A Deadly Thaw Read Online Free PDF Page A

assistant, hunched over a computer screen. ‘You looking at dodgy sites again, Scott?’
    He didn’t lift his eyes from the monitor. ‘The dental records are a match. There’s a slight gap between the central incisors. The measurements match an X-ray on the patient’s file, as do the details of dental work. Do you want to take a look, Bill?’
    Bill made a face. ‘I better had, hadn’t I? We don’t want any more mistakes.’
    ‘Hey! It was before my time,’ said Scott.
    He was smirking at Connie, and she resisted the temptation to stick her tongue out at him.
    Bill sat down heavily in the chair. ‘What are you here for anyway? We did the PM this morning. I was going to phone the results through to Sadler.’
    She took the chair opposite him. ‘He’s on his way to interview Andrew Fisher’s wife. He’s going to take her to the station and question her under arrest once we confirm that ID. Can you give me the gist of what you’ve found?’
    ‘I don’t see why not.’ He pulled a file towards him. ‘Although I’m sure you worked out the cause of death yourself. Massive trauma to the chest cavity as the result of a gunshot wound. What was interesting, however, was that the bullet I extracted didn’t come from a rifle as I expected. It’s what you would assume around here. Given the hunting community.’
    ‘Go on.’
    ‘What was used was a pistol. I haven’t seen that for a long while. Not that easy to get hold of these days. I’m surprised.’ Bill’s eyes flickered.
    ‘What is it?’ asked Connie.
    ‘I’d prefer not to say. Not at the moment. I’ve sent the bullet off to Ballistics for more information. Let’s wait for their report, shall we? There’s been enough problems with this case already. You don’t need me blundering along with something I’m not confident about.’
    Connie decided to leave it. He clearly wasn’t going to be telling her anything before the report came in. ‘It’s my first shooting, you know. I wonder how you’d get hold of that sort of gun around here. Anything else?’
    Bill shook his head. ‘He was a physically fit, large man. “Well-nourished” is perhaps the best phrase. Like me, I suppose. He had a slightly enlarged liver, probably liked a drop or two every evening but nothing that should have killed him.’
    ‘That’s it?’
    ‘For now. I’ve taken blood samples to send off to the lab. They’ll be about a week, unless you want me to ask them to speed it up. There didn’t seem much point given the clear cause of death.’ Bill shut the file and rubbed his hands on his trousers. ‘Any idea how old I am?’
    Connie started. ‘Bill, I’ve never given it a thought. You’re timeless, I mean . . .’
    She saw him smile and look pleased. ‘I’m fifty-five. I know I look older. I’ve got a good ten years before retirement, and, ideally, I’d like to see them out. No other hobbies to speak of, although my wife keeps nagging me to join her badminton group.’ It was the first Connie had ever heard of his wife. Where was this conversation going?
    He read her thoughts. ‘The thing is, if we misidentified the body in 2004, and it’s certainly looking that way, then it’s a monumental cock-up. They could have my head on a platter.’
    First Sadler and now Bill. Connie felt queasy at the thought of the men in her professional life lining up to take the blame for what appeared to be a genuine mistake in the way that bodies were identified. ‘Look, if you woke up tomorrow and told me that your wife was dead in your bed, I’d take your word for it. That it was her. I mean, you’re the one who would know her identity. Especially if we initially thought it was a natural death.’
    The pathologist smiled. ‘Don’t worry, Connie. I harbour no malicious thoughts towards Jill. But you know it doesn’t work like that. And Jill may well be seeing more of me around the house. We’ll see. Let’s hope I can ride out the storm.’ He turned back to Scott, who