Read Online Buried in the Past by Bill Kitson - Free Book Online Page B

‘The body was on the bed. The victim was naked, lying face up. The dead man was a young white male, and from the description I assume him to be the tenant, Graham Nattrass. He’d been tied with duct tape round his wrists and ankles. His injuries suggest he was bludgeoned to death. The bedroom had also been searched. He’d obviously been dead for some time,’ she swallowed as she recalled the worst part, ‘not only because of the smell, but the maggots and the flies as well.’
    ‘Is that all?’
    ‘What have I missed?’
    ‘Not much. The duct tape might yield a fingerprint, although I’m not holding my breath for that. You forgot to mention the gag.’
    ‘I assumed that was to stop him screaming whilst the killer was hitting him.’
    ‘I think you’re right. Did you spot the ashtray?’
    ‘Oh, yes, there was an ashtray on the top of the dresser. It looked as if it had been wiped clean, although there were one or two fragments of ash still clinging to it. We ought to have checked to find out if Nattrass was a smoker.’
    ‘You can do that later, when you take the old lady’s statement. But there is another possibility, although it’s one I don’t like to dwell on. Mexican Pete will confirm one way or another, but it could be that the killer used cigarettes to torture his victim, which was thereal reason for the gag.’
    ‘I didn’t notice any burn marks on the body. But they’d be covered up by his other injuries, wouldn’t they? Mind you, I didn’t look any more than I had to.’
    ‘I don’t blame you for missing the burn marks. I don’t suppose you spend a lot of time staring at men’s testicles, do you? Especially those of dead men.’
    ‘You’re joking? That’s gruesome.’
    ‘Tell me what isn’t gruesome inside that place. If I’d to sit and think up the most horrific way to kill a man, I doubt if I could come up with anything nearly as sick as that.’
    They were interrupted by the sound of brakes and looked up in time to see the pathologist’s car come to a halt only inches from the back bumper of Nash’s Range Rover.
    ‘Nash, I was in the middle of conducting a post-mortem in front of a group of anatomy students when you rang,’ Ramirez told him. ‘What’s happened here?’
    ‘That’s what you’re here to tell us,’ Nash said sarcastically, ‘now that you’ve managed to tear yourself away.’
    ‘Well, let’s get on with it. I haven’t got all day to waste.’
    ‘Neither have we,’ Nash retorted. ‘We’ve wasted enough of it, waiting for you.’
    Clara winced, but fortunately Ramirez didn’t respond.
    She followed Nash and the pathologist back to the flat. The detectives waited as Ramirez began his examination.
    ‘Very unpleasant,’ he said after a minute. His voice conveyed no emotion. He walked carefully across to the bed, warning them to avoid the teeth on the carpet if they intended to enter. Neither of them seemed tempted by the offer.
    ‘Have you seen the torture marks on the genitals?’
    Nash nodded. ‘Yes, Clara spotted them, she likes looking at men’s privates. We thought the killer might have used cigarettes.’ He pointed to the ashtray.
    ‘You’re probably right. I should be able to confirm it later.’
    ‘Anything else I should be aware of at this stage?’
    Ramirez was examining the dead man’s eyes. ‘I’ll be interested in the toxicology results,’ he said after a moment. ‘I wouldn’t besurprised if he was sedated. Probably to stop him resisting. I’ll do all the usual checks, but my first guess is that he’s probably been dead around four to five days. The maggots will confirm the time of death as accurately as possible. When I’ve finished up here I’ll supervise removal of the body. In this heat the sooner the better. Post-mortem tomorrow morning?’
    ‘That’ll be fine; we’ll leave you to it.’
    Ramirez looked at them. ‘Can’t say I blame you.’
    SOCO arrived as they emerged from the building. ‘Ramirez is waiting