Page 54 of The Lost Zone (Dark Water #3)

Chapter Fifteen

Josiah

The world seemed to slow down – there was just him and Tyler, staring at each other, with Alex watching them both.

Tyler’s face was fixed in a rictus of fury, his eyes flickering in calculation of his next move.

Josiah felt only a grim sense of satisfaction.

He was sure that skull belonged to Solange, but there was a long way to go until he could prove that.

He’d feel no triumph until Tyler was pronounced guilty in a court of law.

Josiah took out his e-cuffs, and Tyler’s jaw tensed so tightly he was surprised it didn’t snap. He glanced over Tyler’s shoulder and met Esther’s eye. She gave him a curt nod, and he sprang into action. He read Tyler his rights and then snapped the e-cuffs on him.

Tyler’s face was thunderous, but he said nothing and let one of his many lawyers, a large, jowly man, do the talking for him.

For all his wealth and power, there was nothing Tyler could do to stop him.

Josiah had a warrant, and even if the remains they’d found turned out not to be Solange’s, he had enough justification for the arrest.

Time sped up, now seeming to go at double the pace, as if catching up.

Faces flashed around him as he placed a hand on Tyler’s shoulder and shoved him towards the waiting AV.

Reed, brow furrowed and grimly determined, running ahead to open the duck door.

Sofie, in full pathologist mode, was overseeing the transfer of the remains to the waiting hearse.

Esther, eyes sharp, was braced for what she already clearly knew would be the biggest battle of her professional life.

Then another face swam into focus – stunned and overwhelmed. The expression on Alex’s pale, relieved features spoke volumes about how long he’d waited for this day.

Josiah stopped and called Reed back to take custody of Tyler, then grabbed Alex’s arm and drew him off to one side.

“Take my duck and go home,” he said, pressing the biokey into Alex’s hand with a click to register him.

“Don’t do anything else – just go home. Don’t answer the door, or speak to the press, who will no doubt arrive before too long.

Stay inside with all the blinds closed and the doors locked, and don’t expect me back anytime soon. Don’t wait up.”

“You’re kidding me.” Alex rolled his eyes. “Like I’ll be able to sleep until you return.”

Josiah gave Alex’s arm a quick squeeze and then headed over to the divers to instruct them to continue with their search. He was hoping for more than just a skull, but if that was all they found, at least it gave him something to build a case around.

Finally, he returned to where Reed was waiting to drive them back to Inquisitus. Their prisoner was already sitting, sour-faced and radiating hostility, in the back of the AV, next to his lawyer.

It wasn’t a comfortable ride. Tyler’s lawyer no doubt wanted to show he was worth every exorbitant penny Tyler was paying him, and protested the nature of the arrest, the grounds for it, the dispute over Alex’s status, and anything else he could think of.

The man barely stopped for breath. In the end, Josiah just ignored him.

The media were waiting outside Inquisitus, positively buzzing with the news that George Tyler, of all people, had been arrested.

Josiah grimaced as he surveyed the throng; this story was the gift that kept on giving, and the press were having a field day.

Still, he treated Tyler the same as he would any other prisoner.

He had a right to be protected from the ravenous mass of reporters.

Reed had radioed ahead and a cordon was in place, making it easier to remove Tyler from the duck and transfer him into the building without the press taking too many shots.

Everyone in the SID gathered around to watch as Josiah entered the building with Tyler. A hush descended, which gave way to a whispering murmur as they passed. Tyler was a famous face, feted by politicians and well known in public life. Arresting him was a huge deal.

He took Tyler straight to the interview suite, with Esther by his side. Josiah knew she’d personally supervise a case this high profile to ensure everything was done by the book. The last thing any of them wanted was for Tyler to get off on a technicality.

It was a relief to finally get away from the glare of the media spotlight. He was courteous to Tyler, removing his cuffs and showing him where to sit. He offered the man a glass of water, which Tyler declined.

He’d already given considerable thought to the questions he’d ask when he finally had Tyler in the Inquisitus interview suite, but his adversary had clearly been fully briefed by his lawyers.

He gazed at Josiah malevolently across the table and answered “no comment” to every single one.

Showing no emotion when Josiah read out the charge and asked his questions, he remained infuriatingly detached throughout.

Josiah wanted him in the cells, but Tyler’s lawyers were ready with a bail application, which the judge signed off without argument, much to Josiah’s fury, and then it was over.

“That’s it?” Reed hissed when they left the interview suite. “He gets to go home and have his dinner now like nothing bloody well happened?”

“He does tonight,” Josiah replied. “Let’s make sure he doesn’t for much longer.” He loosened his tie and looked around the SID. “Right, let’s get to work.”

After giving his team their instructions, his first stop was Sofie’s office – the mortuary.

She was bending over the skull when he entered, with Mel beside her, both of them gazing at it thoughtfully.

“Well?” Josiah demanded. “I know it’s early days, but do you have anything for me?”

“As a matter of fact, yes.” Sofie straightened up.

“I called Mel in to consult, and she agrees with me. It’s possible this isn’t Solange’s skull.

It’s possible it’s some other skull that’s been lying around at the bottom of that lost zone for years.

But if you asked me what Solange’s skull would look like after the manner of death Alex described to us, and her time in the water, I’d say exactly this. ”

Josiah felt his shoulders relax a fraction. “Explain,” he said, coming over to stand opposite the two women.

“Firstly, size. Women’s skulls are generally smaller than men’s, and lighter, and the forehead is more rounded, so this is definitely a female skull.

Secondly, appearance. It looks exactly how I’d expect it to look after seven years in the water.

Thirdly, there’s this…” She pointed to a cracked ridge on the front of the skull, above the left eye, which ended in a deep hole.

“Which looks precisely like the kind of injury that might be caused when someone is punched into a stone object, like a fireplace, with full force.

“Could this damage have occurred after death?” he demanded. “Or prior? Could it be an old injury that’s healed?”

“No. It’s peri-mortem. It happened at the time of death.

See.” She pointed. “There’s consistent colouring between the fracture and the surrounding bone.

If the damage was post-mortem, then the fracture would be paler in colour, and the broken edge is smooth, showing it had no time to heal, because the subject was dead. ”

“Would an injury like this be enough to kill a person?”

“I can’t say it was definitely the cause of death, but it’s certainly enough to kill someone, yes.”

“Mel, if I can, by some miracle, get hold of the fireplace in Tyler’s living room, could you match it to this wound?” Josiah asked.

“Hmm… it will depend on the way she landed, and the shape of the fireplace, so it might not prove anything,” she warned. “But I’m happy to try.”

“Good.” He shot them both a tight smile. “Any chance of getting DNA from this skull?” he asked Mel.

She mused on that for a moment and then shrugged.

“I’m not saying it’s impossible, but it won’t be easy.

DNA identification of remains buried in water for long periods of time has come a long way in the past few years, for obvious reasons, but still, there are a lot of factors at play: DNA degradation from prolonged water exposure, possible microbial contamination, possible mineral infiltration into the bone tissue, DNA fragmentation resulting in very short segments. ” She paused for breath.

“Is that a yes or a no?” he demanded.

“It’s a ‘depends’. I can examine the teeth, as dental pulp is protected by enamel and dentin, and we might be able to pull a good sample there. Also, the petrous portion of the temporal bone often preserves DNA better than other skeletal elements.”

He sighed. “Again – yes or no?”

She beamed at him. “Well, I do love a challenge.”

“Work on it,” he ordered, and then he turned on his heel and left. “Please,” he threw over his shoulder as an afterthought, and was rewarded by Mel’s snort of amusement

He returned to the SID with a spring in his step. He had enough evidence now to take the next step – searching Tyler’s property. If the skull had been obviously male, or without injury – or with significantly different injuries – then he’d have been stymied, but it was full steam ahead now.

Reed was waiting for him with the tech team he’d assembled. Josiah addressed them briefly.