Abacus

there?”
    “No , the witnesses didn’t have a dog and found the bag as is on the bank. They stayed with the bag until we arrived, so nothing went near it after they found it.”
    “Where are the witnesses now?”
    “They are back at the station. I thought you guys may have wanted to talk to them first.”
    Randall pulled his phone fro m his pocket and called Georgie G. “Georgie, it’s Randall, change of plans for you. Listen, we recovered some remains in the Botany River. There are two witnesses at the station who made the find, can you get statements from them? You’ll have to take their footwear also. When you finish, get the shoes down here and give them to forensics. Make sure the witnesses are contactable on mobile. Thanks, mate.” Randall hung up and turned to Mick. “So are Forensics on the way?”
    The sergeant nodded. “Should be about ten or fifteen now.”
    “Great. Mick , we are going to need a pretty thorough search of the riverbank before the tide gets too high. So can you organise some troops for the search?” Randall pointed to the other side of the river. “We are going to need a line search both sides of the river, about five hundred metres each side of the find. Can you co-ordinate that for me?”
    “ Yes, sure. I’ll get on it.”
    “And sorry , Mick, I’m also going to need your boots so I can eliminate them from the scene. Can you leave them here for Forensics and organize another pair?” Pointing to the young constable on guard duty, Randall noted, “That young bloke over there looks about your size, Mick.”
    “Yeah , sure,” the sergeant replied with a smile. “I’ll sort something out.”

    With folded arms Randall stood back and observed the scene from a distance. The sun now shone through the clouds and shimmered on the water, making the muddy, silted river deceptively inviting.
    H e wondered what secrets were concealed beneath its murky depths. Perhaps other body parts, or a weapon. At this point, he couldn’t be sure if the bag and remains had been dumped at this location, or whether it had been dumped at another location and carried by the strong tidal currents that swept through the Botany River. The area needed to be searched methodically, as when the river and reserve were again opened to the public anything left behind would be lost for good.
    He looked over at the crowded train station, which was just beyond the road bridge he had earlier crossed. He watched the commuters busily bustling to get aboard a train, totally unaware of the morbid find. He wondered what their reaction would be if they knew a severed human head had been dumped only a few hundred metres from where they routinely caught public transport.
    T he crunching sound of gravel under tyre signalled the arrival of his team, who were closely tailed by the first press van. He watched the press team scurry from the van to try and capture Hobbs, Leanne and Sheik’s arrival. As his team ducked under the tape, he watched in amusement as the reporter and his photographer fumbled and dropped lenses and folders as they ran to catch up. Having missed their opportunity, they now harassed the young uniformed officer for information.
    “Afternoon , all, and thank you very much for joining me,” Randall said looking at his wristwatch. “Well, folks, what brings us here today is the discovery of what appears to be a human head in a black backpack just behind me.” He pointed to the riverbank. Randall recounted the story Sergeant Abernethy had earlier told him as his detectives listened intently and made notes.
    After being briefed, Leanne tapped on her notebook with a pen. “Where are the witnesses now, boss?”
    “Georgie G is getting their statements and will have them to me as soon as he finishes, along with th eir footwear. Are there any other questions?” Randall asked before continuing. “Excellent. Now that you are all up to speed, I will allocate a few jobs for you now, and after you complete them and I have more info, we will have a briefing back at the office.” Randall looked at Hobbs. “Right, big fella. Sergeant Abernethy is organizing a line search of both sides of the river and park. Can you work with him? Also, I need you to get hold of the divers and have them come out here ASAP, I don’t want them searching on a full tide. I want the riverbed searched for a weapon or further remains. Have them bring some accurate tide charts also. I want to know the depth of the river here near