Page 13 of Three Widows

Lottie put on a fresh pair of overshoes and hurried back across the slippery plates.

‘What is it?’

‘The victim is a small build. Height five one; shoe size four; dress size I’d estimate eight.’

‘Agreed,’ Lottie said.

‘The dress she’s wearing is a fourteen. Three sizes too big. It’s been pinned at the side to make it fit.’

‘Maybe she borrowed it.’

‘I just thought it might be important.’ Grainne’s eyes were downcast with disappointment.

‘You’re right to bring it to my attention. Make sure Gerry photographs everything before her body’s moved.’ Lottie glanced at the dead woman. ‘Did you discover anything to identify her?’

‘Nothing. No handbag. No shoes. No nothing. Sorry.’

As she sat into the car with Boyd, Lottie said, ‘The body was dumped here to confuse us.’

‘Because the carnival was based here last week?’

‘Yep. Ground is torn up. Litter scattered around. Makes it difficult to know what’s truly evidence and what was already here.’

‘Forensics will be able to determine time scales and—’

‘That takes too long,’ she interrupted. ‘I believe we’re dealing with a very clever and arrogant murderer.’

‘Whatever about the arrogance, you’re cleverer.’

‘I’m not sure if that’s a compliment, but let’s get to work.’

8

Kirby wheezed into the incident room for the morning briefing and Lottie could see he was hoping no one would notice him. Some hope.

‘You look totally hung-over,’ Garda Martina Brennan said in a loud whisper. She passed him a mint lozenge as he sat next to her. He smiled his thanks.

‘Good of you to join us, Detective Kirby,’ Lottie said before pointing to a photo of the victim lying where she’d been placed by her killer. ‘We need to identify this woman. Did anything show up on the missing persons database, Detective McKeown?’

‘No one fitting her description on our files. I extended the search nationwide. Nothing so far. Early days.’

‘She looks to be in her thirties. From her initial assessment at the scene, Jane Dore, the state pathologist, suggests the gunshot wound to the head is the likely cause of death. A full post-mortem should confirm it. The victim suffered a severe beating, and there’s evidence she had been restrained at her wrists and ankles, possibly by a thin nylon rope. Nothing like that has been recovered on or near her body so far, but a search of the area is ongoing.’

McKeown grunted, wiping the top of his shaved head with a lazy hand. ‘After a week-long carnival there, it’ll be a massive job determining what’s relevant and what’s not.’

‘I’m aware of that.’ She wondered when, if ever, he’d lose the plank weighing down his shoulders. He was at loggerheads with every member of staff with the exception of Martina Brennan. He was convinced one of his colleagues had informed his wife of their affair. Detectives Maria Lynch and Kirby were his main suspects, but it hadn’t stopped him carrying on the affair.

‘Her mouth had been sealed with tape at some stage. We might get lucky and extract DNA from the residue.’

‘Don’t hold your breath,’ McKeown said.

‘We don’t know her eye colour. Both eyes had been… you know…’ She found it so disturbing, she stumbled over her words. ‘It’s possible that birds destroyed her eyes along with pecking at her flesh.’

‘That’s horrible,’ Kirby said, looking like he was about to throw up.

‘The security footage in the area has to be checked. I want to know when her body was dumped there. Your job.’ She nodded towards McKeown.

‘Could she have been killed where she was found?’ Kirby asked.