Tania Carver: The Creeper

Nick stood also. ‘Not a lot. Female, mid-twenties. Tortured, sexually mutilated, murdered.’

‘In that order?’

Nick glanced at the body. ‘Your guess is as good as mine at the moment. But if I had to stick my neck out I’d say, judging by blood pooling and lividity, the sexual mutilation was carried out after the killing.’

Mickey Philips and Rose Martin came onboard. Rose had her notebook in hand, open.

‘You’d better stand near the side, Mickey,’ said Phil. ‘In case you go again.’

Mickey Philips was about to argue then got a look at the body. He moved over to the side.

‘Cause of death?’ asked Rose, her face rigidly composed.

Nick shrugged. ‘Take your pick. Knife wounds, chain wounds… she was comprehensively worked over.’ He sighed and, for the first time that day, Phil saw genuine concern break through the man’s brittle mask. ‘And from the looks of it, whatever the weapons were, they’d been… augmented.’

Phil fell silent, contemplative. He knew what that meant. Hammers. Nails. Razors. Blades. Julie Miller, if it was her, hadn’t died easily.

Phil swallowed. ‘Time of death?’

Nick looked round at the sky, back to Phil, a gesture that made him look like he was thinking but was more about regaining his composure. ‘It’s a hot day, Phil. Clearly, she was killed elsewhere and brought here. From what I can make out of the internal blood pooling and lividity in her body she was lying on her back for some time. Best I can do at the moment.’

Phil turned away, walked down the gangplank. The image of the dead woman seared on his retinas. The hatred someone must have felt to do that…

Nick called out to him. ‘I’ll let you know when I’ve got anything.’

‘Thanks, Nick.’

Phil called Mickey and Rose to him. Looked at the pair of them. His new team. He hoped they were as good as… Just hoped they were good. ‘Right,’ he said, ‘this is it. I should imagine this case is going to be high priority so I need you to be on top of your game here. Pool information. Support each other. No mavericking, right?’

They both nodded.

‘Right,’ said Phil. ‘Here’s what needs to happen. The Birdies should be here soon. They can-’

Mickey Philips laughed. ‘The what?’

‘Birdies,’ said Phil, impatient at the interruption. ‘DC Adrian Wren and DS Jane Gosling. Hence, the Birdies. Adrian can follow Nick to the mortuary, do chain of evidence. Jane can get started with you, Mickey, on the door-to-door.’

Mickey Philips looked around. ‘Over there?’

‘Start with the businesses here. Someone might have been in early, seen something. Then after that…’ He looked across the river. ‘The flats over there. Coordinate with uniforms. Rose, you handle that. You’ve done it before, see what Julie Miller’s neighbours have to say.’

Rose nodded. Phil looked saw the eagerness in her eyes. Ready, burning to go. He hoped that energy wasn’t misplaced. He didn’t want her making mistakes. Either of them, for that matter.

‘I’ll get Milhouse to set up the incident room back at Southway, get a mobile one put here, couple of uniforms manning it. Bit of presence, you never know.’ He looked between the two of them.

‘What about where she was killed, boss?’ said Mickey. ‘Should we be looking for that?’

‘Initiative is good,’ said Phil, ‘and I approve, but, as our esteemed leader DCI Fenwick would say, that would be creating a needle/haystack interface.’

Mickey, surprised at Phil criticising his superior, smiled. Phil also noticed that Rose’s attention sharpened at the mention of Fenwick’s name. He caught the look, filed it away with the other stuff.

Phil continued. ‘We think we know who she is. Once that’s confirmed, hopefully the where and the why will follow.’ He looked at his watch. ‘Anni should be joining us soon, so that’s one more body.’ He looked between the pair of them. ‘Any questions?’

If they had, they were keeping them to themselves.

Phil breathed in, out. No pain. His ribs felt fine.

‘Good. Right. Let’s-’

‘What the hell’s going on with my boat?’

The three of them turned. A middle-aged man, red-faced and sweating, was running towards them, a uniform in pursuit.

‘Ah,’ said Phil, smiling. ‘I think this may be the boat’s owner.’ He turned to the other two. ‘I’ll deal with him. You go catch a killer.’

Anni’s questions had kept Suzanne’s tears at bay. She pressed on.

‘Suzanne, your flat. The CSIs are checking everything now. They say the lock on the door hasn’t been forced. Same with the window. Is there any other way someone could have got in?’

She shook her head.

‘Anyone else have a key?’

Something flitted across her face. Dark and swift, an evil fairy-tale sprite. ‘No.’

Anni leaned forward, surprised by the response. ‘You sure about that?’

‘Just…’ Suzanne kept her eyes averted from Anni. ‘Zoe. My friend Zoe.’

The look hadn’t been for her friend Zoe. ‘No one else?’

Suzanne looked away, shook her head.

‘Suzanne, I’m trying to help you here. If there’s someone who could have had a key then please tell me. It could be important.’

Another sigh from Suzanne. ‘I think Mark might still have one.’

‘Who’s Mark?’

‘Mark Turner. My old boyfriend. But he’s… It’s not important. We’re not seeing each other any more.’

‘Could he have done this?’

‘I doubt it.’

‘Why?’

‘Because… because we’re not… he’s just not that into me any more.’ The American accent was an attempted joke but the bitterness of the words cancelled it out.

‘Oh,’ said Anni. ‘Right.’

Suzanne looked at her once more. ‘These things happen.’ Her voice reedy, unconvincing.

‘But he still has a key.’

‘Yeah.’ Suzanne frowned, as if the thought had just entered her head. ‘Not because he still wanted to see me. Just…’ She shrugged. ‘… because…’

‘Never gave it back.’ Anni took his details. ‘So you got a new boyfriend?’

Suzanne shook her head. Picked up the mug once more, toying with it, swirling the dregs round and round, staring.

Anni sensed there was something more. ‘Have you had trouble like this before, Suzanne? With men?’

She answered without taking her eyes off the mug. ‘I… no. Never. Nothing like this.’

‘Nothing at all? No intruders? Stalkers?’

The last word hit a nerve. Suzanne said nothing.

‘Suzanne?’

‘No.’ She shook her head with a finality that told Anni she wouldn’t be getting anything further from that line of questioning.

‘This photo…’ Anni gestured to it, sitting alongside her in a clear plastic evidence bag.

Suzanne braced herself once more, as if she was expecting a physical assault.

‘Are you sure it was taken last night?’

She nodded. ‘Yes.’

‘There’s no chance it might have been older?’

She shook her head.

‘You sure?’

‘I’m sure.’

‘Why?’

‘Because…’ Suzanne began turning the coffee mug once more. Cold, brown liquid spilled over the sides, splashed out on to the floor. She didn’t notice.

‘Suzanne?’ Anni reached out a hand. She placed it over Suzanne’s, stopping her agitated movements. Suzanne looked up at her. Anni held the eye contact. ‘Why are you so sure it was taken last night?’

‘I… it was. I had… in the bathroom last night, I… did my… my bikini line.’ She swallowed the words in embarrassment. ‘With a razor. I… cut myself. It’s… on the photo. You can, you can see the, the cut…’