Where Death Lies by Lindsay Ashford

Author:Lindsay Ashford [Ashford, Lindsay]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Lindsay Jayne Ashford
Published: 2013-08-30T23:00:00+00:00

Chapter 15

A low mist clung to the hills between Aberystwyth and Borth. As Chief Superintendent Nia Jones swung the BMW 5 Series round a hairpin bend Megan held her breath. If they met anything coming the other way at this speed, there wouldn’t be much left of the sleek black bonnet.

The policewoman grasped the wheel like a Sumo wrestler grappling an opponent. There was much sighing, grunting and a variety of Welsh expletives as they narrowly missed a procession of oncoming cars. Every time Megan opened her mouth to ask one of the many questions on her mind she had to bite her tongue. Distracting this woman could prove fatal.

The spectacular view of the sea was obscured, but as they began the sharp descent into Borth village the mist was thinning out. By the time they reached the sea front they were in bright sunshine. Nia Jones visibly relaxed, her shoulders and arms dropping and the dimples returning to her cheeks.

‘There’s something I’ve been wanting to know since Lili Jonas’ body was found,’ Megan ventured. ‘The mobile phone that was left in her locker - has it been examined?’

The policewoman nodded. ‘I’ve asked for a printout of the call register - I can get it emailed to you tonight.’

‘But what about texts, voicemail, that kind of thing?’

‘Nothing but a couple of texts from T-Mobile.’ the policewoman shrugged. ‘It was a new phone, apparently. She bought it from a shop in town a couple of days before she died. And before you ask, she wasn’t on Facebook or Twitter.’

Megan frowned. She had been hoping for some clues from the phone. Intimate texts from her current lovers, perhaps. Or images. Still, she thought, the call register should be interesting. Especially the timing of the last call. Anything after about 6pm on the Tuesday night would be worth investigating.

‘Fingerprints were a disappointment, too.’ Nia Jones cut across her thoughts. ‘Nothing on the fridges or the keys.’

‘Really?’ Megan would have expected a few clear, usable prints, if only from the people who were allowed to use the mortuary. But then, she remembered, they’d be wearing gloves pretty much all the time when handling the bodies. Had Lili ‘s killer been wearing gloves as well, then?

‘Were there any fibres in the wounds on Lili’s head?’ she asked. ‘Anything to suggest a gloved hand?’

The policewoman shook her head. ‘Nothing from the wounds, no. We’ve taken fibres from the back of her neck, though. Should have some results on those by tomorrow.’

‘Hmm.’ Megan glanced out of the window at the knots of people on the beach. A few fibres were not going to advance things much. Not unless they were highly unusual. DNA was likely to be the best evidence from the scene of death, but if the killer had no criminal record, they’d be back to square one. The mass screening idea seemed the only realistic option.

She turned to Nia Jones. ‘How long would it take to set up a DNA testing station?’

‘Well…I think we’d need two,’ the policewoman said slowly, thinking aloud.

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