The Body in the Boot: The first 'Mac' Maguire mystery Read Online Free PDF

found loads of prints but haven’t matched any as yet. They also found dog hairs, crisps, sweets and empty soft drinks bottles amongst other things.’
    ‘I take it that the people who own the car have kids and a dog?’
    Tommy nodded.
    ‘What about the blanket?’
    ‘Also from the car. Lots and lots of dog hairs, apparently they used it to cover the seat when the dog was in the car.’
    ‘So nothing there then unless we get lucky with the prints. I take it there was no CCTV?’ Mac asked hopefully.
    ‘No, the collision took place in a suburban area.  Only one of the shops on the road the driver ran down had CCTV but unfortunately only inside the shop.’
    ‘What about the clothes Henrietta Lewinton was wearing? Anything there?’
    Tommy shook his head.
    ‘They found nothing unusual, the dress was from a chain store and they’re probably doing the DNA tests now. Also the initial look at the body, sorry she’s not a body is she? Anyway the initial look noted that she seemed abnormally clean and had probably been carefully washed. Forensics are going to take DNA samples and prints from the owners and from Miss Lewinton and see if they can narrow it down a bit.’
    Tommy seeing Mac’s glum expression said, ‘We’ve got nothing really, have we?’
    Mac shook his head.
    ‘I’ll bet a penny to a pound forensics turn up nothing more. Our man’s careful, he steals a car the night before, fits fake plates and I’ll bet he also wore gloves all the time he was in the car. You’re absolutely right, at this moment we’ve got nothing.’
    Seeing Tommy’s dejected expression he added with a smile, ‘Come on chin up, we’ve only just started, something will turn up.’
    Tommy smiled as Mac said this but Mac found himself feeling a lot less sure than he sounded.
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     

Chapter Four
     
    Mac spent a little time more looking over everything Tommy could give him on the case but he made no progress. He said a little prayer that the full forensic report on the car would give them a lead but he really wasn’t all that hopeful. It was now past five o’clock so, deciding that he’d better pace himself, Mac told Tommy he was calling it a day and would return early tomorrow.
    He called in at the hospital on his way home and they said he could go in and see Henrietta. He stopped and looked through the glass panel in the door before entering the ward. He saw Janet Lewinton sitting by her daughter’s bed. She was stroking Hetty’s hand and talking to her. It seemed such an intimate scene that Mac didn’t feel it would be right to interrupt them so he went to the nurse’s station and asked if there had been any change. There hadn’t. Mac asked if this was good news or bad news but they couldn’t say. They still hadn’t been able to identify what it was that was causing her condition.
    Before he got into his car he called his friend Tim and was grateful that he was able to meet him for a pint and something to eat. All the way back to Letchworth Mac kept turning over the day’s events in his mind. He was hoping for some new idea or take on the situation but nothing came to mind. He decided to talk it through with Tim and turned the radio on for the rest of the journey.
    Tim was already in the Magnets when Mac arrived. He’d managed to get their usual table in the corner next to the window overlooking the street. Of course Tim had something less of a journey, around a hundred yards from his antique furniture shop just down the hill. It struck Mac as he waved to Tim through the window that he was a little like an older version of Tommy. He was tall and thin, his jet black hair now greying in places but, unlike Mac, he still had a full shock of hair on his head. Mac’s barber had once made a joke and said that his hair was waving, waving goodbye that is. For some reason Mac hadn’t found it that funny.
    Tim jumped up and headed to the bar while Mac seated himself. He returned smiling and carrying