Heartlands

by Kerry Watts

  Daniel pushed his plate aside. He couldn’t think about food. Even the smell turned his stomach. What if they said no? How long would he be locked away for if they did? What if Tom Nicoll got his wish and Daniel was sent to an adult prison? He’d sworn he wouldn’t stop trying and had been true to his word. He had been right there, every step of Daniel’s journey, like a ghost of the past. There’s no way he would survive in an adult prison. He might as well do what Jack did if that happened. Maybe he’d done the right thing.

  Daniel’s mind raced with every possible bad outcome until the realisation crashed into him. What if they said yes? What if he had to face the world? What kind of world would he be welcomed into? He would be alone; he had no family to speak of. Daniel had never met his father. His mother selfishly deserted him when he needed her the most. There was no loving grandmother waiting to wrap him in her arms and tell him everything was going to be OK. Maybe it was on the outside that Daniel’s real punishment would begin.

  Cam Walsh knew Daniel’s future hung in the hands of the board now. Five years had passed. She wished they could have witnessed his transformation for themselves. She’d submitted her report, and now she waited nervously to speak. Daniel Simpson wasn’t just any inmate. Recent heavy press speculation over his imminent release had gathered an ugly momentum. Sophie Nicoll’s brother, Tom, had been interviewed widely in the local and national press. He’d managed to get his local MP, Harvey Goldberg, involved in the case, who had managed to table a question in the House of Commons. The prime minister even said she would be happy to discuss his concerns. A crisis in the Middle East had then pushed Goldberg’s concerns down her list of priorities, for which Cam was grateful.

  There was no getting away from the fact that Daniel had committed a horrific crime, but he wasn’t that angry teenager any more, thanks to the intensive programme of rehabilitation in Carseview. It was sad that it had taken such a dramatic event to change his life for the better. He’d gained qualifications he probably would have had no chance of achieving otherwise. GCSEs, and four A-levels. He should be proud of his accomplishments. Interview experience. Work experience within the unit. He had even been involved in mentoring a couple of the younger lads. Daniel was as prepared as he could be for life outside. He just needed the chance to prove it.

  Tom Nicoll sat with his solicitor; she had advised him that she would talk to the board on behalf of his family. For such a young man Tom had campaigned tirelessly to prevent Daniel Simpson’s release. He’d said he’d give his last breath to prevent another family enduring the agony his had gone through. Jack MacKay had at least done the decent thing and killed himself. Neither of them deserved to live after stealing Sophie’s future. But it wasn’t just Sophie’s life that ended that day. Those that were left behind died a little, too. The life they once knew was extinguished in a heartbeat, along with all the hopes and wishes they had for the future. Tom would never be the fun uncle. His mum would never get the chance to hold Sophie’s children. Never attend her graduation, or see her blossom into the beautiful young woman she would have been.

  Daniel didn’t deserve the second chance he’d denied Sophie. Tom didn’t want the monster who’d murdered his beautiful little sister to ever be released; hence his petitioning for Daniel to be transferred to an adult prison. Laura and Ray Nicoll fully supported their son’s efforts. Neither felt strong enough to attend the hearing, but Tom reassured them he was strong enough for all three of them and would never stop fighting for justice for Sophie, no matter how long it took.

  Chapter Forty-Four

  Jessie was shocked by how quickly Dominic responded to the email. She was even more stunned by his agreeing to a face-to-face meeting. So, here she was, sitting, waiting and watching for his arrival. Dylan was not far away, listening to their conversation through the wire recorder she had securely tucked on her person for added security. Jessie wasn’t taking any chances. If she felt threatened, he could be with her in minutes. From the witness report given by the lorry driver involved in the collision with Calum Bailey, Jessie anticipated a blue Mercedes would pull into the car park. She was surprised when a 2001 Land Rover with rusty bodywork arrived and parked close to her. The driver stared at Jessie over the top of his sunglasses and rolled down his window.

  Dominic Wheelan was clearly confused by the sight of the pretty female detective as she smiled and held up her ID badge to him.

  ‘You must be Dominic,’ she said as she got in the passenger side.

  ‘What’s going on, where’s Shannon? She emailed to say she wanted to talk.’

  ‘I was hoping you would be able to tell me that.’

  His perplexed expression disappointed Jessie.

  ‘The revelations in Shannon’s book are quite something, if they’re true,’ she continued.

  Dominic’s confusion deepened. ‘What are you talking about? What book? I served in Iraq with Jason, and she said she wanted to know what happened to her dad. What might have made him the way he is. When she first reached out I thought it was Jason that emailed me. I loved the idea of catching up with an old mate. They treated him badly, they really did. It was wrong, what they did to him.’

  Dylan listened in on the earpiece, rapidly realising that Shannon’s book had nothing to do with her disappearance. Her foray into exposing a cover-up was a non-starter.

  ‘So, is it true that a young girl was knocked down and killed while your battalion was on patrol?’

  Dominic dropped his head and sighed. He gripped his steering wheel tight.

  ‘Yes, it’s true. A new lot had just joined us in Basra and this really young, shit-scared squaddie – first time deployed – hit and killed a six-year-old lassie. Fuck, it was horrible. It’s surprising not more of us hit the bottle, but Jason got it bad. I’ll never forget that scream, then just nothing.’

  ‘And a senior officer covered up and protected the squaddie who did it? Is that part true?’

  Dominic nodded without looking up. ‘Aye, they buried her body at the side of the road.’

  ‘And Jason’s drinking? He was drunk when he assaulted a senior officer?’

  Dominic nodded once more.

  ‘The same officer who asked you all to lie, I’m guessing.’

  A picture was emerging for Jessie. Calum Bailey’s refusal to edit the book meant it was never going to be published. The army had never known anything about it. Dominic didn’t even know anything about it. There was nobody trying to silence a young girl who had found out their dirty secret. All she had wanted to do was help her father.

  Jessie would hang on to the pen drive for now. Calum Bailey’s paranoia had been fed by a conspiracy theory after reading Shannon’s manuscript. Jessie figured he’d left in a hurry to get away from what he saw as his own fate. But who was the Mercedes driver who drove off from the scene of the accident? Was Jessie being sucked into something that didn’t exist? As she watched the Land Rover drive away, Jessie spoke directly to Dylan through the microphone.

  ‘Did you hear all that?’ she asked as she stared at her reflection in the rear-view mirror.

  ‘I certainly did. So what now?’

  ‘This whole book has been a wild goose chase. I’ll see you back at the station.’

  Dylan imagined she had meant to say it had been a red herring, but he agreed with her regardless. He didn’t want to argue with the boss.

  Sunlight flooded the room through the gap in the curtains. He watched Louise sleep, her blonde hair draped over her face. He gently brushed the stray strands away and leaned over to kiss her cheek. The way Rob felt about Louise was different to the feelings he had for Cassie. Yes, he loved Cassie, but he wasn’t passionately in love with her; not the way he was with Louise. They hadn’t meant to hurt anyone. When Cassie told him she was pregnant, Rob wanted to do the right thing for his child. Being raised by a single mother who dragged him from one stepfather to another almost destroyed him. No; Rob didn’t want to risk that for his child. He would raise them in a proper famil
y, no matter the cost. But all that was gone. His son was gone.

  ‘Mm, Rob.’ Louise licked her dry lips, then turned her body to face him. ‘Good morning.’

  Rob moved his mouth close to hers and kissed her, then he lay back so that Louise could cuddle close. Louise stroked his chest softly in time with the rhythm of his breath. She should feel guilty for spending the night with her best friend’s husband, but she didn’t. Selfishly, Louise wanted the comfort he gave her. The pain of not knowing where Shannon was had been crippling, but Rob’s touch soothed the ache, just for a short time, and she wanted to hold on to that for as long as she could.

  ‘Can we just lie here for ever?’ Louise whispered.

  Rob’s fingers drifted over her back and he smiled at the idea. ‘I wish it were that simple.’

  Louise lifted her body up and rested on her elbow. ‘I’d better go.’ She started to get up until Rob grabbed her arm.

  ‘Not yet, please.’ His eyes pleaded with her to stay a little longer.

  Louise clasped her fingers in his without saying a word.

  Jason’s head pounded with every beat of his heart. He didn’t want to get up; not yet.

  ‘Here.’ Ben thrust a cup of hot, strong, sweet coffee in front of him. ‘This might help.’

  Jason managed to lift his aching body into a sitting position, slowly, and took the cup from him.

  ‘Thanks.’ Jason struggled to speak. His throat and lips were so dry.

  Ben sat down beside him and smelt the stale whisky ooze from Jason’s pores. Ben felt awful at the pathetic, broken shell of his brother-in-law. He wasn’t Jason’s biggest fan, but he did feel sorry for him.

  ‘Go on, go and get a shower. I’ll put some bacon on for you.’

  Jason swallowed down the last drop of coffee, which partly quenched his thirst. He patted Ben’s shoulder as he stood and staggered out of the living room.

  ‘You’re a good lad,’ he muttered as he passed.

  Chapter Forty-Five

  Dale McGilvery had fished on River Lochty since his father took him out on the water for the first time more than forty years ago. His wife of twenty years, his childhood sweetheart, Julie, packed him a sandwich and a flask of tea early that morning. Cheese and pickle; Dale’s favourite. After the heavy rains the river was high, but calm enough to venture out for a bite. He loved that first push off from the edge of the bank. That was the first moment of freedom in his dad’s little boat. Dale could feel the rest of the world float away from him, but in fact it was he who was floating away.

  He cast his line and inhaled the scent of the river. The rainfall scent still lingered in the air to add to the mix that morning. Dale loved that smell. It didn’t take long before his line tugged, and Dale began the dance with what he hoped would be a big salmon. He’d done this dance many times over the years. Giving, taking and twisting. Slowly winding in the reel to lift his catch from the darkness. When he struggled to haul in the line, he wondered how big this catch was, desperate not to let it escape. Julie was going to be pleased, he hoped. Not that she would relish the thought of gutting it. Dale would probably be assigned that job. A wry smile crossed his lips as he thought of her face when he walked in tonight. He tugged harder and began to wonder what kind of monster he’d snagged.

  The shock of it made Dale drop his rod overboard and he stumbled towards the back of the boat, then fell back onto his seat. His heart raced as he shuddered and he whimpered with shock. His hand clutched at the stabbing pain in his chest. He’d never seen anything like it before. He reached for his phone, but it slipped from his grasp onto the boat floor before he could dial for help. It was like a gruesome doll. The face was like something out of a horror movie. The skin was bloated and her eyes stared blankly at him. One of her hands was raised just a little out of the water; enough to see her fingers, as if calling out to him for help. Or perhaps she was simply saying, Here I am. You’ve found me. His fishing hook had snagged on her hairband when Dale had wound in what he thought was an impressive catch – before realising he was about to reveal Shannon Ross’s hiding place.

  ‘Hello,’ he stuttered. His mouth had suddenly become so dry. ‘I’ve… I’ve just… there’s a body. I think she’s dead. She’s white and staring. Please come quickly. I’m on the river at Inverlochty.’ He tried to listen to what the operator was telling him but his words swam around Dale’s head. He couldn’t take his eyes off her, but the sight of her bloated flesh turned his stomach.

  The girl in the river floated forward and backward as far away from the boat as the fishing line allowed. Her hair splayed out like a grotesque fan on the surface of the water. The current tried to steal her back, but her hair was fixed fast in Dale’s line, holding her in place until help arrived.

  Chapter Forty-Six

  Jessie Blake fastened the zip on her white forensic suit and tucked her hair inside the hood. She walked the short distance from the road to where the body of a young woman had been brought up. A break in the rain had produced a rainbow that lit up the peak of Ben Lochty as it loomed over the scene of such heartbreak.

  A forensic team from Dundee was already on the riverbank. Dale McGilvery was receiving medical treatment for shock, and Jessie sent a uniformed officer to take his statement. Whether this body was Shannon or not, it was still a horrific discovery for a sleepy little place like Inverlochty. As she approached, it was obvious which forensic pathologist had been assigned. David Lyndhurst’s six-foot-six frame and booming, deep voice was unmistakable. David had helped Jessie through her first murder. Like all rookies, she had succumbed to the smell. She thought she was prepared, but it quickly became apparent that her breakfast was headed in only one direction. Onto the grass in front of the crime scene. David gave her some Vicks to help her through it. She’d never forgotten his kindness.

  ‘Great to see you, David. Shame about the circumstances. Have you any idea how long she’s been in there?’

  David Lyndhurst spun round. ‘Jessie Blake. This is your case, is it? Can’t tell you very much yet, I’m afraid, except that your girl here is young; probably mid-teens, if that. Does she look like your missing girl?’

  Jessie looked at the bloated corpse on the riverbank as the tent was erected around them. There was no doubt about it. It was Shannon.

  ‘Aye, I’m afraid it looks very much like it. Thanks, David, let me have your report as soon as you can, will you? This one’s pretty urgent, as you can imagine. I need to rule out foul play sooner rather than later.’ She offered him a smile. ‘It’s great to see you.’

  ‘You too, Jess. Don’t be a stranger.’

  Jessie turned to walk back to her car, but stopped short. ‘Are you taking her to Dundee? Her mum is going to want to see her.’

  David frowned and shook his head. ‘No, I’d tell her no, Jessie.’

  Jessie sighed. ‘I know. You’re right, I’ll tell her.’ She nodded. ‘I’ll hear from you soon.’

  Chapter Forty-Seven

  Louise dropped Rob off at the hospital entrance. She knew she should go in and visit her friend, but she couldn’t face her; not after spending last night with her husband. What kind of friend does that? She wondered if she would ever be able to face her again, especially as Louise understood exactly the agony Cassie was going through.

  ‘I hope she’s OK, Rob,’ Louise said when Rob leaned in and kissed her cheek.

  ‘I’ll call you later,’ Rob answered as he got out of her car.

  Louise drove away with tears pouring down her face.

  Louise spotted DI Blake lock her car then walk up the path to their front door. Jessie knocked. When Ben opened the door, she asked if Jason and Louise were home. Louise looked on in horror as Jason met Jessie in the doorway. She clasped her hands to her face as he fell to his knees. Jessie didn’t have to tell her. Louise heard the scream before she recognised it as her own.

  ‘I’m so sorry.’

  Ben paced up and down with tears stinging his eyes. He grabbed his jacket and fled. H
e had to get out. If he stayed, he would suffocate.

  Jessie put a cup of hot, sweet tea into Jason’s trembling hand. Jason and Louise stood apart from each other, lonely in their shared grief, unable to stand it alone or together.

  ‘I need to see her,’ Louise murmured.

  ‘We do need someone who can give us a positive ID, but I don’t think it should be either of you. Is there anyone else?’

  ‘I can do it, I’m fine,’ Louise insisted.

  Jessie shook her head, but before she could disagree, Jason piped up.

  ‘I want to do it.’

  ‘Are you sure there isn’t anyone else you would prefer to do it?’ Jessie gave him the opportunity to change his mind.

  ‘No, she’s my daughter.’ His words became choked in his throat as he fought the urge to break down. ‘I’m her dad. She needs me.’

  Louise looked at him and, for the first time since their daughter went missing, allowed him to comfort her. She fell into his arms.

  Ben watched from a distance as Shannon’s body was loaded into the back of the ambulance. She looked so small from where he sat. He rubbed at the tears that soaked his face and drank from one of the beer bottles. He sat and drank long after she was gone. His mind raced at a million miles an hour and his stomach churned. He held the packet of painkillers in his hands and gulped more and more alcohol. His sister didn’t need any more hassle from him, and that’s all he created these days. Louise and Jason would be better off without him.