Her arms lay outstretched as if welcoming the cover of the night sky. Eyes open, mouth parted, her last breath was nothing but a ghost on her lips. Even without the trappings of jewellery and clothing, DS Ruby Preston could tell that this young woman was once loved. Somewhere there was a mother, a sister or a lover waiting for her to come home. Her platinum blonde hair lay splayed on the grass as if she were not human at all but an angel who had fallen from grace. Ruby fought the urge to cover her naked body. She was more than a girl whose life was abruptly snuffed out, she was a vessel carrying clues that could potentially lead them to the person responsible for the violence that had brought her life to an end. And there had been violence. The bruises dappling her ivory skin were a testament to that. But the vision of such a horrific act was not enough to dampen the stars shining brightly overhead.
The heat of summer was all but a memory now as the late November chill grew teeth and bit hard. Ruby buttoned up her coat, distancing herself from her all too human emotions of sorrow and anger – there would be time for that later. As she stood in Shoreditch Park, she knew that every second since the discovery of the body was precious. She lifted her airwaves radio to update control.
By the time DI Jack Downes arrived, the scene had been cordoned, a tent was being erected, and the streets were aglow with fluorescent jackets as uniformed officers assisted detectives knocking on doors.
‘You look as if you’ve just got out of bed,’ Ruby said, feeling as if the frost had permeated her bones.
Downes’s finger combed his grey-flecked hair, looking over her shoulder to the crime scene. ‘I have, as it happens. How did yous get here so quickly?’
‘I was in the area dealing with a witness about an unrelated incident. Control called me up—’
‘And you hotfooted it over here,’ Downes said, finishing her sentence. ‘Jesus, woman, don’t you ever go home?’
‘Married to the job, that’s me,’ Ruby said, stamping her boots on the frosted grass as she attempted to return some feeling to her toes. ‘She’s not been there very long.’ Ruby did not need to be a coroner to work out that much. The girl’s body was soft and limp, free of the rigor mortis that was yet to claim her. It was also a given that in such a public place she would not have lain undiscovered for long.
‘Age?’
‘I’d say early twenties, no puncture marks or tattoos; she doesn’t fit the description of anyone in the missing persons database. I’m thinking a possible sexually motivated murder. Could be a boyfriend, but the bruising on her throat and thighs suggests a sudden, frenzied attack.’
Downes nodded. ‘She’ll have to stay here overnight. They won’t want to be moving her until morning.’ He sighed a frosted breath, pushing his hands deep into the pockets of his full-length tweed coat. ‘I don’t know, it’s not that long since the door-knocker murders. Have you met the forensic pathologist yet?’
‘Vera? Yeah, she’s nice. Knows her stuff too.’ Ruby stared at the ground for a few seconds, contemplating Christopher Douglas, the former pathologist. His loss had affected them all. The whump, whump of a police helicopter broke into her thoughts as it searched the park from the skies above her. She squinted as the powerful spotlight beamed from overhead, still seeing spots of light in her vision as it abruptly switched to heat-seeking mode. The park was filling up with onlookers. Unless the suspect was running around naked, it was unlikely they would pick him up now. Having taken what he wanted, he had most likely gone to ground.
‘Away with ye to the station,’ Downes said, drawing back her attention. ‘I’ll follow on. And grab us a bit of grub on your way. It’s going to be a long night.’ He clapped her heartily on the back before heading to the uniformed officer manning the crime scene.
But her time at Shoreditch police station was short-lived. Just hours later, Ruby was standing with Downes on the doorstep of Audrey Caldwell. She had reported her daughter missing and the description of the young woman matched the details of the body in the park. Lisa Caldwell, just twenty-one years old, had last been seen walking through it from Pitfield Street, after leaving the Britannia Leisure Centre prior to closing at 10 p.m. But that was over three hours ago. Ruby could have easily requested uniformed officers to speak to Lisa’s mother but she had claimed ownership of the case the very moment she came upon the young woman’s body, and would not shy away from her duties now. Taking strength in DI Downes’s presence, she braced herself as a hall light flickered on. Her finger had barely pressed the door buzzer before urgent footsteps tip-tapped down the stairs.
The door swished open, and a pallid-looking Audrey Caldwell tightened the belt of her dressing gown, glancing from Ruby to Downes. She looked shockingly like her daughter, and a heavy sense of dread bloomed inside Ruby’s chest. If there were any doubt that the woman lying in the park was not Lisa, it evaporated the moment she saw her mother’s face.
‘Mrs Caldwell?’ Ruby said, opening her warrant card to introduce herself and her colleague. But Audrey was looking over their shoulders and into the darkened streets beyond.
‘Is she with you? Have you brought her home?’ she said, her voice strained.
‘Can we come inside?’ DI Downes said, his Northern Irish accent sounding as soft as butter in comparison.
Mrs Caldwell moved aside, and Downes ducked, stepping beneath the threshold. Ruby brushed against him as she followed Mrs Caldwell through to the living room on the left. His coat still carried the frost from the night air where they had found the young girl staring, dead-eyed, at the stars.
Ruby’s eyes danced over the framed family photo on the dresser, which featured Mrs Caldwell with a young girl on each side. She felt her throat tighten as the face of the girl from the park stared back at her with a pink bloom to her cheeks and a carefree expression on her face. On the other side was a young woman in an army uniform, wearing a beret over her slicked-back blonde hair, and a wide grin on her face.
As Mrs Caldwell sat, Ruby delivered the news: ‘The body of a young woman has been found in the park tonight.’
Mrs Caldwell drew in a sudden breath then clasped a hand to her mouth.
Grim-faced, Ruby pushed on. In her experience, it was best not to draw things out. Like ripping off a plaster, bad news should be delivered quickly and professionally. ‘She’s yet to be formally identified, but there’s a strong possibility that it’s your daughter.’
‘Mum?’ A young woman’s voice spoke from the doorway. It was the other girl from the picture, her hair now hanging limply around her face. She took in the scene before taking her mother’s side.
‘Lisa’s with a friend, that’s all,’ Mrs Caldwell said, taking small, quick breaths. ‘She. . . she’ll be home soon.’
‘Have you seen her with your own eyes?’ the girl asked, turning her gaze onto Ruby. ‘This woman in the park?’ She grabbed the framed photo from the dresser and waved it under Ruby’s face. ‘Is she the girl you saw?’
Ruby nodded. ‘In all probability, yes, but she’ll have to be formally identified in the morning. We’ll assign a family liaison officer, who’ll arrange to pick you up.’
Mrs Caldwell sprang from the sofa, wobbling slightly as her legs threatened to buckle. ‘Now, I want you to take me now. This’ll be a mistake. The sooner we get it sorted, the sooner you can look for my daughter.’ Her voice was as brittle as shards of glass.
‘I’m afraid we can’t,’ Downes said. ‘We’ve got to leave the body in situ tonight. The most important thing we can do is preserve the scene and find out who’s responsible. We’ve got a tent in place, and police will be standing guard until such time as we can take her to a mortuary. She won’t be alone. I’m so sorry.’
‘You needn’t be sorry for me,’ Mrs Caldwell said, ‘because it’s not my Lisa. She’ll come in, any minute now, she’ll. . .’ Her words were overtaken by sudden violent sobs. Ruby watched as she fell into the arms of her daughter, wishing the woman could be spared the pain that lay ahead.