Shallow Water

by Hunter J Walker

  Nicola leaned against the worktop and glanced around. ‘She hasn’t been at lectures since Friday…Dougie, check the fridge and see if the milk is off. Turning to Shona she added: ‘Miss Doherty, when did you last see Annabel?’

  Shona sat down and thought. ‘I met her in the car park…mmm…a week ago.’

  ‘Did she seem her usual self?’

  ‘Yes.’

  Douglas closed the fridge door and announced: ‘It stinks and the milk has a mould on it.’

  ‘How did you know her?’ Nicola asked Shona.

  ‘She’s a tenant in one of my trust’s flats.’

  ‘How did she become a tenant?’

  ‘Applying to the trustees is the usual method. The trust owns my flat and three others in this block, including this one.’

  ‘How did she hear about it?’

  ‘No idea, I never asked. The flats are never advertised, people hear from a friend of a friend and I get asked by people when are the flats becoming vacant, but the final choice of tenant is up to the trust.’

  ‘Who’s paying her rent?’

  Shona shrugged. ‘No idea.’

  ‘I’ll phone for the SOCOs, you check for CCTV.’

  Shona looked up at Douglas. ‘You can check my cameras if you want to, one points into the hallway and the other points into the car park.’

  Nicola glared at him and she pushed herself away from the worktop. ‘Shucks, Douglas, go check it out.’

  Shona opened a large cupboard and took out the pile of towels. She placed then on a chair, before pulling down a panel at the back of the cupboard, revealing a small flat-screen computer monitor, mouse and keyboard. She turned on the monitor and once the monitor lit up she searched for the video files. ‘When do you want to start?’ she asked.

  ‘Mm…Friday night.’

  ‘The cameras only record changes in the image so it doesn’t take too long to search.’ Shona moved the mouse and selected the date for the Friday and clicked on the file. ‘This file is the view of the hall outside my flat.’ A view of the hall appeared on the screen and Shona walked from the lift to the door of her flat, took a key from her handbag and opened the door, she entered the flat and closed the door. The number of people entering or leaving the lift was small and in ten minutes they were looking at Annabel Sutherland entering the lift at 08:32, returning at 15:37 and at 23:43 she stood waiting for the lift dressed in a short black dress and black shoes with a mauve coat over her arm.

  ‘How do we look at the car park video?’

  Shona clicked on another file with the same date and a view of the car park appeared on the screen. ‘Same time?’

  ‘Yes, but she doesn’t have a car registered to her name.’

  ‘She drives an Audi,’ Shona said.

  At 23:44 Annabel Sutherland appeared at the bottom right of the screen.

  ‘The camera points at my spot and her allocated parking spot is two along from mine,’ Shona said.

  Annabel’s figure moved across the screen towards the centre. When she reached a small Audi she opened the driver’s door and bent in to drop the coat on the front passenger seat. Suddenly the rear doors of a van parked next to the Audi flew open and two men in boiler suits and balaclavas jumped out and ran towards the Audi. Annabel’s head was still inside the car and she didn’t see them until the last second. The shorter of the two men threw a blanket over her and held her both arms. The taller man shut the car door and grabbed her around the legs. Together they carried her towards the van. Douglas could see she was struggling under the blanket and the shorter man almost dropped her. The taller man shouted something and she stopped struggling: they carried her to the back of the van and put her on the floor. The shorter man climbed into the back of the van with her. The taller man shut the door and then disappeared round the side of the van away from the camera. After a short pause the van moved away and left the car park at 23: 45.

  Douglas wondered what threat the taller man had used to subdue her. Shona interrupted his thoughts. ‘Have you got a big memory stick? I assume you want a copy of this, Douglas.’

  ‘Miss Doherty, can you save the files, we need all of them as evidence?’

  Shona walked into the living area and returned with a memory stick, she prodded Douglas gently on the nose with it. ‘I want this one back, it’s a large one and expensive.’ She plugged the memory stick into a spare USB port and when the files were fully transferred she handed it to Douglas.

  ‘I’ll get it back to you or I’ll buy you another one.’ Douglas said to reassure her.

  She smiled at him. ‘I was only joking; bring it back if you can.’

  ‘I hate to interrupt, but I need to keep the key until the SOCOs have been over her flat,’ Nicola said and started towards the door. ‘Thank you for co-operation Ms Doherty, someone will be back later for your statement. Come on, Dougie, we have work to do.’

  *****

  Douglas went to the drinks machine for a coffee before settling at his desk. There were five notes on his desk and he sorted through them: Susanne had rung, PC Tanya Vidak wanted him at five, DS McCray wanted to see him, DCI Caddell wanted to see him and lastly a James Cameron-Smythe had rung and left a number.

  He rang the number for James first. ‘Hello it’s DC Ashburner, you rang me earlier.’

  ‘Hi. Just to say my brother hasn’t been in contact and I thought I should check his flat and see if he has been back there.’

  ‘You have a key to his flat?’

  ‘Yes, I was wondering if I should declare him missing?’

  ‘Do you have a reason to think he’s at risk?’

  ‘There is something else. A colleague of mine has not been at work since Friday. His name is Marcus Triffit and he is also a friend of my brother’s. The company are going into meltdown over this and they’ll not report him missing in case the customer gets wind of it.’

  ‘Who’s the customer?’ Douglas asked.

  There was a pause while James hesitated. ‘Scotia Investment Bank,’ he finally said.

  Douglas felt a surge of adrenaline. This was too much of a co-incidence: Annabel Sutherland’s father ran the bank and that would make three missing people all connected to this bank. ‘In that case it might be better if you report him missing, Mr Cameron-Smythe.’

  ‘And my brother?’

  ‘If there is no sign he has returned to his flat you should report him missing as well,’ Douglas said and waited until James thanked him and ended the call.

  He rang Susanne and was told she was in a meeting, so he asked the secretary to leave her a message to say he had rung. Next, he walked along the room until he could see DS McCray’s desk: he wasn’t there. Then he turned back and as he made his way to his desk he saw Tanya.

  ‘I have to see the DCI then I’ll be finished,’ he said.

  Tanya checked her watch. ‘It’s ten to five.’

  ‘It’s the rush hour, it will be slow whenever we go,’ Douglas said and headed for the door. Tanya tagged along behind seemingly anxious not to lose him. When they reached Caddell’s office his knock received no acknowledgement.

  ‘Can we go now?’ she asked.

  ‘Fine, I’ve been down the list of people who want my attention and nobody’s home, so let’s escape…and can I drive this time?’

  ‘I’ll think about it.’

  *****

  Douglas drove while Tanya sat silently in the passenger seat. Finally she said: ‘Why do you drive this total wreck?’

  ‘Who would want to steal it? And how about that Beamer you bought? Odds on someone will try to nick it.’

  ‘It wasn’t up to me, I was told which one to buy. It’s a prop that fits the scenario we’re acting out.’

  ‘Couldn’t they afford a new one?’

  ‘In this scenario Neil and Jane Ellis couldn’t afford a new one, they had to borrow the money and the guys they borrowed it from need to see it fits the money. They’re criminals, but it doesn’t automatically follow they’re stupid.’r />
  ‘Doesn’t change the fact it’s a liability that will cost us loads of money.’

  ‘That’s sort of the point; if it breaks down we’ll need to borrow more money.’

  ‘What, and shorten this adventure, we’ve only been together for two days and you’re wanting a divorce already.’

  ‘Carry on like this and you’ll crash. Keep your eyes on the road.’

  ‘Sounds like you’ve done this married thing before, Tanya.’

  ‘Never mind that, first we need to pick up the BMW, go home to change and then do the shopping.’

  ‘Shopping?’

  ‘Kettle, coffee machine, ironing board, kitchen tools, spices, alarm clock, photo-frames, ornaments, you know – the general sort of junk married couples acquire at the start.’

  ‘Don’t forget the beer and the Cheesy Doritos,’ Douglas interjected.

  ‘I hope that’s you being Neil and not you being you.’

  ‘Oh yes, got to get into character.’

  Douglas drove to the Asda supermarket just off Junction 2 and they left his Vauxhall Astra and picked up the BMW. Tanya insisted on driving this time. She parked in the short drive in front of the house. He looked across the road for the dumpy aggressive woman – to his relief her house looked deserted. He followed Tanya into the house, stopping in the lounge to switch on the TV.

  *****

  ‘What are you doing? We need to get changed.’ Tanya called down the stairs.

  Douglas gave up with the six o’clock news and followed the sound of Tanya’s voice upstairs to the bedroom. He opened the door to see her legs and behind, clad in white knickers and her head inside the right-hand wardrobe. Her trousers, shirt and jacket lay on the large double bed. She backed out of the wardrobe and he was relieved to see she had a white bra on. In her hands she held the blue top with thin straps and the short black skirt they had bought yesterday.

  He sat on the edge of the bed and removed his jacket and shirt. Very conscious of his bare chest he walked over and opened the wardrobe. It contained an assortment of shirts, jeans and trousers; sweat shirts and a black leather jacket.

  ‘Men are easy to buy for and I got the leather jacket from the market.’

  He was slightly annoyed at not choosing his clothes until he remembered that she had let him choose her clothes yesterday. ‘Where did you get my sizes from?’

  ‘I rang your girlfriend, Susanne, and asked her.’

  He turned to look at her. She was sitting on the bed pulling on a pair of glossy black tights with her skirt around her waist.

  ‘You told her about this operation?’

  Tanya stood up and pulled her skirt down. ‘It would be a bit difficult for you to conceal the fact you are spending every weeknight with another woman. She told me your chest and leg measurement and your preferences for her perfume and soap.’

  ‘Did you also tell her about the double bed?’

  ‘No, I’ll leave you to do that, or not, as the case may be. The bed is necessary for the couple we are supposed to be; the Ellis’s would put the largest double bed possible in this room.’ Tanya paused while she bent over to put on her shoes. She had removed the white bra and the thin top strained to control her beasts and he had a view right down her cleavage. He tore his eyes away from her body and went back to the task of selecting clothes. He pulled on jeans and a black T-shirt with Japanese writing on it. When he was finished dressing he turned to face her. ‘Any idea what this says?’ he asked pointing at the writing on the T-shirt.

  She laughed. ‘None; you could be living dangerously.’

  She turned to pull back the curtains and moved over to stand in front of him. ‘What do you think?’

  He ran his eyes up her from the black high-heeled shoes, up her long glossy legs over the tight skirt and blue top to her face. ‘The sunglasses are a bit over the top, but the rest seems in character. I’m assuming it’s in character and not the way you usually dress?’

  ‘You chose it,’ she said taking off the sunglasses and putting them on the bed.

  ‘Doesn’t answer the question, but never mind let’s go and finish the shopping,’ he said, picking up the leather jacket and heading for the stairs. Downstairs he picked up the controller and switched the TV into standby.

  ‘Did you check the TV licence?’ he asked once she had joined him in the living room.

  ‘Yes, we have one, you can stop worrying,’ she said and walked into the hall. She picked up the short black jacket hanging over the end of the banister and draped it over her shoulders. Bending down to her handbag she opened it and took out the car keys. ‘I’m not driving in these shoes,’ she said and held the keys out.

  He drove sedately following Tanya’s directions and soon lost any sense of direction. They passed a small loch and eventually arrived at the Fort shopping complex. He parked well away from the shops among a scattering of cars on the outer edge of the car park. ‘Don’t want the car getting dented by some idiot with a grudge against BMW drivers,’ he said as he locked the car.

  ‘Long way to the shops,’ she said and looked down at her shoes. As they walked towards the entrance she moved closer and their hips touched. ‘Put your arm around me,’ she said.

  He gingerly put his arm onto her waist, feeling the curious motion of her hip as she walked in the high heels. She looked round and into his eyes. ‘It’s all right I’m not going to bite.’

  ‘I’m just remembering Dave Knox.’

  She laughed, a light sound, which surprised him. ‘I think I know the cure for that.’

  ‘What, for Dave Knox? There isn’t any cure for him.’

  ‘No, I’ll show you later,’ she said.

  Douglas wandered along behind her as she slowly and resolutely went down the list. She started at Argos for the kettle, coffee machine, ironing board, kitchen tools and alarm clock; then proceeded right across the arc of shops to Asda for some of the other items. When he had paid for the final load she decided he needed perking up and allowed him time for coffee and a bun.

  ‘Does married life just consist of shopping?’ he asked when she placed the cups and plates on the table.

  ‘There is the DIY and other stuff around the house, and of course sex.’

  ‘That all?’

  ‘In our case we can’t have friends round for a barbecue and beer.’

  ‘We could always invite the neighbours; they think we’re Mr And Mrs Ellis.’

  ‘OK, but I don’t know if this operation will run for long enough.’

  *****

  They returned the way they had come, past the small loch as they neared the house they stopped at the Aldi store. He followed Tanya across the car park towards the entrance until she reached the line of trolleys parked by the door. ‘You don’t think I’ve got anywhere for change in this outfit?’ she said and held out her hand. ‘We need a pound coin to get a trolley – I’m not carrying the beer back to the car.’

  Douglas found a pound coin among the change in his wallet and handed it over. Tanya pushed the coin into the handle of the trolley and released the chain linking it to the snake of trolleys. They entered the store and she pushed the shopping trolley along the aisles until they found the bank of shelving loaded with drink. ‘Right Neil, you choose which one,’ she said pointing at the piles of boxes in the beer section.

  ‘Can’t I have more than one type?’

  Douglas noticed an older woman stare at Tanya’s legs and glare at him before muttering to her husband as he pushed a trolley past them.

  ‘Of course you can, I’m just asking which ones?’

  ‘Let’s have some Stella Artois and Carlsberg,’ Douglas said. Tanya bent over to pick up a box and the short skirt rode up exposing all of her legs. He looked along the aisle to see if anyone was watching and was just in time to see the older woman elbow her husband viciously in the ribs for watching Tanya’s performance.

  When she had finished she took the handle of the trolley. ‘Any more?’ she asked.

  �
��Just the Cheesy Doritos.’

  ‘Go and get them, two aisles over, at the end.’

  They added the cost to the total on Neil Ellis’ new credit card and Douglas pushed the trolley out to the BMW. Tanya walked beside him, her heels tapping on the pavement. At the car he loaded the boot with the boxes and she returned the trolley and retrieved the pound coin for Douglas. He leant against the car and watched her while she walked slowly towards him.

  She laughed when she finally reached him. ‘Have you ever tried to walk in heels this high?’

  ‘Not an experience I can attest to, but it has the desired effect. You didn’t see the bloke get one in the ribs from his wife for ogling you.’

  ‘That’s assault.’

  ‘It could be, but I’m not a policeman right now.’

  *****

  Douglas drew the car up onto the short drive and went round to the boot while Tanya unlocked the front door. She came back to the car and carried the boxes of beer into the house while Douglas took the bags in. Tanya filled one shelf in the refrigerator section with bottles while he unpacked the electrical goods.

  ‘Do we need to test them all now?’ he said watching Tanya’s legs while she piled the boxes of beer in one of the lower cupboards. She looked up at him and then slowly straightened up.

  ‘Douglas, we need to get you over this,’ she said and approached him. She came very close, almost touching him. She put her hand out. ‘Come, its painless once you’ve learnt the basics.’

  ‘What?’

  ‘Dance,’ she replied and he breathed again.

  ‘Yes, arms up.’ Tanya stood closer and he noted her perfume.

  The familiar routine from his school days took over and he took her hand and putting his other hand on her back and pressed her closer. ‘Good,’ Tanya said and allowed her body to come into contact with his. She put her arm along his shoulders. Unlike all the other girls he had danced with he could feel her muscles tensing and relaxing.

  ‘Which dance?’

  ‘The Argentine Tango, it’s a walking dance and the basic steps are easy to learn.’ Tanya stepped backward and stopped, as Douglas didn’t move.