‘This is a busy dog walking area and it also leads to the industrial estate if you keep going.’
‘Yes, not the easiest route to tread. A fair few people cycle and walk down here.’
Bernard rolled his eyes. ‘We even found one woman dumping a load of bacon fat out for the birds. Lots of people have trodden this area already this morning, contaminating it further – a forensics nightmare. There’s a dirt track that runs alongside this river as you can see through the bushes. I’d say that the masses have trodden the path but not many people would have left the path to end up here.’
Gina could just about see a couple of cars parked in the distance. She knew it wasn’t an official route, there was even a sign up stating that there was no parking, but without it being enforced people often drove off the main country road, parking there anyway.
‘Not good. We’ll get signs put up alongside the river and on the dirt track, mentioning that there’s been an incident and requesting that any witnesses come forward. We’ll station someone here for a couple of days too.’ Gina made a mental note to pass that responsibility onto Kapoor before she left.
‘You never know. Someone might just have seen something that may help you.’
‘One more thing. Have you found any identification?’
Bernard shook his head. ‘Not a jot. Not yet, anyway.’
Gina nodded, glad to be leaving the death tent. Jacob and Jennifer were smiling at one another and looked to be exchanging small talk. ‘Ah, Jennifer. Can I see the photos that you managed to take of the victim?’
Jacob stepped back and cleared his throat and turned away, trying to hide his blushing cheeks.
‘Of course.’ With her blue-gloved hands, she began turning a dial on the back of a camera, flicking through what seemed like hundreds of photos, until Gina noticed a flesh colour filling the screen. She stopped, brow furrowing as she studied it closer. Clicking the little magnifying glass button, she zoomed in on their victim’s face. Gina shook her head, trying to work out how their missing witness had now turned up as a body.
Twenty-Eight
Gina stood aside and mulled over what she was seeing. No wonder Dale Blair hadn’t returned home. One of the last people to see Susan Wheeler before she disappeared was Dale and now he was dead.
‘Guv, guv!’ Kapoor ran up to her, trailing a length of crime scene tape from one of the many pockets built in to her uniform. ‘I have the witness keeping warm in my car. His wife came for the children a few minutes ago but he wants to go home. He’s asking if someone can hurry up and speak to him.’
Gina nodded. ‘Back up by the bridge?’ She began removing the forensics suit and boot covers, passing them to Kapoor.
‘Yes, guv.’
‘I’ll be there in a moment,’ Jacob called over. He continued exchanging glances with Jennifer as she showed him the crime scene photos.
‘Has he been seen by anyone?’ Gina asked.
‘He said he was fine and refused to see the paramedics. He seems okay, to be fair, a little shocked but nothing more than that.’ Gina remembered seeing the ambulance when they pulled up.
She removed her last blue glove with a flick of the wrist, passing it to Kapoor. ‘So sorry to dump all this on you but I can’t speak to him in a forensics suit and Bernard is in the middle of taking samples and arranging transportation for the body. It’s going to be a long, cold day.’
‘No worries, guv.’
‘I’ll head there right now.’ Gina glanced up and Lyndsey Saunders was hopping from foot to foot, hands buried deep in pockets as the camera dangled around her neck. ‘We need to put out an appeal for witnesses who have been here, both alongside the river and the farmer’s dirt track behind it. Also, a few witness appeal signs wouldn’t go amiss. Can you get that actioned?’
‘Straight away, guv.’ As Kapoor walked towards Lyndsey, the journalist eagerly dragged her notebook from her pocket and held her pen between her stiff fingers.
‘Do you know who the victim is?’ she shouted as Gina brushed past her. The man with the three dogs was still there, along with a small huddle of people, all trying to listen in and catch sight of the body. She paused for a moment, taking in their faces, wondering if their murderer had come to check out what was happening. ‘Who is the victim?’ Lyndsey repeated. Gina didn’t even attempt to offer her an answer as she went from a fast walk to a slow jog all the way back to the bridge. The smell of frying bacon came from one of the nearby houses making her salivate.
Kapoor’s car was tucked away in a layby ahead of her own car, just in front of the ambulance. She hadn’t spotted the man sitting in the back seat when they pulled in.
Their witness flinched as she opened the passenger side and got in beside him. ‘I’m Detective Inspector Harte. Would you mind if I ask you a few questions?’
He shook his head. ‘Will this take long? I need to be with my boys. One of them saw the body… I need to be with him…’
‘I understand and I thank you so much for waiting. I know it’s cold so I won’t keep you here long. What is your full name?’ Gina fumbled with the pages in her notebook, her fingers not complying with what her brain was telling them to do. She shook them out, hoping to get her circulation going again.
‘Michael Gregson, but people call me Mike.’
‘Did you drive or walk here?’
