Those 2 were not the people who put down the bleach. Only someone with knowledge of hunting and illegal hunting where they don't want the trace of dead animals found would know about the effects of bleach. Remember, the bleach was not found for over 10 days because that's how long it took to get the dogs up from England. So somebody returned to the area in those 10 days and bleached certain parts of the ground. There are certain individuals who live locally who know a great deal about illegal hunting, what a coincidence eh?
I believe it was L&B police themselves who put the bleach down. Even SL alludes to this in the "Crime Scene Management" chapter of her book, IB. And the reason they did so was owed to the fact that the police and forensics were able to ascertain that the murder started at a certain point and finished at a certain point (ie, starting near behind the V and finishing 16.3 meters west behind the V). So, for logistical reasons and to save time, the police bleached the areas east. Obviously, L&B police & forensics had searched all areas extensively with their own sniffer dogs prior to the 'specialist' sniffer dogs coming up from England -- including north, east and south of the locus -- and so knew exactly the areas where the murder occurred. I do wonder what their search parameters were and how far they searched in every direction from the locus. More specifically, I do wonder if there were more blood trails further west of where Jodi's body lay. Further still, did they find any traces of blood in the woodlands behind the gate where LM was seen by F & W at 1740 looking suspicious and 'up to no good'? Anyone know?
Btw, WW, you seem to be under the impression that if LM was the murderer he must've used the RDP at some point. May I suggest he didn't? I think he either walked or cycled over to meet her between 1615 - 1650. Then, once he'd murdered her between 1710 - 1735, he made his way to the NB rd via the woodland strip and that field north of the woodland strip. I'm not from Dalkeith, and nor have I ever been, so I don't know all the possible routes from one place to another. I don't think LM, after he'd murdered her, would risk going back over that wall as there was always the risk of that parka brushing against the wall and leaving incriminating trace evidence, and even though Newbattle & Easthouses are rural settlements and rdp is fairly secluded, it is still exposed, and at that time he knew there was every chance of passing by a cyclist/dog walker/walker/jogger. Much better for him to rush away via the cover of that woodland strip and on to the NB rd and back home. He had no choice but to go home, and hence no choice but to cross that fairly busy rural road at peak time. He HAD to cross it. He would be aware that there was a 50/50 chance he'd be seen but obviously hoping no one would see him. Luckily for the public at large, he was seen, by F&W, acting suspiciously at that gate at approx 1740. Acting suspiciously because, imo, he'd just murdered his girlfriend, had some blood stains on his parka (only visible when up close and next to him; no motorists would be able to see them, especially as that German parka camoflauged them) and couldn't risk hanging around that road in case someone who knew him stopped to talk to him and spotted the blood stains (he was spotted by people who knew him wearing a german army shirt at just before 1800, so was probably wearing it underneath his parka and planked the parka in that woodland behind the gate between 1740 and just before 1800).
