CHAPTER 26

  MALE BODY FOUND.  AN UNEXPECTED CONFESSION.

A railway worker spotted a man lying dead on waste ground off York Street, near the tracks.  While John was in Police custody, another murder had been committed.  The Forensics team were first on the scene and had cordoned off the area with Police Crime Scene tape.  All train services between Belfast Central and Larne were suspended. 

A white clad investigator, with her hair neatly tucked up into a blue hair net, was photographing the body.  She noted that the man’s face smelt of vinegar, and that he had likely died from multiple head wounds.  He was wearing a thick scarf which was tucked down inside his two jackets.  The weather was quite cold.  Perhaps the scarf prevented the cutting of his throat?  There was quite a bit of blood at the scene, indicating that this was most likely the primary crime scene.

His body was removed to the city morgue for examination, while the area was combed for evidence.  There were a number of footprints at the scene, and no murder weapon was found.

Signs of lividity confirmed that he had died where his body had been found.  There were a few minor lacerations under his chin, on the left hand side of his neck, though they may not have been associated with an attempt to slit his throat. 

Bosco Flynn was an alcoholic and a vagrant.  He was usually seen in the city centre, frequently hanging around in the park area outside the Art College drinking with another homeless alcoholic nicknamed Cadger.  On several occasions, the College had phoned Police to have them moved on, following complaints from female students.  On one occasion Flynn had been urinating in the pond there and had flashed at one of the young women.  He occasionally harassed them sexually.  Wolf whistles mainly, but also comments about parts of their anatomy and overt sexual suggestions.

Since another murder without the religious hallmarks, but with the same modus operandi, had been committed, Millar had to admit that John could not have been the killer, and that he was most likely telling the truth when he said that he only “prepared the bodies” of the women.  A second copycat was not an option here since nobody knew about the use of the vinegar.  That information had never been released to the press.