Page 4 of The Truth Will Out
“All right. Just this once. It’s still going to take me a while to get to you. You’d better give me the location.”
“It’s the old clinic in Workington. You know, the one that has been earmarked for demolition along with the other run-down properties on that road to make way for a block of flats.”
“I think I know the one you’re talking about. I’ll be as quick as I can and meet you there. I take it the pathologist and his team are already at the scene?”
“That’s right. I called to make Des aware of what was happening, and he was already en route. See you in a while. Drive safely.”
“I will. I’ll have a very important passenger with me. Christ, if it gets out that I’ve brought along my dog…”
“It won’t. Anyway, if anyone asks, this is you putting work first despite being off duty.”
“You’re a good man, Bob. I don’t tell you that often enough.”
“You’re right, you don’t.”
They laughed, and Sam ended the call. She gave Tilly an extra hug and kissed the tip of her nose.
“You’re the cutest thing ever. Come on, sweetpea, let’s get you a drink and settle you in the car. How exciting, you’re coming to work with Mummy.” She fell silent and thought,Even Sonny didn’t do that. God, I miss that boy so much. I guess I will until my dying day. As pet owners, we never truly forget the special dogs that come into our lives for a reason. I believe Sonny comes under that category.
She wiped away a tear that had slipped onto her cheek andopened the back door for Tilly. After securing her pup’s lead in the seat belt fastening, she filled the water bowl and encouraged Tilly to have a drink.
Sam put the address into the satnav and groaned. She had misjudged how far away she was from Workington. It was going to take longer than she’d anticipated, unless she used her siren. There lay a second dilemma. Did she risk scaring Tilly with the noise, just so she could get to the scene quicker? Once she was on the open road, she decided to give it a trial run. Tilly seemed a little perturbed to begin with, then showed no sign of a reaction to the loud noise, so Sam put her foot down.
She pulled up behind Bob’s car, checked if Tilly was all right in the back, and then went to the boot to remove a protective suit and shoe covers, which she slipped on.
Bob must have either sensed her arrival or been watching out for her. He came to meet her at the front door. He shook his head. “It’s awful. His wife is going to be devastated.”
“Crap, that’ll be the next job on the agenda: breaking the news to her. I’m going to need to see what we’ve got here first.”
She picked her way past the debris strewn across the reception area, most likely caused by vandals over the years. The front windows were all boarded up, making the area dark and gloomy. Bob led her through to a large room that was filled with the pathologist and his team. Sam stood in the doorway for a while, taking in the scene before stepping into the room. Her gaze was drawn to the man strapped to a metal table. A pool of blood lay on the floor directly beneath him.
“Jesus. Someone definitely did a number on him.”
“You could say that,” Des replied. “Come in, Sam, don’t be shy.”
“Sorry, I didn’t want to intrude. What can you tell me?”
“Meet Robert Morgan, a well-known doctor in the area who, I believe, was reported missing a couple of days ago. Am I right?”
“Yes, that’s correct. We were hoping we’d find him alive.”
“Well, as you can see for yourself, that clearly isn’t the case.”
Sam strained her neck from where she was standing to view the man’s wounds. Bile instantly rose in her throat. As well as the victim’s lips being sewn up, he had a gaping wound in his chest. “Oh, God. Has he had his heart removed?”
“He has. We’ve carried out a thorough search of the property and haven’t come across it as yet.”
“Shit. Does that mean we’re dealing with a trophy taker?”
“So it would seem. The question is, what are the odds that he’s going to add to his collection?”
“Heck, don’t say that. One murder at a time is enough for us to deal with.”
Des grinned and shrugged. “I’m just putting it out there. The killer came prepared.”
Sam frowned. “Prepared to kill him?” To her, that much was obvious.
“No. I’m suggesting the killer brought some kind of container with him to transport the heart.”
