‘Sand, for example. Sand thrown up by heavy surf.’
Hobbs smiled, the smile of an adult indulging a child. ‘Oh dear, Deputy Hollis, I can see where you’re going with this.’ He leaned forward. ‘As it happens, I did find traces of sand in her airways. I might not have recorded them, though.’
‘I can tell you, you didn’t.’
‘Believe me, they were there.’
The news was a blow, and if Hollis hadn’t discussed the matter at some length with Paul, it might well have ended right there, as Hobbs evidently thought it was about to, judging from his self-satisfied grin.
‘Where exactly was this sand?’
‘Her pharynx and trachea.’
‘The larger airways, then.’
‘Yes,’ said Hobbs, a distinct note of annoyance creeping into his voice.
‘It’s possible, isn’t it, for debris to enter the larger airways after death has occurred, while the body’s underwater?’
‘It’s possible.’
‘In fact, the sand you found in Lillian Wallace’s airways proves nothing about the exact circumstances of her death, only that she was submerged in the ocean.’
This was the moment Hobbs lost his temper. ‘Are you questioning my expertise? Read the report, man. She drowned. Everything points to it. Everything.’
‘I can see that.’
‘She drowned in the ocean.’
‘Now that we don’t know for sure.’
Hobbs grabbed the autopsy report, turned to a page near the back and slapped it down in front of Hollis.
‘The results of the salinity test on the water in her lungs.’
‘Yes, I know.’
‘So what more do you want?’
‘Just one thing: evidence of sand in the terminal bronchioles and alveoli. It would have been drawn deep into her lungs when she drowned.’
It was pleasing to see Hobbs stopped in his tracks, silenced.
‘You didn’t check, did you?’
‘The facts speak for themselves,’ stammered Hobbs, jabbing his finger at the report.
‘Did you check? Yes or no?’
Hobbs couldn’t bring himself to actually utter the word.
‘It would have been there.’
‘Speculation.’
‘Deduction. Based on sound scientific evidence and twentytwo years’ experience. There is no other explanation for her death.’
‘Try this on for size. She drowned in salt water and her body was placed in the ocean afterwards.’
Hobbs weighed his words. ‘That’s ridiculous.’
‘But it fits, right?’
‘That’s not the point. Where on earth is she going to drown in salt water, if not the ocean?’
From Hobbs’ expression, it was clear that the answer occurred to him as soon as the words had left his lips.
Both cars were gone within a minute or so of Hollis pulling up, his decision to turn on the flashing blue light no doubt precipitating their departure. He stepped from the patrol car as the taillights disappeared into the night. He could picture the occupants of the vehicles, panic giving way to relief, still adjusting their clothing.
He was alone in the silence, just the lazy pulse of the waves breaking against the shore. He glanced up at the night sky—an even dusting of cloud, enough to mute the glow of the moon; no need for a flashlight, though.
The most direct approach to the house from the beach landing was along the base of the bluff, but he opted for the long route round, down on to the beach, along the shore then back across the dunes. He needed time to marshal his thoughts.
As he walked he tried to persuade himself that the investigation would remain intact even if this trail turned cold on him. But he knew he was only preparing himself for the worst. He soon found himself at the spot where he had discovered Lillian Wallace’s bathrobe and towel neatly folded on the frontal dune some two weeks before. If she hadn’t placed them there, then someone else had—someone with a detailed knowledge of her routines and habits, someone close to her, someone who wanted her dead.
He was getting ahead of himself now. Even if she had drowned in the family swimming pool, it wasn’t necessarily evidence of foul play. This was the line he had fed Hobbs, anyway. In fact, he’d openly dismissed the idea of murder to Hobbs, suggesting that the body had been moved for more innocent reasons. There were, after all, no indications of physical violence on Lillian Wallace’s corpse. Hobbs’ silence had been bought with the inducement that if anything came of Hollis’ investigation he would credit the Medical Examiner with first drawing his attention to the anomaly in the autopsy.
