Making A Killing (The Romney and Marsh Files Book 2) Read Online Free Page A

retrieve his dog-end.
    Masters apologised, but he was no longer interested in being there. The blood had drained from the man’s features. Gone were the rosy-apple-cheeks, the boyish good looks of the confident big man of minutes ago. In moments he had become a poor imitation of himself. Without another word, Masters turned and began walking slowly back to the golf cart. Romney opened his mouth to say something but changed his mind. He’d keep.
    ‘Hello , Tom,’ said the pathologist, getting awkwardly to his feet. He flexed his knee several times, making a face.
    ‘Morning , Maurice. Bit grim, isn’t it?’
    ‘You could say that. I wonder if it isn’t time I started thinking about packing this in.’ Whethe r it was the older man’s joints or what he had been dealing with that inspired this comment, Romney couldn’t be sure. It wasn’t the first time he’d heard him say something similar. ‘Want to take a look?’
    ‘In a moment.’
    A loud retching sound made them both look around to where one of the constables was doubled over, puking his last meal into the rough.
    ‘Hope you brought a strong stomach with you. It’s about as messy as it gets. Looks like he was alive when he arrived here, although I couldn’t say what state he would have been in. Possibly, rude good health. But here’s where he lost his blood. If he was brought here dead there wouldn’t be so much of it. His system wouldn’t have been pumping it out of him still. Impossible to say here and now how he died, although my guess would be one of the several blows he sustained to his cranium. It’s very thorough. Whoever did it, and it may well have been more than one person, must have been aiming to kill him at least.’
    ‘What do you mean, ‘at least’?’
    ‘For some attackers, killing their victim isn’t enough. They want to disfigure and dismantle, completely destroy the physical being. It’s more than just ending a life. There is certainly an indication of sustained and focussed rage. If it was one person they’d have needed a stomach to match their resolve and their fury.’ The pathologist smiled weakly , realising that he was straying beyond his scientific remit. ‘Just an old man’s observations and theories,’ he added. ‘He must have been out here for a good few hours. Rigour is well advanced and some of the woodland creatures had time to build up the confidence to investigate and then use him as a buffet. No doubt you’ve noticed the bits and pieces of his head littering the place. I would say that some of these are as a result of carrion feeders, but others, like the teeth over there,’ he indicated one of the spray-painted outlines, ‘and there, a fragment of skull complete with hair, are probably the shrapnel of some very forceful blows.’
    Romney swallowed and his throat was dry. ‘Murder weapon?’
    ‘No. But you might be looking for murder weapons.’ Romney raised his eyebrows. ‘On the face of it, oh dear, that was an unfortunate expression,’ said the pathologist, without a trace of humour. ‘You know what I mean. The nature of some of the impressions left by whatever he was struck with are inconsistent with each other. That is to say, they are not uniform. I’ll need to examine what’s left of him properly before I can officially commit to that though. But…’
    ‘But if it was more than one weapon, then it would suggest more than one assailant.’
    The pathologist inclined his head. ‘Possibly.’
    Romney took a deep breath. ‘I’d better have a look at him.’
    Marsh and Grimes were standing with the uniforms. As Romney approached the body they broke away to join him. Clearly they had also been warned of the horror they were obliged to have to witness. All three wore sombre expressions as they individually prepared their insides for the grotesque display awaiting them. Others who had already seen what lay under the sheeting watched on with voyeuristic anticipation for the reactions in others