Page 77 of First Blood

She remembered that the number had ended with three ones, which had made her think of the NHS phone helpline.

Stacey immediately ruled out Luke Fenton. It wasn’t a number she had studied or called. It was a number that she’d seen in passing, but she couldn’t remember where.

She put the phone to the side for a minute and began searching through the paperwork on her desk.

Her gut had reacted immediately because it proved one thing.

Hayley Smart had been in contact with someone else involved in the investigation.

And she had to find out who.

Chapter Sixty-Nine

Dawson couldn’t help wondering if the boss was doing this to him on purpose. Had he somehow communicated to her just how much he hated the morgue or had she just guessed? There was no other explanation for him visiting the place twice in two days.

‘You again?’ Keats asked.

‘Yeah, I’m as thrilled as you are.’

‘Ooh, someone appears to have adopted their boss’s sour mood already.’

He grunted in response wishing the pathologist would just get on with it.

‘Well, you’ll be pleased to know that I’ve already carried out the post-mortem, so I won’t have to keep you long.’

Dawson felt himself cheer right up, as a message dinged to his phone.

He was sorely tempted to take it out and read it, hoping it was a response to his queries. He was desperate to take the attention from his younger, lower-ranking colleague.

‘So obviously all weights and measurements will be listed on my official report as will the following: this young lady was severely under-nourished and around seven pounds lighter than the lowest weight recommended for her height. However, her last meal, consumed only an hour or two before her death, was a burger and fries. And had she been eating meals like that on a regular basis her weight would more likely have been within the recommended parameters. Neither her nails nor her hair were particularly clean and attention to personal hygiene had been somewhat lacking.’

Dawson wondered why he was having to stand and listen to the details when the report would follow later.

‘I would place the time of death somewhere between seven and twelve last night as already noted to your inspector.’

What he really wanted to do was take out his phone and see who had sent him a message. For all he knew, the smoking gun to blow the case wide open was now sitting in an email in his pocket.

‘I can confirm that in my opinion the same knife was used on both victims; however the severing of the head from the body appears to have been more coarsely done than the first.’

‘But, wouldn’t Luke Fenton’s neck have been harder to cut?’ he asked. ‘More flesh, thicker neck?’

‘Aah, finally a question that shows you are present. Yes, it should have been much harder to behead the male.’

‘So…’ Dawson asked, awaiting a better explanation.

‘That’s for you to answer, Sergeant. I can tell you that it was and you have to find out why.’

Dawson worked hard to control his expression.

‘Anything else?’ he asked.

‘Of course. I can confirm that there was no blunt force trauma to the back of the head, unlike the first victim, which is also a question for you…’

‘To answer,’ Dawson finished for him. Yeah, he got it.

‘So, in the face of your boredom is there anything you’d like to ask me ahead of the full report that will be sent later today?’

Dawson thought about the message that had dinged to his phone.