Dead of Winter

Chapter 32

‘Arsenal shirt,’ said Carter to Ebony as she got back to her desk. ‘Large boy’s. This season. They changed fabric, changed manufacturers this year. Whoever he is he loves his football enough to pay over fifty quid for a shirt.’

‘Could it be Silvia’s?’

‘No, the DNA doesn’t match.’

Carter looked at her face as she sat down. ‘What is it?’ She was just about to tell Carter that she’d seen Carmichael when Robbo burst through the door of the ETO.

‘We got a phone call. . anonymous tip-off about a body in the Thames. First officer at the scene said he recognized the body. . it’s Sonny.’

The water was the same colour as the sky — steely grey. In contrast the bright red Ferrari being hoisted by a crane hung like a firework in the winter sky.

Ebony had invested in a sky-blue beanie hat which she pulled down over her ears. As they turned the corner the icy fog lay like a shroud over the water. Divers were getting changed after having fished Sonny’s waterlogged body out of the Thames.

‘Nice motor. Pity it didn’t float,’ said Carter.

Harding looked up from where she knelt on a piece of plastic sheeting next to the body. She looked pale with cold. She had the hangover from hell. She and Mathew had worked late and the inevitable had happened, and when she woke up and saw his face on the pillow she had hated herself marginally more than him.

Carter squatted beside her. ‘Yeah, this is definitely Sonny. This might answer why we couldn’t find him.’ He opened Sonny’s jacket and pulled out a wallet. He passed a driving licence to Ebony. ‘Run this through Robbo, Ebb, and give him the make and licence plate of car. . see if he can come up with an address for the little mermaid here.’ He turned to Harding. ‘He doesn’t look the suicidal type. Were his keys in the car, do we know?’

‘They weren’t.’

‘Wasn’t robbery. . plenty of money still in his wallet.’ Carter closed it up again and tucked it back into Sonny’s pocket. ‘How long’s he been in the water, Doc?’

‘About twenty-four hours max.’

‘It’s a dumb question, I know, but was he dead before he drowned?’

He helped her turn the body on its side then roll him onto his front as she lifted his jacket at the back and looked for signs of injury. ‘No obvious bullet or stab wounds.’ Carter helped her roll Sonny onto his back again and she turned his head to look at one side and the other. ‘It looks like he might have had a head injury going into the water. There’s bruising on the side of his head here. Could have banged his head in a panic trying to get out as the car filled up. The bruise hadn’t time to spread: it’s intense. It definitely occurred minutes before death and not hours. There’s a line of four dark circles decreasing in size. Looks a lot like a-’

‘Fist,’ said Carter. ‘So someone banged him unconscious with a hit to the head.’ Carter pointed to the pits and scrapes of missing flesh in Sonny’s face. ‘How did he get these other injuries, Doc?’

‘I would guess when the current dragged through the car. The windows were open. The water would have carried debris with it. The rest we can put down to the local river-life having a few meals on his face.’

The forensic photographer was done. He stood to one side viewing his work on his camera. He nodded to Harding. ‘Got what we need. You can move the body now.’

‘Sarge?’ Ebony had finished talking to Robbo. ‘Car’s traced to Sonny’s mother’s address. They’re sending someone round there now.’

Harding stood, peeled off her gloves. ‘Okay. That’s it for me. I’ll start the autopsy as soon as I get back to the hospital.’ She began walking back up towards her car.

‘Doctor?’ Ebony ran to catch her up. ‘Could we meet up again soon? I need your help with Rose Cottage.’

‘Yes. But not now and not later this evening, I have plans. Come and find me tomorrow.’

Ebony waited for Carter to catch up. He was taking his time. He called her over to take a look at the Ferrari.

‘Interesting choice of slipway this, Ebb. Not many you could get down without a four by four. Not many people know about this one, not the general public anyway.’ They stood watching the red Ferrari as the crane held it a few feet over the slipway; a loader turned up ready to take it. Carter walked across to the man driving the crane.

‘Let’s make sure she’s not holding any more surprises. Set her down on the slipway for me before you load her.’

While they waited for the car to be lowered Ebony turned to Carter:

‘Sarge, I saw Carmichael.’

‘When?’

‘A few hours ago on my way back to the office. He stopped me when I came out of the Tube. Bridget must have told him I visited the farm.’

‘You should have told me straight away, Ebb. ‘

‘I was trying to get a chance, Sarge.’

Carter turned to face her and took a step closer to make sure that in the still damp air his voice didn’t carry as far as the officers around the car.

‘What did he say?’

‘He knows everything we do.’

‘Did he know about Sonny?’

She nodded. ‘He told me that he was a small part of it and not important.’

He gave a nod towards the Ferrari. ‘Obviously someone agreed with him.’

‘He’s going undercover. He says he can infiltrate Sonny’s organization.’

‘Like this? Dead men’s shoes, is it, Ebb? Was this Carmichael’s doing?’

She shook her head. ‘I don’t know, Sarge.’ She’d had a sick feeling that wouldn’t go away, ever since she heard of Sonny’s body being found.

Carter looked away to gather his thoughts. ‘You know if we tell Davidson that we have the slightest inkling this could be Carmichael’s work then he’ll arrest him.’ She nodded. ‘Did he say anything that might tell you what his plans are, where he’s staying?’ She shook her head. ‘After all this time he can get in undercover? Shit. I take my hat off to him, Ebb. He must have had some very clever help. Or he must be taking an incredible gamble.’ Carter looked across at her and smiled reassuringly. ‘Okay. The main thing is he trusts you, Ebb. There’s nothing to really tell Davidson. We didn’t learn anything from him that’s new. But we did get closer to him and that’s a good start and it will do for now. But next time you tell me as soon as something happens, okay?’

She nodded.

‘Start trusting, Ebb. You’re not a one-man band. We’re a team.’