‘I know this neighbour said she never saw anyone coming or going apart from Oates, but don’t tell me she was at her window twenty-four seven. He could have snatched her, hidden her body in the house.’
Anna came over to stand beside her. ‘It’s possible, but how did he get her there? We still haven’t established that he was driving the Jeep – the neighbour never saw it parked up and we have no witness that saw him in it. We suspect he stole it, but only by supposition because someone saw a man fitting his description outside the owner’s house. We have no proof that it was Oates that took it.’
‘Still no trace of it either,’ Joan said, joining them.
She had been contacting every garage, auction house and dealership, plus the wreckage yards, and there was no trace of it.
‘Any luck with the crime reports?’ Anna asked.
‘I’ve given all the details to the station crime analyst and I’m waiting for her to get back to me.’
Anna went into Mike’s office.
‘Did the search team who went over Oates’s place look under the floorboards?’
‘Yeah, they used an optical cable attached to a monitor. Nothing untoward, though.’
‘So they didn’t lift the floorboards?’
‘No, they thought using the lens would be quicker.’
‘Rebekka could be buried under the floorboards! I want Oates’s basement stripped, in fact the entire house – pull the bloody place apart.’
‘Wheels are already in motion.’
‘What?’
Mike gave a wide-handed gesture. ‘Langton, he implied the house should have been searched properly as soon as the doll parts were discovered. We didn’t realize they had cut corners so the search team’s going back in tomorrow morning. Crime Scene Manager’s going to keep an eye on them.’
‘Good, but he should have been there to supervise the first search.’
‘Langton had a lengthy conversation with our Joan and she brought him up to date. I’ll give him a visit tonight; let him know we have identified the recovered body as Fidelis.’
‘Don’t let him use you as his housemaid.’
‘Listen, can you do me a big favour, the Flynn parents are flying in and I’d appreciate it if you could see them over at the mortuary.’
Anna was so wrong-footed she wasn’t sure how to react.
‘But she’s been identified by dental records.’
‘I know, but they insisted. It’s a grotesque sight, and the remains are not recognizable as their daughter.’
‘Okay, what time are they due?’
‘I’ve got a car picking them up from Heathrow and taking them straight to the mortuary, should be there around eight tonight. Barolli left this on my desk. You might want to take it with you,’ Mike said, handing her an evidence bag containing the crucifix and chain.
‘Was this on the body?’
‘Caught in some clothing. Probably Fidelis’s but we need to be sure.’
Anna went back to her desk. It was not yet seven, so she decided to grab a bite to eat, then go straight to the mortuary. Joan and Barbara had already left. Written up on the board were the details of the search teams for Oates’s flat, and she could see ten officers were assigned to the job. She suspected Mike’s budget was going through the roof. She partly wished she had taken the call from Langton. It really irritated her that even holed up unable to walk he was overseeing the cases. Her case specifically.
At eight-fifteen, Anna was waiting in a small ante-room off the mortuary set aside for relatives. By eight-thirty there was still no sign of Mr and Mrs Flynn, and Anna was becoming impatient. What was left of Fidelis’s body was now shrouded in a white sheet and laid out on a trolley in the chapel of rest. All that could be seen of her was a skeletal face and her auburn hair. The mortuary assistant played with the light dimmer in a futile effort to dull the shock that awaited the Flynns before pulling the shroud up over where her face had been.
Anna was about to call flight arrivals at Heathrow when Mr and Mrs Flynn were ushered into the room. Their flight had been delayed owing to fog, and they were very apologetic, but their nervousness made it even more difficult for Anna to prepare them for what they would see. Mr Flynn was a robust man with a barrel chest, and bright very blue eyes; in contrast his wife was ashen-faced, with deep circles beneath her eyes, and she clutched a tissue, close to tears.
In as gentle a way as possible Anna told them how their daughter’s body had been found and that her dental records had identified her. They didn’t interrupt but sat tightly holding each other’s hands. Anna then explained to them that Fidelis’s body was badly decomposed and what they were about to see would not look like the daughter they so lovingly remembered. Mr Flynn put his arm around his wife and said that perhaps it would be best for her to stay in the waiting room.
Mrs Flynn refused, so Anna escorted them into the chapel of rest. It was wretchedly sad as they stood side by side holding each other, both trembling with the anxiety of what was to come. Anna nodded for the assistant to ease away the sheeting from the skull, which he did very carefully, and there was a terrible pause. They did not move closer but remained standing a little away from the body.
‘When they are finished will they let us take her home?’ Mr Flynn asked, and Anna assured him that it would be arranged. He then gave a small nod of his head, and the sheet was drawn back over what was left of Fidelis Julia Flynn’s head.
They walked slowly back to the waiting room, holding onto each other for comfort. Anna asked if they would like a cup of tea, and they accepted. It was a relief because it meant she could leave them alone for a while. She heard Mrs Flynn begin crying as she closed the door.
Tracking down the tea-making facilities took a while, but at least it gave the Flynns time to compose themselves before the next part of their ordeal.
As they sipped their beakers of tea, Anna took a small plastic evidence bag out of her briefcase.
‘Is this your daughter’s crucifix?’ she asked gently. They asked if they could take it out to have a closer look. Mr Flynn cupped it in the palm of his hand; the chain was broken in two places. He stared at it, and then held it out to his wife.
‘I’ve never seen this before, have you?’
‘No. I have never seen her wearing this. Is it gold?’ Mrs Flynn touched it lightly with her forefinger. She gave a nervous look at Anna. ‘Do you mind if I pick it up?’
‘Do, please.’
Mrs Flynn held the cross in her hand, turning it over to look at the back; she rubbed it with her thumb, and then chewed at her lips.
‘I don’t think this could belong to her, it’s rolled gold, and she was allergic to anything that wasn’t real gold. You remember the St Christopher?’ she asked her husband.
‘No.’ Mr Flynn watched her as she continued rubbing at the cross.
‘My sister gave it to her for her sixteenth birthday, but it left a terrible rash on her neck just like the swimming medals she won. Doctor said it was the nickel in them that gave her eczema. I tell you it was the same with her pierced ears, they got itchy and started weeping because the posts weren’t real gold… It’s the ones where the posts go through the ear I’m talking about.’ Mrs Flynn handed the cross and chain back to Anna.
‘So you never saw her wear this and doubt that she would have worn it?’
‘That’s right.’
Anna replaced it into the small plastic evidence bag. She knew that she had to say something, knew that they would be thinking this meant that perhaps the remains they had just seen were not their daughter’s.
‘I’m afraid the dental records sent from your daughter’s dentist in Dublin were a confirmed match. Also we’ve compared the DNA samples you sent over. I’m very sorry, and if there is anything I can do whilst you are here…’
Somehow, through all of this, the couple were able to maintain control over their emotions, impressing Anna with their quiet dignity.