Flint called him, getting through immediately. Their conversation was kept formal but there was an edge to Hunter’s voice. He said he wanted to talk to him about Ellie and they agreed to meet in the Clachaig Inn at lunchtime on Saturday.
There was still snow in Glencoe and Flint spent the Saturday morning teaching basic axe and crampon technique along with avalanche awareness. It was a beautiful day, and he was enjoying himself, almost forgetting about his meeting with Hunter and consequently having to drive his Land Rover at an uncomfortable speed. He was fifteen minutes late. He apologised immediately when they shook hands in the dining room.
‘Sorry about that, got caught up in work and was out of signal range.’
Hunter nodded as they made their way to a table where they ordered lunch.
‘Are you still climbing?’
‘I still manage a few days of the serious stuff a year but mostly it’s just hill bashing. My daughter takes up a fair amount of my time.’
‘What age is she now?’
‘She’ll be fourteen this year.’
‘Taken her climbing yet?’
‘Her mother’s not keen.’
Their lunch arrived and they ate in silence for a few minutes before Flint decided it was time to get down to business.
‘You’ve driven all the way from Glasgow, so I presume you’ve got something important you want to tell me.’
Hunter looked up at Flint and suddenly broke down, tears turned on by grief. It lasted for about a minute before he regained control.
‘I’m sorry about Ellie. I know how much you cared for her.’
‘I loved her. I didn’t just care about her.’
Flint nodded, concentrating on his food to give him time to recover.
‘Sorry about that, I still miss her so much.’
‘That’s ok.’
‘She didn’t love me unfortunately,’ Euan clenched his fists. ‘She loved a weasel who seduced her with fancy words.’
The vitriol against some unknown individual was unexpected. ‘Who do you mean?’
‘That fucking counsellor, that’s who.’
‘She loved him, are you sure?’
Euan nodded silently.
‘Man, I don’t know what to say. I knew she was getting counselling. I didn’t know she loved him.’
The waitress hovered by their table asking if their food was satisfactory. When she had gone Euan looked up at his companion.
‘I’ve got information that will interest you, really interest you, but I need something in return.’
‘What’s that?’
‘I need the name of that counsellor.’
Joe glanced at the clock in the dining room. He had about an hour before he needed to get back. ‘I don’t know his name, Ellie never mentioned it.’
‘Then you need to find it.’
‘Do you think he killed her?’
‘Well you didn’t do it and I didn’t do it.’
Flint was taken aback at this unconvincing logic. He knew she’d seen other men. ‘Maybe some climber coming across her or maybe someone was stalking her and followed her on to Coire Leis.’
‘According to the police she was seen walking up to Coire Leis with another climber, probably a man. I know she’s climbed with this counsellor guy before and the police are desperate to find out who he is.’
‘Euan, she never mentioned a name to me. I don’t have a clue who he is or where he is.’
‘Then find out. You have contacts that I don’t have so use them and we can get the bastard.’
‘What contacts do you think I have?
‘Ellie climbed with you a lot when you took groups out. Maybe she confided with some of the women she was with. You’ll know who she was close to so try phoning around and see what you can find out.’
‘Look I don’t have time for all this. I’ve a business to run. The police have better resources, surely they can track him down. It shouldn’t be that hard to find him.’
‘I think this guy’s clever or they would have found him by now.’
Joe rose to his feet. ‘Look man I’m sorry about Ellie. Maybe I didn’t love her like you did, but I did care about her. I hope they find who did it, but now I need to get back to work. Is there anything else you want to tell me?’
‘I’ve got something pretty important to tell you, though it doesn’t look like it’s going to happen.’
‘Do you want to give me a hint?’
‘It’s about New Zealand. That’s all I’m going to say until you get me the name of that fucking counsellor.’
‘Right, I’m not going to play these games, so you know where I am if you want to contact me,’ he paused. ‘I’ll get the bill since you had a long drive up.’ He went to the bar, paid the bill and walked to the car park, seeing Hunter drive off in his car without any acknowledgement. Flint felt completely at a loss as to what had passed between them. How did the guy expect him to find her counsellor?
The journey back to the mountain hurt his brain as he tried to make sense of the meeting. It was something to do with New Zealand that had angered Ellie all those years ago. And it was something she had obviously shared with Hunter. But what was it? His best guess was she had decided to climb Mount Cook and wanted him to meet her in Edinburgh to discuss it and for some reason got annoyed when he called off. Climbing the biggest mountain in New Zealand was something that they had discussed before. And would that have been something worth knowing that Hunter felt could have been exchanged for the name of the counsellor? It didn’t really make any sense.
---oOo---
It was a scare, and it was close. Optimistically the Registrar at the hospital in Edinburgh would forget all about it. He and Roger were friends though not close, and the guy had simply mentioned to him in the canteen that photographs of the woman found murdered on Ben Nevis looked like a woman he’d seen in the hospital before. It was a casual remark and nothing in his voice to suggest he had made a connection between them. Later, Serafini was amazed at how calm he had stayed despite the churning inside his stomach.
‘Yes, I saw all the stuff on the news. I’ve climbed up there on Ben Nevis a few times but never dug a snow-hole. Is there a photo of her from the papers you can get on your phone?’
Roger nodded, taking out his phone and punching a few buttons before handing it to Serafini. He pretended to study it before shaking his head and handing it back.
‘Can’t say I’ve seen her here, but this place does go like a fair most days. Some of my former patients from only months back have spoken to me in the street and I haven’t a clue who they are or what their names are.’
‘Yeah, they all know who we are which puts us at a disadvantage.’
The conversation then turned to the latest antidepressants, rugby and the price of property in Edinburgh. Serafini asked about Roger’s two young children and after a few minutes he finished his lunch and left. Serafini could only hope he would forget all about Ellie and not mention it to anyone. But there was a chance he’d speak to others, who, their memory jogged, might have recognised her as his patient. It was another reminder of the tightrope he was walking.
Later that day, Serafini had met Martin Lewis again for a drink, this time in Edinburgh. It was a relaxed evening, drinking wine and talking about cars, sport and sometimes work. There was a pub quiz running that night and they were surprised when their team came second, winning a case of beer. Near the end of the evening his friend brought up the subject, urging him to go to the police, saying it was still likely that they would eventually find a connection that linked him to her. According to Lewis the fact that no one had been charged with her murder meant the police would concentrate their efforts on interviewing her friends. He also raised the possibility that road cameras might have snapped his car registration somewhere between Edinburgh and Fort William, thus
providing a link to his name and address. He hadn’t thought of that and it added some gloom to the evening.
‘Martin, I think the chances of that happening are still quite small. It’s something I’ve got to live with. I’ve made a decision and I’m not going back on it. If they track me down, then so be it. I don’t feel I’ve anything to lose by holding out and hoping for the best. That way I might keep my marriage.’
‘It will look so much better if you tell the truth about what happened. You didn’t kill her. If they track you down and arrest you it will look bad.’
Serafini leant forward and hugged his friend. ‘Thanks Martin, I feel I’ve compromised you in this whole thing and asked you to keep a secret that could end up with you being charged for withholding evidence. I really appreciate your friendship. Maybe you’ll visit me in gaol?’
‘Oh for God’s sake don’t say that John. They’d send you away for a long time for murder.’
Serafini could see the emotion in his friend’s eyes as they parted. It had been good to talk to him although he felt drained as he walked to the bus stop. On the journey home, his mind was dominated by melancholy thoughts, even wondering which prison they would send him to. As he walked the short distance from the bus to his house, he told himself there was something to look forward to.
Since Ellie’s death he had come to value his relationship with his wife more strongly than ever and vowed to himself that if he got through this unscathed, he would concentrate on rebuilding their relationship. She was a great wife, a wonderful mother and a first-class surgeon. They were good together. He had suggested to her that they take a week off work and go to Italy as soon as they could arrange it. Both had holidays to take and her father had finally gone into a care home since his mother-in-law was no longer able to look after him at home. It had reduced the stress on everyone, but it was still a very painful episode for them all. Reluctant at first, his wife eventually came around to the idea of a trip abroad and they had made plans to leave for Tuscany as soon as they could. It would give them the opportunity to walk in the hills, drink great wine and hopefully become close again.
Chapter 19
Divisional Commander Callum Campbell called Tosh early that morning looking for an update on the Saunders’ case. Tosh had learned to be completely honest with his bosses, feeling it always paid in the long run. He felt it proper to offer his condolences early on.
‘Sorry to hear about your mother sir.’
‘Thanks Bill,’ Campbell’s voice boomed down the phone. ‘In the end it was a blessing for all the family. The funeral’s tomorrow then we can all get back to some sort of normality. Right, can you fill me in on what’s happening with the snow-hole killing?’
Tosh told him that scant progress that had been made in tracking down her killer. He mentioned Euan Hunter as being a suspect and the lack of a DNA match and that a number of counsellors had been contacted but not one could be linked to the victim. He was completely upfront about not knowing where to turn. Finally, he praised McIntyre for his efforts, saying he was a conscientious colleague who had worked hard to find a lead.
‘I’ve read your reports so far and the details from Professor Wallace. I see there’s a general concern about the lack of blood from the wound. What’s your thoughts on that?’
‘Sir, it’s confusing and if I’m honest I’m not sure what it all means. Ian McIntyre also felt there should have been more blood on the snow from that sort of wound, but I’ve always tended to leave that to the experts. The alcohol content in her blood was high and there was also evidence of tranquilisers and other drugs. Professor Wallace felt she’d been lying naked for a while and was probably close to severe hypothermia when she was hit but he can’t be sure. At the moment nothing’s straightforward.’
‘You think this Hunter fellow maybe knows more than he’s telling us?’
‘I do, sir. He doesn’t have much of an alibi for the evening she was killed. His DNA doesn’t match with the semen or any other samples taken from the victim. I know he was infatuated with her and might have killed her out of revenge though it’s all pretty circumstantial. I’m going through to Glasgow to interview him again tomorrow.’
There was silence while Campbell digested the information.
‘I haven’t really followed much on the media so fill me in on how the parents are taking it. Are they speaking to newspapers?’
Tosh knew Campbell was being pragmatic rather than callous. Relatives reacted differently to the loss of a family member and these situations had to be managed with care if the media were whipping up hysteria.
‘No sir, not yet anyway. They are both traumatised over it all, understandably. But they are handling it with a quiet dignity. I’ve been very impressed with them. I’ll phone them today and keep them up to date even if there isn’t much to report. I’ve still to formally interview Ellie’s brother then I’ll know better how things are with the family. The papers are still running the story, but nothing critical of how it’s being handled.’
‘What’s your thoughts then on the case, Bill? Any gut feelings you want to run by me?’
‘Sir, I’m not sure on anything,’ Tosh sighed. ‘McIntyre said at the beginning, when we discovered the body that it might have been an opportunistic murder, someone finding her alone and killing her before taking her stuff. Professor Wallace and I were both dismissive when he suggested it. Now it’s as good a theory as anything I can come up with.’
‘You said you think this Euan Hunter might be complicit in all this?’
‘Yes I do sir, he’s bitter about this counsellor person we can’t track down and from what I can gather he was quite jealous about the other men in Ellie’s life, though that doesn’t mean he’s a killer.’
‘Is there anything I can do from this end?’
‘Yes, there is sir, I’d like to try to get Hunter’s car registration checked to see if it appeared on any cameras that evening on the road to Fort William. Some of the cameras appear not to have been working however I’d like all cameras on every road in that area checked. I’m getting passed from pillar to post.’
‘Right, email me with any registration numbers and the dates you want checked out and I’ll see what I can do. Anything else?’
‘No sir, thanks for that.’
‘Right Bill, I know this case is not straightforward. Keep me up-to-date with any progress.’
When he replaced the receiver, Tosh reflected on the conversation. Campbell had been an excellent detective before making divisional commander, so he knew enough to realise this wasn’t a straightforward case. His boss wasn’t demanding immediate answers although there would be some limit to his patience. If Tosh didn’t come up with something soon, he might be taken off the case, which would be disastrous for his career. And for the moment he was running out of ideas.
Any opportunistic killer could have got off the mountain without being seen by anyone before disappearing. That would make the person difficult to trace and the investigation could drag on for months. He had to hope that there was a motive to the killing and try and establish what that might have been. And so far that suggested either Euan Hunter or the elusive counsellor although there was also a possibility that a recent and as yet unknown acquaintance for some unknown reason, had decided to climb Coire Leis with Ellie Saunders. Tosh had to hope that her killer was known to her.
While Euan Hunter had been interrogated and certainly would be again, this counsellor remained elusive. McIntyre had done his best to track him down without any luck. It was possible this man wasn’t even registered as a counsellor. So far none of those interviewed had admitted to having Ellie Saunders as a client.
It wasn’t how he had expected the investigation to unfold and at the start he’d been quietly confident of finding her killer quickly. What they needed was a break, a call out of the blue from someone who suddenly remembered something. Maybe it was ti
me to make another TV appeal? It was a setback but at least that goodnight kiss from Shona Watson had made up for the disappointment.
---oOo---
The next letter from Ellie was his favourite amongst all the ones she had sent. He remembered how it had buoyed him for days and he’d read it dozens of times. It was so upbeat and had finally given him some hope they might live together and eventually even start a family.
They had gone to Whistler in Canada for skiing. An expensive holiday, but a bonus at work more than paid for his flight, while Ellie’s business seemed to be prospering. Everything had been perfect, the scenery, the hotel and the snow. He was a reasonable skier, confident while knowing his limitations. They both seemed equal regarding ability, although Ellie said his extra weight made him naturally faster going downhill, giving him an unfair advantage. He had laughed, offering to put rocks in her rucksack to even things up. They raced directly against each other, did time trials and tried out fancy manoeuvres with the skis that usually ended with them both flat on their backs. It was always competitive but stayed friendly. She then dragged him off-piste, something he felt was a bit dangerous.
She had laughed a lot, hugged him a lot and kissed him frequently. Ellie said she’d had a breakthrough with her counselling and that, combined with a change of diet, had made her feel so positive and energised. In the evening they had danced in the clubs where she had even made a joke about him not hitting anyone. The evenings were supercharged with sex. It had been the happiest time of his life.
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