A rookie detective reports

The call came through at 2 a.m. When we arrived, the uniforms (N. Am.) had already cordoned off the crime scene. Even in the night, a small crowd of onlookers had gathered, trying to get a glimpse of the body lying in the car park. “A young male, around 20. The coroner’s on his way,” said one of the scene-ofcrime officers by way of greeting. Pulling on a pair of gloves, Inspector Forbes crouched down next to the body. “Well, no need for a post-mortem to determine

the cause of death, I’d say,” she remarked, pointing to the knife lying next to the victim. “He’s obviously been stabbed.”

“We’ve had lots of gang-related incidents in the area lately, ma’am,” the SOCO said. “It’s a rough neighbourhood.”

Another officer was bagging and tagging various pieces of evidence. “Any clue to his identity?” the inspector asked. “None so far, ma’am. But I’ve managed to tape-lift some hair samples that are obviously not the victim’s. Oh, and we may have an eyewitness,” he added. “The neighbour who called 999 says she saw a car speed away, and she wrote down the licence number.”

“Not bad,” said Inspector Forbes. “I wouldn’t mind an open-and-shut case for a change.”