Erin smelled the stink in the air before she opened her car door. The stench of scorched flesh crept through the air conditioning system and into the car. She fought the desire to retch and fumbled for the face mask she’d stashed in her back pocket. She was in Silent Brook, a piece of scrub near the town’s railroad. It also had a darker history, but she wouldn’t think of that now. You had to go through an underpass to reach the land where the homeless would light meagre fires even in the summer. It attracted the criminal and the dispossessed and this wouldn’t be the first body who’d arrived fresh from Silent Brook, ready for her examinations. There was a huddle of uniformed personnel – paramedics, firefighters, a city ranger and, of course, police officers. Scott peeled away from the group and walked towards her.
‘I got the call half an hour ago. It’s clearly suspicious and they want you to take a look in situ before the autopsy. You’ll soon see why.’
Erin nodded and walked towards the crime scene tape, her eyes all the time on the charred shape lying on the floor. On the way over, Erin had steeled herself for the scene of death. Burnt cadavers weren’t the worst that she had to deal with; drowning victims with their seal-grey skin made her want to retch even after all these years. Casualties of fire more closely resembled the casts she’d seen on a visit to Pompeii on her honeymoon, charred shells of people who had once been living humans. Victims of fire in enclosed spaces were often found in a procubitus position, their faces to the floor as they’d attempted to crawl away from the fire. Here, in the open air, the victim, a woman possibly, judging by size, was sitting upright with her legs bent and arms crossed to her chest, elbows out, a classic pugilistic pose, although thermal heat had robbed the deceased of her hands and feet.
Erin eyes travelled down the cadaver, and she swallowed, wishing she hadn’t eaten anything with her coffee. The abdominal cavity had ruptured, possibly a result of the fire, and exposed the organs of the victim. Even from here, she could see the shrunken and split uterus. Definitely a woman then, and Erin was suddenly reminded of a car crash victim whose unborn baby had still been visible within the pelvis. Christ, get a grip, she told herself.
Erin looked beyond the body to the scorched ground on which the victim sat, noting that the fire hadn’t spread far through the tinder-dry grass. It suggested a fierce sudden blaze, possibly helped by an accelerant. She bent down to step through the tape when she felt an arm jerk her back. It was Perez, nearly her height but at least fifty pounds heavier. ‘You can’t go in there yet. There’s stuff around the body we need you to look at.’
‘There’s always paraphernalia around the victim.’
Erin glanced at Scott, who shrugged. ‘Not like this there isn’t. Lean forward and look for yourself.’
Erin stepped in the direction of the body and took in the small yellow flags laid by the police next to the objects. There was a beer bottle filled with a yellowish liquid, probably urine, two syringe needles, a piece of pale blue glass and a leather boot at least a size thirteen, so unlikely to belong to the woman. Near the victim’s feet was a brown mass of organic matter that looked like animal fur. The usual detritus. Erin glanced around the waste ground. It was a dumping place. Hidden from the road, an area where you’d come if you wanted to abandon a litter of puppies or discard an old sofa.
‘I don’t understand why they’ve been flagged.’
‘Take a closer look at the ground.’
Erin squatted and took in the scorched grass which crept underneath each object. If the ground had been burning, the shoe and plastic syringes should have melted, and the glass objects would show signs of thermal shock. The intact items had been placed next to the body after the fire.
‘What are your thoughts on this, Amy? I don’t think I’ve ever seen anything like this before.’
Perez scratched her thigh. ‘Working hypothesis is that either people came down and had a party around the burnt body or the killer put the objects there after the fire had burned out.’
‘Damn.’ That sounded like some weird shit and beyond Erin’s remit. Focus on the body, she told herself. That’s why you’re here.
‘I know. And here’s the lieutenant now.’
Erin turned as Viv Kantz stepped out of the car. Only half an hour earlier she’d been sitting in a coffee shop with Carla, talking about the cop’s domestic arrangements.
‘Does she normally come down to scenes of crimes?’ asked Erin.
‘Nope.’ Perez nodded at Baros, who was sharing a joke with a paramedic. ‘Baros updated her by phone, and she wanted to take a look. Regular party this is turning out to be.’
Viv reached them, panting slightly. She was either seriously unfit or under the weather. Her olive skin was flushed from the exertion and Erin could see she was making an effort not to look flustered.
‘Perez,’ Viv acknowledged her colleague with a nod. ‘Give me a few moments with the doctor.’
Perez rocked on her heels and left them.
‘You’ve taken a look?’ Viv asked Erin.
‘I’ve seen what I need. I’ll do the autopsy today back at the facility.’
‘Two kids found the body. Brothers.’ Viv wiped her face. ‘Can you imagine that? They’d decided to skip school and they gravitated here.’
Erin made a face. ‘This place has a nasty reputation. Do you have an ID?’
‘No purse or wallet apparently. Not even signs of melted plastic as far as we can see. The killer probably took her bag away. Did Perez show you the items scattered around the body?’
‘She did, although I’m not sure what they’re supposed to signify. Perhaps the syringes were put there so we’d assume the victim was an addict.’
‘It’s a good guess but nothing more. This type of shit’s beyond both our remit. Look,’ Viv paused, lowering her voice, ‘how about I call Albert and get one of his lot down here. The syringes are one thing, but there’s a hank of hair near the woman’s feet.’
‘From the victim?’
‘I’m not sure, but your colleague Scott reckons it is, so I’m thinking ritual, which is way out of my area of expertise.’
Erin glanced over at Scott. ‘Ritual? Not my area either.’
‘Well, the archaeologists love it, I’ve heard. No harm in asking for another opinion, is there? Get a member of Albert’s team down here to give the scene a once-over before we move the body. What’s your opinion?’
Erin thought of Carla. Clever, professional and at a loss what to do this week in the unfamiliar town. ‘Albert’s got a new colleague who’s at a loose end until term starts in earnest next week. She’s stuck in a mire of office and personnel issues. How about I give her a call so she can get her brain working on something other than admin? Her name’s Carla James. I think she could do with occupying herself this week.’
‘The Brit Albert told me about? Why not?’ They turned to look at the body. ‘Be a nice mystery for her to solve,’ continued Viv. ‘Welcome to Jericho.’