Ice Cold Blood

by David W. Millar

  ‘Oh God!’ The words were out before he could stop them.

  ‘Yeah exactly. We asked him why he wanted to know, and he just said he was curious. My wife got a bit emotional and told him he was our kid and always would be. He nodded like, but I could see there was stuff going on in his head so I suggested he write down what he wanted to know or discuss and we would talk about it the next day.’

  ‘That was a good strategy Billy.’

  ‘I’m going on a bit, but I thought you’d like the whole story.’

  ‘Sure,’ Flint lied, just wanting him to get to the end game.

  ‘Anyway Joe, a couple of days later at breakfast, after his sister had left for school, Richie asked again about the man, you that is, in our driveway. Eventually he asked if you were his father.’

  Flint closed his eyes and tried to stop the hand that was holding the phone from shaking.

  ‘Oh God! What did you say?’

  ‘My wife and I had agreed to tell him the truth. We’d spoken to a counsellor and told her what had happened. She suggested it was better to be honest since lies could come back to haunt us. I apologised to Richie for not telling him the truth when he first asked me about you and said that it did seem very, very likely that you were his dad.’

  Flint got up with the phone and looked out of the window. The sun was shining, and the birds chirped their songs that heralded spring, the beginning of a new chapter in his life, one that had changed so dramatically since Ellie’s death. Not only did he have a son in New Zealand, but that son now knew he had a father on the other side of the world.

  ‘You still there, Joe?’

  ‘Yeah. Just got a bit lost in my thoughts.’

  ‘This is difficult all round.’

  ‘I’m shaking here. I don’t know what question to ask first, though I guess I want to know how Richie took it.’

  ‘He asked a few questions about you that we answered as best we could then he said he needed to get ready for school. He hugged us both before he went to get his stuff from his room.’

  ‘This has just precipitated unnecessary trauma for you and your wife. I almost wish I hadn’t come over.’

  ‘Look Joe, Richie’s our son, our boy and I know he still sees us as his family. He loves his sister too so I doubt much will change for us. But he’s a curious boy and probably just wants to know as much as he can of his history. When we told him he was adopted he was quiet for a few days, asked some questions, and then things got back to normal pretty quick.’

  ‘Well thanks for that. I’ve got information I need to share, but it’ll keep for now. You’ve got enough on your plate so if it’s ok with you I’ll maybe call you next week?’

  ‘That’s fine with me. Better let you hit that gym.’

  Flint put the phone back in his pocket and watched a rare buzzard circle the trees. He felt a surge of excitement that his son, Richie Carter, knew he had a father. The same man he had seen standing outside his house. It was difficult not to get ahead of himself and conjure up idyllic scenarios of walking and talking in the mountains of New Zealand or Wales. And he reckoned it wouldn’t help to muddy the waters with what he had seen in Ellie Saunders’ will. That was for later, although Flint knew the reason for not divulging to Carter that Ellie Saunders had left most of her money to Richie, was that it gave him a reason to call back.

  Or maybe even an excuse to plan another visit to New Zealand.

  ---oOo---

  They both looked different from the photographs he had seen on television and in the papers. But when the initial shock of meeting them at the front door had passed, he could see the strong resemblance to their daughter.

  ‘You shouldn’t be here,’ Serafini said. ‘I can’t talk to you.’

  ‘Please, Mr Serafini we are not here to scream abuse at you or condemn you,’ Veronica Saunders pleaded. ‘I found some letters, and my husband and I thought it might be important,’ she paused. ‘For you I mean, maybe in court…’

  So for the second time that week, Serafini glanced round anxiously to see if any of his neighbours were watching before opening the door for them to enter.

  ‘We parked in a different street so your neighbours might not know you had visitors,’ Alan Saunders explained.

  ‘You can always say we were Jehovah’s Witnesses if any one asked,’ Veronica Saunders laughed weakly.

  After showing them into the lounge, Serafini went into the kitchen and switched on the kettle. This was another unexpected development. And despite the awkwardness of having the parents of the woman he had been charged with murdering, he felt a frisson of excitement. When he entered the lounge carrying a tray of cups, plates, a cafetière of coffee and a large cake he saw Veronica Saunders was holding a clutch of letters.

  ‘Mr Serafini, we didn’t want you to go to all this trouble,’ Veronica Saunders protested.

  ‘Yes, we’ll clear out soon and leave you in peace,’ her husband echoed.

  ‘Call me John and have a coffee and a piece of my cake. I don’t get a lot of visitors these days.’

  ‘The cake looks great!’ Veronica Saunders exclaimed.

  ‘It’s amazing what you can train yourself to do when you’re stuck inside a house for hours on end,’ Serafini declared dryly before shaking his head. ‘I’m sorry, that’s unforgiveable. I’m for feeling sorry for myself but you must both be devastated after Ellie’s death.’

  ‘Yes, we are. But Alan and I found these letters hidden in the bedroom she used when she came to visit us. They were in a tin under the floorboards. Alan was trying to trace an electrical fault and well…’

  Serafini said nothing for the moment, waiting for his visitors to make the running.

  ‘They all had your name on the front,’ she continued. ‘And they are definitely Ellie’s handwriting.’

  ‘Should you not hand them over to the police?’

  Alan Saunders nodded. ‘We thought about that, but they are addressed to you and are very personal. Maybe you’d be ok with us reading one of them out to you. They’re not long.’

  After Serafini nodded, Saunders took the letter out of the envelope.

  Dear John

  You always asked me to write down my feelings when I felt sad or happy. You said it would help focus my mind. But this time I am writing down how I feel about you!

  I don’t know if you will ever know how much our time together has meant to me. Your gentle counselling has saved me on so many occasions. You are such a wise man. When I was at my lowest you comforted me mentally and physically. You knew who I was. You knew my dreams, my passions and my pain. Because of you, and despite my loathing of chemical treatment, I took the pills from my doctor that helped me through the darkest of times. My life has always been punctuated with highs and lows. But you refused to label me. That was so important because everyone else wanted to change me. You told me I was Ellie Saunders the wonder woman who climbs mountains or skis down the side of them. I still laugh when I think of that.

  I knew we could never be together. You have a wife and children. They are your priority, but you made time for me and I hope in some way I enhance your life for you have enhanced mine.

  Ellie.

  Serafini looked over at Ellie’s parents. It was difficult not to feel the emotion of her words and he had to fight back tears. There was silence for a few moments before he could speak.

  ‘I don’t know what to say.’

  ‘You don’t need to say anything John. It’s clear you helped Ellie to get through her life and accomplish so much.’

  ‘I didn’t kill Ellie.’

  ‘We wouldn’t be here if we thought you did. Now listen to the words of the next letter.’

  Dear John

  We saw each other last night - a rare occasion now. We are both very busy these days, so it was good to be able to spend the whole night with you an
d then have the luxury of breakfast in the morning. I felt like we were a married couple - but kept those thoughts to myself! I could be away for several months and will miss you.

  You are always a good listener - never judgemental. I know I am headstrong and often fixed in my beliefs, but I have always listened to what you had to say.

  My problems with Euan seemed to dominate the conversations that day, but you are very patient. We discussed his neediness and the effect it has on me. He becomes moody if I mention other men and I sometimes have to coax him out of it. It’s like dealing with a child. I admire him and respect his talents on the mountains and in bed, but I cannot be with a man who wants to control my life. I am not needy and don’t want a partner who is. I said I needed an open relationship where we can see whoever we want to see but are still there for each other. I asked if that was too much to ask from a man and you said YES!! I laughed hysterically before falling into your arms, and then we opened the wine and went on to have a glorious evening.

  I also want you to know how much I care about you! You are always gentle and tender with me. I wish I could find the courage to tell you face to face how much I love you, but then it would change the dynamic of our relationship (and maybe make you run away!) and I would never want that to happen.

  Ellie

  Serafini blew the air from his lungs and shook his head slowly. ‘For all I pride myself on reading people’s hidden agendas, I never for a moment thought that Ellie loved me.’

  ‘She never mentioned you by name but said she had a wonderful counsellor to whom she could tell all her worries and just the simple act of talking to you made her feel so much better,’ Veronica Saunders said softly. ‘Like you we tried to accept our daughter for who she was and not concentrate on any perceived mental illness, though at times it was hard not to try and interfere.’

  Serafini nodded. ‘That’s usually the best thing to do.’

  ‘The next letter came as a complete shock to us,’ Alan Saunders declared while opening the envelope.

  Dear John

  I am so sorry about what happened at our last meeting just before I went to New Zealand. I was taciturn and withdrawn. Something had happened to me that was quite extraordinary. I am pregnant!! I wonder if you guessed when I refused to have wine and didn’t book a hotel room so we could resume our usual lovemaking. I had stopped all my medication in case it damaged the child growing inside me.

  It is such a complete change to my life, for as you know I never wanted to have children. I must have slipped up with my contraception and suddenly I realised I’d missed a period and then felt a bit sick. The first test was pretty positive, but I decided not to cancel my trip to New Zealand. I know it didn’t show and people must have assumed I was just a bit off colour. I never went to see my doctor. (He’s always been pretty useless.) Anyway it will take me a while for my brain to deal with all this. Am I capable of being a good mother or am I capable of killing a foetus? As far as the latter is concerned the answer must be a definite no! I shall go through with the pregnancy, but after that who knows. How will my moods be with the wash of hormones that pregnancy brings?

  I was angry at someone, and for the first time, it wasn’t Euan Hunter. No, it was Joe Flint for he’s the father of my child. Despite my asking weeks in advance, he couldn’t be bothered to meet me to share the experience and attend my first scan. I will never mention to him that he has a child. Again you handled my anger well John, but I apologise for ranting the whole evening.

  You are such a lovely man. How different things would have been if it was you who was the father of my boy.

  Ellie

  ‘Did you know about Ellie being pregnant?’ Veronica Saunders voice broke the silence after her husband had finished reading the letter.

  ‘No,’ Serafini shook his head. ‘No, I didn’t suspect that at the time. But looking back after being arrested, I realised that it was a possibility. I did suggest to DCI Tosh that Ellie might have been pregnant then.’

  ‘Yet no one thought of telling us?’

  ‘It was only speculation on my part and I certainly couldn’t have contacted you.’

  ‘But DCI Tosh could have…’

  ‘Veronica,’ Serafini said gently. ‘The police will have made enquiries - if she gave birth in New Zealand then maybe the boy was subsequently adopted and that would cause all sorts of complications.’

  ‘So we might have a grandson on the other side of the world that we might never see.’

  ‘Yes, it’s possible.’

  ‘Does Joe Flint know?’

  ‘I am the main suspect for the murder of your daughter. I’m afraid no one keeps me up-to-date with any developments.’

  ‘Yes, yes of course,’ Alan Saunders added hastily.

  ‘I’m sorry Mr and Mrs Saunders all this uncertainty must be adding to your grief.’

  ‘It’s not your fault. It’s obvious you have been such a strength to Ellie throughout her life. We both thank you for that.’

  ‘But now I’m implicated in her murder.’

  ‘We both know you never killed our daughter.’

  ‘The courts may take a different view.’

  ‘Maybe not when the contents of the last letter are read out to the jury?’

  Chapter 49

  ‘Christ what a time for all this to happen. A shooting in fucking Inverness of all places. Why couldn’t it have been Glasgow?’

  McIntyre glanced fleetingly at his boss sitting in the passenger seat. Negotiating the twists and turns on the road from Fort William to Inverness he needed to keep his eyes on the road. ‘It does sound serious boss. A man’s been taken to Raigmore and is listed as critical.’

  ‘There must be other DCIs that could have picked it up. I could be stuck up here for days.’

  The call had come through just as they were leaving for Glasgow. Two men had stormed a bank in Inverness and made off with a few thousand in cash. A customer in the bank had tried to stop them as they left and had been shot in the chest. Tosh had been ordered to lead the investigation and knew his commanding officer felt that the Ellie Saunders’ murder was done and dusted and why wasn’t Serafini arrested and charged. In other circumstances he would have been delighted to have been assigned such a high-profile case.

  ‘Nothing come through about the registration number on Hunter’s van?’

  ‘It might not be till tomorrow so we might be able to wrap this stuff up today.’

  Again McIntyre looked across at his colleague. The chances of concluding what might turn out to be a murder investigation in one day were remote. But knowing the mood his boss was in it was best to say nothing, so they drove in silence until they reached the outskirts of the town.

  ‘What’s the brief then boss?’ McIntyre enquired as his colleague studied his mobile. ‘Get statements from all the witnesses and see if we can get a number for the car used in the getaway?’

  ‘Apparently it was a motorbike that had been reported stolen a couple of days ago. Inverness police have just texted me to say that it’s been found abandoned in a layby on the road to Aberdeen. That will just fucking complicate things.’

  ‘The bank will have CCTV,’ McIntyre said encouragingly.

  ‘Yeah, we’ll get a nice picture of their motorcycle helmets.’

  McIntyre switched on his satnav, but Tosh shook his head. ‘I live here. I know where the fucking bank is.’

  ‘Well this is going to be a fun investigation.’

  ‘Sorry Ian, you’re in the firing line for all the frustration I feel right now.’

  Tosh gave McIntyre directions and they arrived at the cordoned off street being allowed through after Tosh showed his ID. Entering the bank, the bloodstains on the floor were unmistakable. Several employees were in obvious shock at what had happened and the sight of them shook Tosh out of his preoccupation with Euan Hunter. He turned to
his colleague.

  ‘Right let’s get the bastards who did this!’

  ‘Ok boss, I’ll get what statements I can from those that don’t look too shocked.’

  Tosh interviewed the manager and looked at the bank’s CCTV footage. There was little to go on, but it gave an idea of height and build of the two men. One of them had brandished a gun at one of the tellers who had filled a bag with cash from her drawer. The money stolen amounted to over £10,000. By now TV cameras had appeared and wanted statements from the officer in charge. Tosh made them wait outside for an hour before agreeing to be interviewed on television stressing the violence of the robbery and the fact that a member of the public was critically ill.

  After McIntyre had garnered statements from the bank employees and two members of the public that had been in the bank when the robbery occurred Tosh asked for coffee and a room the two of them could use.

  ‘Right what have you got?’

  ‘Not much, vague descriptions regarding ages, height and build. But they are that - vague. They obviously had helmets on and gloves. One of the men, the one who shot the guy, had a beard.’

  ‘Anything else?’

  ‘One of the employees said the one who asked for the money had a strong Glasgow accent.’

  ‘Not much to go on,’ Tosh growled. ‘We need to get these bastards. They’ve shot someone and they’re fucking dangerous.’

  A knock on the door disturbed his thoughts. ‘Yes!’ he barked.

  A uniform sergeant entered. ‘Sorry to disturb you sir, but we think the two suspects from the robbery have been arrested close to Aberdeen.’

  Tosh leapt to his feet. ‘Are you sure it’s them?’

  ‘Yes sir. They abandoned the motorbike in a layby and transferred to a car. We found the money in the car and two firearms that they were stupid enough not to discard.’

  ‘Where are they now?’

  ‘In the cells at Aberdeen police station.’

  Tosh’s mobile rang and he answered it immediately, holding up his hand in apology. ‘Thank you very, very much. I really appreciate the trouble you’ve gone to,’ he said gleefully before ending the call.