Dead Sweet: A D.I. Turnbull mystery Read Online Free PDF Page B

by the toffees." Rani took a moment to contemplate that; his face showed the disgust he felt. "Her silicone implants were cut open, emptied and stuffed with marshmallows."
    "What about on her back?" Todd wanted to know if the killer had turned Mandy over to ensure her entire body was defiled.
    "No her back was left alone. Don't forget she was handcuffed. It would have meant undoing that and turning her over. No she was only cut where she was exposed to the air."
    Todd considered it possible that the killer didn't have the strength to turn Mandy over. The absence of any defence wounds or bruising on Mandy's body suggested she did not struggle; it appeared she had been willingly handcuffed. Todd was beginning to piece the clues together; semen present and a consent to be handcuffed told him the killer was likely to be a male, known to the victim, invited into the flat in order to have consensual sex, but from the point of being handcuffed the killer had taken a different direction and murdered Mandy.
    Todd wanted to know the significance of the sweets; men liked to give ladies chocolates; maybe this was a sick gift from a twisted mind. Todd also wanted to find the talent scout Tony Walton had told him about. He needed to know if this was the guy Mandy was seeing behind Tony's back or if he was just a coincidental part of the puzzle.
    First things first, Todd needed to check the semen against the Police National Database to see if it was on file from a previous suspect. He also needed to contact Tony Walton again as they would need a sample from him to be able to eliminate him from the enquiry. Todd made sure he had a packet of tissues with him as he left the Coroner's office for Tony Walton's house; if yesterday was anything to go by Todd would be needing the tissues and a great deal of patience over the next few hours.
    -x-
    "Hello?" Todd answered his phone as he walked towards Tony Walton's flat in the Bickford Lock area of Olinsbury.
    "Hello Uncle Todd," the cheery voice was like manna to Todd's ears.
    "Hey pumpkin; how is my favourite niece?"
    "I'm fine," Todd could envision his six year old niece Jasmine's face; born to his younger sister, Trina, the result of a coupling with a Nigerian doctor she had met on a hen night with her best friend. Jasmine was a light in both Trina and Todd's lives. She had the most startling blue eyes which shone from her hazelnut face and her hair was a mass of curls crowning all three feet of her deliciousness. Todd thought she was the most beautiful creature on the planet and adored the very bones of her.
    Todd knew Jasmine would be holding the phone to her ear, her tongue firmly planted in her cheek in her delightful shy way and he got an urge to drop everything, drive to her immediately and give her the uncle snuggles which she enjoyed so much.
    "What are you doing?" Jasmine asked him.
    "Working my darling, what are you doing?"
    "Playing."
    "Oh lovely, where is your mummy?"
    "She's making breakfast, I haven't got school today."
    "Oh ok then, now Jasmine."
    "Yes?"
    "What do you want baby, why are you ringing me?" Todd sang at her down the phone.
    "Nothing," came the coy reply. "Oh actually,"
    "Yes?"
    "When are you coming to see me?"
    "I'm coming on your birthday baby."
    "Do you promise?"
    "Yes."
    "Ok, bye." The phone was put down before Todd could respond further, he made a mental note to himself to buy Jasmine a present and make sure he didn't miss her birthday in a few days' time. Reaching the front door of Tony Walton's flat, Todd took a deep breath and shook the image of Jasmine from his mind. He knocked on the door and reached for his tissues as he saw the still snivelling Tony approach through the glass. At least any suspicion of involvement could now be removed from Todd's mind; even the best of actors couldn't cry for that long. Todd said, "Hi," as Tony answered the door and followed him into the flat which was more of a bedsit. An open living area with space saving furniture, all