Doctor Who_ Deep Blue - Mark Morris [12]
„Mr Yates,‟ he said, offering Mike a strong but sweaty handshake, „Detective Inspector Pickard.‟
„Inspector,‟ said Mike. „Good of you to see me.‟
„Not at all. I‟m a bit intrigued to be honest. I‟d have thought something like this would be well outside UNIT‟s area of interest.‟
Mike shrugged. „Perhaps it is. To tell you the truth, I‟m only here on a hunch. I saw some of what was going on from the window of my boarding house.‟
„I see. So what really brings you to Tayborough Sands? Oh no, don‟t tell me. The so-called UFO that came down in the sea?‟
Mike smiled, a little embarrassed. „I don‟t expect anything to come of it, believe me, but UNIT is obliged to look into such matters.‟
„Of course it is,‟ said Pickard, struggling to conceal his smirk. „But if you‟re thinking what happened here is related to your flying saucer, then I‟m afraid you‟re going to be disappointed.‟
„And what did happen here?‟ asked Mike, hiding his irritation behind a mask of breeziness.
„Murder,‟ said Pickard bluntly. „Multiple murder to be precise. Six-strong crew and not a single one left alive. Very nasty. Bloke who did it must be a madman.‟
„Do you mind if I take a look?‟
„Help yourself. Hope you‟ve got a strong stomach, though, Mr Yates.‟
„Cast iron,‟ said Mike evenly.
Pickard raised his eyebrows and Mike followed him on to the trawler. The deck was wet, oily. The stench of rotting fish was almost overwhelming. Pickard said, „The stink was even worse when we found the boat this morning It was reported missing last night by the skipper‟s wife and we spotted it at first light, drifting on the sea. The murders must have happened right after the catch was winched aboard. There were dead fish all over the deck. We reckon there must have been some sort of argument. It‟s a bit early to say, but what we think is that the killer may have been mortally wounded by the last man left alive, who then died of his injuries.‟
„How did the men die?‟ asked Mike.
Pickard fixed him with a deadpan gaze. „Why don‟t you take a look for yourself.‟
Mike held his gaze for a moment, then smiled and nodded.
„Thanks.‟ He moved to the nearest red blanket, noting the thick runnels of now-dried blood that meandered from beneath it and ran into the drainage gutters on both sides of the deck. He had seen death before in many forms and lifted the edge of the blanket without hesitation. He saw an arm that looked like it had been torn from its socket, lying in a pool of blood that had congealed to the consistency of black glue. The arm was mottled blue, purple and black in the places where the blood that was left inside had settled. On the bicep were four small circular bruises that could have been caused by the tight grip of a human hand.
Mike replaced the blanket and straightened up.
„What do you think?‟ said Pickard, in a challenging tone.
Mike had not been wholly unaffected by what he had seen -
he was aware of the quick pumping of his heart - but he was calm enough for his response to sound clinical, considered.
„The arm wasn‟t severed by a blade. It was torn off. Which means that, unless I‟m missing something, your killer had incredible strength.‟
Pickard nodded as if in satisfaction and moved to the second blanket. „What‟s under here is even stranger,‟ he said, and lifted a comer of the blanket up for Mike to peer beneath.
It took Mike a few moments to work out what he was looking at. Finally he said, „My God, that‟s part of a ribcage, isn‟t it? And that... that must be a heart.‟
Pickard let the blanket fall back. „Ribcage, heart, lungs and some surrounding tissue. They‟re quite badly crushed, but it‟s as though -‟
„- someone or something reached in and ripped them out of the body with their bare hands?‟
Pickard nodded. „Exactly.‟
„And you don‟t think that‟s at all unusual, Inspector?‟
Pickard shifted uncomfortably. „Well, of course it‟s unusual.
To tell the truth I‟ve never seen anything like it. But crazy people are capable of performing incredible feats of strength you know, Mr Yates.‟
„Captain,‟ said Mike quietly.
„Pardon?‟