McCall and Steel arrived at the address they’d been given. It was a shabby hotel on the East Side; the wallpaper looked like it hadn’t been changed since the 1930s when the place was built. Despite the dim wall lights, it was dark and gloomy, and the air was stale and nauseous.
Two patrol officers stood on either side of the door outside the victim"s room, securing the scene.
McCall flashed her badge, and they both nodded. Then, as the detectives entered, they each snapped on a pair of blue latex gloves before walking through to the sitting area.
They found a man with a shaved head and tattoos that covered his arms and most of his neck, slouched in an armchair.
He wore blue jeans, a white shirt and black army-style boots. His tanned complexion minimised the colours of an array of gang-
