‘On what?’

‘The type of casket, conditions of burial. Sometimes we can see corpses in surprisingly good condition after many years underground. Mahogany lead-lined caskets often slow progress of decay. The cheaper coffins will erode away, leaving the body at the mercy of the earth and the organisms. Why? Are you thinking of digging someone up?’

He got up and went to the counter bringing back a bowl of roasted almonds.

‘I don’t know. Possibly. I’d have to justify it, obviously. I’d be looking to prove the cause of death.’ Erika took a handful and popped them in her mouth savouring the crunch and the sea salt.

‘Wasn’t the cause of death proved?’

‘It was, but this is a slippery case. I think it was wrongly identified as suicide. I have a suspect who died twenty-six years ago… his cause of death was down as suicide, but his sister says it was a surprise that he took his own life.’

‘If it involved poison or broken bones, then traces can remain, but after twenty-six years you’d be risking upsetting family members for no reason.’

‘He hung himself, that was the documented cause of death.’

‘Okay, well there’s not going to be much to go on for that after all this time. There wouldn’t be much left of internal organs. If the neck was broken I would still be able to see that.’

‘Okay.’

‘Just remember that exhuming anyone, especially after all this time needs to be justified in court, not just on a hunch… And on a completely different matter, are you eating dessert?’

‘I always eat dessert. That;s the only thing I’m sure of right now,’ she laughed.

‘Good, I made these little molten chocolate puddings, and I’ve been dieting all week,’ he said.

 

 

29

 

 

Erika took the stairs two at a time up to the top floor at Bromley Cross. She clutched a bulging file of notes, and checked for the fifth time that she had everything in order.

It was early afternoon on Monday morning. It was now more than two weeks since Jessica Collins had been discovered, and she now had to go into a major briefing and give a progress report.

As she came through the double doors and into the corridor, she met Superintendent Yale carrying his Who’s The Boss? mug.

‘Erika, you’re looking smart,’ he said taking in her black suit. ‘The cavalry are waiting; Commander Marsh, Assistant Commissioner Brace-Cosworthy and the media liaison with the twitchy eyes…’

‘… Colleen Scanlan. I’m sorry they’ve thrown you out of your office, sir, but Commander Marsh only called to say they were coming an hour ago, to say the Assistant Commissioner wanted to be briefed.’

‘Not too hot here is it? You’ve got sweat on your top lip,’ he said. She wiped it away and went to move past him, ‘Jason Tyler’s henchmen are being rounded up this afternoon. We leaned on him hard. Threatened to take the kids off his wife. He’s given us intel on six of his associates, plus access to the Paypal accounts they’ve been using. Looks like we’re going to clean up!’

‘Congratulations, sir. That’s great to hear. Let’s catch up later. Now please excuse me, I must go,’ she said hurrying away. He watched as she disappeared through the double doors,

‘Catch up later, eh? You could have stayed on the case you know, taken all the glory. This could have earned you a promotion too,’ he muttered ruefully. He took a gulp of his tea and started down the stairs.

 

* * *

 

Erika knocked on the office door and went in. The Assistant Commissioner sat behind Yale’s desk, in her crisp white shirt. Her blond shoulder length hair sleek, and parted to the left and away from her high forehead. Her pale face was lined and she wore bright red lipstick, so thick and red that Erika imagined if she was thrown against the wall, her lips would stick. Marsh perched on a low table to the left, his eyes were tired and his shirt was creased. Erika figured that he was still estranged from Marcie. Colleen Scanlan the MET’s Media Liaison officer sat to the right, her notes balanced on a sliver of desk. Her eyes flitted between Erika, Marsh and Camilla. She wore a grey sensible suit, and had recently succumbed to a brutally short haircut, as did many women in their fifties. It stuck up in brown tufts.

‘Sorry I’m late,’ said Erika.

‘Do take a seat, DCI Foster. I’ve used this lull in the proceedings to let my coffee cool. It was scalding, don’t you agree Paul?’ she picked up a white takeaway cup and took a sip, leaving a pair of bright red lips on the rim.

‘Yes, they do a good cup of coffee in the train station,’ said Marsh.

‘Yes, It’s a revelation,’ she agreed. Erika could never tell if Camilla was being sarcastic or making conversation. Colleen cautiously took a sip of her takeaway coffee and nodded her agreement.

‘Do sit down,’ said Camilla indicating the chair in front of the desk. ‘Do you have a working list of suspects for me?’ she added holding out a manicured hand, her long red nails waggling in anticipation.

‘I’d like to discuss that first before I commit any suspects to paper,’ said Erika sitting.

‘Oh,’ said Camilla. ‘You’d like us to do your job for you then?’

‘That’s not what I’m saying.’

‘What are you saying? And please hurry up and say it, we all have other meetings this afternoon.’ She had a habit of drenching everything she said with a synthetic politeness, and it put Erika off her stride.

‘In the short tine I have had with this case, I’ve identified a possible suspect. Robert Jennings, a loner who was squatting in a cottage opposite the Hayes quarry.’

‘This is good news. Why don’t you want to commit him to paper?’

‘We have a problem.’

‘Which is?’

‘He’s dead. Robert Hooley was fifty-three years old. He died twenty-six years ago, three months after Jessica went missing. He hung himself in the small cottage opposite Hayes Quarry.’

‘And you think he was consumed by guilt?’

‘Possibly. I also suspect foul play, which is my conflict in making him a suspect.’ Erika went on to tell them what Rosemary Holley had said about his suicide, she also told them of Isaac finding high levels of Tetraethyllead in bone marrow extracted from Jessica’s remains.