Katerina Diamond – Truth or Die (страница 7)

The professor’s face was hardly a face at all; caved in from the force and weight of the instrument used to kill him, the attack seemed almost frenzied. There were signs of a struggle, with books and papers strewn across the floor. Blood was spattered all up the walls, across the desk, everywhere, and the resin ball lay on the ground near the body. A blue flower was trapped inside, striking against the red of the blood. Someone must have been very angry to commit this level of violence, there was something crazed about it. No effort to tidy up or hide anything either. Adrian couldn’t imagine it was opportunistic in motive at least.

‘Any fingerprints?’ he asked the crime scene technicians.

‘Hundreds. But it looks like our perp wore gloves, so I doubt we’re going to find any,’ the technician closest to him said.

‘Any ideas at all?’

‘I’d say with the force used that you’re definitely looking for a male. And the stamina suggests someone young. They mashed his head. It’s going to be nigh on impossible to recreate the skull; it’s in tiny pieces and totally smushed in with brain matter.’

‘Vivid, thanks,’ Adrian said.

Adrian left the room; he’d seen and heard enough for now. Imogen and Matt Walsh were in the corridor, chatting about his previous placement.

‘Did you know DI Walsh used to work with DCI Kapoor?’ Imogen said.

‘I had heard that, yes,’ Adrian said, almost certain he had discussed it with Imogen before.

‘They used to be partners.’

‘Interesting,’ Adrian said, playing along with whatever Imogen was doing.

‘She’s one of the good ones. You guys got lucky getting her. I was happy to hear a placement opened up here so that I could apply,’ Matt said.

‘It’s not weird, working under your former partner?’ Imogen asked.

Adrian knew she was talking about them – one of them was bound to get promoted one day and he didn’t know how that would work, if it even could work.

‘It’s pretty great knowing someone you can trust has your back, actually.’

‘Sounds like you’ve been burned before,’ she continued.

‘Haven’t we all?’

‘Were you two ever … together?’ Adrian asked.

Imogen shot him a look.

DI Matt Walsh let out a raucous laugh, completely inappropriate given the situation. It reverberated so much in the room that everyone turned to look at him. There was a momentary pause before normal crime scene hubbub returned.

‘Nice to know she hasn’t changed,’ Matt said.

‘What do you mean?’ asked Adrian.

‘She doesn’t exactly talk about herself much, does she?’

‘True,’ Imogen acknowledged.

‘Well, she’s not exactly into guys.’

‘Oh.’ Adrian was surprised.

‘I didn’t find out ’til three years in, so you’ve got the jump on me,’ Matt said.

‘What do you think of this crime, then?’ Imogen asked, clearly uncomfortable with talking about the DCI’s personal business.

‘Messy and inexperienced.’

‘A student?’ Adrian said.

‘Maybe. Have a chat with some of the faculty in this block, see if they know anything. I’ll go and speak to the dean.’

He walked away. Adrian liked him already, which was a relief.

Adrian and Imogen made their way upstairs and knocked on the door to the psychology professor Gillian Mitchell’s office, but there was no response. The hallways started to fill with students getting to their morning lectures. There was a lot of mumbling; news of the murder had obviously got around. They knocked again.

‘Can I help you?’ A voice came from behind them.

They turned to see a blonde-haired woman, standing tall and lean in a brown linen suit. Her hair was almost iridescent in colour.

‘Are you Gillian Mitchell?’ Adrian asked.

‘Are you here about Hugh?’ the woman said.

‘Can we talk in your office?’ Imogen asked her.

‘Actually, I’d rather not. I’m waiting for someone to come up and sort out the giant spider I have locked in there. I may never go back in there again. What is it you want to know?’ She smiled.

‘Did you know Professor Norris well?’ Imogen said.

‘In passing. We weren’t friends or anything. He was a bit too chatty for my liking. Sometimes less is more. You find that with philosophers, though; they always want a bloody conversation.’

‘Not psychologists?’ Adrian mused.

‘I’m more of an observer.’

‘Did he have any enemies?’ Adrian said.

‘Absolutely not, he was a nice man.’

‘Any problem students?’ Imogen asked.

‘Here? Not really. Now and then we get one, but no one springs to mind.’

‘Did you teach any of the same students?’ Adrian followed up.

‘Sometimes we would guest on each other’s topics, try to show a different perspective, and we run the debating society in this block too. It’s got a big mix of students, mainly philosophy though; they love a debate.’

‘I see, and who was close to Professor Norris?’ Imogen asked.

‘Doctor,’ Gillian said.

‘Excuse me?’ Imogen said.

‘Technically he was a doctor, he had a doctorate, so he was a doctor, that’s his official title.’ She smiled, a hint of annoyance at having to explain it crossing her features. It seemed that Gillian might have a bit of a hang-up about her colleague’s status.

‘Was anyone close to Doctor Norris?’ Adrian said. Something about this woman was annoying him. Even though she was being pleasant, he found she had a bubbling hostility. It may just have been because they were police officers, or maybe it was something else entirely.

‘He always ate alone, seemed pleasant enough, but I never really saw him with anyone in particular. Sorry I can’t help you more.’

Adrian looked down at his notepad, then flicked back to a previous page, searching for a particular name. ‘What about Helen Lassiter? She’s got an office in this building, hasn’t she?’

‘I’m afraid she’s not in today. She’s away with some students on a trip. I’m not sure when she’s back off the top of my head.’

Adrian felt a hand on his shoulder. He turned to see Caitlin standing next to him.

‘Detective Miles.’ She smiled at him. ‘Are you here to arrest me again?’

‘You weren’t actually arrested, Miss …’ Adrian said, struggling to remember her name.

‘Watts, Caitlin Watts,’ Caitlin replied.

He noticed how she left her mouth open when she’d finished speaking, moving her tongue gently against her top lip. She was flirting with him. He looked away quickly.

‘Excuse me a moment,’ Gillian Mitchell said, ‘I just saw one of the maintenance men disappear around the corner and I really do need to get rid of this damn spider; I have notes in there I need later this morning. If that’s all?’

‘Don’t leave town,’ Imogen said as the woman hurried off, unclear if Gillian Mitchell had heard her or not.

‘You’re here about the murder?’ Caitlin said to Adrian, her head tilted back, the long line of her neck exposed, leading right into the V-neck of her clingy black sweater.