Bloody Valentine - James Patterson [11]
‘What kind of medical kit?’ Amy asked.
‘Syringes, antibiotics, bags of saline solution, over-the-counter medicines. Nothing suspicious.’
‘Have the boxes the heart was delivered in been examined?’
‘Being examined now. The outer cardboard box had four sets of prints. The lab’s working on them. But I’m guessing they belong to the porter at Barnes Building, the motorbike messenger, Jack Barnes’s secretary, and Jack Barnes. The inside box, wrapping paper and ribbon had smudges overlaid by Jack Barnes’s prints.’
‘Latex gloves,’ Ben suggested.
‘Probably.’ Patrick finished his biscuit and took another.
‘What about DNA and tissue match?’ Amy persisted.
‘A constable delivered Mrs Barnes’s toothbrush to us. A technician is working on her DNA profile. Another is looking at the inside and outside of the boxes. But don’t expect a forensic miracle. Whoever did this knows how we work.’
‘Sick bastard,’ Ben murmured.
‘I agree,’ Patrick concurred. ‘Whether it’s real or a hoax, it would take a diseased mind to think up this one. Did you know she was pregnant?’
‘How many months?’ Amy questioned.
Patrick finished his coffee. ‘The baby’s not the motive. Zee Barnes was five months pregnant. The foetus wouldn’t be viable.’
‘So if this heart is Zee Barnes’s, we’re looking for a double murderer?’ Ben suggested.
‘If you consider a five-month foetus a human being, yes.’ Patrick pulled up his mask.
Ben studied the heart. ‘I’m no expert, but that looks like a neat removal to me.’
‘It’s not bad,’ Patrick agreed.
‘The work of a doctor?’ Amy questioned.
Patrick walked to the slab. ‘If it was, the doctor didn’t use medical instruments.’ He picked up the end of an artery with forceps. ‘See the jagged edge? This was cut several times by a large blade, not delicately by a scalpel. The removal wasn’t the result of fine surgery. Whoever took this heart from the body used knives.’
‘Any particular knives?’ Amy asked.
Patrick prodded the centre of the heart. ‘Here we have two puncture wounds about one inch apart. The tissue around the wounds is stretched. Possibly caused when the heart was lifted from the body.’
‘By a fork?’ Amy looked at Patrick.
‘A two-pronged domestic carving fork comes to mind.’
Amy shuddered. ‘You’re saying this heart was removed from a human body using a butcher’s carving knife and fork?’
‘Not a butcher’s,’ Patrick corrected. ‘Butchers’ knives are larger than kitchen knives. There’s also the initials. Not very clear, but I’d say some effort was put into carving them with a knife with a serrated edge.’
‘JB,’ Ben read.
‘Jack Barnes. Fits with the message on the flag.’ Amy tried to recall it word for word.
‘“Zee broke my heart so I took hers but your name was on it. You can keep it”,’ Patrick quoted.
‘If that heart was Zee Barnes’s, we have work to do,’ Ben prompted Amy.
‘You have work to do whether it is or isn’t Zee Barnes’s,’ Patrick pointed out. ‘This heart was taken from a live body less than two hours ago. If the person concerned was sane, I doubt they consented.’
‘You’re certain the person was alive when the heart was removed?’ Amy tried to remain professional, but the thought horrified her.
‘The arteries were cut while blood was pumping through them.’
‘Was the victim unconscious?’
‘We’ve picked up no trace of anaesthetics or sedatives in the blood. But we’re still running tests.’
‘Is there anything else you can tell us?’ Ben looked at his watch.
‘The heart was removed from the body by someone with a basic knowledge of anatomy.’
‘Doctor, nurse?’ Amy asked.
‘Butcher or chef, someone used to cutting up animal carcasses. Almost anyone with a reasonable knowledge of human anatomy. So you can include artists, keep-fit instructors, hospital technicians …’
‘In short, about half the population,’ Ben complained.
‘I’m a pathologist, not a fortune-teller. I can only examine evidence,’ Patrick lectured.
‘You have our mobile numbers?’ Amy checked.
‘I do. I’ll be able to tell you more if you send me the corpse the heart was taken