A dog specially trained to look for bodies found three areas of interest in the building where missing bookkeeper Suzanne Pilley worked, a court has heard.

Jurors also heard that two cadaver police dogs were used to search the car of David Gilroy, the man accused of the 38-year-old's murder.

Mark Heron, a senior scene examiner with the Scottish Police Services Authority, said one of the dogs showed "some interest" in the boot of his car.

Gilroy, 49, denies murdering Ms Pilley on May 4 2010 in Edinburgh, or elsewhere, hiding her body and driving with it in the boot of a car. He also denies trying to cover up the alleged killing.

At the High Court in Edinburgh, Mr Heron said the specialist dog showed interest in the parking bays in the garage of Infrastructure Management where Ms Pilley and Gilroy had both worked.

But the defence told the court that no forensic link was found to connect items in the staircase, basement and the garage of the building to Gilroy.

Advocate depute Alex Prentice QC, prosecuting, showed the jury a computer-generated image of the office block in Thistle Street, Edinburgh, which Mr Heron said he first examined on May 9 2010.

The witness said he attended the scene with, among others, two dog handlers and two cadaver dogs.

Mr Heron, 47, said one of the dogs "made its way around the garage sniffing" and paused at three areas.

Mr Prentice asked if the dog handler marked them as areas of specific interest. He replied: "We decided to chalk these specific areas for further examination."

Jurors heard him describe two of the areas as being in parking bays and the other around a door.

Car boot

During cross-examination, defence QC Jack Davidson put it to Mr Heron that there was no forensic link from the Thistle Street building to the accused.

Mr Davidson asked the witness about the various scientific methods used to examine the garage, basement and stair area of the office building.

Jurors heard that Mr Heron had been to the address "as many as 10 or 15" times.

Mr Davidson asked him if an "extensive and meticulous" inquiry had been undertaken and he agreed that it had.

He asked: "There was no forensic link from examination of items in the staircase, basement and the garage to Mr Gilroy in relation to this inquiry?"

Mr Heron replied: "Not as far as I am aware."

The jury was then shown photos of Gilroy's silver car, impounded at a garage used by police for examining vehicles.

Mr Prentice asked: "When you opened the boot of the car, can you tell us what you experienced?"

The witness replied: "I could smell either a cleaning fluid or air freshener-type smell, a fresh, clean fragrance, when I opened the boot."

Asked what happened after that, he said: "The dog went into the boot and showed some interest in the boot."

"What is it you saw?" asked Mr Prentice.

The witness replied: "My observation was that at the top-right corner and the left-front corner the dog paused and showed interest in these areas."

Asked what the dog did at this point, Mr Heron replied: "(It) just paid particular attention, sniffing at that particular area."

Mr Davidson, defending, asked the witness why the smell was not recorded by colleagues who had examined the car when it came into police custody days earlier.

Mr Heron replied: "I am 100% certain I could smell it."

Gilroy, of Edinburgh, denies all the charges against him.

The trial before Lord Bracadale continues.