Kelly could tell Eric, the owner, was protective over his staff. He sat like a concerned parent and Kelly reassured him.
‘She’s been held here for two hours now,’ he said.
‘Andrea?’ Kelly said the girl’s name and she looked up. ‘You’ve had a terrible shock. I know you’ve been here a long time, and you can go soon. I just wanted to go over the statement you gave to the first responders,’ Kelly said. She sat down and waited for the girl to acknowledge her. Kelly smiled gently. She found situations like this a challenge. Dealing with the fallout of trauma wasn’t the same as getting justice for it. It required a different skill set.
‘Do you know her?’ Kelly asked.
Andrea shook her head.
‘Were you here all day?’
A nod.
‘And did you see any suspicious activity around the boats?’
A shake of the head.
Kelly read her statement through.
‘Did you notice anyone else over there today?’
Another shake.
Kelly changed tack and asked the waitress about her time working at the Faeryland café. It was a summer job. The girl was from Yorkshire and was saving money to go travelling with her friends before starting at university next year. Kelly knew this event would change the girl’s outlook forever. It was her bet she’d cancel her plans and face months of therapy, thanks to a chance encounter with a woman she didn’t even know.
Kelly thanked her and told her she could leave.
Then she made her way over to the SOCO.
Chapter 3
Ted Wallis parked his car and went to find Kelly. As well as being chief coroner he was also Kelly’s local pathologist working from two north Cumbria hospitals. It was a happy coincidence and neither wished for it to change.
He saw her and waved.
Her face showed signs of concern, and well it might, given the circumstances, but as soon as she saw her father, it relaxed her a little. They stopped short of embracing and kept their distance when in professional environments, but it was good to see him.
He was due to visit her house tonight to spend some time with his granddaughter, but, like her, he’d been called away.
It wasn’t Ted’s job to attend murder scenes, but Kelly was thankful for his intervention when the circumstances were puzzling like this one. And he didn’t need much persuading when the body of a young woman turned up with no ID in mysterious circumstances. Having him see the body in situ was always a helpful exercise if he had the time, which he did.
‘Oh dear,’ Ted said. ‘Poor young woman. What do we know so far?’ he asked his daughter.
‘Not a lot,’ Kelly replied.
Ted tutted. He was old school and made noises instead of committing to statements. His quiet certainty reassured his daughter and they pulled on gloves and approached the newly erected tent around the cadaver. It gave the victim privacy, as well as preserving any evidence they could gather, which in this case was vital because they had no idea who she was. Cumbria’s tourist industry provided a transitory population that was sometimes untraceable. Occasionally, murders remained unsolved because they failed to trace the ID of the victim. Asolitary decapitated head found in Wastwater ten years ago was the most famous example.
Kelly hoped this wouldn’t be the case here. But this was police work. Bodies didn’t behave and they certainly didn’t get in line. A chill suddenly made her shiver and she wished she’d brought a jumper to put over her thin polo top. Her lanyard provided little coverage, and she rubbed her arms.
The burden of investigation was on her. It was down to her team to decipher what had gone on here to result in this unfortunate woman’s death. Ted could only point the way.
Inside the tent was stuffy but at least it provided a little warmth. Stepping inside was like moving between worlds, one that was pretty and photogenic and the other that was ghastly and deviant.
She’d enjoyed coffee and cake at the Faeryland café many times and she recalled how pretty and serene the location was then. Today was something quite different. Now the punters had gone home for the day and the café was closed, which was a small mercy.
The Faeryland boat landing was northwest out of the village of Grasmere, on the way to the circular lake path that was rammed with visitors at all times of the year. Kelly had spotted the famous rowing boats that were painted beautiful colours, shored up by the lake after a busy day. The café had made a distinctive brand from creating a theme of fairies in a magical land, with cute artwork on teacups and boats. Also, their cakes were legendary.
The view of the lake from the café was stunning.
