Frozen Grave

Chapter 20

The last few lorry drivers were getting their vehicles ready to hit the road in the morning. In their silent routines they walked around, checking their load was secure. Their quiet concentration was interrupted by the noise of traffic on the roads nearby and by the primary school when the children were let out for morning break, bursting into the playground in a joyful mass scream. Dominik, with white goods from Poland on his lorry, went to empty his rubbish in the bins at the corner of the car park. He came out of his cab with three carrier bags full and walked across to the bins. It felt good to stretch his legs before he started his long day’s drive to the North. As he approached the waste bins he saw the bare legs of a woman poking out from behind the bottle bank.

Dominik had been allowed to leave by the time Carter got there. The patrol officers had stayed at the scene to protect it.

‘We often see her – her name is Lolly. She hangs about here and offers sex to the lorry drivers. We’ve had to move her on sometimes when she gets to be a nuisance. But she never meant any harm – she just needed her fix too much – only a matter of time, I suppose.’

Carter knelt down beside her.

‘This is hers…’ The patrol officer handed Carter Lolly’s purse. Inside, he found her library card and a card for the needle exchange. Lorraine Chance.

‘It could have been an overdose, I suppose?’ one of the officers commented.

‘Could also have been hypothermia, if she tried to spend the night out here,’ added Carter. ‘Anyone see anything?’

The officer shook his head.

‘Most of the lorries had gone by the time we got here. There were only three left and we’ve taken the details for them but this park will have been pretty full last night. At least half are foreign drivers.’

‘We’ll be a long time trying to trace the lorries.’

Carter squatted beside her as he looked her over.

‘She’s been interfered with,’ he said, as he lifted her layers of clothing. He looked up at the officer nearest. ‘Could she have been servicing a customer out here?’

‘Not likely. He would have been a lorry driver. She didn’t charge them – she just wanted some warmth and a place to sleep usually. No way would they do it outside in freezing temperatures when they could do it in their warm cab.’

Carter stood and looked around him. ‘Hard to tell if she was dumped here or she was sheltering. Have you made a scout of the rest of the car park to see if there’s anything?’

‘Yes, sir. There’s broken glass in the car park side of here, the other side of the recycling centre, but no evidence of blood.’

‘Okay – let’s get her taken to the mortuary.’