connecting arrows had yet been drawn. Cullen inspected the pictures - they were taken over the course of two years, but Strang had aged, lines appearing on his otherwise fresh face and hair greying at the sides.
He was good looking, in a fey way. His face was long and thin and seemed to be symmetrical. His brown hair was spiked up in most of the pictures, the sides shaved ever closer as more grey appeared.
Buxton and Chantal stood around while Methven doodled on one of the walls. Cullen joined them.
"So, who have we got?" said Methven. "James Strang. AKA Jimi Danger."
"That's just been confirmed," said Chantal. "Anderson finished his DNA test. Strang was done for a breach of the peace in his student days. The DNA was on file."
"That's a result," said Buxton.
"Would have been nice to know when we spoke to his parents, though," said Cullen.
Chantal waved the paper in front of Cullen's face. "It's only just come through. Besides, you and Simon barrelled in oblivious to anything else."
Cullen tried to decide whether to make something of it.
Methven made the decision for him. "The post mortem is back. There is sufficient evidence to confirm the screwdriver is the murder weapon. The blood on the handle matches the DNA on file and the flecks of blood on the t-shirt."
He rubbed his stomach through his pristine white shirt. "The state of decay meant there was very little to perform an autopsy on. That said, the initial forensics report is of some interest."
He pointed to a photo of a pair of jeans, blown up to twice life size and occupying almost a whole wall. Cullen thought that sort of expense would soon be killed off by the new Chief Constable of Police Scotland, a notorious penny-pincher from his days in Strathclyde.
Methven indicated dark marks at the bottom of the jeans with his pen, an expensive-looking ballpoint. "There are traces that show the body was dragged from somewhere. These are wholly inconsistent with usual wear patterns and there is sufficient blood mixed in to confirm our suspicions."
Cullen was irritated that Methven was taking over his investigation. "Which are?"
"It looks like he wasn't killed where the body was found," said Chantal.
Cullen frowned. "The steps are stone. Somebody should have seen something, the trail would have been visible."
"That's a good point," said Methven. "Our killer was lucky here. Nobody was looking at the steps or the passageway that far down. We visited the room Strang's band used. It was the only one on the bottom level so it's possible nobody else would have been down. We should check with the band who shared their room. Chantal?"
She nodded.
"Didn't the original investigating team look into this?" said Cullen.
Methven gave a shrug. "We'd need to ask them, but I very much doubt it. The time allocation for a MisPer is very different to a murder investigation. They wouldn't have had access to detectives, let alone forensics."
"Besides, they thought he ran away," said Chantal. "They wouldn't have searched these band rooms."
"I want to speak to the investigating officers," said Cullen.
"Fine," said Methven. "Just don't labour it too much."
"As if I would," said Cullen, with a wry grin.
Methven grunted. "We currently have no suspects."
"I'd agree with that," said Cullen.
"What about that guy in the band with him, Johnson?" said Buxton. "The stuff about the t-shirt weirded me out."
Cullen looked at Chantal and Methven then tapped a photo of the remains. "What Simon is alluding to, is the Jeff Buckley t-shirt was a gift from David Johnson, the bass player."
"Come on, Constable," said Methven, "that's hardly enough to suspect someone of murder?"
Buxton shrugged. "It's just odd."
"Let's move on," said Methven, turning back to his mind map. "We've only got five direct connections. His parents are two and the three bandmates."
"There's another," said Cullen. "His parents mentioned a girl called Jane. We don't know anything else about her."
Methven wrote it down.
He was good looking, in a fey way. His face was long and thin and seemed to be symmetrical. His brown hair was spiked up in most of the pictures, the sides shaved ever closer as more grey appeared.
Buxton and Chantal stood around while Methven doodled on one of the walls. Cullen joined them.
"So, who have we got?" said Methven. "James Strang. AKA Jimi Danger."
"That's just been confirmed," said Chantal. "Anderson finished his DNA test. Strang was done for a breach of the peace in his student days. The DNA was on file."
"That's a result," said Buxton.
"Would have been nice to know when we spoke to his parents, though," said Cullen.
Chantal waved the paper in front of Cullen's face. "It's only just come through. Besides, you and Simon barrelled in oblivious to anything else."
Cullen tried to decide whether to make something of it.
Methven made the decision for him. "The post mortem is back. There is sufficient evidence to confirm the screwdriver is the murder weapon. The blood on the handle matches the DNA on file and the flecks of blood on the t-shirt."
He rubbed his stomach through his pristine white shirt. "The state of decay meant there was very little to perform an autopsy on. That said, the initial forensics report is of some interest."
He pointed to a photo of a pair of jeans, blown up to twice life size and occupying almost a whole wall. Cullen thought that sort of expense would soon be killed off by the new Chief Constable of Police Scotland, a notorious penny-pincher from his days in Strathclyde.
Methven indicated dark marks at the bottom of the jeans with his pen, an expensive-looking ballpoint. "There are traces that show the body was dragged from somewhere. These are wholly inconsistent with usual wear patterns and there is sufficient blood mixed in to confirm our suspicions."
Cullen was irritated that Methven was taking over his investigation. "Which are?"
"It looks like he wasn't killed where the body was found," said Chantal.
Cullen frowned. "The steps are stone. Somebody should have seen something, the trail would have been visible."
"That's a good point," said Methven. "Our killer was lucky here. Nobody was looking at the steps or the passageway that far down. We visited the room Strang's band used. It was the only one on the bottom level so it's possible nobody else would have been down. We should check with the band who shared their room. Chantal?"
She nodded.
"Didn't the original investigating team look into this?" said Cullen.
Methven gave a shrug. "We'd need to ask them, but I very much doubt it. The time allocation for a MisPer is very different to a murder investigation. They wouldn't have had access to detectives, let alone forensics."
"Besides, they thought he ran away," said Chantal. "They wouldn't have searched these band rooms."
"I want to speak to the investigating officers," said Cullen.
"Fine," said Methven. "Just don't labour it too much."
"As if I would," said Cullen, with a wry grin.
Methven grunted. "We currently have no suspects."
"I'd agree with that," said Cullen.
"What about that guy in the band with him, Johnson?" said Buxton. "The stuff about the t-shirt weirded me out."
Cullen looked at Chantal and Methven then tapped a photo of the remains. "What Simon is alluding to, is the Jeff Buckley t-shirt was a gift from David Johnson, the bass player."
"Come on, Constable," said Methven, "that's hardly enough to suspect someone of murder?"
Buxton shrugged. "It's just odd."
"Let's move on," said Methven, turning back to his mind map. "We've only got five direct connections. His parents are two and the three bandmates."
"There's another," said Cullen. "His parents mentioned a girl called Jane. We don't know anything else about her."
Methven wrote it down.
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