Death's Privilege by Darryl Donaghue Read Free Book Online Page A

know, I have seen a naked woman before.’
    ‘It wasn’t for your benefit.’
    ‘So, what’s your call?’
    ‘We don’t know nearly enough yet. I say we keep the door locked and the scene on until we’ve viewed the CCTV, recover the drugs to print the packaging, run DNA tests and confirm the substance. There are no obvious injuries to the body, but we shouldn’t rule anything out until we know a little more. Could be a simple drugs overdose, could be poisoned cocaine, either way there’s nothing obviously sinister at this point.’
    ‘Good, happy with that.’ Dales turned to the scene guard. ‘Identify a next of kin and have a death message delivered. Make sure they know we’re going to need to speak to them at some point. Seize the drugs, all her personal items. Make sure the wallet—’
    He stopped talking. They all heard it. A faint buzz in the background—the sound of a vibrating phone. Dales reached for Sheila’s bag, rifled through it and turned it upside down on the bed. ‘Nothing here.’
    Sarah opened the bedside table to find nothing. ‘Right, there’s a phone in here somewhere, let’s find it.’ The sound stopped.
    Within seconds it started vibrating again. Sarah looked under the bed from a press-up position. The light from the screen lit up the underside. She stretched underneath, nearly pulling her shoulder in the process, and loosely gripped the phone by its corner. ‘Got it.’ It had stopped ringing by the time she’d looked at the screen. ‘Forty missed calls from Eamon.’
    Dales opened an exhibit bag and Sarah dropped it in. ‘We’ll have it examined back at the nick.’
     
     
    ‘No more Bolton on the way back, please.’ Dales put the seized phone into the boot.
    ‘I have the keys, I control the radio. Complain too much and I’ll bring my own CDs in. Count yourself lucky that station plays a range; I could subject you to hours and hours of Janis Joplin.’
    ‘Okay, you win.’ Dales looked at his watch. ‘Looks like we’ll be off on time. Initial actions are all set, photographs taken and the undertakers are on the way, and if we can’t access the cameras until tomorrow, we’ll brief late turn to statement Victor when he comes back on duty, and pick it all up in the morning. Manford will be happy we’re saving his overtime budget.’
    As she started the car, Semples appeared in front of them, out of breath with his hands on the bonnet.
    ‘Officers, I have the CCTV technician here for you.’
    There goes my early finish.

Seven
    Sarah called her sister, but the call rang through to voicemail. She left a message, asking her to call back as she needed a favour. The chances of her making it home in time for Mark to go to his meeting were getting slimmer and slimmer.
    The CCTV viewing station was comprised of eight screens, each split into four, all manned from a dashboard that resembled an aeroplane’s cockpit. The Mavenswood Council CCTV office paled in comparison, sporting flickering black and white televisions that belonged in a museum, not as part of a security system designed to protect an entire town. The Oxlaine’s set-up was crystal clear, high definition and motion activated.
    ‘It’s all brand new. Puts the last system to shame.’ Semples stood next to Dales, almost within touching distance. ‘The trouble is, it’s so new, no one on site knows quite how to use it. I had to pick Gareth up and bring him here specially to show you.’ He put his hand on Gareth’s shoulder, which the technician seemed to have expected, but still disliked. It appeared as if Semples had dragged Gareth out of bed. His unshaven, greasy face was drawn, and his red lumberjack shirt had one too many buttons undone and hadn’t seen an iron in a while. He scratched his hair, as if picking dead skin from his scalp underneath his clumpy ginger mop.
    ‘Right, Gareth, give these officers whatever they need.’ Semples returned to stand next to Dales. ‘You’ll have to forgive me, I