Trouble at High Tide by Jessica Fletcher; Donald Bain

Author:Jessica Fletcher; Donald Bain
Language: eng
Format: mobi
ISBN: 9781101580028
Publisher: Penguin Group US
Published: 2012-04-03T05:00:00+00:00

Chapter Thirteen

A crowd had already formed outside the yellow tape that the constables had strung across the alleyway at the latest crime scene. The victim’s body had been covered to shield it from prying eyes, but the edges of the pool of blood in which the corpse lay were visible. The police had put traffic cones around the stain to prevent investigators from treading in the blood.

Gilliam and Macdonald were already there when Freddie and I pushed our way through the throng to gain admittance to the cordoned-off area. The Scotland Yard inspectors were standing apart from the constables, talking to the police commissioner.

Commissioner Leonard Hanover’s eyebrows rose when he saw us walk into the crime scene together, but he greeted me cordially. “Mrs. Fletcher, I believe we met at Judge Betterton’s the other evening.”

I shook his hand.

“I must apologize, Mrs. Fletcher,” he said. “You’re not seeing the best side of Bermuda at this unfortunate time.”

“No need for apologies, Commissioner. Bermuda is always beautiful. I’m sorry you’re having to deal with such terrible crimes, and I’m sorry these poor women have been targeted by a madman.”

“Who found her?” Freddie asked.

“Some men from Works and Engineering,” the commissioner replied. “They were collecting trash and moved those bins.” The commissioner pointed to a row of large-wheeled garbage containers. “Her body was behind them.”

Freddie addressed Inspector Macdonald. “Was she killed here or was the body dumped here?”

“From the volume of blood, I’d say this is the site of the murder,” she replied.

“Same perp,” Gilliam added. “Same MO.”

“Do we have an ID?” Freddie asked.

“Not yet,” the commissioner said. “My boys are tracing her. She’s wearing some kind of fancy bracelet. They’re checking jewelry merchants. If she purchased it here, we may get a make on her. Superintendent Bird’s team is inquiring with its undercover officers to find out if any of the prostitution ring bosses and madams are missing a girl.”

“Anything from the Dominican community?”

The commissioner shook his head. “Nothing.”

Gilliam turned to me. “It’s a very touchy subject, as you might imagine. The Dominicans who work here are sensitive to any talk of prostitutes coming from their country. They’re afraid they’ll all be tarnished with the same label.”

“I’m ready to take a look,” Freddie said, his face grim. He put on latex gloves and walked over to the body, gingerly raising a corner of the tarp high enough so he could see the face of the victim. He circled the corpse, carefully avoiding the puddles of blood, and checked under the covering at intervals before discarding his gloves and returning to us.

I wavered between curiosity about what he was seeing and relief that he hadn’t invited me to view the remains. I was grateful that he’d made the decision for me, but I wondered if I should have asked.

“No need,” Freddie said, reading my mind. “It would just upset you, and I don’t see anything new to change the picture we discussed today.” He wandered away to consult with an officer, leaving me standing with his colleagues and the commissioner.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.