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‘Yeah, I’d probably consider it as well,’ Bryant offered.
‘Okay, catch-up complete,’ Kim said. ‘I’m sure you’ve guessed that we have a victim.’
They all looked to the whiteboard where Kim had already written the details.
‘Female victim named Sandra Deakin, forty-one years of age, stabbed eleven times while walking her dog. In addition, our guy gave her one last slash to the mouth once the job was done. Obviously a detail that will be withheld from any press releases. Photos should be through around 9a.m. when Keats gets in. He had a heavy day. In the meantime, she’s around five feet five, slim build with blonde hair.’
‘Sorry, boss, can’t get past the number of stabbings and the mouth thing. Very personal,’ Penn said.
‘Agreed. Nothing was taken. There was no evidence of sexual assault, so whoever she is, she’s upset someone.’
‘Or we have a crazed killer on our hands,’ Bryant said.
‘Great theory, but in all our investigations, when have we ever had a mindless crazed killer on the loose?’
Bryant shrugged. ‘Could happen.’
‘It could, but for now we’ll focus on the likelihood it was someone she knew. She was murdered between 7p.m. and 8p.m. at St John’s Church in town. Bell ringers saw her when they went in, and one of them found her on the way out. She’s known to them. Seems she liked to walk her dog through the graveyard and would stop and touch the stones.’
‘What was that now?’ Penn asked, raising an eyebrow.
Kim shrugged. She had no idea.
‘Inspector Plant is getting statements from the bell ringers and Father George Markinson, but, Stace, I want you to do a bit of background on the good clergyman and also the guy that found her, Terence Birch.’
Stacey wrote the names down.
‘Also, I want you to find out everything you can about Sandra Deakin.’
‘Got it, boss.’
‘Penn, post-mortem will be 9a.m. on the dot and—’
‘On it, boss,’ he said cheerily.
‘Had I finished?’
‘Sorry, boss.’
‘Keats had another customer yesterday. Homeless man, no name. Pump him for info.’
Penn waited.
‘Now I’m finished.’
‘Okay, boss.’
‘As ever, Bryant, you and I are going to start our day by speaking to a grieving family.’
He grabbed his jacket from the back of the chair. ‘You know, for once I might want to swap with Penn. He gets—’
‘Err…boss, one sec,’ Stacey said as they headed towards the door. The constable turned her screen around. ‘Is this our victim?’
‘Bloody hell, Stace, that was quick,’ Kim said, looking at what appeared to be a professionally shot photo.
‘I’d love to take credit but she wasn’t really that hard to find.’
‘How so?’ Kim asked, moving back into the room.
