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Chapter two

A discovery on Calton Hill

The road to the top of Calton Hill goes up behind the old Royal High School, a beautiful building that in Logan’s opinion should have been used to house the new Scottish government. Instead, millions of pounds had been wasted on a new building. About halfway up the hill Logan pulled her car over to the side of the road behind two police cars and an old blue Volvo. She recognised Helen Robertson, the police doctor, among a group of police officers near a wall some metres below the level of the road. As she got out of her car, Logan turned and looked up towards the Nelson Monument and the City Observatory. She thought that the view from the top of Calton Hill was one of the best over the city - well, it was when there wasn’t a dead body on the side of the hill.

Walking down through the long grass by the side of the road, Logan could see the body of the young woman, lying half on her side with her back against the wall. Helen Robertson, who had been bending over the body examining it, stood up when she saw Logan arrive.

Robertson had dark hair and was wearing black trousers and a light blue blouse. She and Logan had worked together before on a number of cases and had always got on well.

‘Jenny, hi!’ she said. She took a deep breath. ‘It’s an unpleasant one, I’m afraid.’

Logan said nothing. She just looked down and studied the body and its position. She waited for Robertson to speak.

‘Young woman, blonde, mid-twenties, possibly a bit younger. I don’t know who she is. She’s been strangled but it wasn’t done here.’

Logan looked up sharply when Robertson mentioned how the woman had died.

‘The body was brought here sometime after death,’ continued Robertson. ‘She was also hit on the head at some time, and her hands have been tied.’

Logan bent down to have a closer look at the woman’s body. She was wearing a pink T-shirt and a dark blue skirt.

‘A s@x attack?’ asked Logan.

‘I don’t think so, but I can’t be sure until I’ve done some scientific tests,’ replied Helen. ‘There don’t seem to be any cuts or marks on the lower part of her body.’

‘What about the time of death?’ asked Logan.

‘Again, I’ll know more when I’ve done some tests,’ said Robertson, ‘but at a guess I’d say about eighteen to twenty hours ago.’

Logan looked at her watch. It was five o’clock.

‘So sometime between ten and midnight last night, then.’

‘That sounds right,’ said Robertson. ‘Look, I’ll do the tests and the scientific examination first thing in the morning, and if I find anything interesting I’ll give you a call.’

‘Great,’ said Logan, and she put her hand lightly on Robertson’s arm in thanks.

Robertson bent down again and started to pack her things into a small black bag.

Logan turned and looked at the police officer standing nearest to her. She recognised him from the London Road police station but he was new and she did not know his name. He was tall with sandy-coloured hair and fair skin. Logan guessed that he was about the same age as her.

‘I’m Sergeant Graham, madam,’ said the officer, introducing himself. ‘Davy Graham. I found the body at four twenty-five and reported it in to the station.’

‘Right,’ said Logan. ‘Do we know who she is?’

‘I’m afraid not,’ said Graham. ‘No bag. No wallet. No ID of any kind.’

‘How did you find the body?’ asked Logan

‘I was on a routine call - nothing important. Anyway, as I was driving past I noticed something pink down here. It looked kind of odd. So I came over to see and it was this poor girl.’

‘Who was around here at the time?’

‘I don’t remember anyone of any interest,’ said Graham, half closing his eyes in thought. ‘An old lady walking her dog. A few tourists. Nothing unusual.’

Tourists often came up Calton Hill to look at the view and to visit the Edinburgh Experience, a show about the history of Edinburgh in the old City Observatory. Even though the summer was over, there were still quite a few tourists around.

‘OK,’ said Logan. ‘I’d like you to direct things here for the moment.’

‘Right, madam,’ said Graham.

‘The scientists will be here soon to look round this area.’ Logan pointed to the area around where the body was found. ‘But I’d like you to get some more men and search the whole hill. Look for anything that might be important. but especially for a bag or wallet or ID that someone’s thrown away.’

‘OK, madam.’

Logan looked up towards the top of the hill.

‘Has anyone been allowed to leave since you found the body?’ she asked.

‘Not yet, madam.’

‘Good. Talk to everyone up there. Find out if anybody saw anything. Find out too if anyone was here last night between ten and midnight. I’ll be at London Road. Call me when you’ve finished,’ she said. Logan turned to take a last look at the body of the unknown girl and, as she did so, an icy feeling ran down her back. A young life had been needlessly taken away. And once again a killer was on the streets of Edinburgh.

As she walked back to her car, Logan thought about Billy Marr. Would Grant have been quick enough to catch him before he had got too far from the police station? Could he really have killed this woman? Or was it just complete chance that a body had been found on Calton Hill ten minutes after he had admitted killing someone there? As she drove back towards the police station, she wondered what Billy Marr was going to say.