Gift Wrapped (3 page)

The first two constables instantly stepped forward and began to dig strongly and determinedly at the sun-baked soil in the area indicated by Webster, who had by then walked away and was standing beside the dog handlers, thus allowing the two constables room to work. Webster watched with interest as the two young men settled down into a steady rhythm, chipping away at the hardened soil. The first two constables were replaced by the next two men in line when, after thirty minutes of hard labour, they had dug a hole Webster guessed to be one-and-a-half-feet deep. After in excess of ninety minutes of digging the first two constables were once again working with their shirts wet with perspiration. One of the constables stood and announced, ‘There's something here, sir. We've definitely got something.'

Webster stepped forward and glanced keenly and curiously into the hole. He saw that the ‘something' was a skull ... a human skull. ‘Well, that's not a sheep,' he said for want of anything to say. ‘That is definitely not a sheep.' Then he turned to the sergeant and said, ‘Can you please dig the soil away from the rest of the top of the skeleton so as to expose it, but do not dig beneath it until the pathologist gives the go-ahead?'

‘Yes, sir.' The sergeant turned to the constables and loudly barked clear instructions.

For a second time that day Webster took his mobile phone from his jacket pocket and contacted DCI Hennessey.

‘Male.' Dr Louise D'Acre looked down at the skeleton which had by then been fully exposed by careful, very careful, removal of the soil which had covered it. ‘That's all I can tell you for now. Probably northern European, possibly Asian, but the deceased is definitely a male of our species.' She also noted how the roots of the nearest oak tree had closely entwined round the skeleton rather than pushing through it. She and DCI Hennessey stood side by side within the white inflatable tent which had been erected over the shallow grave. The skele-ton, they observed, had been laid on its right-hand side and its legs had been folded in a near foetal position. ‘Adult male,' she further explained. ‘I note clear trauma to the skull. Do you see it, Chief Inspector?'

‘Yes, ma'am.' Hennessey saw the linear facture on the top of the skull. ‘That would have caused quite a headache, I think.'

‘It would also have caused instant death,' Dr D'Acre replied solemnly. ‘At least I can say that it has that sort of potential. There might be more trauma on the hidden side to be considered, but that blow to the head alone ... well, I have known less to cause death, can I put it like that?'

‘Understood.' Hennessey gave a slight nod of his head. ‘Can I ask you, Doctor D'Acre, how old do you think he is? I mean, how old was he at the time he died? That would be very useful in helping us to identify him.'

‘Over twenty-five years is all I can say at the moment because the skull has fully knitted together, as you can see, but once I start the post-mortem I will be able to extract a tooth, which will enable me to make an accurate determination of his age at death to within twelve months.' Dr D'Acre paused. ‘As you see, he has achieved the fifth stage of decomposition. That is to say that he is now almost totally skeletal. He's certainly been down there a good number of years. This soil hereabouts is rich in beasties the human eye cannot see and the moisture ... but he has a few sinews left ... He's been down there for less than seventy years ... much less.'

‘So work for us?' Hennessey smiled briefly. ‘No rest for the wicked.'

‘Oh, yes, Chief Inspector.' Louise D'Acre turned to Hennessey and smiled gently but briefly. ‘It is work for you, I fear. Have you taken all the photographs you need?'

‘Almost.'

‘Very well. I'll begin to take soil samples, but other than that I have seen all I need to see here. I'll supervise the lifting of the skeleton and its placing into a body bag, once you have confirmed that all photographs have been taken. Who will lift the skeleton? Do you know?'

‘Whoever,' Hennessey's eye developed a wicked gleam, ‘or whichever two constables have the least experience. Whoever has the least years of service.'

Dr D'Acre smiled. ‘Yes ... that is a good philosophy. The “deep end” approach.'

‘I'll talk to them first, of course.' Hennessey grinned. ‘I'll remind them that they did not join the police force to escort little old ladies across the road.'

‘They certainly didn't.' Louise D'Acre nodded briefly. ‘So to confirm, I'll remain here until the skeleton is in the body bag. Then I'd like to check the soil underneath the skeleton, because there is the possibility that there might be something of interest to us there. I assume you'll dig down a little further until you are certain you have reached consolidated soil?'

‘Of course, ma'am.' Hennessey wiped a bead of sweat from his brow.

‘I don't see any non-degradable items like buttons or zip fasteners,' Dr D'Acre observed.

‘Nor do I,' Hennessey replied.

‘That will probably mean he was buried naked,' Dr D'Acre commented. ‘That's usually the case with young women, not men, because there is often a sexual component to the murder of women that isn't present in the murder of men, but whatever.' She paused briefly. ‘I assume you'll be witnessing the post-mortem for the police, Chief Inspector?'

‘Yes, ma'am,' Hennessey replied. ‘I will.'

‘Good.' Dr D'Acre turned to leave the tent. ‘I can very easily start the post-mortem today; there is still plenty of time. I am not particularly constrained by time, but Eric is ... I have to bear that in mind.'

‘Eric?' Hennessey sounded puzzled. ‘Sorry ... Eric?'

‘Eric Filey, one of the pathology laboratory assistants. He usually works with me. He's a good man ... a good young man and we are very lucky to have him, very lucky indeed. He'll willingly work overtime should I have to ask him to but I don't want to put upon him. I want to keep him on side so I won't risk antagonizing him. I must be careful not to exploit his good nature.'

‘Oh, I fully understand, and Eric ... Of course, how could I forget about Eric?' Hennessey stepped aside so as to allow Dr D'Acre to exit the tent. ‘Man management is all about diplomacy.'

‘I'll step outside for a moment to let the SOCO officers take the last of their photographs and to allow them space to photograph the exhumation.' Dr D'Acre moved thankfully out into the breathable air of the field and once again found herself pondering the fortune awaiting the person who invents an air-conditioning system which can be installed in inflatable tents for the use of the police. She, like Reginald Webster, found herself enjoying the rural setting to which her duties on that day had brought her and she was very pleased to be able to exchange the all-pervading smell of formaldehyde for the pleasing fresh country air. As she walked from the tent her eye was caught by a hawk – a sparrow hawk, she thought – hovering above an adjacent field, and she watched as the bird dived purposefully, disappeared from view amongst the wheat and then rose with a small object in its talons. The field mouse dies so that the hawk might live; life goes on. She noticed movement on the road and saw a farmer with a battered, mud-splattered, green canvas-topped Land Rover slow down as he passed the scene of the police activity. Dr D'Acre then realized it would be the talk of the pubs in Warthill and Gate Helmsley that evening and probably for a few more evenings to come. Gossip, she pondered, that just might cause a felon to have a sleepless night, as the news of the skeleton being found would be made public. Dr D'Acre knew that all such talk could be useful to the police; local gossip and wide publicity has all been known to make a felon trip himself up, or even, indeed, to walk into a police station desperately wishing to ease a terrible conscience which has been haunting him, or her, for years. But in this case it was clear to her that the wretched man with a hole in his skull was never intended to be found.

The skeleton, once delicately raised to ground level, was gently laid on to the black heavy-duty plastic body bag by the two ashen-faced young constables, which was then closed and zipped shut, placed on a stretcher and carried solemnly to the black, windowless mortuary van which had been summoned and, upon arriving, had parked behind the police minibus. Dr D'Acre returned to the tent and looked into the hole and, observing no further human remains or other items of significance, she then vacated the tent and approached DCI Hennessey. ‘Nothing more for me to do here, sir,' she spoke quietly. ‘I'll proceed to the York District Hospital and await the arrival of the skeleton.'

‘Very well, ma'am. I have a press release to prepare and then to issue, and I will join you immediately after that has been done. I am sure I will not be much delayed.'

Dr D'Acre carefully studied the skeleton which lay upon the first of five stainless-steel tables which stood in a row in the pathology laboratory of the York District Hospital. It had been found on its side and in a foetal position, and was by then lying face-up with its arms by its sides and legs extended. Also present in the laboratory that afternoon were Eric Filey and DCI Hennessey, both of whom stood at a respectful distance from the dissecting table – Hennessey against the wall and Filey on the further side of the laboratory, against the bench which ran the length of the laboratory and beneath which were drawers containing instruments and other items which might be required by the pathologist. Dr D'Acre, Filey and Hennessey were each dressed in identical disposable green coveralls, complete with cap and foot covering. As on all previous occasions when George Hennessey had observed a post-mortem for the police, he once again found the air of the pathology laboratory heavy with the smell of bleach and industrial grade disinfectant. It permitted no natural light but instead was illuminated by a series of filament bulbs shielded by opaque Perspex screens, which prevented epileptic fit-inducing shimmer to reach the eyes of any person in the room.

Dr D'Acre pulled down the anglepoise arm which was bolted to the ceiling, so that the microphone at the tip of the arm was level with her mouth. ‘Today's date and the next serial number, please, Judith.' She spoke for the clear benefit of the tape which would later, Hennessey knew, be transcribed by an audio typist who evidently knew which information to type and which to omit. Dr D'Acre then turned slowly to Eric Filey and said, ‘This might mean late working for you, Eric. I hope you don't mind?'

‘Not at all, ma'am,' Filey responded with a ready smile and Hennessey noted he pronounced ma'am in the correct manner so as to rhyme with ‘calm' and not in the incorrect manner so as to rhyme with ‘lamb'.

‘Good man, thank you, I appreciate it.' Dr D'Acre paused for a few seconds before she continued. ‘The subject is a skeletal male adult, over the age of twenty-five years, because the complete knitting of the skull sutures is noted. At first glance his teeth appear to be complete and so he will probably have been no older than his early middle years when he died.' Again Dr D'Acre paused and turned to Eric Filey. ‘Can you please hand me the tape measure, Eric?' And then added, ‘Many thanks,' as Filey handed a yellow metal and retractable one over. ‘If you could help me, Eric?'

Eric Filey promptly stepped forward and took hold of the end of the tape measure, holding it at the feet, while Dr D'Acre extended it towards the skull. ‘So,' she announced, ‘five feet eight inches tall or about 173 centimetres in Euro speak. He was not a tall man in life, but neither was he particularly short. He was just of average height for the north of England where folk, it has been observed, tend to be a little shorter than their southern counterparts.' Again, she paused. ‘In terms of racial extraction he is northern European or Asian, though I think he is too heavily boned to be Asian. The skulls of both groups can be somewhat difficult to distinguish but, having said that, the Asian skulls have a tendency to be more finely made than the Northern European skulls.' Dr D'Acre forced open the jaw of the skeleton. ‘All the teeth are present,' she confirmed, ‘and British dentistry is noted ... so likely a UK citizen ... in fact, he certainly will be a UK citizen.'

‘So there will be a missing persons report in respect of him?' Hennessey commented.

‘Yes, I would think so. Almost certainly so.' Dr D'Acre continued to examine the teeth. ‘He didn't look after his teeth – we have fillings a-plenty, though at least that tells us he wasn't a derelict, a down-and-out whom nobody would miss, but then we knew that because as a general rule down-and-outs don't get buried in shallow graves.'

‘They certainly don't,' Hennessey growled. ‘And the deeper the “shallow” grave the more important the victim. That is also as a general rule.'

‘I'll extract one of the teeth and cut it into a cross-section as I indicated I would do earlier today. That will give his age at death to within twelve months ... but ... all his teeth, looking after them ... I can tell you that he will have been nearer the beginning of his life than the end, a man with something behind him but also with plans for his future ... that sort of age.'

‘I see,' Hennessey replied.

‘So let us turn to why we are also here, to determine the cause of death if we can. Noted is damage to the skull, a blow by a blunt object sufficient to be fatal but not in itself guaranteed to be fatal. No other injuries. Oh ... hello, what have we here?'

‘Something?' Hennessey responded.

‘Yes, yes, we very well might have – on the right-hand side of the ribcage there is something, I think. Can you hand me a magnifying glass, please, Eric?'

Once again Eric Filey responded with a promptness and an eagerness which impressed Hennessey, placing a rectangular-shaped magnifying lens in Dr D'Acre's hand. She held the magnifying glass six inches from the ribcage and said, ‘Would you care to come and have a look at this, Chief Inspector ... it is quite interesting. Possibly.'