‘You can tell that by looking?’
‘The bucket of the backhoe compresses the soil as it cuts through. Even after it’s been filled, it’s sometimes possible to see where the bucket has sliced through. I’m sorry we’ve not got more for you yet. However, sometimes when we examine the soil around the remains more closely, we find external evidence of dating. A dropped coin. A piece of jewellery with engraving. Sometimes even a credit card, though obviously with children, that’s a pretty remote possibility.’
‘Sounds like we’re really up against it.’ Alvin rubbed the back of his shaved head, a familiar gesture of frustration. ‘I suppose it’s too early to say how they died?’
Dr O’Farrelly gave him the sort of look his mother handed out when he’d done something particularly inane. ‘We might never know. So far, from the very superficial look I’ve had at some of the remains, there’s nothing obvious like bullet holes or smashed skulls. This one is going to run and run, Sergeant Ambrose. There’s going to be a lot of powerful people demanding answers. And just as many determined to keep those answers under wraps.’
Alvin hated to admit it, but he had a dread feeling she might be right.
14
Every offender who commits acts of sexual homicide has an individual initiating stressor – what the lay person would call a ‘hot button’. I examine every aspect of the commission of a crime that I can access and I try to draw inferences from that information that can lead me back to identifying stressors, thereby creating a picture of the offender’s psychological state but also of the circumstances of their history. Figuring out hot buttons can be just as useful when it comes to setting up an effective interview. And not just where killers are concerned.
From Reading Crimes by DR TONY HILL
The shock of recognition made Carol stumble slightly. She caught herself then walked slowly towards Bronwen Scott. No time for social niceties. ‘Has something happened to Tony?’ Carol demanded, halting a few feet away.
Bronwen smiled. Carol thought it was probably meant to be reassuring. If so, it hadn’t scored a pass mark. ‘I’m not here because of Tony. I’m here to see you, Carol.’
Her words achieved what her smile hadn’t. Carol could feel the physical release in her chest. But the second part made no sense. As far as Carol was aware, her sheet had been wiped clean when she’d left the job. It had been one of the conditions both sides had been happy to agree on. There were things in her past that reflected just as badly on her employers as they did on her. She didn’t need a defence lawyer.
The only thing she could think of was that Bronwen wanted to use something in her past as leverage in the defence of one of her clients. In which case, she’d had a wasted journey. ‘I’m not going into the witness box for you,’ she said, moving past the car and heading for the front door.
‘That’s not what this is about,’ Bronwen said, catching her up as she put her key in the lock. ‘Carol, all I’m asking is a few minutes of your time. If you have something else lined up’ – she couldn’t quite control the quirk of her lips, suggesting incredulity – ‘I can come back another time.’
Carol paused, head down, breathing deeply, staring at the key in the lock. ‘The life I lead now – you’ve no place in that, Bronwen. I know you did a terrific job for Tony and that tips the scales back to somewhere around even. But that was then and this is now.’
‘Please, Carol.’
She turned her head, wondering. She’d never heard Bronwen plead, and that had definitely been a plea. In spite of herself, Carol was intrigued. ‘Five minutes,’ she said, unlocking the door and walking inside without a backward glance. She took off her jacket and boots and carried on into the main room of the barn.
‘Wow,’ Bronwen said, close on her heels. ‘You did all this restoration yourself, didn’t you?’
Carol felt the mixture of pride and regret that the barn provoked whenever she stopped to think about it as more than just a machine for living. ‘Yes. I had to learn a lot of unfamiliar skills. Turns out you can teach an old dog new tricks.’ She turned to face Bronwen, Flash taking up her station between them, her ears pricked. ‘You’re wasting your minutes, though.’
‘Fine. Here’s the pitch. Everybody talks about what a great cop you were, meaning a great detective. I don’t disagree with that, but the one thing I admired about you more than any other aspect of your police work was your absolute commitment to justice. I spotted that early on as the thing that drove you.’
Now she had Carol’s full attention. Because Bronwen had alighted on the element of her personality that Tony had valued too. Had he briefed her? Was he behind this second unexpected approach too?
‘You might not think so, given my track record of defending people you consider to be guilty, but I share your commitment to justice. The law is what fails us, Carol. As a lawyer, it’s my job to exploit the flaws and loopholes to do the best I can for my clients. I know you probably don’t believe me, but I would actually prefer it if that was a harder ask. And I do acknowledge that some of the people I get off should not be back on the streets.’ She bit her lip. ‘This is the bit I know you’re going to struggle with.’ She pushed her hair back from her face and met Carol’s eyes straight on.
‘I need some kind of balance in my professional life. I suppose you could call it atonement.’
Carol couldn’t help the derisive grin spreading across her face. ‘You could just stop defending the scumbags.’
Bronwen dipped her head, conceding. ‘Everybody’s entitled to a defence, Carol. And if it wasn’t me, it would be
