competent at Royal Lancaster as he was, she didn’t want to risk losing him. He made her dark and disturbing job easier to bear, always pre-empting her needs and never questioning her painstaking attention to detail. Mortuary assistants like him were hard to find; she supposed it didn’t matter what career he turned his hand to – he would be outstanding because that’s the kind of person he was.
The drive to Barrow was pleasant, the roads almost deserted. Knowing she would arrive before the body, she decided to treat herself and Abe to a coffee from the drive-thru Costa on the way into town. Although it would take her past the hospital to get there and she’d have to double back on herself, it was worth the extra ten minutes. Her mind was getting tired again; she needed caffeine if she wanted to be alert.
Armed with two large lattes, both with an extra shot, and two lemon tarts, she drove back to the hospital. The only good thing about being called out at this time of night was she could park almost next to the entrance. For a moment she wondered if she should have offered to pick Abe up as it was late and he always cycled everywhere. But spotting his bike leaning against the wall she realised he was already here. Grabbing the coffees and bag of cakes, she approached the double doors and hesitated over how she was going to ring the bell with her hands full. As if by magic, one of them opened and she grinned at Abe.
‘You’re a mind-reader and a life-saver.’
‘I think you might be the life-saver, Beth, I was almost asleep. That coffee smells good.’
‘Bribery and a thank you.’
‘For what? It’s my job. If you need me, I’m always available. Don’t tell Dr Wilson that, though, I’m not available for him out of hours unless I’m on call.’ He winked.
‘You are far too good to me, Abe, but I appreciate it.’
She followed him inside the spotless mortuary, and the smell of disinfectant hung in the air. Clean and sterile, but not for long. They went into the small staff room and sat either side of the table, and she passed over a coffee and the paper bag towards Abe. He looked inside and nodded enthusiastically at her choice of pastry. Sliding it back over, she took hers out and began to eat, not realising how hungry she was. Abe chatted happily about his new favourite crime novel by Angela Marsons until they both fell into an easy silence, preparing themselves for the horror of what they were about to face.
When the buzzer on the back doors echoed throughout the mortuary, the pair of them jumped, and Abe laughed; the infectious sound filled the air and she joined in. He stood up and saluted her, then went to open the double doors for whoever had escorted their body here. Beth wondered if the undertakers had bowed out, leaving it to the fire service. As she walked into the mortuary, she smiled at the two solemn-looking men both dressed in overalls, looking more like sheet metal workers than undertakers. The older of the two nodded at her.
‘I thought our job was bad enough. You’ve got your work cut out for you with this one, Doctor.’
She nodded, thinking that this wasn’t the worst body she’d ever seen by far. The guy who’d decided to climb a rickety wooden ladder one winter evening after six cans of cider to cut some branches for his woodburner was one of the top three. He’d carried the chainsaw up the ladder in the dark with only a head torch for light. Then he’d started the chainsaw, lost his balance and managed to almost decapitate himself. He hadn’t been found for two days; by then his almost severed head had been frozen solid as his body dangled from the tree like a frozen, life-sized marionette. When they’d tried to get him down his head had come clean off, the few tendons that had held it together tearing apart, making a sound that she could still hear today if she closed her eyes. His head had bounced off a hedge and the nearest fireman who’d been assisting. It had landed on the floor, rolling until it came to a standstill almost at Beth’s feet.
She smiled at the undertaker. ‘It’s bad, but not the worst. Although I’m not too keen on the marine life still nibbling at the intestines, but what can you do?’
He lost what little colour there was in his cheeks just as the officer who had led Beth to the lake walked in behind them. ‘What are we going to do?’
Everyone turned to look at him. It was Beth who answered.
‘We’re going to put the body onto the table and open the bag, as we need to remove the outer clothing and see if there is anything that could give us a clue to the identity. We’ll remove any personal possessions for you to bag up and take back with you to book into the property store. Abe will wash down and remove the creatures in the torso.’
There was silence as they all contemplated the task in hand. Then the undertakers began to back away. ‘Yeah, well you don’t need us for that, do you? We’ll leave you to it.’
‘Actually, we might need a hand to roll the body, if you can stay a little longer?’
The two men looked pained and she felt bad for asking, but the body was in a bad way. The more of them to handle it the less chance of causing even more damage than there already was.
Twenty-Three
Ethan sipped at his lager. His stomach wasn’t really ready to consume more alcohol. He glanced at James, who had spent the last few hours watching everyone in the bar, occasionally focusing his attention if someone entered the reception area which was just visible from where they were sitting. They’d spoken very little. Ethan hadn’t realised how hungry he was until the plates had been placed on the table in front of him. Then his stomach had let out a loud growl and he’d realised he was ravenous.
‘When do you think you might go and see the police?’
When James didn’t answer, he turned to see what he was staring at. He caught sight of the blonde-haired girl from last night, the one who James had left with early. She was whispering into the ear of another girl who was standing behind the reception desk.
‘I don’t believe you, oh my God. You’re such a dick at times, James.’
James held up his hand to stop him talking and Ethan felt a hot, fiery ball of anger form in the pit of his stomach. He pushed his chair away from the table and stood up.
‘I’m going home; you’ve been as much company as that statue of Buddha over there. Thanks for the food.’
Ethan walked off, not sure how he was getting home. It was a long walk, but he’d rather head back. At least it would clear away the last of his hangover. He wasn’t waiting around for James to pick up the girl. Christ, he was obsessed with women and sex. Do you think you’re just a touch jealous, Ethan? he heard the voice of his mother whisper in his ear and shook his head. He wasn’t jealous; well, maybe he was a little. It would be nice to never have to worry about money or popularity and be able to live the lifestyle that James did. But not at the price of being a self-absorbed arsehole. He’d rather be skint and genuine.
As he reached the end of the steep hill, he heard the familiar sound of James’s convertible Porsche coming down the road. He didn’t turn around. He really couldn’t be bothered with him. A horn blared behind him.
‘Father, forgive me for I have sinned,’ he heard James shout.
A group of Japanese tourists who turned the corner to head up to the hotel all stared. A couple of them lifted the expensive cameras from around their necks and began to snap pictures of them. Ethan felt the redness that had started at the base of his throat spread across his cheeks. He carri
ed on walking, shaking his head. Behind him James shouted.
‘Ethan, don’t leave me this way. I love you, we can work it out.’
Ethan turned to face the grinning idiot, who, despite the biting cold wind, had put the roof down and was standing on the front seat of his car, his arms outstretched. Ethan crossed to the middle of the road where James was pretending to sob into his hands and tugged open the door. He got inside and James threw his arms around him. The group of tourists went wild, clapping and cheering.
Ethan whispered, ‘I’ll bloody kill you for this, you’re an idiot.’
James sat back down, grinning. ‘No, you won’t. You’ll forgive me because we’re mates, and it was funny.’
Shaking his head, he tried to maintain an air of anger; instead, he began to laugh. The pair of them were laughing until the car behind them had had enough and beeped loudly at them to get moving. James stuck his arm up in the air, giving them the finger and sped off.
‘Were you really going to walk all that way home?’
‘Yes, I wasn’t waiting around for you. Why didn’t you say you wanted to go there to see her again?’
James shrugged. ‘I didn’t think it was such a big deal. No offence, mate, but the world doesn’t revolve around you. I’m sorry that girl died; I’m even sorrier you had to drag her out of the water. On your own. It must have been horrid. But shit happens, it’s done. She’s dead, there was nothing you could do that you didn’t already. No point in moping around feeling sorry for yourself, is there?’
‘You should be a life coach; the no-nonsense approach goes down well with normal people who have feelings and a conscience.’
James clutched at his heart. ‘I have feelings! Granted, most of them are in my boxer shorts, but I do have them.’
This set Ethan off laughing and he shook his head. ‘Did you speak to her then? Don’t tell me she didn’t give you her number after your night of passion.’
