Read A Limited Justice (#1 - The Craig Modern Thriller Series) for Free Online Page B

it’s often used to prevent pressure sores. In immobile patients of all ages.”
    They shared a puzzled look but moved on. “OK, what about the wire?”
    Des looked at them excitedly. “The wire’s even more interesting. It’s razor-barbed wire in a flat-wrap type. Our wire’s made of stainless steel, although it comes in electro-galvanized and hot-dipped galvanized as well.”
    He started digging into the detail with excitement, expecting Craig to be equally ‘turned-on’, the delusion of the true scientist.
    “There are lots of types; straight, crossed, spiral and flat-wrap, which is ours. It’s one of the newest types, so it’s quite unusual, and very unlikely to have been in domestic use.
    It’s mainly used in prisons, farms, national defence locations and so on. The C.S.I.s didn’t find anything similar at the garage, and there’s Purecrem all over it. The more interesting question is, how it was cut? It has a carbon core that makes it impossible to break through with normal tools.”
    Des looked into space distractedly for a moment then continued, talking to himself.
    “And then of course, there’s handling it. How would that work?”
    He caught himself and turned back to them eagerly, expecting his enthusiasm to be reciprocated. Their blank expressions indicated that it wasn’t, so he sighed and continued, with heavier emphasis.
    “The wire’s easy enough to tie as long as you wear hand protection, but we have a clear fingerprint in the cream on the doorjamb. So, unless they wore gloves to tie it and had the cream on the gloves, and then took the gloves off at the door deliberately leaving the fingerprint in the centre of the cream...Well, you two work it out.”
    John could feel Craig losing the will to live, so he conceded defeat quickly and said, “why don’t you tell us?” urging him quickly though the rest of the science.
    “Well basically, it means that whoever did this either wore very strong gloves and then left the print deliberately, or they were completely immune to pain. In which case they tied it bare-handed, and you’re looking for someone whose hands are torn to shreds. See why it’s interesting?”
    John couldn’t feign disinterest any longer and Craig saw the excited look in his eye. He interjected quickly, before they went to ‘nerd’ heaven.
    “What about the hammer?”
    “Ah now, that was even more interesting. Come over here.”
    Des led them to a small table at the back of the lab where a plaster reconstruction of Ian McCandless’ skull sat. Copies of its shattered fragments were laid out to reveal a small gap in the bone, the size of a large coin.
    “That’s where he was hit. I can see why you thought it was a hammer. Size-wise it’s not far off. But it definitely wasn’t a hammer.”
    “What was it then?”
    John spoke eagerly before Des could. “I think I can answer that. There was a tear in the brain’s covering, the Mater. And that, plus the shape of the brain contusion makes it much more likely that this was done with a sharp penetrating weapon, not the rounded head you see with a hammer.”
    “What then?”
    Des reached into a drawer and brought out a book, filled with page after page of implements nasty enough to cause similar damage to the human skull. He flicked quickly through the pages, and stopped at a section marked ‘trauma: sharp’. He turned it round to show Craig hundreds of pictures, ranging from household implements to unrecognisable objects. They made unpleasant viewing.
    “All of these?”
    “Sorry, but yes. These could all leave similar marks and it’s as close as we’ll get without the weapon to compare. When you find it we can match it, but any of these could have caused that injury. I’ll send this over to Davy.”
    Des suddenly looked at his watch. “God, I’d better shift myself to the hospital otherwise it won’t just be today I’ll get sworn at. I’ll leave you two to solve it, but please call me back if you need me.