‘Forty-four per cent have a mental illness,’ he carried on.
‘This is where your psychological autopsy comes in?’ she asked him and he nodded. He’d explained to her that though you couldn’t prove without doubt that somebody did not actuallyjump from height, the behaviour of the person in the run-up to the incident often was the biggest indicator.
‘Subarachnoid haemorrhage, cervical spine fractures, rib fractures and numerous fractures of upper body appendages.’
She found Ted’s voice soothing despite the topic of the monologue.
‘It’s as if he dived off the banister,’ he said.
She waited for him to explain.
‘If he fell over the lip of the wooden rail, his body would have flipped, like an acrobat. It indicates that he had no time to do that. He went straight down.’
‘Witnesses heard him shout out.’
‘Are you sure it was him?’
‘Not one hundred per cent.’
‘Because that would indicate him being conscious and further support the defensive injuries. He landed awkwardly, but then thirty feet isn’t a long time to think about what’s happening. We both agree that the banister was almost impossible to fall over, especially if you’ve stayed in the hotel three nights already, and the items indicating a scuffle, I think, give you your answer. I’d treat this as homicide unless more evidence comes to light. That’s what I’ll write in my report, so you have my verdict, for now.’
Kelly chewed her lip and nodded.
Two homicides, three if she counted the baby.
‘If there was a scuffle inside or outside his room, and he fought with someone, perhaps that explains why the Clem Allins meditation he was listening to was paused? He wasn’t expecting somebody. The conference was busy. Anybody could have entered the hotel and gone up to the second floor.’
‘Quite. OK, let’s turn him over.’
An assistant helped him turn the body and Kelly looked away. It felt improper for her to watch as Jamie’s exposed fleshwas dumped so unceremoniously on its front, like a wet seal. When she looked back, she could see huge blood pooling and discolouration and was reminded just how quickly a human body deteriorated once it had expired. It was in the process of consuming itself right now and Ted’s job was to investigate the clues left behind before it turned to biological mush. Nature sure did a fine job of cleaning up after itself, but when a human soul was involved it wasn’t easy to appreciate.
She turned away again as Ted took samples from crevices and orifices, then examined Jamie’s nails and hair. She found it incredible that Ted still knew what he was looking at when he rummaged through Jamie’s broken scalp.
‘Did you see this?’ he asked.
Kelly went to the body and Ted showed her Jamie’s right hand. His forefinger and middle finger seemed to be welded together with glue.
‘He grabbed something before he died.’
‘Or as he was dying?’ Kelly asked.
Ted prised apart his fingers and revealed a small torn strip of purple material.
‘Gold dust,’ Kelly said.
It looked as though it came from the torn scarf they found outside his room. The purple one which had been tossed aside, as if by accident, but now Kelly knew that the wearer had contact with Jamie as he slipped.
Or was pushed.
Chapter 22
The following day was Thursday but weary as she felt, Kelly pushed on with the investigation, as did her team. She drove back to Heron Hall with Emma first thing and they faced a full day of interviews there.
The VIPs from Hampton-Dent had decamped to the glorious estate of Dow Bank House and Emma said it was a pity they weren’t going there to conduct interviews. Kelly agreed.
‘I imagine it to be like Downton Abbey,’ she said as Kelly drove.
‘How are you feeling?’ Kelly asked.
