of information.’ She pulled out several packs and passed them around. ‘This is a list of all the funeral directors in the area and beneath it is a list of companies selling coffins on the internet. This was a huge task so I’m certain I haven’t found them all but I’ll keep ploughing on. There are hundreds selling coffins but only about twenty funeral directors within the primary catchment area we’re looking at.’
‘Have you managed to send a photo of our coffin to any of them yet? We obviously need to identify where it came from.’
Wyre nodded, her black fringe slightly obscuring the tops of her eyes as she bowed over to read her notes. ‘Seven funeral directors have got back to us. None of them sell this coffin. The online coffin makers come from all over the world. So far, we’ve contacted over one hundred by email and we’ve had just over twenty replies. None of them sell or make this exact coffin either.’
Gina pulled out a print from the pile of paper in front of her and pinned it to the board. ‘This email came just as we got back to the office. Keith has been going through all the items that were taken from the scene and that obviously included the coffin. We didn’t see this at the time, but on the bottom end of the coffin, inside, there is a tiny engraving. Look close, what do you see?’
The detectives all leaned in and squinted at the printed photo. ‘Is it a wolf, guv?’ O’Connor said as he tapped his fingers on the table.
‘It looks like it could be a wolf. I’m guessing this is the maker’s mark. The coffin looks to be hand-crafted. This is a highly skilled piece of work. Start adding the word “wolf” to your searches. This is as good as the artist’s signature. We just need to find the artist. O’Connor, how are things going with the door-to-doors and collection of CCTV?’
He stopped tapping his fingers and sat up from his slouch position. ‘Still nothing that will help with the case. We’re struggling to get any useful CCTV. Most cameras point at cars and drives. All I’ve seen are a few kids dotted around, knocking on doors in costume, but that’s it.’
‘Keep at it. We spoke to the vicar, Sally Stevens. She said she saw someone loitering in her graveyard wearing a long hooded black coat. On any of the CCTV, did you see anyone matching this description?’
He shook his head. ‘No. Sorry, guv. Most of the kids were dressed in shop-bought costumes. A lot were accompanied by parents who were wearing the usual garb, coats, hats and scarves. There are so many, but I didn’t see any long black coats with hoods.’
‘Great work. Keep searching. We can’t afford to miss anything.’ Gina popped another pin in the map. ‘This pin represents where Nicola Swinton claims to have seen our victim on Monday night, at six thirty. As mentioned, she drove past and saw him turn off by this row of houses.’ Gina pointed to George Street, this time a little further up. ‘Somewhere around here, she says she saw someone ducking behind a car when Mr Swinton turned. This suggests he was being followed. Mrs Swinton is also quite sure it was a woman but I think that’s a long shot, given that it was dark and it happened quickly.’
‘What’s down that cut through?’ O’Connor asked.
‘As far as I’m aware, some land where kids play football, a park and another housing estate. PC Smith, I’ll task you with researching this area a little better. We need to know where he went. Was he sleeping rough around there? Maybe he was hiding in someone’s garage or shed. It’s been wet and cold lately, he’d have definitely been seeking shelter. He smelled of smoke, look for evidence of bonfires.’
Smith smiled and jotted down a note. ‘That’ll be fun this close to bonfire night, but we can but do our best. I’ll get on to it. I just saw PC Kapoor go past. Shall I fill her in?’
‘That would be great, thank you.’ Gina glanced back at Wyre. ‘Did you find anything about the gravestone I gave you to research?’
‘I’m still looking, it was a long time ago.’
Gina pulled out a note from her wad of pages. ‘I know why Eveline was giving me such a sense of déjà vu. It was right under my nose all the time. Whether there’s a connection, that’s