Page 45 of Gone in the Night
‘I need to know everything about the victim he has on file, so it would be useful.’
‘I should have said, sorry. She’s called Lydia Williams; she booked in for two nights. Oh my God.’
‘What?’
‘Where’s her dog? She put on the booking form that she was bringing her dog with her. Is it dead too? I can’t if it is. I mean it’s bad enough someone has done that to her, but if they killed her dog too that’s fucking despicable. There’s just no need man, no need.’
Morgan couldn’t agree more. ‘We won’t know until the forensic pathologist has assessed the scene. I hope not. Could it have got loose and be running around the fell?’
‘Well, possibly, but someone would have reported a lost dog. Walkers and tourists will do anything for a lost dog or injured animal, shame they don’t care the same about humans.’
Morgan took out her radio handset. ‘Control, can you tell me if there have been any reports of a dog running loose in this area, or one that’s been found?’
‘Morgan, that’s a definite no. I’ve been on shift the last couple of days and nothing has come in about a dog running loose in the area.’
‘Thank you, can you add to the log that Lydia Williams was booked onto the campsite for two nights and had a pet dog with her?’
‘Roger, breed, name of dog?’
‘I don’t know, sorry.’
‘No worries, when you find out we’ll add it on.’
She turned to Sammy. ‘I’m going to need to speak to your boss at some point. Can you tell me if there is CCTV here?’
‘No CCTV, but there are a couple of trail cams around the site, so he can check in and see who is doing what if he needs to, which is why he knew that Lydia Williams was still here. He must have looked at them this morning.’
‘How would he do that?’
‘I think he can do it remotely; I’ll phone him now. Do you want to talk to him?’
‘Yes, that’s great.’
Sammy took out his phone and began conversing with the guy who had answered. She looked in the side mirror and saw Declan walking towards the Suzuki next to them.
Getting out she smiled at him.
‘We really need to stop meeting this way, people are going to talk, Morgan.’
‘Out of my control, sorry.’
She stood next to him whilst Wendy, who must have arrived a few minutes before him, was filming the scene with a body camera. Once she’d photographed it and was satisfied, she would let Declan approach it.
Ben joined them. ‘It’s remote, that’s for sure.’
‘I have good news. The owner has a couple of trail cams set up to watch the perimeter and keep tabs on who is coming and going.’
Ben turned to her. ‘For real?’
She nodded, and he reached over and high-fived her. ‘Halli bloody lujah! There is a god after all.’
‘I never said they worked, or he’s got any evidence before you get yourself too excited.’
‘I’m not expecting them to, it’s just wonderful to think there is the slither of a chance that they may have caught the killer at some point.’
‘I have everything crossed for you both. Surely at some point you are going to get someone who is plain stupid and doesn’t watch the crime channel twenty-four seven,’ replied Declan.
‘The victim is Lydia Williams. Who does the car PNC to?’
