Free Undercurrent by Pauline Rowson Page B

preliminary results but perhaps the pathologist had sent his report to Dennings because of his involvement in the case last night. If Dr Clayton had been conducting the autopsy she would certainly have rung him and copied him in. But maybe there was an email or message waiting for him. He didn’t stop to check but tossed the piece of paper Ashton had given him onto Walters’ desk and asked him to run the names through the database, briefly telling him and Cantelli that Ashton was being threatened.
    He found Sergeant Trueman alone in the incident suite which meant that whatever Uckfield had been told, Spalding’s death was not suspicious. A fact that was confirmed after he had knocked and been granted entry into Uckfield’s office where Dennings was sprawled in the chair opposite the Super, looking so smug that Horton would have given a lot to wipe the grin off his fat face.
    Uckfield gestured Horton into the seat beside Dennings and announced, ‘Spalding’s death was caused by injuries sustained from the fall.’ He glanced down at the paper on his desk and read, ‘The tissue covering the bony orbital rims, and the skin covering the cheekbones and the lower jaw are torn and cut. There are injuries to the liver, the thorax, abdominal and pelvic viscera, which are all consistent with a fall occurring from a considerable height.’
    ‘Any evidence that he was suffering from an illness?’ Horton asked, recalling what Julie Preston had told him.
    ‘No. Heart and arteries sound, no sign of cardiac arrest, no evidence of a stroke, brain clot, brain haemorrhage or aneurysm. Spalding jumped into the dock. Suicide.’
    ‘From the few people we’ve spoken to, including Spalding’s wife, there’s no testimonial evidence to suggest he killed himself and no note has been found.’
    ‘Not everyone leaves one.’
    I know that
. But Horton wondered if Spalding had, perhaps in his study at home. ‘How did he fall?’
    ‘Eh?’
    Horton elaborated. ‘Lots of suicides jump feet first. What does the pathologist say about that?’
    Uckfield gave a sniff of irritation and again consulted the report. ‘No injuries to the bones of the feet and ankle, or signs of trauma passing up the spine to the base of the skull. He jumped pitching forward.’
    ‘So he could have been pushed,’ Horton persisted.
    ‘He wasn’t,’ Dennings declared.
    ‘How do you know that?’ Horton rounded on him.
    ‘Because there was no one around to push him,’ Dennings said, exasperated.
    Except Neil Gideon and Matt Newton, thought Horton, and possibly Julie Preston and Lewis Morden, who could have done so before leaving the dockyard, but why would they?
    ‘Would he have ended up in the position he did?’
    ‘Yes,’ Uckfield snapped. ‘Now if—’
    But Horton hadn’t finished yet. ‘Any sign of alcohol in his system?’
    ‘No.’
    ‘Or drugs?’
    ‘Waiting on the toxicology tests.’
    And if drugs were found in Spalding’s system that would clearly add weight to the suicide verdict.
    ‘And the missing briefcase?’ he asked.
    ‘What briefcase?’ Uckfield threw a glance at Dennings who shifted and glared at Horton. Swiftly Horton told them about it.
    ‘In the sea,’ Uckfield pronounced, coming, not unexpectedly, to the same conclusion as Horton had earlier. ‘DI Dennings was correct in his assessment last night at the scene. Suicide is the most probable cause. It’s not our case, and unless you have nothing else to do I don’t think it’s yours. Everything will go before the Coroner.’
    Clearly Uckfield was not in the mood to discuss it further. Someone had upset him, which wasn’t difficult. Perhaps his lunch date hadn’t gone well. But despite Uckfield’s customary foul temper it wasn’t like him to shrug off an investigation without further probing. And if Uckfield’s love life wasn’t the cause of his short temper then it was probably the result of ACC Dean leaning on him for a quick result to make the performance figures