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And slowly, all too slowly, she feels the panic fade. She’s safe. They’re safe, she tells herself as she slowly drops into a restless, disturbed sleep.
CHAPTER
4
Day 2
Sunday
THE SUN COMES up over the wasteland, and the crime scene teams work on. Five bodies: it’s a lot to process.
Marsh left hours ago, back to his warm house and comfortable bed. Dr. Ross followed not long after.
Adam is sitting in Jamie’s car, the coffee fetched by a kind PC drunk cold, Adam still clutching the empty cup. Next to him, Jamie’s six-foot-three frame is slumped uncomfortably in the driver’s seat. His double chin is crumpled into his chest; he’s fast asleep, breathing heavily through his nose. Adam is tired too, but the addition of a constant stream of caffeine, plus the thought of what’s to come, means he feels wired.
He’s been gathering his thoughts, mentally preparing himself for the start of a multiple murder investigation.
A gentle tap on the car window makes him jump; he opens the door to the tired face of Maggie Clarke. Hood down, but still in her crime scene suit, she crouches next to him and smiles wearily.
“Sleeping Beauty still out?”
Adam glances over; Jamie hasn’t moved. “Always envied his ability to kip anywhere,” he comments. “Have you got anything for me, Mags?”
“No, and we’re not going to for hours yet. There’s so much here, all this trash to rake through.”
“Can’t you tell me anything?” he pushes.
She glances back to the crime scenes, then frowns. “Unofficially?”
He grins. “Unofficially.”
“First thoughts, but this all feels very deliberate.”
“How so?” Like Adam, Maggie is an old hand. Well-read in her field, Maggie is familiar with crime scenes, years of experience teaching her what’s normal, and what’s not. At least, what’s normal in these sorts of circumstances.
“The bodies were placed on their backs,” Maggie continues. “Heads next to the …” She draws a square shape with her finger.
“Gravestones?”
“If you want to call them that, yes. Whoever placed the bodies here was sending a message.” She places a hand on his arm, then pulls herself to a stand with a wince. “I’ll call you when I have something definite. Get some sleep.”
He watches as she returns to the crime scene, gathering her unruly curls into a ponytail and pulling the hood back up.
Sleep is an impossibility.
Now, he’s ready.
He reaches across and pinches the bottom of Jamie’s nose. After a moment, Jamie snorts, then jumps awake. He looks across, blurry-eyed.
“You’re a dick, Bish,” he mumbles.
“We need to go.”
Jamie looks out to the piles of rubbish and dirt. “Go? Go where?”
“Back to the station. We have a murder investigation to begin.”
* * *
