The Signature: DI Giles Book 19 (DI Giles Suspense Thriller Series) by Anna-marie Morgan

Author:Anna-marie Morgan [Morgan, Anna-marie]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2023-05-19T16:00:00+00:00

The temperature was well below freezing. Her dashboard had showed minus ten on the drive to Bettws.

As Yvonne left the car, the cold air was still and thick. It hurt to fill her lungs. A vaporous mist hung over the village, giving it the distinct look and smell of winter. Frost covered the grass, rooftops, and trees. Its crystals sparkled in the sunlight, creating a scene resonant with snow.

The pavement was slippery underfoot; it having rained before the freeze set in. The DI concentrated on staying on her feet as she made her way towards the line of emergency service vehicles at the outer cordon.

She lifted the collar up on her coat for protection from the wind and cast her eyes about for Dewi.

“Over here,” he called.

Yvonne couldn’t see where he was until an arm, waving frantically, caught her attention. She made her way over, flashing her badge at the scene watch officer before lifting the cordon over her head. “What have we got?”

Dewi’s expression was grave. “A young lad, around twenty, found inside that…” He pointed towards a large green dumpster covered in police tape.

“Dead?”

He pressed his lips together.

“Oh God, no…” She sighed. “Jar?”

He nodded. “Same story… a clean jar with no label, containing one used match and an inner layer of onion.”

She moved closer to the bin. “The next layer… The DCI won’t explain this one away so easily.”

“We have a serial killer,” Dewi agreed. “And the victim doesn’t appear to have a mark on him.”

“Does Llewellyn know?”

“He’s on his way.”

“We’ll see what he says when he views the scene for himself.” She cast her eyes over the wheelie bin, and the two SOCO officers examining the contents. “When was it called in? Who found him?”

“The caretaker for Bettws Community Hall, which is there.” He pointed to the large red-brick building behind them. “The bin belongs to them.” He pointed to the black and white pub two hundred yards over from them, across a small car park. “That is the Bull and Heifer, the local pub. If my information is correct, the victim spent his afternoon and evening in there, drinking with locals to celebrate his Christmas holiday from college.”

Her gaze swung back to Dewi. “Another student?”

“Yes, his name was Carl Jarvis. He was studying law at Aberystwyth. Twenty-years-old.”

She winced. “So young…”

“That is the barman over there.” Dewi pointed to a tall, dark-haired man in his late twenties, wearing jeans and a faded black tee-shirt. “He served Carl his drinks yesterday.”

She nodded. “I’ll have a chat with him in a minute. What about the caretaker? Where is he?”

Dewi pointed to the community centre. “He’s in there, making cups of tea for whoever needs one.”

“Don’t let him leave. I want to talk to him too, while his memory is fresh.”

“Right-oh.”

“Find out if SOCO lifted prints from any of those jars. Tell them I want the items treated with kid gloves. They could be absolutely crucial to nailing our killer.”

The DS nodded. “Will do.”

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