Taste of Blood

Chapter Twenty-Eight

Jane was at the mortuary early the next morning, hoping that it would be one of the pathologists she had worked with previously, but by eight fifteen there was no sign of anyone at all. She had eaten a toasted crumpet at the nearest cafe, and was now sitting impatiently in one of the anterooms with a takeaway coffee and the morning paper. Just before nine she heard sounds of movement from the corridor, but it was only a cleaner starting to wash down the floors.

At nine fifteen Jane left the anteroom to go to the reception area. Finally there was someone behind the desk, but there was still no pathologist signed in, so Jane went to the nearest call box to ring the station. The desk duty sergeant put her through to DC Burrows.

‘Where are you? Hutton’s been trying to get hold of you all morning.’

‘I am at the mortuary waiting for the pathologist to get here. As soon as they can give me some indication of the victim’s identity, I will return to process the information.’

‘We already had a call from them.’

‘What?’

‘Apparently it is going to take some time removing the duct tape from around the skull, so they are waiting for a mobile X-ray wagon.’

‘Where is the mobile X-ray wagon?’

‘I don’t know.’

‘Who is the pathologist?’

‘Er, I think it was Mr... er... Chadra.’

‘Thank you. Please pass on the message that I will be back at the station as soon as I’ve talked to the pathologist.’

Jane went to the reception desk but there was no one on duty. She exited the mortuary and walked past the car park into the gated yard where the ambulances would be parking up to bring in the bodies. The double gates were closed, and a sign said STAFF ONLY. She tried to open them, but they were stiff with rust. Suddenly a uniformed driver appeared on the other side of the gates and started pushing them open.

She showed him her ID. ‘Is that the mobile X-ray unit?’ she asked, nodding towards a large white van with blacked-out windows.

‘Yes, ma’am, we are just off to our next location.’

Jane hurried over to the passenger door where a white-coated woman was checking over papers on a clipboard. Jane rapped on the window, holding up her ID.

‘Excuse me. I am here regarding the head. I was told it might be with you.’

The woman lowered the window. ‘We had to make a re-route as the pathologist was insistent that it had to be X-rayed before he could begin a post-mortem.’

‘So where is it now?’

‘They took it back into the mortuary.’

Jane stood back as they drove out of the yard, then hurried back to the mortuary. At the end of the corridor she saw a young, white-coated assistant with a face mask tucked under his chin standing outside the double entry doors. He was taking deep breaths through his nose and exhaling through his mouth.

‘I am DI Jane Tennison. I’m here for the post-mortem of the head.’

‘It’s just started.’

She made as if to enter but he quickly grabbed her am. ‘You can’t go in without being gowned and masked. Get a nose clip if they have one available. I nearly threw up. The stench is horrific.’

‘Who’s doing the PM?’

‘Aiden Chadra. Go down the corridor, fourth door on your right. There should be someone there who can give you what you’ll need.’

As Jane hurried off, he fixed a nose clip and pulled up his mask before re-entering the mortuary.

Inside the mortuary, Aiden Chadra, wearing full protective clothing, and with a paper drawstring hat over his pale-blue turban, was examining the sacking the head was found in using a twelve-inch, stainless-steel prod with a slightly scooped end. His methodical probing finished, he gestured to the assistant Jane had seen earlier to place it in a plastic container. He then concentrated on the thick cord that had been used to tie the sack. This was then placed in a second plastic container.

He pulled down the microphone positioned above his head. His soft voice sounded muffled as he spoke through the white mask over his nose and mouth, noting items of interest for the forensics team. Jane entered and stood by the closing door. Chadra turned to acknowledge her with a nod. His dark eyes were unwelcoming as he rubbed his hands together in their tight surgical gloves.

‘Detective Tennison, please come and stand to my left. I believe this young man warned you about the putrefaction, which is very pungent. I was informed that this victim has possibly been buried for some time.’

Jane nodded. ‘Four years.’

‘The X-rays show an intact skull, with no peripheral damage from when the sack was opened.’

He drew a larger plastic container towards him, revealing the head, bound with duct tape. Chadra pointed. ‘In my opinion, unravelling the tape would be almost impossible as the sticky side has bonded with the tissue and now forms a hard shell. I’m going to begin where we have a four-inch sliced opening. You can see it’s revealing long strands of black hair, by this time no longer attached to the skull but stuck firmly to the glue of the tape. There is an abundance of the same dark hair inside the shell as seen on the X-ray. The opening also released the stench and brown fluid that is still oozing out, and I’m afraid it’ll get more pungent as I continue. The tape is also wrapped tightly around the stem of the neck, severed around the third vertebra. I do not see signs of congealed blood around the stem; what we have are thick, dark-brown stains from the disintegration of brain matter, skin and tissues. We might get more insight when I cut through the tape.’

Mr Chadra drew to his side a tray of instruments, including surgical knives and scissors. He picked out a lethal-looking blade. Although he was speaking towards the microphone, he spoke very quietly.

‘Right, as our victim is face down, and because we already have a slit, I am simply going to gently begin to cut around the skull to hopefully remove the duct tape in two sections.’

Jane watched as Chadra began to slowly slice through the tough outer layer. He gestured for his assistant to use a pair of large tweezers to ease out more strands of hair as he proceeded. She noticed how small his hands were. Suddenly the stench became almost overpowering as thick fluids oozed out and Chadra paused as his assistant used a small jet spray to remove them, then went back to work, slicing through the hardened tape.

‘Right, we now have the tape cut into two halves, and I will need you to help me in easing off the first section that encased the back of the skull.’

Together they slowly eased off one section, still clogged with decayed matter and hair, and placed it on a clean white sheet. Then he turned the skull over to reveal the second section. They could now see what remained of the head. There were no visible features. The slit of the mouth was tightly closed. Chadra used a spatula to ease it open to reveal the teeth.

‘Ah, you should be able to compare with dental records; the teeth are in good condition and are not from an adult, but perhaps a young person.’

‘Would DNA help identify the victim?’

‘That procedure is still very much in its infancy, Detective, and I doubt with the putrefaction it would not be satisfactory, but perhaps an expert might be able to advise.’

Mr Chadra next examined the stub of the neck and concluded that decapitation had been accomplished by severing at the third vertebra. ‘I will need more time to give a proper evaluation of the instrument used, but it had a serrated edge, like a saw.’

For the first time he glanced towards Jane. She was trying to keep her breathing steady, as she had felt like throwing up several times already.

‘Do you want to ask me anything, Detective?’

‘Can you tell me if it’s male or female?’

‘Not yet. I will arrange for a forensic odontologist to examine the teeth and do comparisons with any dental records you recover, so that might help us.’

‘Thank you.’

Chadra nodded.

‘Detective, come here, please.’

Jane moved to his side as he stepped away from the two halves of hardened tape he had removed from the skull. The section he had moved last was placed face down on the paper, and he had now turned it over.

‘Look. Extraordinary...’ he said softly.

She gasped. Imprinted into the shell of the duct tape was a face.

‘As the victim’s head had been bound so tightly, the facial features were imprinted on the tape before decay and putrefaction occurred, in effect making a perfect death mask,’ he said.

Although Jane had only seen photographs of Sebastian Martinez, the high cheekbones and the widely spaced eyes made her certain.

‘We will get a plaster cast made as soon as I have completed my tests,’ Chadra said. ‘It should give you a clear impression of the victim’s face.’

Jane wanted to thank him again, but she had to get out. As soon as she was out of the room, she ran to the nearest ladies’ toilets and threw up. She splashed her face with cold water until the nausea subsided, then hurried out into the fresh air.