The air felt thick as they headed towards the crime-scene tent, her feet like cement blocks, each step a struggle to take. Maggie looked down and stared at the back of the corpse. The clothes had an air of familiarity. The body shape matched and the hair …
Maggie could hear voices, but they sounded as if they were muffled. She felt a hand on her arm. ‘Maggie. Maggie. Are you sure you’re OK?’ She pulled herself together and Dr Blake released her arm. She didn’t want to risk being taken off the case because she let her emotions get the best of her.
‘Yes. Sorry. I just needed a minute. I’m fine. Totally fine.’ Maggie took a deep breath.
Dr Blake went over to join Charlie at the body while Nathan and Maggie stood back and watched. The few CSIs on site were busy collecting any evidence in the vicinity. Maggie knew she should be looking around, taking in the scene and talking to the witnesses, but her eyes couldn’t leave the body.
A brief look from Dr Blake and Maggie knew that the victim was about to be turned over.
‘On three, please.’ Dr Blake reached across and grasped the female’s shoulder. ‘One. Two. Three …’
A lone tear escaped Maggie’s eye as she stared at the porcelain face.
She felt a hand touch her shoulder and give a gentle squeeze. ‘It’s not Kate, Maggie. It’s not her.’ Nathan held her for another moment, making sure the reality had sunk in. She had registered the fact that although it was not her friend before them, it was a female who bore a strong resemblance to her.
‘Dr Blake. Is there anything you can tell us?’ Maggie shook her hands out.
‘There are no lacerations or stab wounds. No blood around the body.’ Lifting the victim’s arm, Dr Blake pulled back the sleeves. ‘She was restrained at some point.’
Maggie bent down and looked at the bruising and redness around the wrists.
‘Her hair looks unnatural. I think it may have been dyed black. But I won’t be able to confirm that until we get back to the lab. There don’t appear to be any head wounds either, but look at the bruising around the eyes. I’m curious as to why the eyes and mouth have been sewn shut.’ She leaned back and looked at the woman. ‘There’s a doll-like quality to all this, don’t you think? At the moment, I can’t tell you anything more. I’ll have the cause of death and more details, once the post-mortem is completed.’ Dr Blake stood. ‘Right then. This isn’t a natural death by any means, so I’d best get back to the mortuary and prepare. I’ll be in touch soon.’ Dr Blake left. Maggie’s attention was drawn to Charlie who gently moved the woman’s hair away from her face.
‘She looks familiar.’ Charlie looked up at Maggie.
‘She does …’ Maggie’s brow creased. ‘I’d best let you get on with things.’
Maggie left Charlie to finish up and took in the crime scene. The body had been placed face down near a tree and only a few feet away from the footpath. Although it didn’t appear staged, the positioning was neat, almost careful. Maggie wondered if the killer had hidden her face because he felt remorse or guilt at what he’d done. This wasn’t a large park, however; it wasn’t fenced off either. Instead, it sat in the middle of the village like a grassy island. Trees and shrubberies were scattered throughout and, intermingled with flower beds, added some privacy. The killer could have entered from any point. This wasn’t going to be easy.
‘Can you go and talk to the witnesses?’ Nathan pointed at the two teenagers sitting on a bench. ‘I’m going to speak with the Duty SIO and see if they can tell me anything more.’
Maggie nodded and headed towards the two boys.
‘Hi. I’m DC Maggie Jamieson and I wondered if I could have a brief chat with you both.’ The boys’ eyes were glazed, but they nodded their heads in unison.
‘I know this must have been a shock. I promise it won’t be long and you can get going. OK?’
More nods.
‘Can you talk me through what you were doing before, at the time of, and just after you discovered the body?’
The boy in the striped shirt spoke first. ‘We were delivering the morning papers. We always cut through here to get over to the other side of the village. I do one side of the street and he does the other.’ He pointed at the other boy, although he continued to stare straight ahead. ‘We just saw … I mean … we thought she was drunk or something.’
‘Take a breath. I know this must be difficult. Why did you call the police if you thought she was drunk?’ Maggie bit the top of her pen.
The boys looked at each other. This time, the one in the black shirt answered. He was blushing. ‘We shouted out to her … and when she didn’t look up or answer … we went over and … and …’
‘Look, you’re not going to get in trouble. So why don’t you just tell me.’ Maggie reached out and touched his shoulder.
‘I lifted her arm. When it just dropped to the ground, I touched her hand … It was cold. I didn’t know she was dead – but I thought she was in some sort of trouble …’ The black-shirted boy sank down.
‘OK, thanks. Did you see anyone else in the park? Any strange vehicles in the area you didn’t recognize?’
‘No. Just us and … her.’
‘OK. My colleagues over there are going to want you to go down to the station and make a formal statement. How old are you boys?’
‘Sixteen.’ They answered simultaneously.
‘Well, it will be up to you whether you want to contact your parents, or we can arrange for an appropriate adult if you’d feel more comfortable having someone with you, though given your age it’s not necessary. Thanks for your time. Don’t go anywhere before speaking to the officer over there, OK?’ The boys nodded and Maggie walked over to Nathan.
‘What did they have to say?’ Nathan was looking around.
‘Not a thing. They touched her though. I’ll let forensics know. They are shaken up. Pretty sure they never expected to stumble across this on their paper route.’
‘There’s not much coverage around here, so whoever did this was pretty sure they wouldn’t be seen or they’re very cocky.’ Nathan squinted as he looked at the various points of entry.
Maggie followed his eyeline. ‘Do you think the killer wanted her to be found?’
‘She doesn’t appear to have been posed. Looks more like a dump and run.’ Nathan started walking towards the car. ‘You coming back with me or sticking around?’
‘I’ll go with you. I still haven’t heard from Kate and I’ll feel a lot better when I know where she is. I’d also like to go over the evidence from her stalker; I think it’s still at Markston. It may be just a coincidence, but the victim looked a lot like Kate, so there may be something in those letters or gifts that were sent to her.’
‘Better safe than sorry, right?’
Before she could answer Nathan, she felt the vibration of her mobile ringing against her leg. Her hands trembled as she pulled the phone out of her pocket and looked at the screen.
It wasn’t Kate …