the
possible time of death, but we still don’t know where she went into the sea. Do we order a search of the whole coastline?’
‘Oh, I don’t think there’ll be any need for that, Wes,’ the chief inspector said with a smug grin. ‘I know someonewho’ll be able to tell us where she went in.’
Wesley looked sceptical. He didn’t know how his boss was going to come up with the necessary information without a good deal
of routine police work . . . short of consulting a very reliable clairvoyant.
‘What about the bones from Chadleigh Hall?’ Heffernan asked suddenly.
‘I’ve had a good look at them. When I’ve cleaned myself up we’ll go and see, shall we?’
Fifteen minutes later they were looking down at the yellowing bones of the Chadleigh Hall skeleton. It looked smaller than
it had done in that room of horror. Smaller and more vulnerable. The bones of a young girl.
‘Interesting this one, Gerry, but I must say I can’t really tell you much about her.’
‘It is a “her”, then?’ Wesley wanted to be certain.
‘Oh yes. A female in her mid to late teens. She was five foot three inches tall and had good teeth with no dental work. She
had the good fortune to be well nourished, by the look of the bones, and there are no obvious signs of disease. However, the
cause of death isn’t obvious either.’
‘How old is it, then?’
Colin Bowman smiled. ‘That’s more Wesley’s province than mine. She could have been in there twenty years or a couple of hundred,
which I must say seems more likely given the circumstances. But there’s no way of confirming that without the appropriate
tests.’
‘Which can take months,’ said Wesley with what sounded like disappointment. ‘But a thorough examination of the room she was
found in might give us a clue. Neil did volunteer to have a look at it with me.’
‘Okay,’ said the chief inspector. ‘Help yourself. The room’s still sealed off as a crime scene just in case, so hopefully
nobody will have touched it. And I’d like to get some background on the place. It used to be a girls’ school. I want to find
out if any of the girls went missing.’
‘Actually my mother-in-law is an old girl of Chadleigh Hall.’
Heffernan started to chuckle, a merry sound that seemed inappropriate in a mortuary. ‘Red Della . . . at a boarding school
for young ladies? I don’t believe that.’
‘I was quite surprised myself. As a matter of fact Della’s here in the hospital. She broke her leg.’
‘How did she do that?’ Heffernan asked.
‘Coming out of a pub, would you believe.’
Heffernan nodded, unsurprised.
‘We could go and have a word with her if you like.’
Colin Bowman looked disappointed. ‘I was hoping you’d stay for coffee.’ He looked Heffernan in the eye. ‘There’s chocolate
cake,’ he added, as tempting as Eve’s serpent.
Gerry Heffernan patted his substantial stomach and moistened his lips. As he had said to Wesley on more than one occasion,
they certainly knew how to live down at the mortuary. ‘Then how can we refuse, eh?’
They proceeded down the white corridor towards Colin’s cosy office. They would make the most of their opportunities while
they could.
They found Della easily enough. She was sitting up in bed reading a magazine that featured the word ‘sex’ several times on
the front cover in bold letters.
She looked up and a wide smile spread across her face. ‘Well, if it isn’t my favourite son-in-law. If you’ve brought grapes
with you I hope that they’ve been crushed and fermented and poured into a bottle. You can’t get a drink in here for love nor
money.’
‘Hello, Della. I’ve brought Gerry with me. We’d like to ask you a few questions.’
She held her arms out. ‘Put the handcuffs on, then, I’ll come quietly. What am I charged with? Loitering on licensed premises
or corrupting the young? I plead guilty to both charges.’
Heffernan gave Wesley a
possible time of death, but we still don’t know where she went into the sea. Do we order a search of the whole coastline?’
‘Oh, I don’t think there’ll be any need for that, Wes,’ the chief inspector said with a smug grin. ‘I know someonewho’ll be able to tell us where she went in.’
Wesley looked sceptical. He didn’t know how his boss was going to come up with the necessary information without a good deal
of routine police work . . . short of consulting a very reliable clairvoyant.
‘What about the bones from Chadleigh Hall?’ Heffernan asked suddenly.
‘I’ve had a good look at them. When I’ve cleaned myself up we’ll go and see, shall we?’
Fifteen minutes later they were looking down at the yellowing bones of the Chadleigh Hall skeleton. It looked smaller than
it had done in that room of horror. Smaller and more vulnerable. The bones of a young girl.
‘Interesting this one, Gerry, but I must say I can’t really tell you much about her.’
‘It is a “her”, then?’ Wesley wanted to be certain.
‘Oh yes. A female in her mid to late teens. She was five foot three inches tall and had good teeth with no dental work. She
had the good fortune to be well nourished, by the look of the bones, and there are no obvious signs of disease. However, the
cause of death isn’t obvious either.’
‘How old is it, then?’
Colin Bowman smiled. ‘That’s more Wesley’s province than mine. She could have been in there twenty years or a couple of hundred,
which I must say seems more likely given the circumstances. But there’s no way of confirming that without the appropriate
tests.’
‘Which can take months,’ said Wesley with what sounded like disappointment. ‘But a thorough examination of the room she was
found in might give us a clue. Neil did volunteer to have a look at it with me.’
‘Okay,’ said the chief inspector. ‘Help yourself. The room’s still sealed off as a crime scene just in case, so hopefully
nobody will have touched it. And I’d like to get some background on the place. It used to be a girls’ school. I want to find
out if any of the girls went missing.’
‘Actually my mother-in-law is an old girl of Chadleigh Hall.’
Heffernan started to chuckle, a merry sound that seemed inappropriate in a mortuary. ‘Red Della . . . at a boarding school
for young ladies? I don’t believe that.’
‘I was quite surprised myself. As a matter of fact Della’s here in the hospital. She broke her leg.’
‘How did she do that?’ Heffernan asked.
‘Coming out of a pub, would you believe.’
Heffernan nodded, unsurprised.
‘We could go and have a word with her if you like.’
Colin Bowman looked disappointed. ‘I was hoping you’d stay for coffee.’ He looked Heffernan in the eye. ‘There’s chocolate
cake,’ he added, as tempting as Eve’s serpent.
Gerry Heffernan patted his substantial stomach and moistened his lips. As he had said to Wesley on more than one occasion,
they certainly knew how to live down at the mortuary. ‘Then how can we refuse, eh?’
They proceeded down the white corridor towards Colin’s cosy office. They would make the most of their opportunities while
they could.
They found Della easily enough. She was sitting up in bed reading a magazine that featured the word ‘sex’ several times on
the front cover in bold letters.
She looked up and a wide smile spread across her face. ‘Well, if it isn’t my favourite son-in-law. If you’ve brought grapes
with you I hope that they’ve been crushed and fermented and poured into a bottle. You can’t get a drink in here for love nor
money.’
‘Hello, Della. I’ve brought Gerry with me. We’d like to ask you a few questions.’
She held her arms out. ‘Put the handcuffs on, then, I’ll come quietly. What am I charged with? Loitering on licensed premises
or corrupting the young? I plead guilty to both charges.’
Heffernan gave Wesley a
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