“And if your friend manages to get evidence of financial irregularities,” said Donaldson. “He’ll have HMRC, The Scottish Charity Regulator and the Fraud Squad up his arse and that lot don’t give a shit who they upset.”
“Seriously, The Scottish Charity Regulator?” said Elliott.
“They’re the toughest of the lot,” he replied.
“What friend do you mean?” said Gardner. “One of your pretty female friends who helped Brodie?”
“No,” snapped Brodie. “This one’s a man, well, a close approximation to one anyway, so you’re out of luck. He can access the Treasurer’s computer.”
“Someone in the compound?”
“No. Someone who can do it remotely.”
“You mean a hacker?”
“Aye.” Brodie looked to Steven. “Would you be willing to say that you obtained the information our hacker gets?”
“Is it illegal to say I did?” he replied.
“Technically yes,” said Pete. “But this information could bring down Malachi, put an end to all this crap and free so many people. It would be lying for the greater good.”
“Now take it easy Detective Inspector,” Gardner told him. “Steven has already been through so much and he has a long road ahead in his recovery.”
“He’s fine,” said Ross. “He just needs booze and some fun. He’ll get over it.”
“Do you hold a PhD in clinical psychology?” countered Gardner. “Didn’t think so,” he added when Ross just frowned at him. He looked to Pete and Brodie. “It’s not fair to put this pressure on him.”
“We know,” said Brodie. “And we’re not happy about it either. If there was any other way we’d take it but there isn’t. Well Steven, are you up for it?”
“I don’t want to get into trouble,” he said timidly.
“You won’t,” said Pete. “Me and Donaldson will back up your claims. All you have to do is tell your story about the Treasurer having hay fever and that you got onto the computer when they were out of the office, sneezing.”
“So, it wouldn’t be lying too much then?”
“Not at all.”
“Well, I suppose that would be okay,” he said uncertainly.
“It’s the right thing to do,” said Elliott. “For the greater good.”
This confirmation from a third party reassured him. “Alright, I’ll do it.”
“Good lad,” said Brodie. “So, we’ve finally got a plan.”
“Who are we best going to with this?” Donaldson asked Pete.
“DCI Black. I contacted a pal at work. Apparently the Chief Super’s wisdom tooth is now infected. Couldn’t have happened to a nicer person,” he said with a cheerful smile. “So he’s been signed off sick. The superintendent’s covering but he’s a bit of a lemon. Black will run rings around him.”
“When should we approach him?”
Pete glanced at his watch. “Not now, it’s too late. He’ll only be pissed off and threaten to put us on traffic duty. We’ll pay him a visit first thing in the morning at home, he’s an early riser.”
“What did I miss?” said Mason, appearing in the room, freshly changed, his hair wet. His eyes bulged as Brodie got him up-to-date.
“We can’t sit on all this evidence,” exclaimed Mason when he’d finished. “Time is of the essence.”
“Hey you,” Freya told him. “Keep your bloody voice down. If you wake Petie I’ll skelp your wee arse.”
Brodie chuckled. “Nice one doll. Maybe I should gie’ you a job?”
“We can’t approach Black yet,” said Pete. “Our hacker hasn’t finished yet.”
“Oh.” Mason wrung his hands together and sighed. “Sorry. I just want this to be over.”
Pete’s expression softened. “We all do.”
“Let’s check on The Weasel,” said Brodie.
They all piled into the office, startling the hacker.
“Why are you all staring at me?” he said.
“Have you made any progress yet?” replied Brodie.
“I’m in the system. They’ve got some tough security but it wasn’t good enough to beat me. I’ve already found some very interesting information.”
“Like what?”
“The financial data you wanted, as well as some other stuff. I just need to download it but they’re trying to stop me. I’ll go into more detail when I’ve finished. This is a very delicate operation and I need to concentrate.”
“Well excuse me. How long will it take?”
“A few hours. As well as getting the information you want I need to delete my tracks too. They keep trying to lock me out but I’m managing to stay one step ahead.”
“Can’t you be more specific than a few hours?”
“It’ll take longer if you keep banging on at me, okay?”
“Alright, take it easy. You wantin’ a drink or something?”
“No, nothing while I’m working. But make sure to have a glass of iced water with a single slice of lemon ready for when I’m done in a tall thin glass. I can’t stand the short fat ones.”
“I’m surrounded by princesses,” sighed Pete, massaging the bridge of his nose.
“I’ve got it. I’ve got it,” shrieked a voice. “Oh yes.”
“Aye, we are dynamite together hen,” smiled Brodie sleepily.
“That wasn’t me,” said Cass.
Brodie yawned and forced himself to sit upright. Christ he was tired. He picked up his phone and squinted at the time. “It’s half two in the morning. What dick is making that racket?”
From the next room they heard a little voice say, “Mummy?”
“And the walloper’s woken up the wean too,” said Brodie.
They both got out of bed, Cass pulling on her jeans and t-shirt, which she’d left discarded on the floor. She’d been far too tired to hang them up. Brodie however simply strolled out of the bedroom wearing nothing but his underwear.
“Oh God,” said The Weasel, screeching to an appalled halt at the top of the stairs. “Put on some clothes.”
“You wake me up this is what you get.” Brodie glowered when his eyes flicked to the scars on his ribs, put there by the Judas bastard John Lyons. “Well what is it then?”
“I’ve got the information you wanted, as well as some other stuff.”
Any exhaustion Brodie had felt was eradicated in his excitement. “I’ll fling on some clothes then I’ll be down.”
The door to the room next to theirs was pulled open and Donaldson strode out, similarly attired in just his underwear.
“Don’t the men around here wear clothes?” grimaced The Weasel.
Cass was forced to admit that the sight of a nearly naked DS Donaldson was rather impressive. Apart from all the muscles, his body was covered in black swirling tattoos.
“You woke Petie,” he hissed at The Weasel.
“Sorry but I’ve cracked it.”
“You hacked in?”
He nodded.
“That’s brilliant.”
The doors to the other bedrooms all opened, everyone peering out bleary-eyed, all except the door to Pete’s room, which remained shut, the sound of horrific, violent snoring emanating from within.
“What is all the noise about?” said Gardner. “Who woke the child?”
“He did,” said Donaldson, pointing at The Weasel. “He’s got the information we needed from Higher Light’s servers.”
“Oh my God, that’s amazing,” said Steven. “To be honest, I wasn’t sure you’d manage it.”
“The system hasn’t been built that can keep me out,” said a proud Weasel.
“Let’s go downstairs and put the kettle on,” Cass told him. “Give them chance to sort themselves out.”
Brodie emerged from his room, fully dressed. “Elliott, go and wake the snoring walrus,” he told him before following Cass downstairs.
“Great,” he sighed.
Ten minutes later everyone was assembled in the dining room, gathered around The Weasel’s
laptop. Pete arrived last, stumbling into the room looking dazed, pulling on his shirt. His quiff was crumpled and confused, bobbing about his head as though it wasn’t sure which way it should lean. Freya remained upstairs, trying to soothe Petie back to sleep.
“What’s happening? What have you got?” demanded Pete before unleashing a yawn of epic proportions.
“I’ve got all the details of Higher Light’s financial history for the last three years,” announced The Weasel.
“What? That’s fucking beautiful.”
When Pete yawned again, Cass handed him a coffee.
“Ooh, ta hen,” he said, accepting it.
“The money comes into the church’s account then it’s distributed abroad into different accounts,” explained The Weasel. “Malachi’s charity is for children in poverty in the UK, so why does the money need to leave the country? And the amounts going into the charity’s account are nowhere near the amount that leaves the country.”
“You were right Steven,” said Brodie.
“Much more is siphoned out of the church’s accounts than is returned,” said The Weasel. “But wherever it goes isn’t on the church’s system.”
“Because it’s going into Malachi’s private accounts,” said Donaldson.
“To pay for all the big houses, fancy cars and expensive dinners,” said Brodie. “Well there’s no surprise in the financial records, it’s exactly what Steven told us was happening.”
“I bet Steven didn’t tell you about the roll call,” said The Weasel, eyes shining. He moved the mouse about the screen, clicked a few times and brought up a list of names. “It’s a list of everyone in Higher Light, not just in Glasgow but the entire country. They keep a record of everyone who joins the church. However, some names vanish off the list.”
“Maybe it’s people who left?” said Cass.
“It seems the only way people leave the church is in a wooden box. Some die of natural causes and that’s marked down on the roll call. Some are transferred to other compounds. It’s the transfers to Edinburgh that are really interesting. Look at this name for example, Mary Strachan…”
Brodie and Cass glanced at each other.
“She was sent to the Edinburgh compound from Glasgow and then she disappears. She doesn’t turn up on any of the work rostas, she doesn’t even seem to eat any food and she’s not the only one - people are transferred from Glasgow to Edinburgh then they drop off the face of the planet. Not all of them, some turn up but they get the really shitty jobs - cleaning the toilets, emptying the bins, acting as a servant to other members of the church.”
“That’s a form of punishment,” said Steven. “The humiliation of being treated like a slave is supposed to…”
“Drive out the devils?” said Gardner.
Steven nodded. “Exactly.”
“Well done Weasel,” said Brodie, patting his shoulder. “This is great work.”
“My name’s Barry,” he sighed.
“That’s no improvement.”
“We need to cross-reference the names of those who disappeared in the church with missing person’s,” said Pete.
“I’ve made a list of those who vanished,” said The Weasel, handing him a sheet of paper.
“Fantastic,” said Brodie. “You’re in for a bonus pal.”
“Thanks. The church kept trying to shut me out but they weren’t good enough. I deleted my footprints, they won’t be able to trace anything back to me or this location.”
“Right, here’s the plan,” said Pete. “Me and Donaldson will speak to Black first thing in the morning. Hopefully he’ll get us a search warrant for the compound, then we’ll start going through this list.”
“What can we do?” said Brodie.
“Lay low. You’ve done enough.”
“We can’t just sit around on our arses.”
“You can and you will. Hopefully we’ll have Malachi in custody by the end of the day.”
“Brodie, he’s right,” said Cass. “And wouldn’t it be nice to take it easy, just relax and plan a wedding?”
“A wedding?” said The Weasel. “Not you two?”
“Aye, us two,” Brodie told him. “You got a problem with that?”
“Some men have all the luck,” he sighed.
“Don’t look so down pal. You’re getting paid a hefty wedge.”
“When do I get that?”
“In the morning. Right, I’m going back to bed. The bedrooms are full but you can kip on the couch.”
“Sounds good,” he yawned. “I’m knackered. But I’ll need to get back to Elon first thing in the morning.”
“Don’t worry. Your pissy pussy will be fine.”
“Everyone back to bed,” said Pete. “We’re going to need our beauty sleep. Big day tomorrow.” He frowned at Gardner. “What’s up with your face Professor?”
“I fear what Malachi will do if he ever is brought down.”
“He will be, there’s no doubt about it.”
“A man like that can’t lose control. It’s simply not in his make-up and he’ll do everything he can to stop that from happening.”
“Like what?”
“I’m not sure but he does have a lot of resources at his disposal. If he feels things are spiralling out of his control he’ll take drastic action. And what will his disciples do when their adored leader is thrown into prison? They’re not going to take that kindly.”
“You remember Jeff said Malachi likes to recruit people with combat skills,” Cass told Brodie. “It’s why he wanted us. He’s building an army. Now why would he need to do that?”
A pall settled over their group.
“Well, on that cheerful note,” said Brodie, taking Cass’s hand. “We’re off to bed.”
“He gets her and I’m lumbered with the couch,” sighed The Weasel.
“You can always snuggle up with me,” said Pete, fluttering his eyelashes.
“With how loud you snore it sounds like you’re in the bed with us,” said Ross.
“Cheeky wee sod.”
CHAPTER 30
Brodie woke up the next morning and glanced at his phone. It was only six o’clock. For once he didn’t have to go anywhere or do anything. He turned over and nuzzled into Cass, basking in the feel of her soft warm skin.
“Someone’s wide awake,” she murmured when she felt him pressing against her.
“We get a day off hen, finally.”
She turned over to face him. “I thought you’d be going demented being forced to sit on your hands.”
“When was the last time we had a day off? It’ll be good to have some rest. The case is safe in Pete and Donaldson’s hands. They’ll bring in Malachi, he’ll get sent to prison and his cult will be torn apart. End of.”
“You think it’ll be that easy?”
“Maybe not but for the first time since this began the end is in sight.”
“Yes, it does feel that way.”
“I’m feeling a different way,” he said, hands slipping under the cover and sliding down her body.
“Mmmm, so I see,” she breathed.
Brodie released her and sat bolt upright.
“What is it?” she said, sitting up with him.
“Something’s wrong.”
They both strained to listen. Brodie was wondering whether recent events had made him paranoid, until he heard a footfall.
“It could be The Weasel,” she whispered.
“Nah. It feels all off.”
Quietly they got out of bed and slipped on their clothes. Brodie opened the bedroom door a crack and peeked out. He could hear nothing, however the feeling of unease refused to go, the sense of wrongness increasing.
Brodie padded barefoot downstairs first, Cass closely following. The thick carpet absorbed the sound of their footfalls. At the bottom they paused again to listen.
“Morning,” said a voice.
“Jesus,” exclaimed Brodie. “What did you make us jump for Weasel?”
“Actually
only you jumped, ya wee lassie. Cass remained cool and calm.”
“What are you doing wandering about this time of the morning?”
“I’m always up at this time. I need very little sleep. Want a brew?”
“Have you noticed anything odd?”
“Apart from you two creeping about, no. Pete and Donaldson have already left to speak to their superior.”
They all looked up at the sound of a thud from upstairs followed by a cry.
Brodie and Cass tore back upstairs, leaving The Weasel downstairs.
“The window’s open,” said Cass, gesturing to the window at the far end of the hallway.
Following the sounds, they burst into the room shared by Gardner and Steven to find the latter pinned to the floor by two disciples, who were attempting to restrain him with a cable tie. A third had pinned an ashen-faced Gardner up against the wall.
“You sly wee bastards,” exploded Brodie before he and Cass leapt into the fray.
Cass kicked the man holding Gardner in the face while Brodie hurled himself at the two pinning down Steven. One of them went rocketing across the room, hit the wall hard and slid down it, dazed. The second man produced a stun gun but Brodie had wrenched his arm up his back and head butted him before he even had the chance to use it.
“You okay?” said Brodie, helping a trembling Steven to his feet.
“Yes…thank you so much,” he whispered, tears in his eyes. “They said they were taking me back to the compound, that Malachi had to get out the devils that had infected me and made me turn from him. I didn’t want to go,” he ended, the tears spilling down his face.
A crash from another part of the house drew their attention.
“Go into our bedroom and lock the door,” Brodie told Steven and Gardner as he and Cass rushed out of the room.
They staggered back when one of the bedroom doors burst open and a bat came flying out, crashing into the opposite wall. With a groan he toppled over, out cold.
A naked Ross rushed out of the bedroom, brandishing a vase.
“My eyes,” exclaimed Brodie.
“My danglies saved my life,” said Ross. “That dick was standing over my bed with a stun gun. When I pulled off the duvet to jump up, he froze with shock.”
The Devil Inside Page 41
