Page 24 of Gone in the Night (Detective Morgan Brookes #16)

TWENTY-FOUR

The scene was eerily quiet; nobody was speaking as they moved around with little noise. As they got there the undertakers were zipping Jack’s body into a bag ready to move him. Ben went to find Marc who was talking to Madds.

‘Terrible this is.’ Madds was shaking his head. ‘We’re moving the body because we can’t have him out in the open like this.’

Ben nodded, and as Madds walked away Ben turned to Marc. ‘Are we sure it’s not suspicious?’

‘It’s not, the lad had either a guilty conscience or was so heartbroken over Sharon that he didn’t see any point in carrying on. We’re giving him the dignity he deserves and getting him out of public view.’

Morgan moved closer to the scene. A frayed blue nylon rope like Sylvia her mum had for a washing line was dangling from the lowest branch of the tree, but it was still some height.

Ben joined her and she whispered, ‘How did he get up there?’ She pointed to the branch. ‘Jack isn’t very tall, even if he stood on the wall he wouldn’t have reached. He’d need a ladder and what public view? There’s nobody around except for us.’

Ben turned to Madds. ‘Was there a ladder?’

He shook his head. ‘No, he used the wall or balanced on the gate. He could have climbed the tree, he’s fit. It’s pretty clear. Whatever he had on his conscience unless he’s left a note behind, we’re never going to know.’

‘I don’t like this, Ben; they’re moving too fast. We haven’t even looked at the body in situ.’ Not that Morgan wanted to look at Jack White’s body, but if they were to get to the bottom of what happened here it would help if she could examine the scene before any forensics were destroyed.

‘I agree with you, but I’ll speak to them back at the station. It’s too late now. They’re not thinking about the fact that this could be staged.’

Morgan couldn’t tear her gaze from the body bag that was lying on the floor as a shudder wracked her entire body.

It was too hard to comprehend that Jack was inside of it.

He was an idiot, but he didn’t deserve to die like this, all alone in the exact place his girlfriend had been murdered.

But she had the feeling deep inside of her gut that he hadn’t been on his own when he’d taken his last breaths.

That another person had been watching him take them and that person was the same one who’d violently killed Sharon Montgomery.

Morgan and Ben watched with heads slightly bowed as he was loaded into the back of the 4x4 that mountain rescue had driven up there.

When it began to make its descent with the undertakers inside, to get them back to where they’d parked the private ambulance, Morgan whispered, ‘How is it over so quickly?’

‘We need to speak to Declan; they didn’t even call him out.’

‘I don’t get it, I really don’t.’

‘Maybe we’re seeing more to this than there is because we were only speaking to him yesterday. You know that we’re too close. We’re never going to be investigating Jack’s death. PSD are going to interview us both and Amy.’

Morgan didn’t care one little bit about PSD, what she cared about was the truth and there was something niggling away at the back of her mind.

‘Should we go see Amy?’

Ben nodded and began the walk back down the path to where he’d abandoned his car, and Morgan followed him. The 4x4 had been driven up by Madds and Marc. Neither of them spoke until they reached his car and were sitting inside.

‘Something weird is going on, it’s like they’re trying to cover it up, pretend it didn’t happen,’ said Morgan.

‘Who is?’

She shrugged. ‘Whoever authorised the removal of Jack’s body before it had been properly documented and investigated. Whoever it is, they’re involved at some level. I don’t know how or why but they are.’

‘Then we need to get a copy of the log and see who gave the orders.’

‘It will be a closed log though; they always hide them when it involves coppers or police staff.’

‘We have a legitimate reason to read it though; we’re the investigating officers of a closely related murder.’ Ben took out his phone and rang the control room inspector, requesting the log be sent to his email.

They agreed, which surprised Morgan, and he waited until it pinged through onto his smartphone, then he opened it and Morgan took photos of it, page by page, that they could enlarge and read later if for some reason it got deleted and Ben no longer had permission to view it. When they’d finished, he sighed.

‘Marc gave the go ahead to move him. What the hell was he thinking? There’s something off about this, I agree with you. Let’s get to the mortuary and speak with Declan because we’re supposed to be at Sharon Montgomery’s post-mortem at nine thirty anyway.’

Morgan looked at the clock on the dash. ‘We’re fashionably late, and what about Amy?’

Ben grimaced. ‘Can you ring Declan whilst I’m driving and explain what’s going on? Tell him to triple check everything to do with Jack White’s body when it gets booked in, and then ring Amy to see if she needs anything, tell her we’re truly sorry and will come see her after we get back.’

Morgan spoke to Susie to pass on Ben’s concerns. It was Cain’s voice that echoed in her ear when Amy’s phone was answered.

‘Hey, she’s not up to talking but said hi.’

‘I bet she isn’t, what a shock. I mean we only saw him yesterday. Does she need anything?’

‘No, she’s good. I’m here, tell Ben I’m sorry but I can’t leave her like this. Where are you guys?’

‘On the way to Sharon Montgomery’s post-mortem.’

‘What have they said about Jack?’

‘Madds and Marc are adamant it’s suicide; his body is on the way to the mortuary.’

‘Already?’

‘Yes, they wanted him out of public view.’

‘What? Why couldn’t they put a tent over him like we do with other people, and what bloody public? It’s not like it’s a tourist spot.’

‘Exactly what me and Ben are thinking, it’s all too neat.’

Cain sighed.

‘Christ.’

‘No point asking him, I don’t think he knows what’s going on either, speak to you both later.’

She hung up and let out a long, drawn-out sigh.

They were no closer to finding out what had happened, and she didn’t like being so out of control.

Whatever happened today she was determined to find something that would help them make an arrest before Marc and Madds decided Jack had killed Sharon and closed the case.