The Murder Suite: Book One - The Audrey Murders by Leonie Mateer Page B

company. 
                  “What can I do for you?” he asked. 
                  “Bruiser found something in ditch under the road and I don’t like the look of it so I decided to bring it to you.”  Smithy removed a large parcel wrapped in an old sack.  Driver couldn’t see what it was. 
                  “What is it?” he asked as he bent over the sack. 
                  “It’s a bone - a bloody big bone. It’s not a pig bone, or cow bone, or dog bone - it looks more like a human tibia bone,” informed Smithy.  “Don’t like the look of it. Looks as though it has been chewed up by animals.”   
                  “Holy shit!” said Driver. Where did you find it?” 
                  “Across the road from my place down where the big water pipe goes under the road.  Looks as though it got trapped in the branches and stuff.   Thought I should bring it straight to you.  Bruiser here found it and brought it home this morning. Last night I found him trying to pull the bone out of the ditch but the water was too swift and it was shitting down so I made him leave it there. When I saw what it was it fair scared the shit out me.”  
                  Driver looked at the bone in more detail. It was muddy with, what looked like, clawed bits of flesh hanging in mangled strips.  There appeared to be bite marks on the bone.  It didn’t seem to have been out in the open very long, maybe a day or two. It was pretty awful to look at. 
    He hadn’t seen too many dead bodies and thought the bloody leg bone was more gruesome than anything he had seen before.  
    Driver called the Kerikeri police station and asked the forensic team to meet him at the ditch near Smithy’s house.  They needed to do a full search in case other bones or even a body could be located.   Driver thought it might be the guy, Blackmore.  Maybe his body had been washed up from the harbor somehow and ended up in a storm drain under Wainui Road.  He thanked old Smithy and took the parcel into his office where he found a sterile paper bag and large cardboard box and carefully placed the bone inside for the forensics team to analyze.   Driver liked it when a case got solved.  He didn’t like missing pieces and this case had worried him.  He got into his car and headed off to Wainui Road with his lights flashing. 
     
    C H A P T E R   3 6
     
    Pearl saw the police car heading off down Wainui Road.  The lights were flashing and Constable Driver looked like he meant business. 
    I wonder what’s going on? Thought Pearl.  She couldn’t resist it.  She hopped in her little car and followed the constable down Wainui Road.   She saw old Smithy and his dog at the corner by the Chalets. Smithy gave a wave as the police car came to an abrupt halt.  She didn’t like to appear nosey so she went around the car and took the next driveway up to the Chalets.   She would stop for a cuppa with Audrey. She knew they would have a bird’s eye view of the road from the Chalets.  Pearl’s curiosity really had the best of her.  What could be going on?  She hadn’t seen anything.  
    Pearl looked for any sign of Audrey. She wasn’t quite sure what suite was the office.  She parked her car on the lower level behind Audrey’s blue Rav4. Then she saw the “office” sign by Suite B and made her way over to the door.  Audrey was at her computer deep in thought. She jumped when Pearl knocked.
    “Sorry to bug you” said Pearl but I was heading off to Tauranga Bay and I noticed Constable Driver and Smithy below your property next door. They are looking at the storm water pipe that runs under the road. Do you know what is going on? I thought I should tell you”.                  
    “What?” said Audrey, the color draining out of her face “Constable Driver? He is at the culvert”?    
    “Yes, said Pearl.  “Looks as though