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Bryant shook his head.
‘You want a job or are you happy where you are?’ she asked, pushing herself away from the wall.
‘I’m good, thanks.’
‘May I?’ she asked, nodding towards the gates.
‘One last thing,’ Kim said as Lisa reached for her hard hat. ‘Did Sandy seem genuine to you?’
She thought for a minute then shrugged. ‘I dunno. I suppose I’m a sceptic and I’m convinced she knew of my past some other way. Some of the others were hanging on her every word and nodding vigorously at every sentence. I’ve seen things on telly that I can’t explain but she didn’t blow my socks off. I didn’t feel she delivered any revelations, but others might disagree. Not fair of me to comment, especially as she’s dead.’
Kim nodded her understanding.
‘If I can help further just come back. Always here, and as we’re behind schedule, I literally am always here.’
‘Thanks for the offer,’ Kim said, turning away.
‘Hey, Inspector,’ Lisa called.
Kim turned.
‘That quip I made about Catherine killing the psychic. It was just a joke, you know.’
Kim nodded and continued to the car.
She hadn’t thought for a minute it wasn’t a joke. So why had the woman found it necessary to set her straight?
TEN
‘Okay, so what do we know about him?’ Penn asked, once John Doe was out of the fridge and on the table.
Keats pulled back the sheet. Penn took a closer look.
He guessed the man to be mid- to late forties with hair that was more grey than brown. He saw no piercings or tattoos or anything that would help identify him.
‘He was found in the Stourbridge underpass, already deceased, and had been for a good twelve hours. Take a look and tell me what you see.’
‘Average height, below average weight. I assume you’ve cleaned him up a bit?’
‘Not as much as you’d expect,’ Keats answered.
‘Clean nails, clean ears. No bunions or corns from poorly fitting shoes.’ He paused and looked up. ‘May I touch?’
Keats handed him a pair of gloves.
He put them on and then gently turned over the man’s hands. ‘No calluses. Actually, his hands are pretty soft.’
Keats nodded. ‘All organs are healthy with no signs of excess, but there’s something a little more intriguing. Open his mouth.’
‘Excuse me?’
‘Okay, just lift his upper lip.’
Penn did so. ‘Veneers?’
‘The best,’ Keats said.
Penn knew that dental care was not high on the list of priorities for people who didn’t know how they were going to get their next meal.
