Another Body

by Steve Beresford

About the Author: Steve Beresford was originally an astrophysicist, but now writes stories, of all genres, with 100s published all over the world. Steve has won the odd story prize too, and written a few things for TV.

Excerpt

Casey Baxter had already found more bodies than the average person. Well, sort of, anyway. And now she’d come across another, just lying there, it was, on the Delta P4 gantry.

Casey saw her first body from the river bridge in Malham Wood, but the approach through the undergrowth was too boggy and too treacherous for her to investigate further, so instead she called the emergency services. They arrived at speed and in considerable numbers. Unfortunately. Turned out the ‘body’ was merely some discarded clothes—probably tossed from the bridge by a litter lout for some reason—that had randomly shaped themselves like a sprawled bloodstained corpse. Casey’s sense of duty was praised, if not her eyesight.

Her second discovery was at least a real body. A tramp, in the park. Clearly dead. Or so she thought when she checked, as would any concerned and dutiful citizen, for signs of life. The emergency services, however, managed quite easily to wake the derelict from his alcohol-induced stupor. Why he hadn’t woken when Casey examined him she had no idea. She was remembered from her earlier find, and this time the appreciation of her good intentions was slightly more restrained.

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