Page 33 of Child's Play

Her colleague took out his phone, pressed a few buttons and turned the screen her way.

‘Oh, okay,’ she said, wondering how the hell such an object could enhance sexual pleasure.

‘Keats, how on earth do you?…’

‘It’s my job to know these things, Inspector.’

‘So, it looks as though our victim not only liked sex but also liked sexual games.’

‘I think we need to find out who she was playing those sexual games with,’ Bryant said. ‘And we might just find our—’

‘It’s not sexual,’ Kim said, walking around the table, her hands firmly back in her pockets.

‘Come on, guv,’ Bryant said, incredulously. ‘The woman took condoms wherever she went, she had a sexually transmitted disease and she liked to play games.’

‘Precisely. She was sexual but the murder was not.’

‘Could have been a sex game gone wrong,’ he pushed.

She shook her head, stubbornly. ‘It has none of the signs of a sexually motivated murder. There was no sexual contact—’

‘There doesn’t have to be sex for it to be a sexually motivated murder, guv,’ Bryant argued.

‘Agreed but no clothing was removed; there was no mutilation of sexual organs. Nothing had been removed or tampered with and the marking on her neck was done in an area where her garments didn’t need to be touched.’

‘But if she’d passed on the disease to someone who was less than pleased with the gift?’

‘Still wouldn’t be sexual though, would it?’ Kim observed. ‘That would be revenge.’

Bryant turned to Keats. ‘Help me out?’

Keats tapped his chin with the ruler. ‘Sorry, but, much as it surprises me on this occasion, I have to agree with your boss, may the lord forgive me,’ he said, looking heavenward. He continued. ‘In my experience, sexually motivated murders are unmistakeable: clothing has been removed, destroyed, genitals are on display and often mutilated, interfered with or totally removed. It’s a statement. It’s the first thing the killer wants you to notice whether it be a fetish or whatever the reason. It’s normally on display for the symbolism to be clear. It’s their message.’

Bryant still appeared unconvinced, and Kim had a good idea why.

‘You’re allowing her age to colour your view,’ Kim said facing him across the table.

‘Don’t be…’

‘If we were looking at a twenty-something victim, you’d take the information about her sex life as part of her story, but because she’s older you’re assuming this is her only story. If she’s in her sixties and having kinky sex then that has to be the reason for her death.’

‘Keats, are you hearing this rubbish?’ Bryant implored.

Keats shook his head. ‘Remaining silent right now as even I can’t stomach agreeing with the inspector twice in one day. And much as I’d love to stand and watch you argue this one to the death, I do have other customers to deal with, so…’

‘Thanks, Keats,’ Kim said, heading towards the door, her mind whirring with what they’d learned.

‘Not so fast, Inspector. I do want you gone, admittedly, but you still don’t have the answer I called you here for.’

‘And the question was?’

‘The cause of the forty-seven nicks in the bones of the left hand.’

‘And?’ she asked.

‘I’d have thought that was now perfectly obvious,’ he answered, with a coy smile.

Her brain clicked.