Bloody Valentine - James Patterson [24]
‘No one we’ve spoken to, ma’am.’
Amy went to the box of protective clothing and handed one suit to Ben and another to David. When they’d finished covering their clothes, she nodded to the officer holding the keys.
‘The cab first, ma’am?’
‘Yes.’
The officer opened the door and shone a torch inside. ‘Street maps of London.’ He pushed the bundle aside with his gloved hand. ‘Plug in satnav, newspaper. Brown paper bag …’
‘Careful,’ David warned.
‘It contains a half-eaten sausage roll covered in mould, sir.’
‘Anything on the floor?’ Amy asked.
‘Footprints, ma’am.’
‘Leave them for now, we’ll check the back. Dust the entire cab for prints – finger, foot and swab for DNA.’
‘Yes, ma’am.’ The officer slammed the door and walked to the side door. He opened it and reeled back into Ben.
Ben picked up the torch the officer had dropped. He shone it into the van.
Amy had been a police officer for four years. She thought she’d seen all the horrors of life. But she’d never been faced with anything like the interior of that van.
‘It’s a slaughterhouse.’
Amy heard Ben but was too stunned to reply.
David Reece walked a few steps and vomited. He slumped against the wall. Tears were running down his cheeks. ‘Did you see her face?’ he whispered hoarsely. ‘Her eyes. I’ve never seen such terror in a corpse’s eyes.’
The barrier lifted at the entrance to the car park. The constable manning it stepped in front of the incoming car.
Ben whispered to Amy. ‘Jack Barnes has arrived.’
Amy assumed command. ‘Sergeant Reece, close the van. Call the pathologist and forensic teams and order them here.’
‘What about formally identifying the body?’ David Reece was pale, still trembling.
‘The DNA of the heart delivered to Jack Barnes has been identified. The corpse in that van is female, dressed in a similar outfit to the one Zee Barnes was wearing on CCTV. The corpse’s chest is open, the heart missing. All the evidence points to the body being Zee Barnes, Sergeant Reece.’ Amy knew she was being unfair to David but, after seeing what was left of Zee Barnes, she was struggling to maintain her self-control.
Jack got out of the car, accompanied by his secretary, Alice, and by the police family liaison officer, Irene Conway. His face was drained of colour. His shoulders stooped. He had aged twenty years in the few hours since Amy and Ben had seen him at midday.
‘Inspector Stuart?’
‘You have your orders,’ Ben barked at the assembled officers. They all left, including David Reece.
Amy waited until the officers were out of earshot. ‘We’ve found your wife’s body, Mr Barnes. I’m sorry …’
‘You told me you’d keep me informed of developments,’ he reproached her.
‘We only discovered her a few minutes ago.’
‘Where?’ Jack’s voice was harsh.
‘In this van. It’s one of yours, reported stolen a week ago.’
Jack reached for the door handle. Ben caught his hand before he touched it. ‘The crime scene has to be preserved for the forensic teams, sir.’
‘You opened the van?’ Jack challenged.
‘We’re wearing protective clothing and we didn’t step inside,’ Amy informed him.
‘Have you got a suit I can wear?’
‘Please, Mr Barnes, believe me, you don’t want to see inside that van,’ Amy pleaded.
‘I have a right to see my wife.’ He glared at her.
Amy realised that Jack Barnes was a powerful man who was used to getting his own way. She was sure that if she offered a platitude like ‘remembering his wife the way she’d been when he’d said goodbye to her that morning’, he would brush it aside, but she persisted. ‘The pathologist will have to do a post mortem. The scene can’t be disturbed …’
‘I have no intention of disturbing the crime scene. I only want to look at my wife.’ He continued to stare at her.
After a full minute of strained tension, during which Jack didn’t blink, Ben handed Jack Barnes a suit, hat, gloves, overshoes and a mask before donning a mask himself. He gave one to Amy.
Amy tried one last warning. ‘Experienced officers have been affected by the sight of your wife’s corpse, Mr Barnes. Are you sure you want me to open this door?