kids. Maybe one of the others saw something. Any updates on coffin makers and coffin suppliers in the area?’ Gina glanced across the table at Wyre.
Wyre twisted her pen in her fingertips and popped it on the table. ‘Nothing that will further the case. No missing or stolen coffins, no orders that don’t tie up with deaths that have been registered. Nothing on the engraving of the wolf. I feel as though I’ve reached a dead end with this one.’
Gina placed both hands on the head of the table and peered across at Wyre. ‘Widen the net, contact those even further out. This coffin had to come from somewhere and we need to find out where. O’Connor, with regards to Nicola Swinton, will you look a bit deeper into her life?’
He nodded. ‘Of course, guv.’
‘I believe Logan was telling the truth about a woman being at the squat and I can’t rule her out as being the woman who followed him there. We can’t take her word for it that she just drove past, saw him then carried on driving. Maurice Dullard mentioned that Alex said he’d been to Mrs Swinton’s house. He may not have knocked at the door but that doesn’t mean Mrs Swinton didn’t see him. She may have known he was there and, from that, she’d have seen him as a threat. Would she go as far as burying him alive to get rid of him for good? It’s a rather elaborate way of killing someone.’
A moment flashed through Gina’s mind. While looking out of her bedroom window the previous night, she felt that someone was watching. It was something she couldn’t see or prove, but there was something off, maybe a hint of a shadow that shouldn’t have been there, a slight movement that couldn’t have been accounted for by the breeze or wild animals. Had Mrs Swinton felt the same? Had she then seen her husband and concocted a plan to kill him? She tried to hide the shiver that took her by surprise.
‘Another thing to consider. The weather made it impossible for forensics to tell how the coffin had been transported to that part of the woods; most of the soil was sludge when we got there. Logic tells me some sort of trolley was used. How did our killer get their victim there? Either more than one person is involved or separate visits were made to the burial spot. One journey to dig the hole, another to get the coffin there and a final journey to transport or lure the victim to the coffin. Did our victim know his killer and turn up willingly? Was he drugged and led there? We won’t get the toxicology results back for ages but this is something we should consider. Was he wheeled on some sort of trolley? There are still so many questions that need answering. This would be a mammoth task for one person but it would be doable.’
‘Could one person still transport something as bulky as a coffin?’ O’Connor stretched and leaned back.
Gina pulled out a printed photo from the wad of papers in front of her. ‘Yes, I did a little bit of research. Someone could have used something as compact as a jack-style coffin trolley, they fold up nicely, the wheels are designed to tackle rough terrains. Awkward but doable.’ Gina paused. ‘Timing is crucial. This person had to be coming and going in the middle of the night. Although not the busiest of walking routes, there are people in the woodland during the day. I can only imagine that whoever planned this is a night owl. They had to be digging and transporting the coffin while there was no one around. No one has come forward yet. If a witness had seen anyone digging or moving a coffin in the woods, given what has happened, I’m sure we’d know about it by now.’
Gina stared at the board, flitting her gaze from the crime scene photos to the people they’d spoken to. ‘What are we missing? Sally Stevens, the vicar – who did she see in the graveyard? Mrs Swinton – did she hate her husband enough to do this to him? I don’t believe she did, but I don’t want to rule that theory out just yet. She came across as being totally open when I spoke to her. Getting a dead body to that location would be impossible for one person. He was either lured to the location or