Chapter 21
Lottie drove to Tullamore mortuary where she joined Jane Dore.
‘Did you start without me?’ she asked once she had dressed in the requisite attire over her own clothing. She would never get used to the smells of death and decay unsuccessfully masked by chemicals.
‘I’ve been here since five,’ Jane said, greeting Lottie. ‘I’ve just completed my prelim and external examination. This case disturbs me, a lot. It has the outward appearance of familicide, but…’
‘You’re not sure? Neither am I.’
‘Well, I’m sure one minute and then in the next instant I’m not. Did you request the addition of a blood-spatter expert?’
‘It was refused. Superintendent Farrell told me not to waste taxpayers’ money on an open-and-shut case.’
‘From a distance that’s what it looks like. I found evidence of physical abuse on Caroline Healy’s body. But that in itself shouldn’t be a signal to what transpired. I need to look at everything as a whole.’
‘You think it’s domestic abuse?’ This was news to Lottie. And odd too, as Caroline’s friend Sadie Clarke claimed she had also been a victim. What was going on in these families?
‘Have a look.’ Jane brought Lottie over to the naked body of Caroline Healy.
‘Oh,’ she gasped behind her mask.
‘I know,’ Jane said. ‘Extensive ecchymosis.’
‘Huh?’
‘Bruising. The worst of it is here and on her back.’ She lifted the woman’s right arm, and Lottie noticed the yellowing bruising on the inside of the upper arm. Jane then walked to the other side of the stainless-steel table and lifted the left arm.
‘Christ. Both arms have similar bruising.’ Lottie found herself a little disconcerted. ‘You mentioned her back?’
Jane called her assistant over. He turned Caroline onto her side so Lottie could see the extent of the injuries on the woman’s lower back.
‘Is that a shoe print?’ she asked, appalled, her jaw hanging open behind her face mask.
‘Yes. A partial.’
‘Does it match the husband’s?’
‘I can’t say. Find the shoe and I can make an imprint and match it.’
‘All of his shoes will be examined.’ Lottie paused before continuing. ‘Was she held down and strangled?’
‘I don’t know yet. But the bruising on her arms isn’t as fresh as the ligature mark, so it’s telling me it may have happened at a different time to the murder. A few days, maybe even a week ago.’
‘But if I could prove that the partial print on her back came from her husband and that it was applied around the same time as strangulation occurred, it would line up with Farrell’s thinking of an open-and-shut case. Can you help with that, if I find a shoe to match the print?’
‘I’ll send you a photo with the approximate dimensions and sizing. It won’t be entirely accurate, as it’s not a complete print.’ Jane nodded for her assistant to turn Caroline on her back again. ‘You were anxious to know times of death and the order the deaths occurred.’
‘I’m hoping you can help me out on those two questions.’
‘The circumstantial evidence first,’ Jane said. ‘SOCOs found a tie in Cameron Healy’s pocket.’
‘Yes. Could it be the murder weapon used on his wife and daughter?’
‘It’s gone to the lab, so I can’t say for sure yet. I’ll know once it’s been forensically examined. But don’t hold your breath.’
‘What do you mean?’
‘I believe Cameron Healy died first.’
‘What? No. That can’t be. You just said that he used his tie to strangle his—’
‘I said no such thing. I intimated that the tie might have been used. I never said he used it.’
‘Fuck. How do you know he died first?’
‘Body temperature, and the blood spatter isn’t consistent with a self-inflicted wound,’ Jane said. ‘Hence why I suggested an expert analysis. Do you want me to go into the technical explanation? Because I can.’
‘No, just put it in your report, Jane. He may have beat his wife black and blue, and his tie was the most likely murder weapon. But you’re saying he didn’t kill her?’
‘It’s still possible he attempted to strangle her and left her for dead. But he was definitely the first to die.’
‘And their daughter. Little Freya. What can you tell me about her death?’
‘Children’s body-temperature readings are not as accurate as adults’. Smaller stature, et cetera. But, there is something odd about her strangulation.’
‘What do you mean?’
‘There’s a lack of petechiae – that’s ruptured capillary blood vessels caused by strangulation. Anyhow, I don’t want to speculate at this time plus we have to wait for toxicology results.’
‘Okay.’ Lottie inhaled. Not the best thing to do in a morgue. Her stomach roiled before she regained some equilibrium. ‘I need to walk through the various scenarios of how this horrible crime was committed in order to come up with a plausible sequence of events.’
‘Were there signs of disturbance in any of the rooms?’
‘Nothing besides the first responders and we have their witness statements. The pillow was over Caroline’s face and they removed it. Same with the wee girl.’
‘They could have been partially smothered. I’ll know more when I open them up.’
‘I don’t think I’ll wait for that,’ Lottie said, and made her escape.