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her
    mother’s murder, Foster thought.
    ‘The ligature wound, as I mentioned earlier, is not too
    severe, so I would guess it was made of soft material,
    perhaps a towel or scarf
    Foster guessed the killer might have removed the
    evidence, but made a note to tell forensics to examine
    every item of clothing and material in the house.
    ‘What about the wound to the throat?’ he asked.
    ‘Committed post mortem,’ Carlisle responded. ‘The
    carotid artery and jugular vein remain intact so the cut is not actually all that deep. More of a token gesture. Your killer is right-handed by the way. There are also signs of bruising and lividity on the back. I’m not yet one hundred per cent certain, but it seems likely she was killed inside the house, then dragged outside where her throat was slit.’
    That made no sense to Foster. Most killers took care to
    hide a body. This one had done the opposite, bundling the body from the privacy of a house out into a garden where it might be seen.
    ‘There was no blood in the house,’ Foster said. ‘But
    there was plenty in the garden.’
    Carlisle nodded slowly. ‘The lividity on the back is congruent with being dragged outside, which is why I made an educated guess that he killed her inside, then hauled her into the garden where he made the wound on her throat.’
    This really isn’t adding up, Foster thought. Any sign of sexual activity?’ he asked.
    Katie Drake had let her murderer into her house. Had
    she allowed him into the bedroom or had he followed?
    Was she surprised by his attack or quiescent? They could not rule out some sort of sex game, even though she was fully clothed.
    Carlisle shook his head. ‘None whatsoever.’
    A few scenarios ran through his mind. Had Naomi
    Buckingham arrived home and interrupted the killer? Is
    that why she had been abducted? But he had the tools at
    his disposal to kill her there and then. Why risk being seen taking her away?
    ‘Any idea of the time of death?’
    ‘Difficult to be absolutely precise, but I’d say with some certainty that it was around mid-afternoon yesterday.’
    Naomi could have disturbed the killer. Yet there had
    been no sign of a struggle anywhere in the house. Which
    indicated that Naomi might also have known her abductor
    and gone with him willingly, unaware that her mother
    lay outside murdered.
    ‘I’ve sent samples of blood to toxicology,’ Carlisle
    continued. ‘The liver was quite fatty, in the first, very early stages of liver disease, which indicates the victim was a heavy drinker. Other than that she was in reasonably good physical condition. She hadn’t eaten for a few hours, not since breakfast.’
    Any idea when the nail varnish was applied to her
    fingers and toes?’ Heather interjected.
    Carlisle shrugged.
    Heather wandered over and took a look. ‘I’d say very
    recently. And with some care, too. She was wearing quite a lot of make-up when we found her. Mascara, foundation, lippy, the works … What have you done with her clothing?’ she asked Carlisle, urgency in her voice.
    ‘They’re about to go forensics. They’re in a bag somewhere …’ He turned to one of his technicians for confirmation.
    A few moments later the bag was produced.
    Heather put on a pair of gloves and took it to an empty
    dissecting table, where she poured out the contents, Foster at her shoulder. She ignored the blood-soaked shirt and skirt, and went straight for a black, diamante-studded bra, which she picked up between thumb and forefinger.
    ‘Ta da!7 she said, turning to show it to Foster, making
    him flinch. ‘Push-up bra. Not the sort of thing you wear around the house on a Monday afternoon. As I thought: she was on a promise.’
    Naomi Buckingham was wrong. Her mother did have a
     
    man.
     
    They managed to track Sally Darlinghurst, Katie’s best
    friend, down to a small terraced house in Kentish Town.
    Darlinghurst had been out all day, but returned at some
    point during the evening. She’d already been