He leaned forward and gently probed her mouth open. Slight bruising on the inside of the mouth. Most likely as a result of the gag we removed earlier. Some indications of long-term amphetamine abuse.
I know you hate it when we jump the gun, Carol said. But can you give me any indication on cause of death yet?
Vernon turned and gave her a wintry smile. I see you havent acquired patience in your time away from us, Carol. So far, I see nothing to contradict the obvious. She bled to death as a result of injuries inflicted vaginally. The tissue in the area is macerated almost beyond recognition. Not a pleasant way to go.
She didnt die quickly? Carol asked. Tony could feel anxiety vibrating from her. He could also smell stale alcohol on her breath. Hed only managed four hours sleep himself; God alone knew how little sleep Carol had managed to squeeze in between the bottle and the morgue. It certainly hadnt been enough, judging by the bruised smudges under her eyes.
Vernon shook his head. No. No arterial bleeding. This was slow exsanguination. She would have been alive probably for an hour or more, in terrible pain and shock.
There was a long silence as they absorbed the information. Tony hoped Carol was not contemplating Sandies suffering too closely. He gave himself a mental shake. He had to stop concentrating on Carol. He had a job to do, and while that job might be easier if he could help Carol on a personal level, he had to keep enough distance to allow himself to do what he was paid for. Mapping the mind of a murderer was never an easy task, and he couldnt afford to ignore an opportunity as good as this for finding a way in.
A long, slow, painful death. He watched her die, he said softly.
Carols head jerked round. What?
Thats the whole point of a lingering death. The killer wants to savour what hes created. Hell have recorded it as well. Video, probably. But you might want to check the room for fibre-optic cameras. Its possible he wanted to watch the discovery of the body too.
He stayed around till she was dead?
Tony nodded. High risk. Hes confident, this one. He knew enough about Sandies routines to feel safe that they werent going to be disturbed. Hes probably paid her to have sex before so he could check out the lie of the land. He wont have been able to manage intercourse, but hell have wanted to talk, to find out her regular patterns. You should ask around, see if she mentioned anything to any of her mates.
Carol filed the information away for future action. Vernon unpeeled the plastic bags from Sandies hands and began taking scrapings from under her nails. Any thoughts on time of death? Carol asked.
An imprecise science at the best of times, Vernon said drily. My best guess would be somewhere between midnight and eight yesterday morning.
No way to tell if she had sex before she was attacked, I suppose? Carol asked.
No chance. The damage to the surrounding tissues is so severe it will be impossible to tell whether there was any ante-mortem bruising. If its any comfort to you, theres no apparent sign of any gross anal penetration.
Before Carol could respond, the door behind them opened. Tony glanced over his shoulder. That single look told him the woman who had entered was a police officer. There was something unmistakable about her casual air of authority in this context. She wore a long black leather coat, the collar turned up against the blustery weather outside, making her look as if she was auditioning for a feminist version of The Matrix. She barely glanced at the body on the table before crossing to Carol.
Morning, DCI Jordan, she said. Mr Brandon said Id find you here.
Carol hid her surprise, though not from Tony. He knew her well enough to read the faint rise of the brows, the slight widening of the eyes. Sergeant Shields, she said. What brings you here?
Mr Brandon didnt call you? Jans face showed consternation.
No.
Ah. I expect hes left a message on your voice-mail. I tried to call you myself earlier and I couldnt raise you. Anyway, hes seconded me to your team for this investigation. He said you were a sergeant under strength and thought it might be useful to have someone on the team who knows the street scene.
That makes sense. Carols voice had ice at its heart. Already Brandon seemed to be reneging on his promise to give her a free hand, and she didnt like what that said about her.
He seemed to think so, Jan said, turning towards Tony. And this must be the man who reads our minds.
Tony assumed the expression of a man whos heard it all before. Only if youre a sexually motivated serial offender.
Jan laughed. My secrets are safe, then. She held out a hand. Im Jan Shields.
Tony returned the handshake. Strong, warm hand. Exactly what hed expect from someone whod just demonstrated how sure of herself she was.
Jan turned back to Carol. Another one bites the dust, eh?
In a particularly unpleasant way, Carol said repressively.
Jan shrugged, stepping forward to see better what Vernon was doing. Its a high-risk occupation.
So is being a cop, Carol said. But when one of us dies, we get a little respect.
Jan gave an apologetic smile. Sorry, I dont mean to sound callous. But when youve been in Vice as long as I have, they all start to look like meat while theyre still on the hoof.
Tony didnt find Jans attitude surprising. Hed met too many copsand clinical psychologistson the edge of burnout not to have some sympathy with the defensive positions they adopted. He took a step away, moving closer to the table. Did you do the post mortems two years ago? he asked.
Vernon nodded. I did.
What do you think? Tony asked.
If I didnt know better, I would say this woman had been the victim of the same killer. The pattern of the wounds is quite distinctive. Unique, really. The only time Ive seen it before was in the murders Derek Tyler was found guilty of.
What did he use? A knife of some sort?
As I recall, Tyler never gave up the weapon. At the time, I surmised it was something home-made, Vernon said. The wounds certainly dont match any implement Ive ever come across. And I did ask one of my colleagues whos an expert in toolmarks for an opinion.
So, what kind of home-made? Carol interjected.
Vernon studied the blade of his scalpel. Its hard to be certain. The wounds are consistent with a narrow, flexible blade. A razor blade rather than a craft knife. But there are dozens, hundreds of cuts. The best guess my colleague and I could come up with was something along the lines of a latex dildo with a series of razor blades inserted quite deeply into it.
Carols intake of breath was audible. Jesus, she said.
Danger, nutters at work, Jan said bitterly. That right, Dr Hill?
Tony frowned. It made no sense. Nothing added up. If the police had captured the wrong man, the real killer should have reacted by taking another victim then and there. Sexually motivated murderers didnt like other people being given credit for their handiwork. To wait two years to strike again was all wrong. He needed to talk this through. Carol? he said softly.