The Night Before Christmas by Alex Pine

Author:Alex Pine [Pine, Alex]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers
Published: 2023-09-18T17:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE

James flinched as his gaze swept over the corpse of Nigel Marr. The face was like an ice sculpture, the skin rigid and translucent.

The rest of his body was as stiff as a board and as Dr Flint brushed away more snow from around it, several blood stains could be seen on the frozen ground.

James was struggling to take in the fact that the man had been shot. What had started out as a group of trail hunters going missing during a Christmas Eve meet had become a murder investigation involving a firearm. And he couldn’t help wondering if the weapon was one of those taken from the Rycroft farm.

This was another completely unforeseen development. Although gun crime in Cumbria had increased in recent years, it was still relatively rare compared with other parts of the UK. And it was a clear and disturbing indication that those responsible for this murder were resourceful as well as ruthless.

‘It appears he has a number of injuries beneath his clothes,’ Dr Flint said without looking up. ‘Blood has soaked through at several points, including his left shoulder and right knee. There’s severe bruising on his left hand and he has various broken bones, including two fingers and his right arm.’

‘What does that tell you?’ James asked.

She turned towards him. ‘I believe it means he was dragged here after he was killed and in the process his body was battered by rocks, gravel and rough foliage. His jacket and trousers are badly torn in places and there’s severe grazing on the areas of skin that have been exposed. I’m sure I’ll discover more of what I’m convinced are post-mortem injuries once he’s unclothed and on the examination table.’

‘So, you don’t think he was shot here.’

She shook her head. ‘The blood stains would be more extensive, I’m sure, and the rest of his body would be in better shape. These wounds are not consistent with a beating, and as you can see, there are no marks on his face.’

‘Was he dragged far from where he was killed?’

‘It’s impossible to give you a definitive answer to that question, James. It would depend on whether he was pulled across smooth, grassy fields as well as rough terrain. And any tracks that might have helped us have been wiped out by the snow, the wind and the Mountain Rescue Team.’

‘What about time of death?’ James asked.

‘I think it’s safe to say that he died on the day he disappeared. And he was probably brought to this spot within hours, or perhaps early the next morning. From the look of him, he’s most certainly been exposed to the elements for quite a while. And it’s worth noting that the freezing weather would have slowed the process of decomposition.’

Dr Flint turned back to the body and asked one of the SOCOs to take some close-up photographs.

James stood watching them for a few minutes with a grim, tight expression on his face. Around him the other SOCOs searched carefully for anything that could be construed as evidence.

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