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woman of Asian appearance in a state of advanced decomposition. This is manifested by skin slippage, discolouration, bloating and the presence of a foul odour.” With thumb and forefinger she began sliding the long strands of black hair away from the deceased’s face. “Well, well.” she exclaimed, “I think I’ve more than likely found this young lady’s cause of death.”
    Angling a slender forefinger over the corpse’s neck she leaned back to allow the SOCO manager in and snap-off more photographs. Grace and the Detective Superintendent took a step forward, adjusting their posture to get a look at what the pathologist was pointing to.
    Lizzie McCormack continued in her soft Scottish lilt. “On the left hand side of the neck approximately two and a half centimetres below the jaw line is an incision which is approximately fifteen centimetres in length. The large vessels either side of the neck have been severed. The larynx has been severed below the vocal chord through to the intervertebral cartilages. The arteries and other vessels contained in the sheath have all been cut through. The cut is very clean, very precise.” The Forensic Pathologist raised her eyes catching Grace’s gaze. “Her death would have been immediate.”
    She returned to the corpse, picking up limbs, examining the hands and fingers. Then she began to turn the body. As she rolled the cadaver onto one hip she suddenly gave off a surprised “hmm,” and beckoned to the SOCO Manager. “Mr Wroe, I take my hat off to you.” She supported the bloated carcass whilst he shot-off a series of frames. After he had finished she pulled out an object which had been hidden beneath the body.
    Grace could see that Duncan was doing his best to suppress a grin. It was one of his triumphant grins that she had witnessed so many times before when he had uncovered a vital piece of evidence.
    “In all my years as a pathologist I have never seen anything like this before,” she said holding up something which closely resembled a knife.
    Grace looked at the object and then exchanged glances with her colleagues. It was quite apparent from the look each of them shared with one another that none of them had quite seen anything like it before.
    Lizzie McCormack dropped it into an exhibit bag and handed it to Grace.
    She eyed it again, this time studiously, through the clear plastic, turning it over repeatedly.
    “A real vicious looking thing,” said Detective Superintendent Robshaw looking over Grace’s shoulder.
    The weapon was twenty centimetres long and had a curved blade. Half of it consisted of a black metal handle or grip with two small metal hoops at either end.
    “These loops look like where your fingers should go - you know like a knuckle-duster type of grip.” Grace said out loud. Her response was as much as a question as that of an answer. She searched for agreement in the face of her boss but he merely shrugged his shoulders. She scrutinised it one further time before handing it over to the SOCO manager as the pathologist began her internal examination of the body. Picking up a scalpel Professor McCormack began the Y shaped incision at the front of the torso, cutting from the breastbone down to the pubis.
    A rancid gas erupted from the body and Grace caught herself gagging. She pressed her head down into her chest and tried to fill her nasal passages with the floral perfume she was wearing. She had always hated this part of the post mortem.
    An hour later after careful removal and examination of the corpse’s internal organs the forensic pathologist rounded off her head-to-toe examination, reported on her findings and wrapped things up. She reached up, switched off the microphone, snapped off her latex gloves and faced Grace and Detective Superintendent Robshaw. “The girl has taken a severe beating prior to her death. I’ve found at least thirty blunt trauma wounds to her head, upper torso, buttocks and legs, caused by clenched fist and boot.