A gull flying low tumbled and cried drawing Skeeter’s gaze, admiration amplifying her thought. ‘I could watch them for hours. That’s why people flock here, I guess. It’s beautiful, desolate and yet a stone’s throw from Southport.’
Skeeter allowed herself a few minutes more as she scanned the horizon from left to right starting at the Southport Pier some distance away. She followed what she believed to be a line of the sea but it was difficult to tell until she stopped looking directly across the Ribble and Alt Estuaries towards Lytham. Beyond she could clearly see Blackpool’s famous tower, a needle, erect along the flat western coast.
‘The drone flyer must have been on the carpark or further out down that path. It goes quite some way from the road. If he were, that’s why he couldn’t see the activity over that banking. Flying rules suggest he would have to be a number of metres away.’
‘From all accounts he was, sadly.’
‘DI Decent!’ A strong female voice called from the far edge of the carpark.
Skeeter and April moved quickly. They both immediately showed their ID. ‘I’m Decent and this is DS Warlock.’
‘No relation to Archbishop Derek?’ the officer asked whilst scanning their cards, adding their names and the time to the Crime Scene Register.
‘No, sorry. Wigan girl who’s probably a lost cause in that department, even for someone as mighty as he.’ She glanced heavenly and pulled a face.
‘Body’s over there within the confines of that bunding. Looks as though he’s having a nap. Never seen a corpse in such a relaxed position … mind, not seen too many fortunately. The doctor’s there now and it’s with the crime scene investigators. There’s no evidence of a struggle, as I said you’d have thought he was having a kip. I take it you’ve received details of the discovery, the drone?’ She watched as both nodded in the affirmative. ‘Who knows how long the corpse would have lain there had the chap with the drone not flown over the site and then checked what he’d filmed. Poor bugger, then flew it close to the … Yes, sorry, you’ve seen the statement.’
Skeeter smiled but just wanted to get to the crime scene.
‘It was fairly early this morning from all accounts. He said he’d arrived at about five but he couldn’t be exact. Cycled, electric he told me, and he’d hidden it in the rough over on the bunding before heading out towards the sea. The wind is calm at that hour most days wherever you are and you can be assured of usually being alone. It gets busier later. Mainly runners and cyclists with possibly the odd early bird watcher. This area, particularly the area where the body was found, was used for sand extraction right up until 2011 or so, and then it had to be closed down as extraction agreements finished. The industrial scale digging of sand is the reason for the bunding and the planting along the top to blot the original machinery from the landscape. The lagoons positioned across the road were all part of the industry as can be seen from this.’ She waved a piece of laminated paper but then returned it under the electronic tablet. ‘The area’s fenced at the front where there are two gates. The one further away is the less secure. It’s to prevent unwelcome overnight stops. With those banks you couldn’t see what was going on. There’s a concrete run-in to each entrance. Cars parked close to the gates would only be seen from passing vehicles. Here, look.’ The officer retrieved the laminated piece of paper and this time passed over what was a plan of the site. ‘The body was located here where the site office once stood. It’s on a small mound and marked with the red cross. The bunding is the highest point in the area and runs to either side but it’s lower at the sea front because the original site was reduced and a temporary earth barrier was erected. People are free to walk the area and I believe there are plans to level all of the bunding and turn it back as it once was but I guess that’s down to funding so we’ll not hold our breath.’
‘Thanks.’ April moved closer to the crime scene, orientating the plan before turning towards the bunding to compare the site against the diagram. She swiftly assessed her position and the location of the body that had been marked as a red ink cross. The bunding, built to conceal the original working area, was like a green abscess on a sandy, brown-yellowy skin. The sea grass and the bushes planted along the uppermost ridge had been tortured into a submissive pose that clearly defined the prevailing wind.
‘I can see why bird watchers use this place in winter as it offers some degree of shelter.’
Skeeter was growing restless. She needed to see the body as a black van marked Private Ambulance had stopped further along the road. She needed to go now.
‘May we keep hold of this?’ April called whilst holding the paper aloft.
The CSM nodded and moved towards the van, which was awaiting instruction and stationed on the outside of the nearer gate. As April and Skeeter moved through the further gate, they were welcomed by a string of step plates that had been placed in a line from the gate to the body. They pulled on nitrile gloves. A dark blue semi-circular screen protected the corpse from the open side facing west and the sea that was clearly a mile away. Any one coming from the sea side would have a view, particularly when the press arrived. They could get where sand could not and so privacy
