unusual but not entirely unheard of. Who found the bodies?’
‘The officer I was going to offer the attachment to.’
‘Seems like a good shout. There’s nothing like being thrown in at the deep end to learn how to swim. Do you think she’ll be interested after this?’
‘Hard to say, but quite possibly. I get a feeling she’d like to see this through to the end.’
They both got out of the Land Rover. Wendy, the duty CSI, was gathering the equipment she needed from the back of the van. Hoisting her camera case over her shoulder and picking up the heavy bag she needed, she set off towards the house. Ben followed.
‘Do you know where you’re going?’
‘Cellar, I hate cellars. They’re always full of creepy shit, not to mention creepy crawlies.’
He smiled; for a tough crime scene investigator whose job involved bodies that were crawling with insects, she really had a dislike of them. It made him feel better, though, when she was trying her best not to puke into her face mask while he was doing the same behind her.
‘You’re safe, no insects that I could see. Not sure about close up though. I didn’t go too near. But they weren’t covered in flies, which is always a good sign, although there could be lots of spiders.’
She turned and looked at him. ‘Thanks.’
He shrugged. Took out his phone and scrolled through his contacts to the name ‘Dr Death’. Declan answered on the second ring. Ben heard his voice vibrate and knew he was on loudspeaker.
‘Did you get the message?’
‘I did, I’m on my way. Is it as bad as it sounds?’
‘Yeah, probably a lot worse. Paramedics have called it; CSI is in here now. You should be good to go when you get here.’
‘Cheers, pal, glad you send the good stuff my way.’
The line went dead and he smiled, knowing that Declan loved it and was a fantastic pathologist.
Twelve
Morgan had held Bronte’s hand the whole way here while the paramedics had worked on her. Relieved now they’d reached the hospital, it had been some journey as the ambulance had sped through the narrow, rural roads of Cumbria to the entrance of the RLI in a busy city. Jumping out, she stepped to one side as the paramedics unloaded the girl and rushed her through the double doors into resus. She followed them through, unsure whether she’d be allowed in the room or not. The receptionist pointed to a small room to the side which said ‘Police’.
She nodded and stepped inside. There were a couple of chairs and a small table with some yellowed magazines on it, along with two empty plastic coffee cups. All in all, it was a bit grim. Sitting down, she wondered what to do. Not having been in a situation like this before, it wasn’t long before the door opened and one of the paramedics who’d been working on Bronte walked in. They hadn’t had time for introductions earlier at the house, but he looked to be around ten years older than her, with a shaved head and stubble that reminded her of Jason Statham.
‘They’re working on her. She needs a CT scan but they have to stabilise her first. Then she’ll be going to intensive care if she doesn’t need surgery to relieve any swelling on the brain.’
‘Thank you, do you think she’ll come around anytime soon?’
He shook his head. ‘Not my call to make, but it’s possible she won’t. Did you see the side of her head?’
‘Yep, it’s a mess.’ She swallowed the lump which had formed in the back of her throat as she relived the shock of finding Bronte alive in that dark, foul-smelling cellar.
He reached out his hand. ‘I’m Luke, and you are?’
‘Morgan.’
‘Thanks for helping us out and driving the van. Are you okay, can I get you anything, a coffee?’
She smiled. ‘I’m good, thanks for asking. It was a bit of a shock finding them all like that. It’s so sad.’
‘I’ve been doing this for nearly ten years and I’ve never seen anything like this.’ He sat down and smiled at her. ‘How long have you been in the job?’
‘Just over six months, I’ve only been out on independent patrol for two days. Yesterday I went to a suicide at the same property where I discovered the bodies today.’
Luke let out a whistle. ‘Crap, talk about being thrown in at the deep end.’
A laugh erupted from her lips and she felt better, lighter. He joined in; she knew one of the