No Safe Place(Detective Lottie Parker #4)(24)
Boyd said, ‘We’ve been assuming this is the work of a man, but it could just as easily have been a woman.’
‘True,’ Lottie conceded. ‘The victim was naked, so that implies something sexual. Hopefully the post-mortem will tell us more about that. And something might show up on the CCTV footage. If it was an accident, why not try to get her out, or call 999? Was the intention all along to kill her? I can’t get my head around it. And so far, we haven’t one clue. That’s unthinkable.’
‘Wait for the post-mortem. And the results from McGlynn.’
The embankment to their right lit up with the lights of the Sligo to Dublin train. A horn screeched into the evening air and the inky sky brightened in a V from the light.
‘I’ve to pick up Grace,’ Boyd said, and headed up the hill.
Checking the time, Lottie said, ‘You’ve less than fifteen minutes if you want to catch the train coming in from Dublin.’
It was almost dark, and in the cone of light cast by her torch, she noticed crystals of frost on the plastic heads of imitation flowers. White granite sparkled and a blackbird cawed from a branch above her head. She tried to keep up with Boyd’s long strides.
When they reached the gate, she looked over at the old office. ‘We need to search in there.’
‘Once SOCOs finish on site, they can move up here.’
‘Did you see that?’ She pulled Boyd’s sleeve.
‘Only thing I saw was a big fat rat crawling out of one of those bags over there.’
‘Oh Jesus, let’s get out of here.’
They hurried to the car. As Boyd reversed and turned it, Lottie said, ‘I hope to God the camera recorded something.’
Boyd said, ‘Apart from the front wall, the cemetery is wide open on three sides. The railway tracks at the end plus the traveller site; the old folk’s home to one side and a housing estate on the other. Easy access.’
‘Nursing home.’
‘What?’
‘Old folk’s home is not a PC term.’
She stared over at the nursing home. A newly built block with floor-to-roof windows facing out over the cemetery. Behind it she could make out the roof of the older building, with its copper roof turned green. Why hadn’t anyone heard or seen anything? Why was Elizabeth in the cemetery? Where did she go when she got off the train? If they could figure that out, they might get a direction to follow. But at the moment, they were getting nowhere.
Boyd pulled the car onto the road with a grunt. Lottie was relieved when they sped away from the place of death.
Nineteen
‘Do you have anything for me, Lynch?’ Lottie shouted out to the main office as she flicked through her emails.
Lynch came to stand in the doorway.
‘Elizabeth Byrne had very little online presence. She closed down her Twitter account a year ago, hasn’t posted on Instagram in that time either. She doesn’t appear to use Snapchat at all, and her postings on Facebook are sparse. She used WhatsApp.’
‘Check it out. Have you contacted her Facebook friends?’
‘Working my way through them.’
‘Any joy with Matt Mullin?’
‘The bank is to get back to me in the morning. The head of HR wasn’t in and no one else would give me details.’
‘Get on to that first thing.’
‘Boss? This surveillance job that Kirby and myself are working on, I don’t think it’s getting us anywhere. Do you think it’s time we abandoned it?’
They’d had problems recently with illegal bare-knuckle boxing among the traveller community. Vast amounts of money were being wagered, resulting in plenty of injuries. Lottie felt it was only a matter of time before someone died.
‘What have you discovered over the last three weeks?’
‘Nothing,’ Lynch said.
‘Just wondering if you found the McWards involved in anything underhand?’
‘Don’t recall seeing the name anywhere, but I can check.’
‘What type of detective are you?’
‘A good one,’ Lynch said, folding her arms.
‘Prove it to me then. I want to know where Matt Mullin is. A banker in Germany can’t be that hard to find now, can he?’
Lynch sighed. ‘Could I have a few days off, boss? I know it’s the start of an investigation, but I really need time to—’
‘No. All leave is suspended until this case is solved.’
‘But—’
‘No buts, Lynch. I need everyone. Is that all?’
Lynch grabbed her coat and was out the door before Lottie could call her back. It really was one of those days.
Lottie phoned the state pathologist.
‘Hi, Jane. Did you get to my graveyard victim yet?’
‘Sorry. A sudden backlog here. Hypothermia deaths in February are a new thing for me. I’ve your girl scheduled for the morning. I’ll call you with a time so you can attend.’
Hanging up, Lottie went out to the main office and pulled a chair over beside Kirby’s desk.
‘You were a bit harsh on Lynch,’ he said.
‘I don’t know why, but sparks fly every time we talk recently.’
‘Not just recently, boss, it’s been going on a long time. And not just with Lynch, if you get my meaning.’