Chapter 20

“Male, mid-twenties I’d say, sir. Bled out from a throat wound. If we didn’t have a witness who saw someone running away, I’d say it looked like an animal attack.” As always, Grant was succinct. “Heck of a lot of blood.”

“Show me.” Grant gestured and he turned toward the dark lump slumped further up the alley as his partner moved the other men further away.

Alec didn’t move closer immediately. He stood in the shadow by the wall and attempted to re-light the cigarette. He liked to feel his way into a scene when he first got there. Stand back and let himself absorb the first impressions. It was like he took a photograph with his mind—he could call it up later on and examine it at his leisure.

The alley was narrow up until this point, then it widened out. The body lay in front of what looked like a warehouse. There was litter lying around, and blood, as Grant had said. Lots of blood. The dead man was lying face down and it was pooled underneath him.