Read Online Born in a Burial Gown by Mike Craven - Free Book Online Page B

before.
    ‘Boss?’ Towler called after him.
    ‘I need to see someone,’ Fluke replied, without turning.
    As the Stryker saw buzzed into life, Fluke knew that the pitch would turn into a sickening shriek as it bit into bone. He sped up and was out of earshot before it happened.
    Before Fluke had even left the mortuary he’d changed his mind. He wasn’t going to be in a position to have more plasma until after the PM anyway. He decided to grab a brew from Costa Coffee in the main foyer rather than have a fight with his haematologist about his disappearing act the day before.
    He was in the queue and just about to place his order, when his phone rang. It was Towler. Fluke had only been out of the mortuary for five minutes. ‘We’ve found something,’ Towler said.
    ‘In the brain?’
    ‘In the golf bag,’ Towler replied.
    Fluke sighed, smiled ruefully at the waiting barista and headed back towards the mortuary.
     
    The ‘something’ was a small notebook.
    ‘SOCO found it in an internal pocket of the bag. There’s some other stuff, electronics mainly: a phone, a tablet and a laptop. All smashed to bits and there’s no SIM in the phone. The notebook’s empty but it looks like the top page has been torn off,’ Towler said. ‘It could have been already there, I suppose, but despite it being covered in shit, the bag looks brand new to me. If the notebook was put there by the killer then it wasn’t meant to be found.’
    Fluke didn’t know if it was evidence or not but he wasn’t taking any chances. ‘Right, I want the full works. Tell the lab I’m pre-authorising all the tests they want to do. Get them there tonight. Proper chain of evidence. If there’s anything, I want to know by tomorrow at the latest, today if possible. Get uniform to drive them down.’
    As Towler went off to arrange a fast-track forensic examination, Fluke turned to Sowerby who was just starting with the ‘Y’ incision.
    ‘Anything else, Henry?’ he asked.
    ‘Nothing really, Avison. We’ve taken all our external samples now: hair, pubic hair, swabs, the lot. Got prints for you as well. The brown substance under her nails looks like it may have also found its way into the turn-ups of her trousers according to your SOCO man there. The lab will tell you if they’re the same. Can’t say what it is.’
    ‘Cause of death the gun shot wound then?’
    ‘Technically the cause of death can’t be officially determined until I’ve finished. But yes, the bullet seems to have ricocheted around the inside of the skull causing massive trauma to the brain. That’ll almost certainly be the COD. I’ll have the bullet with you in five minutes if you can wait.’
    ‘Here till the end bitter end, Doc,’ Fluke replied.
    ‘Don’t you have an appointment with Leah Cooper?’
    ‘What? No. Yes. How did you know?’ Fluke said, all semblance of composure gone. He looked round.
    ‘Don’t worry, no one heard, Avison. No, I popped into in haematology before I came down here; the professor there is an old friend of mine. Leah asked if you were the senior investigating officer.’
    ‘She seem angry?’
    ‘Not especially, not with you anyway. She told me not to keep you too long, said you had a blood test to do before the day was out. Told her it would take as long as it damn well took. She nearly tore my head off,’ he grinned.
    If she wasn’t angry about the day before he may as well go and get checked now. ‘Look, this bit is going to take about two hours, am I right? I’ll go and get it over with; Towler’ll ring if anything urgent crops up.’
    Sowerby didn’t look up but waved a hand to let him know it was fine.
     
    Fluke got to the haematology ward and asked for Leah, only to be told by the staff nurse that she’d just left.
    ‘Okay,’ he said, relieved. ‘Can you leave a message and say I called in, as she asked. I’ll come back later.’
    ‘Not happening, Mr Fluke. She left clear instructions that you have to have another