“I will. Let’s get the photos taken. Give us five minutes, and then I’ll assess the rest of his body, see what other wounds or contusions I can find.”
Katy and Charlie left the tent again. A photographer passed by, opened the flap and entered.
“That poor man. Do you think him losing a leg shocked the goons?” Katy asked Charlie.
“Undoubtedly. It’s not the type of thing you see every day, is it?”
“Can you ring the station? Try and get his surname from the electoral roll then see if a member of the team can find a next of kin for him.”
Charlie found a quiet spot on the close to make the call while Katy surveyed the area. No cameras in sight, but she felt there was enough to go on to link the crimes. Although, the first crime scene was still puzzling her, and she couldn’t put a finger on why. She sighed, the two latest victims’ faces running through her mind as she contemplated the pain they’d had to endure before their deaths. Why put someone through that just to steal a damn car? Why did it take four men to carry out the deed?
There were more questions than answers at present—annoying, but a fact all the same.
Charlie rejoined her.
“Anything?” Katy asked.
“Otis Casey, he’s twenty-nine. Apparently, he lost his leg last year in an accident at work, it got caught in machinery. He received a substantial pay-out from his firm.”
“Bloody hell, hence the Ferrari, and look where that got him. Any partner or wife in the picture?”
“Yes, he’s engaged to a Caroline Armstrong, she’s a model. Karen googled him, it’s surprising what you can find out over the Net these days.”
“Tell me about it. Okay, we’ll have another brief chat with Patti and then get back to the station. This case is already ticking me off. We need to get our thinking caps on and piece together the elements to see what we do next.”
“I agree. What about the statements? Want me to organise those?”
“I think the constable has it in hand. Check with him first, see if he needs any more resources or whether he’s willing to take on the task himself.”
Charlie set off.
Katy entered the tent to find Patti examining the corpse more thoroughly. “What have you got?”
“Severe contusions to the body, back and front. If I had to call it, I’d say the man took a pounding from someone’s fists, finished off by a good kicking. Wouldn’t surprise me if steel-capped boots were worn by the perpetrators.”
“With the intent to cause the maximum damage, no doubt.”
“You’ve got it. Sickening, right?”
“No cuts, as in, from a knife or similar weapon?”
“Nope, not from my initial examination.”
“So he was beaten to death. Seems hard to believe.”
“Believe it, the proof is all here.”
“I suppose if there were four of them, it wouldn’t take much to finish him off if they all took a turn.” Katy shuddered. “Just to steal a bloody car. Had they asked him for the keys and warned him what would happen if he didn’t hand them over, I’m sure he would’ve relented and willingly given them to the thugs.”
“I’m afraid we’ll never know. Any suggestions where you think this is leading yet?” Patti asked.
“Not really, nothing concrete anyway. I’m inclined to think along the lines that possibly it’s gang related. These things usually are, aren’t they? Someone stealing cars to fence them on the black market, possibly.” Katy shrugged. “It seems too obvious, but that’s all I’ve got, for now.”
“Sounds feasible. Tough people if they’re intent on killing folks for their possessions.”
“Yep, I keep thinking that over and over. Shitty world, eh?”
“Tell me about it. Right, I must get on. I need to get this young man back to the lab.”
“Good luck, I’ll pass on the PM, if that’s okay?”
“Sure. You have better things to do, I should imagine.”
“Yep, I need to get back and thrash some ideas out with the team, after I track down his next of kin. Charlie said his fiancée is a model.”
“Ouch. Good luck telling her. Does she work around the London area or is she one of these jet-setter types?”
“Yet to discover. See you later. Don’t forget to ring me with those results.”
“I won’t. As soon as they land on my desk, I’ll give you a bell.”
Katy smiled and left the tent. Once outside the cordon, she and Charlie slipped off their protective suits and placed them in the waiting black bag. “Back to base. We have a lot to discuss.”
“What about the fiancée?” Charlie prompted.
“Bugger. I just said to Patti we need to track her down. How easily she slipped my mind. Ring the station for me. I’ll start the drive back and veer off if I have to. If she’s a model, she might be working on the other side of the globe for all we know.”
“True.”
They got in the car.
Charlie made the call and tapped Katy on the arm, gesturing for her to pull over not long after they’d got on the way. “She’s working near the London Eye, so her agency just informed Karen.”
“Okay, that shouldn’t take us long to get there. Hang tight, I’m going to use the siren, it’s an emergency after all. I’m fed up with getting stuck in traffic.”
“I hear you.”
They arrived at the London Eye which, according to the sign, was closed to the general public for the next few hours due to a photo shoot. An officious-looking man stood at the entrance to the tourist attraction. Katy and Charlie approached him and flashed their warrant cards.
“The police? We’ve got permission to be here, we’re not doing anything wrong.”
“We didn’t say you were. We’d like a word with Caroline Armstrong, if that’s possible?”
“I’ll have to see. We’re on a tight schedule, you see, they’re only allowing us to take over this place for a few hours.”
“I understand that, but it’s urgent that we speak to her.”
“Urgent you say,
