The Murder House. Michael Wood

she said under her breath. ‘Would the killer have been covered in blood?’

      ‘Absolutely. He would have been drenched in it. Unless …’

      ‘Unless what?’

      ‘Unless he was wearing a forensic oversuit.’

      ‘Well, you can buy anything on Amazon these days,’ Matilda half-smiled.

      ‘Now, I’ve saved the best until last. Are you ready for this?’ There was a glint in Claire’s eye which Matilda found almost sinister.

      ‘Go on.’

      ‘Clive Mercer was dying.’

      ‘I’m sorry?’

      More tapping on the keyboard and up came a close-up of Clive’s head. She zoomed in on a dark patch. ‘That is a rather aggressive-looking tumour on Clive’s frontal lobe.’

      Matilda swallowed hard. She should have noticed the shading of a tumour as soon as she saw it. She’d seen enough of James’s in the early stages of his illness.

      ‘Is it cancerous?’

      ‘Adele will take samples and we’ll find out the severity.’

      ‘Would he have known about it?’

      ‘I would have thought so. It will be in his medical notes.’

      ‘I haven’t seen them yet. Poor bloke.’

      ‘I know. A double blow to his family.’

      ‘What’s left of them.’

      The door opened and Adele Kean entered. She wasn’t scrubbed up yet for the post mortems and was wearing black trousers with a beige sweater.

      ‘We’re all set next door when you want to come and join us.’

      ‘I feel sick,’ Matilda said.

      ‘Have you eaten this morning?’ Adele asked.

      ‘I can’t remember.’

      ‘How about we all go for an early lunch?’ Claire said.

      ‘That’s a good idea. Mat?’

      ‘I don’t know. I’ve got a lot on at the moment,’ Matilda said, running her sweating hands through her hair.

      ‘You need to eat.’

      ‘Maybe just a sandwich.’

      Adele and Claire were the first to leave the room while Matilda stood looking into the main scanning suite.

      ‘Did Matilda tell you she’s seeing someone?’ Adele asked Claire.

      ‘No. Who?’

      ‘The bloke who’s renovating her new house.’

      ‘I’m not seeing anyone,’ Matilda shouted as she followed them into the corridor. ‘He took me for a meal last week, that’s all.’ She rolled her eyes at Claire.

      ‘I don’t blame you,’ Claire said. ‘The only way I’ll get involved with a bloke again is if I’ve seen his bank balance and a cardiogram first.’

      ‘You’re a ghoul, Claire,’ Adele said with a smile.

      Matilda found herself smiling. Sometimes you needed to take a break from the horror of the day job, even if it was a quick lunch with two women who spent their days surrounded by dead bodies.