Peter Turnbull: Aftermath

Dr D’Acre used a stainless steel length of metal to prise open the jaw of the skeleton. ‘Definitely Caucasian or white European. . the skull is northern European in appearance, and could also be Asian, but the teeth confirm it. . definitely northern European in terms of race. . and there is some dental work which may prove very useful in determining her identity. As you know, dentists have to keep their records for eleven years. This particular victim was murdered, or at least lost her life, within the last eleven years. Probably in the last two or three, and the dentistry appears to be British.

So someone, some dentist, will have a record of her dental work and that is as unique as a fingerprint. Human teeth are like snowflakes. . no two sets are ever the same.’

‘That will also be very helpful,’ Hennessey spoke softly, ‘very helpful indeed.’

‘Yes, the field is narrowing. . no males as yet. . and just glancing at the other skulls here, and recalling the fifth victim in the drawer, it seems that all are northern European in terms of race.’

‘The field is narrowing, as you say, ma’am. We don’t need to look for males or people of ethnic minority in our missing person files.’

Dr D’Acre smiled and mouthed, ‘Thank you’, at Hennessey and then said, ‘I do like to be of some use.’ She then addressed Eric Filey. ‘Can you hand me the tape measure, please, Eric?’

Dr D’Acre extended the tape measure whilst Eric Filey held the tape at the head of the corpse, until it reached the feet. ‘Tall lady,’ Dr D’Acre commented, ‘five foot ten inches, or about a hundred and seventy-eight centimetres in Eurospeak. Add an inch on to that to allow for the shrinking of the cartilage and the decay of the flesh beneath the feet, then she would have been nearly six foot in life. She was also a young woman, about twenty-five years old, no older, possibly younger.’

‘Again, very useful to know, there won’t be many six-feet tall women in our mis per files. Hardly any in fact. . and possibly just one. . but only if she is local,’ Hennessey added, ‘only if she is local. I do so hope that some day we’ll have a national missing person’s database. . the National Missing Persons Helpline is a charity. It has been useful in the past but we need nationally held mis per records on the Police National Computer.’

‘Yes,’ Dr D’Acre replied softly, ‘that would make things much easier for all concerned. I am afraid I am close to completing here. All I can do now is remove one of the teeth and age it, that way I can tell how old she was when she died, plus or minus one year, and detach the skull and send it to the forensic science laboratory at Wetherby for facial reconstruction by computer modelling, so you might then have some idea of her appearance when alive. . but as for cause of death. . we will never know, not by post-mortem examination anyway. All information for your attention will be with you asap.’

‘A very interesting patient, very interesting indeed, and very popular with the reception staff and our visiting nurses.’ Dr Richard March smiled warmly at Webster as he momentarily took his eyes off the computer monitor on his desk. ‘Yes, got his details up on the screen. Old boy, died of respiratory failure.’

Webster’s face broadened into a smile.

‘You find that funny?’ March’s smile faded rapidly.

‘Frankly, yes, I do, but not in a spiteful way, I assure you. What I mean is. . what I find amusing is the term because what does “respiratory failure” mean but “stopped breathing”?’

March chuckled. ‘I see. . yes, quite true, but so many relatives of elderly patients need something more than “stopped breathing” and as doctors we can’t put “stopped breathing” on a death certificate, if we do then our credibility is out of the window. The term “respiratory failure” gives relatives a reason for death or a cause of same. . but as you say, all it means is that the person in question just stopped breathing. It’s only used in the case of elderly people who are closely monitored up to the end. . never on a younger, healthier person who dies suddenly. For that we have the diagnosis of Sudden Death Syndrome and in infants it is Sudden Infant Death Syndrome. . but for geriatrics who have run their race and who die in their sleep, then “respiratory failure” it is. Mr Housecarl did contract a mild chest infection at the time of his death, but that might be because his immune system was shutting down and so allowed infection in. In the end, it was just the case that Mr Housecarl was one of those persons whose life had run its course and that was it. So “respiratory failure”, though I knew he was about to die because he had had a visit. . his brother.’

‘A visit?’

‘Yes, people who work in terminal care often know when one of their patients is about to expire because they will report that a predeceased relative has visited them. You’ll hear it often in geriatric care, a nurse will approach her colleagues and say “Mrs Smith’s just had her visit. . she won’t be long now”, and sure enough, within three or four days said Mrs Smith will die quietly, often in her sleep. In just that manner, when I last visited Mr Housecarl he told me that “Tommy” had visited him. Upon enquiring who “Tommy” was I learned that Thomas Housecarl had died in New Zealand some twenty years earlier. “Tommy” had appeared to Mr Housecarl and two days later he was deceased. And patients that receive such visits are lucid, not suffering from dementia.’

‘That’s very interesting.’ Webster sat back in the upright chair which was beside the doctor’s desk and faced the doctor who sat at the desk. It was clearly the patient’s chair in Dr March’s surgery and was, thought Webster, a preferable arrangement to that chosen by his own doctor who kept a large desk, barrier-like, between himself and his patient.

‘It is, isn’t it?’ Dr March, Webster found, was a doctor with a warm and cheery manner. His surgery looked out on to a brick wall, probably within reaching distance, and yet enjoyed a plentiful supply of natural light. It could not be overlooked from the outside and as such, was the only surgery that Webster had been in which did not have net curtains or some other means of preventing anyone outside from looking in on a consultation. ‘Unsettling also. So what can I tell you about Mr Housecarl?’

‘We need to establish the pattern of his life for some years prior to his death and also need to find his ex-employees.’

‘May I ask why?’

‘Yes, I can tell you, there is going to be a press release issued later today because we will need public assistance. There has been a discovery on his land; in the kitchen garden of Bromyards. . though Mr Housecarl is not under suspicion.’

‘A discovery? A dead body?’ March asked with a slight smile.

‘Yes, in fact. You sound like you know something, sir?’

‘No, I can’t help you. . it was just a logical deduction that it would take that sort of discovery to prompt a police officer to press me for my time in a very busy day and accept being squeezed in between morning surgery and “rounds”. So is that what it is. . a dead body?’

‘Yes, five in fact.’

‘Five!’

‘And we are still searching the garden, it’s badly overgrown and so there may be more corpses to be found. It’s a big case. .’

‘Oh my,’ March sat forward and held his head in his hands, ‘I am astounded. Years, you say?’

‘Yes, sir.’

‘But Mr Housecarl only died recently. You mean that all the while myself and the nurse. . and the Meals on Wheels folk. . all the while that we were visiting there were bodies in the kitchen garden. . the enclosed garden beside the house?’