Beckoning Chrissy back over, they began together to ease the body up, exposing the reason for the lower blood loss.

‘Jesus, Mary and Joseph,’ Chrissy muttered from behind the mask. ‘They cut his prick.’

The assailant had at least attempted to sever the victim’s penis. However, judging by the clean and forceful slice to the throat, Rhona suspected the partial dismemberment of the penis had been intentional and possibly before McLaughlin’s throat was cut.

‘Looks like my theory of sexual shenanigans was right after all,’ Chrissy said.

Chrissy’s contribution over, Rhona sent her off to deliver the forensic evidence to the lab, and from there to her late night out with Danny. In truth, Rhona preferred this last stint with the body alone to write up her notes.

Earlier in the proceedings, McNab had popped his head in to establish what they’d learned about McLaughlin’s last hours on this earth. Respect for the dead, regardless of your personal feelings about them, was paramount at the crime scene. What the victim had done prior to this moment wasn’t the issue. Now he was the victim of a crime, and must be treated as such.

Despite his distaste for McLaughlin, McNab was well aware of Rhona’s feelings on this matter. He therefore showed neither relief nor pleasure that the world was rid of a man who’d raped children in his care for over a decade before being brought to justice. A man who, if given the opportunity, might well have done the same again.

‘How was he discovered?’ Rhona said.

‘An anonymous tip-off. Untraced.’

‘The killer?’

‘Or one of the dossers who’ve been using the place,’ McNab said. ‘Bit of a nasty find, when you’re looking for a place to lay your weary head for the night. McLaughlin must have known if he came back here and spouted the stuff he did in the tabloids that he was taking a chance,’ he went on. ‘Even in prison, isolated and guarded round the clock, he was attacked on a regular basis.’

He studied the mangled penis. ‘So is that because of what he’s been up to recently or what he did fifteen years ago . . .’

‘Or maybe forty-five years ago,’ Rhona had finished for him.

Eventually relinquishing the body to the mortuary van, Rhona went outside and discarded her oversuit. The night air was chilly, but she breathed it in with gusto, knowing that when she climbed into her car, she would still take the smell of that room with her.

Seated now, with the car window open, she retrieved her mobile, only to discover a list of missed calls from Sean. In that moment, Rhona knew why he’d been continually phoning.

It hadn’t only been Chrissy who’d had a dinner date tonight.

She’d also had one, with Sean and her son, Liam. One she’d completely forgotten about.

45

McNab opened the garden gate and stepped inside. He wasn’t a garden lover, but even he could tell that this one was well cared for. The daylight was fading, but there was enough left to show off the spring flowers, none of which McNab knew by name, but they smelled nice. Certainly better than the house of death a few doors up.