startled her.
Instantly she bristled. If this was Tracy bloody Frost again, she’d arrest her for harassment.
‘Stone,’ she answered.
‘In-Inspector, is that… that you?’
The trembling male voice ruled out Frost.
‘It is,’ she answered, frowning.
‘Professor Wright from W-Westerley.’
She sat forwards, her mind cleared of everything except the voice on the other end of the line.
‘Professor…?’
‘There’s a… another one, Inspector.’
Kim was already on her feet and reaching for her jacket.
‘Professor, don’t let anyone touch—’
‘Please hurry, Detective Inspector. This poor woman is still alive.’
Twenty-One
A s Kim waited for the gate to move aside, Bryant’s Astra pulled up behind her. The gate began to move, and she drove through once the gap was a foot and a half wide.
She was off the bike and heading into the office as Bryant parked the car.
Darren, the night security guard, sat at the small round table. His hands were trembling around a mug of something.
The colour of his skin had not yet returned to its natural state.
‘Did you touch her?’ Kim asked urgently.
He shook his head.
‘Then how did you know she was still…’
‘She moaned,’ he said brokenly. ‘Oh God, the sound…’
He shook his head and stared back into the mug.
‘Is the professor with her now?’
He nodded without looking at her.
Kim looked at Bryant. ‘Stay with him and get the gate open for the ambulance,’ she instructed.
He nodded.
She headed out of the door and took her torch from her pocket.
The light from the Portakabin aided her only to the end of the car park. The moon offered her the promise of a direction of travel, but she was stepping into a sheet of darkness with only a general idea of where she was going.
Kim walked into the blackness and each stride confused her senses more. She took a few steps and was no longer sure she was moving in the right direction.
Bryant would question Darren, find out about his patrols. Kim guessed they’d be more accurate this time around. He’d almost lost his job. After his recent discovery, Kim suspected he might be wishing he had.
‘Professor,’ she called into the darkness.
Suddenly a shaft of light lifted from the ground and illuminated the single figure beside the oak tree.
Thank goodness, she’d already been starting to head away.
She sprinted to his location, feeling the long grass whip her ankles as she ran.
She detoured slightly to the left, remembering Jack and Vera in the sunken graves not far away.
As she reached his side the professor shone the torch down but not before she’d seen his ashen face.
Kim dropped to the ground, her knees sinking into the dirt thanks to a brief shower that had occurred around sunset.
A soft moan sounded but Kim could see the colour red seeping along the grass.
Kim knew she needed to assess the scene for evidence, but the priority was the woman who was still alive. She gently touched her bare arm.
‘It’s okay, we’re here with you and the ambulance is coming.’
She had made a second call to Ambo Control to clarify the exact location. It was difficult for them to find a place that was trying to hide.
There was no further moan or acknowledgement that the figure had heard her.
She looked up to the professor. ‘Can you get down here and place your hand where mine is so she knows there’s someone here?’
He knelt beside her and touched her hand, replacing it.
Torches shone from the Portakabin that was now illuminated by the lights from a squad car and the ambulance but, God help her, she needed to look for clues.
‘Shine your torch there,’ she said, pointing to the woman’s head.
The hair was brown, short and matted with blood and dirt. She couldn’t see the face, and she dared not touch it in case she caused further injury. She followed the light beam down the body to the breastbone. Flecks of brown, like freckles, mottled the area below her chin.
Shit, her mouth,
Instantly she bristled. If this was Tracy bloody Frost again, she’d arrest her for harassment.
‘Stone,’ she answered.
‘In-Inspector, is that… that you?’
The trembling male voice ruled out Frost.
‘It is,’ she answered, frowning.
‘Professor Wright from W-Westerley.’
She sat forwards, her mind cleared of everything except the voice on the other end of the line.
‘Professor…?’
‘There’s a… another one, Inspector.’
Kim was already on her feet and reaching for her jacket.
‘Professor, don’t let anyone touch—’
‘Please hurry, Detective Inspector. This poor woman is still alive.’
Twenty-One
A s Kim waited for the gate to move aside, Bryant’s Astra pulled up behind her. The gate began to move, and she drove through once the gap was a foot and a half wide.
She was off the bike and heading into the office as Bryant parked the car.
Darren, the night security guard, sat at the small round table. His hands were trembling around a mug of something.
The colour of his skin had not yet returned to its natural state.
‘Did you touch her?’ Kim asked urgently.
He shook his head.
‘Then how did you know she was still…’
‘She moaned,’ he said brokenly. ‘Oh God, the sound…’
He shook his head and stared back into the mug.
‘Is the professor with her now?’
He nodded without looking at her.
Kim looked at Bryant. ‘Stay with him and get the gate open for the ambulance,’ she instructed.
He nodded.
She headed out of the door and took her torch from her pocket.
The light from the Portakabin aided her only to the end of the car park. The moon offered her the promise of a direction of travel, but she was stepping into a sheet of darkness with only a general idea of where she was going.
Kim walked into the blackness and each stride confused her senses more. She took a few steps and was no longer sure she was moving in the right direction.
Bryant would question Darren, find out about his patrols. Kim guessed they’d be more accurate this time around. He’d almost lost his job. After his recent discovery, Kim suspected he might be wishing he had.
‘Professor,’ she called into the darkness.
Suddenly a shaft of light lifted from the ground and illuminated the single figure beside the oak tree.
Thank goodness, she’d already been starting to head away.
She sprinted to his location, feeling the long grass whip her ankles as she ran.
She detoured slightly to the left, remembering Jack and Vera in the sunken graves not far away.
As she reached his side the professor shone the torch down but not before she’d seen his ashen face.
Kim dropped to the ground, her knees sinking into the dirt thanks to a brief shower that had occurred around sunset.
A soft moan sounded but Kim could see the colour red seeping along the grass.
Kim knew she needed to assess the scene for evidence, but the priority was the woman who was still alive. She gently touched her bare arm.
‘It’s okay, we’re here with you and the ambulance is coming.’
She had made a second call to Ambo Control to clarify the exact location. It was difficult for them to find a place that was trying to hide.
There was no further moan or acknowledgement that the figure had heard her.
She looked up to the professor. ‘Can you get down here and place your hand where mine is so she knows there’s someone here?’
He knelt beside her and touched her hand, replacing it.
Torches shone from the Portakabin that was now illuminated by the lights from a squad car and the ambulance but, God help her, she needed to look for clues.
‘Shine your torch there,’ she said, pointing to the woman’s head.
The hair was brown, short and matted with blood and dirt. She couldn’t see the face, and she dared not touch it in case she caused further injury. She followed the light beam down the body to the breastbone. Flecks of brown, like freckles, mottled the area below her chin.
Shit, her mouth,
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