Линда Ла Плант - Unholy Murder

‘There’s fresh indentation marks on the rim, possibly from a jemmy, plus the sealing glue has been stretched and separated... which would also explain why we were able to remove the lid so easily. It looks as if someone has used a crowbar to prise it open.’ Pullen pointed to the marks. ‘The state of the body suggests this coffin was previously airtight, and yet there are some beads of water on the rim and inside.’ She dabbed her finger in a droplet and showed it to Jane. ‘It could be recent rainwater.’

Jane turned to Boon. ‘Do you know anything about this?’

Boon looked offended. ‘No, I don’t! You said not to open it, so I didn’t. I also know for a fact no one went near it after you left the building site.’

‘Well, someone’s opened it since it was dug up,’ Pullen said.

‘What about the undertakers?’ Boon suggested. ‘I nipped to the hospital canteen to get a drink and a Mars Bar when we got here.’

PC Rogers shook his head. ‘No way. I watched them unload the coffin and leave, as did Jack, who then had a cup of tea with me.’

‘Dermot the builder said his mate Barry wanted to open it, so it could have been him before we even got to the building site,’ Boon recalled.

‘Good point,’ Jane said. ‘It may also explain why Barry was in a hurry to leave when we got there.’

Pullen pointed to the nun’s habit. ‘There’s some distinct marks here that look like the outline of a crucifix... and two faint lines that run up towards the neck, which could be from the chain.’

‘Whoever opened the coffin might have taken it, especially if it was silver,’ Boon suggested.

Jane frowned. ‘I think we need to have a word with Barry.’

‘He’s not that bright if he thought we wouldn’t notice the coffin had been opened,’ Boon added.

As Pullen wrote her notes, Jane asked if adipocere could help to determine how long a person had been dead.

‘To be honest, this is the first time I’ve actually seen it in the flesh, so to speak. From my pathology training, I know adipocere can take weeks if not years to form due to different factors such as temperature, embalming, burial conditions, and materials surrounding the corpse. It’s even been found on bodies that have been dead for hundreds of years. When I do a closer examination of the corpse on the mortuary table, I might be able to give you an approximate idea of physical age, though it might be worth consulting an anthropologist for a more exact—’

Rogers was quick to interject. ‘I don’t think an anthropologist will be necessary, Dr Pullen.’

‘Why not?’ Jane asked.

‘Now we know it’s the body of a nun, I don’t see a lot of point continuing.’

‘Are you telling me to stop my examination, PC Rogers?’ Pullen frowned.

‘The coroner will want the body handed over to the Catholic church for reburial,’ he said.

‘You can read his mind, can you?’ Jane retorted.

‘I’ll phone him and seek his opinion,’ Rogers replied smugly, then left the room.

‘He really is an objectionable little prick,’ Pullen remarked.

‘I couldn’t agree more,’ Jane added, surprised but also pleased with Sam’s candour.

‘Is that dried flower petals on the chest and forehead?’ Boon asked, pointing to the body from across the room because of the smell.

‘They look more like shreds of fabric,’ Pullen replied, using tweezers to lift a piece off for closer examination. ‘I’d say they are bits of satin...’ She noticed something odd. ‘Jane, could you pass me the magnifying glass from the table, please.’

Pullen held the magnifier over the piece of satin. ‘There appears to be a tiny fragment of a fingernail embedded in it.’ She put the satin and nail in a small container before delicately lifting the left hand of the body. ‘Thankfully, the adipocere has preserved the hands and the fingernails are still attached,’ she said, examining one of the hands with the magnifier.

Jane noticed a look of concern on Pullen’s face. ‘Is there something wrong?’

‘The fingernail on the left index finger is broken... same on the third finger... and there appears to be a tiny bit of satin attached to a broken nail tip.’ Pullen moved round the coffin to examine the right hand.

Jane was pretty sure she knew what Pullen was thinking. ‘Boony, help me turn the coffin lid over,’ she said, grabbing one end.

‘What are you looking for?’ he asked.

‘I want to see the condition of the satin lining.’

‘The right hand on the body has a broken fingernail and the others are worn down to the fingertips,’ Dr Pullen informed them as they gently turned the lid over.

The mouldy white satin lining was torn and hanging loose at the head end. Jane gently brushed it to one side, revealing deep fingernail scratch marks on the interior metal.

‘Oh my God, she was buried alive!’ Jane exclaimed. ‘Her mouth must be wide open because she died gasping for air.’

Pullen looked closely at the scratch marks and torn satin, then pointed to a strand. ‘There’s a bit of fingernail just there.’ She used the tweezers to pick it up then looked at Jane. ‘I’d like to treat this as a suspicious death and carry out a full post-mortem.’

Jane nodded. ‘I agree, and I’m sure the coroner will concur when he hears what we’ve found.’

‘I don’t mean to sound silly, but could she have been buried alive by mistake?’ Boon asked.

‘It’s possible but highly unlikely,’ Pullen said. ‘There was a case from my medical studies which has always stuck in my mind. In the early 1900s Essie Dunbar, who was thirty, suffered a severe epilepsy attack. It was so bad she passed out and everyone thought she was dead. Even her doctor couldn’t detect a pulse. For religious reasons the funeral was arranged for the next day and the body was put in a burial coffin. Essie’s sister, who lived out of town, arrived after the coffin had been covered in soil, and demanded the body be removed so she could see her sister one last time. When the coffin lid was opened, Essie sat up and smiled at everyone around her... no doubt frightening the crap out of them at the same time.’

‘No way,’ a disbelieving Boon grinned.

‘Apparently it’s true, and then she lived for another forty-seven years.’

‘So, if our body was deliberately put in the coffin when she was alive, murder could be hard to prove,’ Jane remarked.

‘As strange as it may sound — and excuse the pun — but the hand of God might help us here,’ Pullen replied.

‘I didn’t take you as the religious type, Sam,’ Jane said.

Pullen laughed. ‘I’m not. The last time I was in a church was at my sister’s wedding, eight years ago. It’s the adipocere that might help us. It sometimes preserves the soft tissue and internal organs, thus allowing a pathologist to identify internal injuries on the body. She may have been attacked, knocked unconscious and then sealed in the coffin, so I want to do some X-rays on the body and skull for any fractures before we remove it for a full examination.’

Jane looked at Boon. ‘Go tell Rogers what we’ve found and make sure he tells the coroner and asks for a full post-mortem.’

‘It will be my pleasure, sarge.’

‘I think it may be advisable to have a lab liaison sergeant present and take photographs before the body is examined any further,’ Pullen said, removing her latex gloves.

‘I’ll call the lab sergeant after I’ve deflated Rogers’ ego,’ Boon smiled.

‘See if you can get DS Paul Lawrence to attend,’ Jane said.

‘Any particular reason?’ Boon asked, clearly wondering if she had a soft spot for Lawrence.

‘I’ve known him since I joined the Met and he’s the best at what he does when it comes to forensics and murder. Something tells me this case isn’t going to be straightforward, so his knowledge and experience may prove invaluable.’