houses at the back?’
‘Again, no. We haven’t worked on those for a couple of weeks and as you saw for yourself, that area is quite set back and secluded.’ The woman paused and stared at the paperwork on her desk. ‘I don’t know how this is going to affect our sales and our own home is at risk if these houses don’t get snapped up. This is a disaster.’
There was nothing Gina could say to reassure the woman. Forensics would be all over the area for days, weeks even. And then there was the public. Would finding a body at the back of the three most exclusive houses on the estate affect sales? She was sure it would. ‘I’m sorry that this has happened to you, but a woman has been murdered and we have to find out who did this.’
‘It’s the second one isn’t it? It’s the coffin killer.’
Gina couldn’t deny it. It would have been obvious. Enough details had been reported in the press for anyone to make the connection. She shuddered as she thought of what the papers would be reporting later that day.
‘I did say something to the officer who arrived first but I blurted it out and it sounded like my mouth was running away with me. I’m much calmer now, thankfully. It really scared the life out of me. There was someone there when I found the bell and I caught sight of a person standing back in the bushes, but just a glimpse. They were wearing a black coat that fell below the knees. A hood covered their eyes.’
Jacob began to take notes. ‘Height?’
‘I can’t say. I mean it would be a guess. I don’t know.’
Gina finished the coffee as Jacob continued. ‘Did you see the bottom of the face?’
‘Sort of. It looks like they had a bit of mud on their cheek.’
Jacob leaned in, his tie touching his knee. ‘Were the hands exposed?’
‘No, they were dark too.’
‘Dark?’
‘Gloved.’
Jacob smiled, putting Tracy more at ease. ‘Is there anything else you can think of?’
‘No, I was scared. Whoever it was started to come my way but I turned and ran back here. By the time I reached the door, I glanced back and they’d gone. I locked myself in, called my husband who was project managing the site down by the entrance and then called the police. I should tell you something else. I touched the bell and the string and I started to dig up the earth with my hands. I did tell the uniformed officer that.’
Gina leaned back a little in the chair as Jacob caught up with the notes. ‘That must have been frightening for you. One of the team will come to take elimination prints from you in a while.’ She glanced around the room. There were piles of paperwork everywhere, along with health and safety notices that clogged up the wall. Hard hats and yellow jackets were stacked up next to a room marked with a toilet symbol. The phone was flashing every few seconds. Her gaze led her to the noticeboard and one name stood out. ‘Isaac Slater, he works for you.’
‘He did. I left a message on his phone this morning telling him not to come back. He’s not the most reliable of builders. Turns up late, doesn’t put a full day in and this puts the project back. Today he didn’t turn up and I snapped. What’s this got to do with him?’
‘We left a message on your phone to call us back.’
Tracy glanced at the flashing light on the office phone. ‘Sorry. I’m struggling to keep up.’
‘Could you tell us a bit more about him? What was his timekeeping like last week?’
Tracy pulled up a spreadsheet. ‘Not brilliant. It’s all over the place. Last Monday—’
‘Is that the twenty-sixth?’
‘Yes. He turned up in the morning but about two in the afternoon Fred wanted a word with him, but he’d left site and not told anyone. The following day, we asked him where he’d been and he said he had to go to the dentist and forgot to tell us. He was late the day after too, that was the Tuesday. He looked like he’d been on the drink – scruffy and hungover looking. On the Wednesday I have him marked down as leaving early again. Thursday: not in until eleven. Friday: he was meant to do a half-day but left at ten in the morning. This week has been the straw that broke the camel’s back. When