The Altered Case by Peter Turnbull Read Free Book Online Page A

cause of death we are looking at drowning, or suffocation, or asphyxiation or poisoning . . . something of that nature but we also cannot rule out death by thirst or starvation . . . slower and very painful but just as effective.’
    ‘Indeed, ma’am,’ Carmen Pharoah said. ‘Three days, I believe?’
    ‘Yes, the rule of threes; three weeks without food, three days without water, three minutes without oxygen to cause death and just one minute without air to cause brain death. You know, if you want to murder someone and avoid being charged with murder you simply deprive them of oxygen for sixty seconds. The heart still beats but the victim is left in a permanent vegetative state . . . as good as dead.’
    ‘Yes, ma’am.’
    ‘But an awful lot more difficult to carry off than people imagine. You have to get the timing just right. Too long and you are looking at life in prison, and you’ve also got to incapacitate the person in question, which is not at all easy, not without evidence of same. I mean to say that I can’t declare the victims to have had a massive stroke when there are ligature marks on their wrists and ankles.’ Dr D’Acre smiled. ‘It ain’t so easy to get away with.’
    ‘Of course, ma’am.’ Carmen Pharoah returned the smile but did so briefly. ‘Better not to commit the crime in the first place.’
    ‘Which would always be my advice.’ Dr D’Acre returned her attention to the male skeleton. ‘I will send marrow samples to the forensic laboratory. I can obtain that very easily from the long bones. They will retain diatoms if the victim was drowned.’
    ‘Diatoms?’ Carmen Pharoah queried.
    ‘More microscopic beasties,’ Dr D’Acre explained. ‘They live in water; a drowning victim inhales them into their lungs from whence they migrate to the marrow in the long bones, there to remain.’
    ‘I see, ma’am. Diatoms,’ Carmen Pharoah said. ‘Diatoms.’
    ‘The marrow,’ Dr D’Acre continued, ‘will also retain traces of heavy poisons of the likes of arsenic and others of that family, such as strychnine, but frankly murdering someone with arsenic went out with hansom cabs and gas street lighting and it is now practically impossible to obtain.’ Dr D’Acre paused. ‘So let us do what we can because we must come up with goods of some sort. Let us therefore turn to the issue of identification which is always useful for the police investigation.’
    ‘Yes, ma’am.’ Carmen Pharoah grinned. ‘Always very useful.’
    ‘Well, the shape of the skull of the male skeleton indicates that he is of North Western European racial extraction, as I think I commented at the scene of the excavation. An Asian male is not impossible, although Asian skulls tend to be more finely made than the European skull which tends to be broader and more thickly set. As I have already noted, the teeth are intact and show dental work having been undertaken, so dental records may help you but don’t hold out too much hope there,’ Dr D’Acre added. ‘Dentists, you see, are obliged by law to keep all the records of their patients for eleven years only. So any dental records in respect of this gentleman and his family might no longer be available. It depends upon the dentist.’
    ‘Eleven years,’ Carmen Pharoah echoed for want of a response, ‘noted, ma’am.’
    Dr D’Acre turned to Eric Filey. ‘Can you hand me the tape measure, please, Eric?’
    Filey turned to the stainless steel bench, opened a drawer and extracted a yellow retractable metal tape measure, walked the short distance to where Dr D’Acre stood and gently handed it to her.
    ‘If we could turn him, please, Eric?’ Dr D’Acre slipped the tape measure into the pocket of her white laboratory coat, moved to the end of the table and took the skull of the skeleton in her hands, whilst Filey silently went to the other end of the stainless steel table and took very careful hold of the ankles. Then with an ease and a sense of care which