2 Chapter 2

By midday, the day was as light as it was going to get. Freezing shrouded the canal above St Pancras Lock. It wrapped around detective inspector Dan Carter's thick set frame like a wet blanket. He tucked his stripy cashmere scarf into his overcoat and pulled the colour of around his neck.

From where Carter was standing he could see the naked legs of a Young women's body . Her swollen white limbs had a blackish hue.

He looked up as detective constable Ebony Willis came striding back along the twopath towards him , talking her notebook back inside her jacket as she did so. He thought how she didn't seem to notice the cold, didn't feel it like he did. Today the cold and the damp in the air sank into his bones, he just couldn't get warm . Ebony didn't even have glow on . She was wearing her self imposed uniform black trousers undefeated black quilted jacket. Her afro hair was scraped n2o ballooning ponytail at the back of the neck.

He waited until she we reached him. 'What's the score ?' he asked keeping his voice low and banging is leather gloved hands together to counteract the cold.

'Basically — he says she wouldn't have gone far in this canal.'

Carter looked past her to the man in the dark overcoat walking away.

'Is he the lock keeper.'

'No, he's the man who was here when the boys were messing about and fell onto the ice . But he knows all about the Regent's Canal — he works in the Canal Museum just down the road . He said that different types of Lock allow for different water levels and movement between section of canal .'

Carter swivelled on his heels to look around him and get his bearing. 'Plenty of ways to get down here, especially with all the development that's going on. There's two Ox of Camley Park On the other side of the canal for a start. Did He mentioned if there is any CCTV ?'

'The nearest is two hundred metres away , Guv.'

Cater Step Closer to the side of the canal and knel to pick a piece of a broken ice.

'Got to be two inches thick.' He turned it over in his hand . 'We'll need to wait for the ice to thaw before we can get the drivers in to search .'

'Yes , Guv — forecast isn't good . No more snow for a few days but then it's coming back .'

Carter's thoughts were interrupted by the arrival of journalist on the bridge that spanned the canal up to their right. He could just about make them out, Dark Shadows moving through the fog . He heard them clanking their equipment as they hurried down as for as they were allowed onto the Towpath . They stopped 50 metres away from where Carter and Ebony stood , just near where their car was parked . Next they heard an officer on the edge of the Crime Scene talking to them, directing them to where they could stand . Carter scowled.

'They didn't take long to find out.'

'No , Guv . The canal man said the lad who fell on the ice took pictures on his phone , his friends wouldn't help him out till he put it on Instagram .'

'Little bastard. Where is he now?'

'In a cell , he's given his statement already. Now he's waiting for someone to be free to tell him he can leave.'

'Good . Make him sweat for a few hours.' He shook his head trying to shake of a headache. he would spend the evening reminiscing with an old friend and a bottle of JD and he was beginning to feel the hangover start. He rubbed his face and sighed . 'What's the matter with people? Should have respect for another human being. Now we have got the frigging newspapers before we've even had a chance to assess the situation let alone inform the family.'