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Chapter 14


Flo was good at science stuff. She knew all about thermodynamics and isotopes and Bunsen burners. Whenever there was a need to look at something critically, Flo was called upon. She wasn't the eldest dancer on the side but she'd certainly done her time and then some. There was little that she hadn't seen over the years. The medical reports, which Flo had already read, included detailed accounts of the wounds inflicted on the three victims, but there was no substitute for actually examining the corpses first hand. It wasn't something which Flo had had to do for a long time, seeing as there hadn't been a murder for a long time, but do it she must. She wasn't very squeamish but the sight of the first body was enough to make her feel ill. The report matched precisely the wounds which she saw, she agreed that the weapon used was definitely a large blunt implement. The softer edge to the bruising suggested something wooden rather than metal. The bruising to the back of the head and the stretched neck muscles suggested that the victim had been attached from behind before the onslaught commenced. She took measurements and further photographs. The second and third reviews were equally unpleasant. By the end, Flo had what she needed. There were similarities which had been overlooked. She hastened back to Cecil to let him know, hoping that she wasn't too late.

 *

Sylvia had spent the last few hours looking through the files which they held on the victims. Each had committed previous misdemeanours so it seemed as good a place to start as any. It didn't take long for Sylvia to notice more than one trend. Why hadn't she noticed these before she thought to herself. Cecil was right, they really had just been looking for what they wanted to see. She made some notes and hurried back to Cecil's kitchen where she knew he would be. 

*

Dennis liked travelling. His favourite mode of transport was horse and cart but he was a fan of all kinds of vehicles. He owned three different cars, all of them vintage. Today he was travelling in his 1958 Triumph TR3A. The wind blew through what was left of his hair as he travelled between the three crime scenes. Although it was an unpleasant task, he was making the most of it. The first stop was an alleyway near the town park. It was quiet and wasn't overlooked by any houses. The mess left behind had been cleared up but Dennis walked up and down it a few times to get a feel for it. Why here? Had the victim been chosen at random or had he been followed? The attack would have gone unnoticed unless somebody had chosen to walk down it at an inopportune moment. Had the victim been ushered down it or was it just fortunate for the attacker?

The second one was further out in the beer garden. The drive went along some very windy roads. Dennis enjoyed the thrill of whizzing through the back country lanes, hoping to not meet anyone. He didn't enjoy the job once that he'd arrived at the pub. He walked around it, looking at the different entrances and exits. Just like the alleyway it was not overlooked but there was always the risk that someone could have stumbled across the attack. It was a risk that the killer must have been willing to take. Was it sheer luck that the victim had walked into the garden at the right time or had they been lured there? Did the killer intend to kill whoever walked in or was it coincidence that the victim had a record?

Dennis once again drove quickly to his final destination. John the Thatcher had been killed outside his own house. There was no doubt in Dennis' mind that the killer had intended to kill John. The probability of the three victims all having previous convictions and all being random attacks was too high to calculate. Not impossible but highly improbable. In that case, Dennis concluded that if the previous two victims had been led to the places where they were attacked, there might be a clue if they could find out how. A note, a call? Maybe they told somebody where they were going. Dennis was going to have to start asking a lot of people a lot of questions.

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