here by the murderer, Don, although I don’t know why,’ Angel said. ‘You’d better check it first of all for explosives.’
Taylor blinked. His face straightened. ‘Explosives, sir?’ he said.
Angel’s shoulders went up, he held out his hands palms upwards and said, ‘Or hidden transmitter. I can’t think of any sensible reason for it to be here. But I also want you to see if there are any prints or any other forensics that may lead to indicating who has handled it in the last twenty-four hours or so.’
Taylor nodded.
‘Now, where’s the body?’ Angel said.
‘In the kitchen, sir. Through there. Dr Mac’s still working on it.’
The little Glaswegian heard them and said, ‘Nay. I’ve finished here, noo, Michael. I just want the nod from ye.’ He had closed his bag and was getting to his feet.
‘I’ll just have a look, Mac … and then you can have it.’
Angel squatted down and looked closely at the dead man. Flora blinked rapidly several times. She had her bottom lip between her teeth as she leaned forward. In her own mind, she was not certain how much of the body and the crime scene she wanted to see.
The body was lying on the white and black kitchen floor tiles. It was of a clean-shaven, fresh-faced man in a dark-grey suit, with collar, tie and polished black leather shoes. The eyes were open and seemed to stare at the kitchen wall. The head had a black hole at the temple and there was dried blood over the cheek and on the floor tiles.
After a few moments, Angel stood up.
Flora shook her head, put a hand on her chest and swallowed uncomfortably. ‘Why didn’t somebody close his eyes?’ she muttered.
Dr Mac looked at Angel and said, ‘The fair citizens of Bromersley are keeping you busy, I see.’
‘ Too busy, I’d say,’ Angel said. ‘What have you got, then, Mac?’
The doctor wrinkled his nose and said, ‘Male, about forty years. Shot once in the temple at close range. Died instantly, sometime between 9.30 and 11.30 this morning.’
Angel rubbed the back of his neck and said, ‘Hmmm. Thank you, Mac. You can take him as soon as you like.’
‘Right,’ he said. He turned away and dug into his pocket for his mobile.
Angel went out into the hall looking for Taylor. He was taking prints off the vacuum cleaner.
Taylor looked up at him and said, ‘There aren’t any explosives present in this cleaner, sir. And there isn’t a bug that I recognize planted on it.’
Angel nodded and said, ‘Well, what is the point of the damned thing?’
Taylor grinned. ‘Who knows?’
‘Who knows indeed,’ Angel said. ‘Where is the bullet case, Don?’
‘Haven’t come across it, sir.’
Angel’s eyes flashed. ‘Well, there’s bound to be one. Unless we have an intellectual murderer who took it with him to confuse us. And if he did, it’ll be the first time I’ve ever known it happen. They’re usually in an understandable hurry to get as far away from the scene of the crime as possible.’
He looked round the kitchen. There was a tall fridge next to the kitchen sink. He called out to Taylor in the hall. ‘This the only fridge in the house?’
‘Yes, sir. Did you expect more than one?’
‘No. Mrs Fairclough said the fridge door was wide open when she came in. I wondered why.’
Taylor came into the kitchen, opened the fridge door, quickly looked inside, then closed it. ‘Is it significant, sir?’
Angel shrugged. ‘I don’t know. But it would be good to have an explanation, wouldn’t it?’
‘Someone wanted to get something out of it in a hurry?’ Taylor said.
‘Could be.’
Flora said, ‘Someone wanted to get something out of it in a hurry who didn’t care about the condition of the rest of the fridge’s contents.’
‘Absolutely,’ Angel said. ‘That’s likely to be the intruder or murderer rather than the victim.’
Taylor said, ‘But the murderer’s prints weren’t on the fridge door handle, only smudges.’
Angel said, ‘Mrs Fairclough told
Taylor blinked. His face straightened. ‘Explosives, sir?’ he said.
Angel’s shoulders went up, he held out his hands palms upwards and said, ‘Or hidden transmitter. I can’t think of any sensible reason for it to be here. But I also want you to see if there are any prints or any other forensics that may lead to indicating who has handled it in the last twenty-four hours or so.’
Taylor nodded.
‘Now, where’s the body?’ Angel said.
‘In the kitchen, sir. Through there. Dr Mac’s still working on it.’
The little Glaswegian heard them and said, ‘Nay. I’ve finished here, noo, Michael. I just want the nod from ye.’ He had closed his bag and was getting to his feet.
‘I’ll just have a look, Mac … and then you can have it.’
Angel squatted down and looked closely at the dead man. Flora blinked rapidly several times. She had her bottom lip between her teeth as she leaned forward. In her own mind, she was not certain how much of the body and the crime scene she wanted to see.
The body was lying on the white and black kitchen floor tiles. It was of a clean-shaven, fresh-faced man in a dark-grey suit, with collar, tie and polished black leather shoes. The eyes were open and seemed to stare at the kitchen wall. The head had a black hole at the temple and there was dried blood over the cheek and on the floor tiles.
After a few moments, Angel stood up.
Flora shook her head, put a hand on her chest and swallowed uncomfortably. ‘Why didn’t somebody close his eyes?’ she muttered.
Dr Mac looked at Angel and said, ‘The fair citizens of Bromersley are keeping you busy, I see.’
‘ Too busy, I’d say,’ Angel said. ‘What have you got, then, Mac?’
The doctor wrinkled his nose and said, ‘Male, about forty years. Shot once in the temple at close range. Died instantly, sometime between 9.30 and 11.30 this morning.’
Angel rubbed the back of his neck and said, ‘Hmmm. Thank you, Mac. You can take him as soon as you like.’
‘Right,’ he said. He turned away and dug into his pocket for his mobile.
Angel went out into the hall looking for Taylor. He was taking prints off the vacuum cleaner.
Taylor looked up at him and said, ‘There aren’t any explosives present in this cleaner, sir. And there isn’t a bug that I recognize planted on it.’
Angel nodded and said, ‘Well, what is the point of the damned thing?’
Taylor grinned. ‘Who knows?’
‘Who knows indeed,’ Angel said. ‘Where is the bullet case, Don?’
‘Haven’t come across it, sir.’
Angel’s eyes flashed. ‘Well, there’s bound to be one. Unless we have an intellectual murderer who took it with him to confuse us. And if he did, it’ll be the first time I’ve ever known it happen. They’re usually in an understandable hurry to get as far away from the scene of the crime as possible.’
He looked round the kitchen. There was a tall fridge next to the kitchen sink. He called out to Taylor in the hall. ‘This the only fridge in the house?’
‘Yes, sir. Did you expect more than one?’
‘No. Mrs Fairclough said the fridge door was wide open when she came in. I wondered why.’
Taylor came into the kitchen, opened the fridge door, quickly looked inside, then closed it. ‘Is it significant, sir?’
Angel shrugged. ‘I don’t know. But it would be good to have an explanation, wouldn’t it?’
‘Someone wanted to get something out of it in a hurry?’ Taylor said.
‘Could be.’
Flora said, ‘Someone wanted to get something out of it in a hurry who didn’t care about the condition of the rest of the fridge’s contents.’
‘Absolutely,’ Angel said. ‘That’s likely to be the intruder or murderer rather than the victim.’
Taylor said, ‘But the murderer’s prints weren’t on the fridge door handle, only smudges.’
Angel said, ‘Mrs Fairclough told
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