his face and head were missing and it looked as though his right arm was hanging on by a thread.
‘Have you examined him yet?’ Temple asked.
Matherson drew in a ragged breath. ‘Only briefly.’
‘And was the paramedic right? Has he been shot?’
‘I’m afraid so,’ Matherson said and at the same time the muscles in his neck tightened. ‘A bullet entered his forehead just above the left eye. It passed through the skull and the exit wound is clear to see. There’s massive internal damage. The bullet appears to be lodged in the seat head-rest.’
‘Bloody Hell,’ Temple said, alarmed. ‘Are you sure?’
Matherson nodded. ‘Positive. The bullet must have come through the windscreen. It seems he was alone in the car and there’s no sign of a gun.’
Temple shuddered and leaned forward to peer inside the car. The driver’s seat was inclined forward, but he could clearly see a hole in the leather head-rest.
As he straightened up he felt the unease twist tighter in his gut.
‘We need to spread the word that this is a crime scene,’ he said aloud so all of those around him could hear. ‘I know it won’t be easy but we need to keep it clear for the forensic technicians who’ll be here shortly.’
He turned to DC Marsh who was wearing an expression of outraged disbelief. It looked as though she had stopped breathing.
‘Get with it, Fiona,’ he snapped. ‘I need you to do something.’
His raised voice jolted her out of her trance and she gave a sharp nod.
‘What is it, guv?’
He instructed her to get on the phone to headquarters and tell them to send out as many armed officers as they could to search the surrounding area.
‘There’s a bridge about a hundred yards along the carriageway,’ he said. ‘Someone could have taken pot shots at thetraffic from there or from one of the embankments. Maybe the shooter is still out there watching the show. Let’s get word to the police chopper. The crew can use thermal imaging to check for unusual movement in the woods and fields around here.’
DC Marsh turned abruptly to go to where it would be safe to use her mobile phone. But her path was blocked by a uniformed PC, square in his luminous jacket, who suddenly appeared looking breathless and anxious.
‘You won’t believe this, sir,’ he said, addressing himself to Temple, ‘but we’ve got another one.’
‘Another what?’ Temple said.
‘Gunshot victim, sir. This time it’s a woman and she’s been shot in the chest.’
CHAPTER 3
T EMPLE’S SCALP PRICKLED as he stared down at the woman. She was in her thirties and dressed in jeans and a leather coat. She’d died at the wheel of a red Ford Focus that had left the road before crashing headlong into a signpost on the embankment.
There was extensive damage to the front of the car including a shattered windscreen, but the woman had only one visible injury: Matherson quickly confirmed that it was a bullet wound high up in her chest. When her body was moved forward they saw an exit wound in her back and realized that the shell had gone through the chair into the rear seat.
Blood covered her coat and was splattered about the car’s interior. She was still sitting behind the wheel and strapped to her seat. The airbag had been deflated by the paramedics who had wanted to find out if she was alive. It seemed obvious to Temple that she must have lost control of the car after being shot. Even so he found it hard to take it in.
What could possibly possess someone to kill indiscriminately in this way? he wondered. There was no doubt in his mind thatthey were random killings – no way could the shooter have known the identity of the people in the vehicles he was shooting at. It was dark and they would have been travelling at high speed. Plus, the shooter must have fired from a distance, possibly with a sniper rifle.
He turned to DS Vaughan and said, ‘I want you to act as crime-scene manager. We have to work quickly because we’ll be under a
‘Have you examined him yet?’ Temple asked.
Matherson drew in a ragged breath. ‘Only briefly.’
‘And was the paramedic right? Has he been shot?’
‘I’m afraid so,’ Matherson said and at the same time the muscles in his neck tightened. ‘A bullet entered his forehead just above the left eye. It passed through the skull and the exit wound is clear to see. There’s massive internal damage. The bullet appears to be lodged in the seat head-rest.’
‘Bloody Hell,’ Temple said, alarmed. ‘Are you sure?’
Matherson nodded. ‘Positive. The bullet must have come through the windscreen. It seems he was alone in the car and there’s no sign of a gun.’
Temple shuddered and leaned forward to peer inside the car. The driver’s seat was inclined forward, but he could clearly see a hole in the leather head-rest.
As he straightened up he felt the unease twist tighter in his gut.
‘We need to spread the word that this is a crime scene,’ he said aloud so all of those around him could hear. ‘I know it won’t be easy but we need to keep it clear for the forensic technicians who’ll be here shortly.’
He turned to DC Marsh who was wearing an expression of outraged disbelief. It looked as though she had stopped breathing.
‘Get with it, Fiona,’ he snapped. ‘I need you to do something.’
His raised voice jolted her out of her trance and she gave a sharp nod.
‘What is it, guv?’
He instructed her to get on the phone to headquarters and tell them to send out as many armed officers as they could to search the surrounding area.
‘There’s a bridge about a hundred yards along the carriageway,’ he said. ‘Someone could have taken pot shots at thetraffic from there or from one of the embankments. Maybe the shooter is still out there watching the show. Let’s get word to the police chopper. The crew can use thermal imaging to check for unusual movement in the woods and fields around here.’
DC Marsh turned abruptly to go to where it would be safe to use her mobile phone. But her path was blocked by a uniformed PC, square in his luminous jacket, who suddenly appeared looking breathless and anxious.
‘You won’t believe this, sir,’ he said, addressing himself to Temple, ‘but we’ve got another one.’
‘Another what?’ Temple said.
‘Gunshot victim, sir. This time it’s a woman and she’s been shot in the chest.’
CHAPTER 3
T EMPLE’S SCALP PRICKLED as he stared down at the woman. She was in her thirties and dressed in jeans and a leather coat. She’d died at the wheel of a red Ford Focus that had left the road before crashing headlong into a signpost on the embankment.
There was extensive damage to the front of the car including a shattered windscreen, but the woman had only one visible injury: Matherson quickly confirmed that it was a bullet wound high up in her chest. When her body was moved forward they saw an exit wound in her back and realized that the shell had gone through the chair into the rear seat.
Blood covered her coat and was splattered about the car’s interior. She was still sitting behind the wheel and strapped to her seat. The airbag had been deflated by the paramedics who had wanted to find out if she was alive. It seemed obvious to Temple that she must have lost control of the car after being shot. Even so he found it hard to take it in.
What could possibly possess someone to kill indiscriminately in this way? he wondered. There was no doubt in his mind thatthey were random killings – no way could the shooter have known the identity of the people in the vehicles he was shooting at. It was dark and they would have been travelling at high speed. Plus, the shooter must have fired from a distance, possibly with a sniper rifle.
He turned to DS Vaughan and said, ‘I want you to act as crime-scene manager. We have to work quickly because we’ll be under a
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