The Murder House. Michael Wood

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СКАЧАТЬ He left the room while he was still talking.

      ‘I don’t think I want to go up there,’ Sian said.

      ‘If only we had that option.’

      Dressed in white forensic suits, Matilda and Sian stood at the bottom of the stairs and looked at the young face of Jeremy Mercer.

      ‘Poor bloke,’ Sian said.

      Matilda looked up the stairs, at the bloody footprints and paw prints on the carpet, the sprays and smeared stains on the wall. ‘Come on.’

      She led the way, taking the stairs slowly. She didn’t touch the bannister, despite wearing gloves, in case she smudged any fingerprints. Sian was close behind. Matilda could hear her breathing heavily. The metallic smell of blood was heavy in the air. She could already taste it. Something caught her eye. She turned right and looked through the spindles at the landing.

      ‘Shit,’ she muttered under her breath, quickly looking away.

      ‘How bad is it?’ Sian asked from behind. Her voice was quivering with nerves. Her eyes remained fixed on the back of Matilda’s head.

      Matilda composed herself, still with her eyes closed. She took a deep breath and eventually opened them. ‘Don’t look until you’re on the landing.’

      She held out a hand and Sian took it, gripping it hard. Matilda pulled her up. As she turned around, she gasped and slapped a hand over her mouth. On the floor in front of them was a grey-haired man. His face was deathly white from having bled out. The carpet was saturated. The walls were dripping in blood. The man’s head was barely attached to his body. This was a scene of pure carnage. As much as they wanted to, neither was able to take their eyes off the destruction at their feet.

      The door to a room on the left was slightly ajar. Inside, muffled voices were heard, and a brilliant yellow light was coming out from the gap.

      Matilda walked over to it and pushed the door open. Sian followed close behind. DC Scott Andrews saw them enter and went over. His white forensic suit was stained with dried blood.

      ‘Ma’am,’ Scott said quietly, nodding at his boss.

      ‘Scott, I thought the girl was unharmed?’ Matilda frowned at the scene laid out before her.

      ‘That’s right.’

      ‘So where did all this blood come from?’ Matilda looked down at the white carpet. A trail of blood ran from the door to the bed. The pink duvet was smeared with blood.

      ‘Well, there was a puppy. He was on the floor next to the girl when the first officer on the scene arrived. It was as if he was looking after her. If you look, there are paw prints all over the carpet. I’m guessing the dog kept going out onto the landing and coming back in, not wanting to leave her.’

      ‘Poor thing,’ Matilda said.

      ‘The dog or the girl?’ Scott asked.

      ‘Both.’

      Sian, gloved hand slapped to her mouth, looked down at the floor. She couldn’t take her eyes from the horror. ‘Are you sure she wasn’t hurt in any way?’

      ‘Not physically.’

      ‘She wasn’t … you know … interfered with?’

      ‘We don’t know that yet. I’m sure they’ll check her out at the hospital.’

      ‘How was she tied to the chair?’ Matilda asked. The chair was a small pine children’s chair. It was painted cream and the name ‘Rachel’ was written in pink copperplate on the back with a picture of a Dalmatian drawn on the seat.

      ‘She was tied around the waist, which held her arms in too. Her legs were tied together. She was also gagged but she’d managed to work that loose somehow.’

      ‘Why tie her up and not hurt her yet go on to kill like he did?’ Matilda asked, more to herself than her colleagues.

      ‘I don’t know. Have you seen the other victims?’ Scott asked.

      ‘We’ve seen two,’ Matilda replied.

      ‘Prepare yourselves. This is horrific.’

      Matilda turned to Scott. He was looking at the ground, but she could see him struggling to keep hold of his emotions. ‘Are you all right?’ Matilda placed a comforting hand on the young DC’s arm. She could feel the tension.

      ‘No, I’m not. You don’t expect anything like this, ever.’

      ‘I’ve sent Rory outside for a break. Do you want to go?’

      ‘No. I’m fine.’

      ‘Right. Well, I need a team to go door to door. I want to know who these people are and if anyone saw anything. Sian, can you sort that?’

      ‘Sure.’

      ‘Obviously, don’t go into any details on what’s happened here. Not yet.’

      ‘There’s a marquee in the back garden,’ Scott said. ‘According to the woman who found them, there was a wedding reception here from yesterday evening onwards.’

      ‘We’re going to need a list of all the guests. Sian, give Christian a ring. Get him to bring a team out. I want everyone questioned.’

      Sian left the room, dialling as she went.

      ‘Where’s the woman who found them, now?’

      ‘She’s been taken to hospital. She was hysterical when we got here. Oh, there’s a wet patch on the carpet on the landing. It’s where she wet herself.’

      ‘OK. I’ll let forensics know.’

      ‘What do you want me to do?’ Scott asked.

      ‘Go to the hospital and keep me informed of the girl’s condition. Take a uniform with you to keep guard.’

      ‘Do you think the killer will come back?’

      ‘I’ve no idea, but it’s a possibility.’

      Matilda made her way carefully around the butchered man at the bottom of the stairs leading up to the attic. She felt her mobile phone vibrate in her pocket but ignored it. She couldn’t take her eyes from the man. Despite the horror of his final minutes, he looked at peace. Who would do something so violent, so shocking to another person?

      The stairs leading up to the second floor were drenched in blood; smeared footprints and the odd paw print. Matilda looked down at her feet. The protective overshoes were covered in blood. When she got to the landing, she pulled another pair out of her pocket and replaced the saturated ones.

      The attic was a hive of activity as Adele worked with the crime scene investigators. Arc lights had been erected and lit up the scene in an intruding bright white. Matilda entered the room and saw Lucy to one side, tears streaming down her face.

      ‘I’m sorry. I’ll be all СКАЧАТЬ