Page 2 of The Girls in the Lake
She looked out of the huge picture windows; it was still dark outside and the sun wouldn’t be up for another hour. She looked down to the shadow-steeped view of the water, the wind scudding across the white-topped waves, simultaneously admiring its beauty and shivering at the memory of her dream.
Opening the cupboard by the front door, she pulled on her thick, insulated jacket and grabbed the heavy case she kept in there for emergencies. Josh watched her and smiled as she passed him his almost matching North Face jacket. Then she sat on the bottom step, waiting for him to leave first. He walked out of the front door, not turning to wave or say goodbye. There was little point: they were both heading to the same scene.
Beth went to her car and waited, turning the heating on full, until Josh’s car was well ahead of her through the gates and out onto the deserted country road. It wouldn’t look good if they arrived in the same car at this hour; their relationship was new and they’d both decided to keep it quiet for the time being. There was no need for anyone to know about them. It was their business.
Three
Beth drove cautiously even though the winding roads were deserted, aware that she was still tired, her senses not quite clear after the nightmare and the rude awakening. She indicated as she turned the car into the marina. It was a lovely place, especially in summer with all the boats moored up and bobbing around in the breeze. She’d spent several happy, warm evenings sitting outside the pub nearby drinking a chilled glass of wine and admiring the view.
Seeing the blue flashing lights ahead, she blinked several times; it was time to focus her mind on the job in hand. It wasn’t the first time she’d been called to a drowning; in fact, it was probably one of the most common causes of death in the Lake District after road traffic accidents and deaths on the fells. Almost every year, especially in the summer months, someone would underestimate exactly how cold or deep the water was and get themselves in trouble. The lights ahead led to an ambulance. She parked near a walkway down to the marina between the pub and the row of gift shops. There were several police vans nearby and the entrance to the slipway had been taped off.
She parked on the opposite side of the road, glanced over and smiled at Josh. They had been living together for a month or so now, but very few people knew. She liked her privacy, and Josh was technically still married to Jodie, though they had separated after he found out about her affair. Beth’s life had changed beyond belief since the man she’d once loved tried to kill her. She’d lived as a recluse for the past seven years after her ex-partner, Robert Hartshorn – the man she once thought she would spend the rest of her life with – had plotted, then tried to kill her in the home she’d shared with him then. Thankfully, she’d survived, albeit mentally scarred and terrified of her own shadow, but she hadn’t given in. Just a few weeks ago, when she’d been involved in an investigation where girls had been murdered and their bodies hidden in other people’s graves, Robert Hartshorn had resurfaced as the main suspect and he had tried to kill her again. Both times that Robert had attempted to kill her, Josh had been the one to save her – Beth owed him everything.
As she dressed in the protective clothing from the back of her car, bending to shield herself from the wind, she thanked her lucky stars she was alive and that Robert was safely behind bars. She could handle a few nightmares and was very slowly beginning to feel safe again. Being with Josh helped; he made her feel safe.
She took her time, knowing that Josh would want to be first on the scene. He always did. Checking her watch, she gave him five minutes to assess the incident, and then she grabbed the case and walked down to where the officer was standing with a crime scene log book, guarding the entrance. Signing herself in and walking towards the marina, she could see the body laid out on the wooden planks of the jetty, and she shuddered against the fine mist of rain as it blew across the lake towards her, tiny flecks of icy water kissing her skin. What a cold, gloomy day to die, she thought, but death was death and, as sad as the reality was, it kept her in a job. At times she’d wondered how on earth she could do this job day in, day out, but what kept her going was knowing that she could use her forensic pathologist skills to help the families left behind get answers. That made it all worthwhile.
‘Morning, Doctor Adams.’
The voice startled her. So lost in her thoughts, she hadn’t realised Josh had appeared beside her.
‘Good morning, Detective Sergeant.’
She gave him a little smile, glad that their personal relationship had no bearing whatsoever on their professional lives, which was how she liked it.
The officers, Josh and the paramedics all stood back leaving her to walk alone along the narrow jetty to where the naked body of a young woman was laid out. Pausing in front of her, Beth felt as if time had frozen; the cold chill in the air made her shudder. The only sound was the water lapping against the sides of the many different yachts and motorboats, all moored up in uniform rows on jetties like the one she was standing on. Daylight was beginning to pierce the dark clouds, although the sun wouldn’t rise for at least another hour. It was just her and the dead girl, no one else mattered. They’d all stopped what they were doing to let her do her job and for that she was thankful.
Jerking herself back to the moment, she took in the body in front of her, the glazed eyes staring up into the sky. Whoever this woman was with her porcelain, blemish-free skin, blue eyes and full lips, she was stunning. Beth bent down to examine her closely. There were some superficial skin bruises on her extremities and some abrasions on the right side of her face but the white, frothy foam coming from the woman’s mouth was consistent with drowning.
Turning around, Beth raised her voice. ‘Do we know exactly where she was in the water?’
The officer who had been first at the scene took a step forward and answered. ‘The guy who found her and pulled her out said she was on the port side of that boat.’ He pointed to the large, very expensive motor cruiser next to them.
‘Which way was she facing?’
‘Face down.’
‘No, sorry, I meant which way was her head pointing: towards the lake or the marina?’
He shrugged. ‘I didn’t ask, but he’s over there in the back of the ambulance still.’
Josh, who was standing next to him, shouted against the wind. ‘I’ll go and check.’
Beth smiled at the officer. ‘It’s okay, I just need to know to see if the marks on her body and face can be accounted for.’
She looked back down at the girl and felt her heart contract in sorrow for the loss of a life so young. Turning the girl’s head to the side, she noted there was no rigor, indicating she hadn’t been in the water too long before she’d been found. That was a relief, of sorts.
Josh returned, walking closer so he didn’t have to shout. ‘He said her head was facing out towards the lake; he also said her hair was caught on the anchor chain and he had to forcibly pull it away to get her free. He woke up to the sound of thudding against the side of the boat, came above deck and looked over to find her floating face down in the water.’
‘Ah, that would explain the injuries and also why she didn’t sink. Normally when someone drowns, the body sinks to the bottom as the water pressure compresses the gases in the chest and abdominal cavities. This results in the body displacing less water and sinking deeper, becoming less buoyant the deeper it goes.’
Picking up the woman’s hands, she studied her slender fingers and nails; there were no defence marks on them, nothing to suspect foul play, although Beth couldn’t rule it out until she’d performed the post-mortem. She continued working her way around taking the relevant samples and the victim’s body temperature.
‘So, any initial observations?’
Beth turned to Josh. ‘Why is she naked?’
‘The witness said she was on the boat with him and four others until the early hours. They were drinking heavily. Her clothes are all discarded on the deck in a pile. It’s likely she decided to go for a midnight swim and didn’t realise how cold the water was?’
