Free Beautiful Death by Fiona McIntosh Page B

crisply together.
    ‘Good luck,’ Cam said, finding a smile, remembering his first major operation that now felt like a million years ago. ‘Right,’ he said, turning to face the team, ‘any last questions because Mal and I are headed down to the scene now. Joan can reach me if you need me or just call the mobile. Have aproductive morning. We’ll re-group this afternoon, hopefully with the DCI. By the way, take the interpreter with you. He or she will be helpful when you’re canvassing around Whitechapel.’
    The post-mortem had already begun when Jack and Kate were shown into the viewing gallery. The doctor had just finished dictating details of the case, assigning it a number, date, time and other file details.
    There was dim lighting in the gallery but the lab was fluoro bright, the woman on the steel table appearing almost bleached beneath the harsh lighting. Where her face had once been was a bloodied pulp. Jack nodded at the doctor, who’d looked up at their arrival, but he didn’t want to even glance at Kate. It was so much more horrific than he had imagined and he was having trouble keeping his gaze fixed on Dr Kent. He guessed Kate wouldn’t be able to speak so he did the introductions for all of them via the microphone. ‘Rob, this is DC Kate Carter. I guess it’s pretty clear this body has a similar disfiguration to the previous three corpses?’ He avoided looking at the bloodied mess where the woman’s face had been.
    Getting straight down to business didn’t work. Rob Kent, a ladies’ man and excellent forensic pathologist, grinned widely at Jack before his gaze shifted. ‘Hello Kate,’ he said, conversationally. ‘Haven’t seen you before.’
    Jack was surprised when she replied evenly. ‘Never done this before, although my boss suggested I didn’t admit that to you.’
    Jack looked at her now, impressed by her composure, very little of which he seemed capable of exercising himself. He almost hoped the victim wasanother illegal immigrant and no parents would ever have to come and claim this body.
    ‘A virgin?’ Rob mouthed silently at Jack, delight in his eyes.
    Jack had to admire Kate’s honesty. He nodded, keen to keep this meeting appropriately sombre out of respect for the victim, who looked so small and inconsequential beneath the green sheet that allowed her some dignity. A matching green cap covered her scalp.
    Rob sensed Jack’s wishes and proceeded professionally, which Jack was sure meant he’d now owe the pathologist one.
    ‘Well, as this is your first time, Kate, I’ll explain everything as I go along. If you’re wondering why we have her hair covered, it’s because we’re yet to comb through it for forensic material.’
    Jack saw Kate nod from the corner of his eye. ‘Holding up?’ he murmured, not really needing to ask.
    ‘Better than I thought I would,’ she answered. ‘You?’
    ‘I want to be sick,’ he admitted, knowing she’d appreciate his honesty.
    Kent flicked off his recorder. ‘No whispering, please, when the great Dr Kent is performing.’ He gave them a mock glare.
    ‘Sorry,’ Jack said. ‘Proceed.’
    ‘All right, so just to recap before we go merrily cutting into this sad, beautiful victim, this is what we know. Her hair tells us she is of oriental ethnicity. Age . . . well, we’ll have something more accurate later today but at a guess I’d say late twenties. She has no outward injuries like cuts or bruises, other than the obvious.’

    ‘How did she die?’ Jack asked, repulsed all over again as he helplessly looked at the ‘obvious’ injury.
    ‘I’ll confirm this for you but I think it’s going to be an overdose of anaesthetic. We’ve found needle wounds and bruising on the top of her hand’ — he held it up — ‘and in her right arm. All consistent with intravenous attention.’
    ‘Was that the same for the others?’ Kate wondered.
    Kent nodded at her. ‘Okay, my assistant, Sandy, is going to start combing through her