Definitely Dead by Kate Bendelow (howl and other poems TXT) 📕

as always,’ Kym said. ‘Right, I think it’s time we call it a day. Ewan, Ushra, thanks for your help. Elaine and Maya, I know it’s been a long day for you ladies. Chris is on the late shift this evening and I’ve asked him to update your exhibits onto the database. So, get yourselves back and straight home. I’m going to amend the forensic strategy based on what we’ve seen today. We’ll look at recommencing at nine in the morning.’

Efficient as ever, Kym left the flat with Derek Billing following her. He made several attempts to engage her in conversation while they wrestled out of their scene suits, but Kym dismissed him with brusque, one-word answers before finally announcing she needed to head back to Beech Field so she could brief the DCI on their findings so far.

Derek watched her go. ‘Oh my, what a woman,’ he said as he ran his hand across his head, flattening his hair down then wiping his face as if smoothing his whiskers. He watched Kym drive away from the scene with a lecherous grin on his face. Maya and Elaine exchanged a smirk, bid farewell to the lab technicians and after signing out of the scene log, headed back to the station. Both of them wondered when and where Ryan Johnson’s body would be found.

44

Arriving at work the next morning, there were even more vehicles in the car park than the previous day. Maya wondered if this meant there had been a development in the Ryan Johnson investigation. This was confirmed by the fact that Chris, who should have been on a midday shift, was already in the office. He looked tired and in need of a shave. A pot of untouched porridge was on the next desk to his elbow.

‘Got a job on?’ Maya said, as she switched on the kettle.

‘Yes, love. Ryan Johnson’s body was found last night. The search teams were about to call it a day, but he was spotted in the waterway at the back of his flat. He’d been wrapped in tarpaulin as well as a large bedsheet and weighed down with bricks and covered in shrubbery and whatnot. His PM is scheduled for later on, so I thought I’d stay with it as I recovered him last night.’

‘What condition is he in?’ Maya asked as she lowered herself into the chair next to Chris.

‘He’s relatively well preserved, probably due to the fact he’s been wrapped up like a Christmas present, so nothing’s had a chance to nibble on him. From the neck down, he’s barely got a scratch other than a few defence wounds to his hands. His head has been smashed to smithereens, cracked open like an egg, poor bastard.’ Chris shook his head sadly and Maya felt for him, he’d certainly had his fair share of bodies in all the years he’d worked as a SOCO.

‘You not eating your breakfast?’ she asked, nodding at the porridge.

‘Nah, can’t face it, love. Looks like bloody baby food. I’ll pick up a sausage-and-bacon sandwich on the way to the mortuary.’ He smiled, brightening up at the thought.

‘Here, I’ll get the scene photos ready from last night to show you.’

They were soon joined by Amanda, Elaine, Kym and Nicola. They all gathered around to study the photographs of Ryan Johnson.

Looking at the heavy staining on the sheet that had covered him, it appeared that Derek Billing’s observation that he had been covered up during the attack was correct. The back of Ryan’s skull had been smashed open, revealing part of his brain, which resembled a jellified cauliflower. His face was swollen and protruding as the impact of the head injury had caused his features to engorge.

Everyone remained silent as Chris flicked through the series of images. Even someone with his and Elaine’s length of service, were still saddened at the loss of such a healthy young person having had their life snubbed out by an act of sheer, mindless violence.

Maya shuddered at the sight and found herself thinking how glad she was it wasn’t Spence that she was looking at. She was glad he wasn’t mixed up in the same kind of circles as Ryan Johnson had been. She would have been devastated to think of him ending up like that.

Kym returned to her office and everyone began preparing for the day. The silence was interrupted by the arrival of DCI Chambers.

‘Good morning, is Kym available? I have an update and I also need to take another look at the scene photos of Johnson,’ she said, as brusque and efficient as ever.

Kym emerged from her office and gestured towards the door.

‘Do you want to come in, ma’am?’

Chambers smiled. ‘It’s okay thanks, Kym. I have an update I can share with your team. The early phone analysis has come back from the digital forensic unit. Johnson had an app on his phone relating to the fitness tracker we assume he was wearing. The data from that app shows an increase in heart rate at approximately 1900 hours on the twenty-first of July which was five days ago.’

Everyone was silent as they processed the new information, until Elaine tentatively raised a hand like a nervous schoolgirl.

‘Forgive me, ma’am, but could you elaborate a bit further? I’m not up to speed with all these apps and technology. You’re speaking to someone who is still blown away by the fact you can spell out “boobies” on the upside-down screen of a calculator.’

Chris and Maya howled with laughter as Kym shook her head disparagingly at Elaine.

‘In basic terms, we think the fitness tracker may have provided us with a time of death. It’s all circumstantial at this stage still, but we think the increase in heart rate occurred during the attack on Johnson. Following this, the app hasn’t recorded any other movement or heart-rate data,’ Chambers said.

‘It’s the modern-day equivalent of a stopped-watch scenario from Agatha Christie’s day,’ Maya suggested.

‘Exactly,’ Chambers said, smiling at her.

‘Here we go, ma’am, I assume this