That evening, after they'd eaten, Joe told Sam what Neil had said. He was in the kitchen, drying dishes and putting them away.
'But that's insane,' she said shaking her head, 'anyone can see she's crazy about him. You've only got to see the way she looks at him.'
'That's what I thought, too.'
'It must be something else.'
'It's a bloody shame if the relationship breaks down before it's really got going.'
'I agree,' Sam said earnestly.
'They're good for each other. Neil's self-confidence took a hell of a dive when Gudrun left him and went back to Germany.'
'Come on,' she said getting up. 'Let's go and ask Maddie what the problem is.'
'We can't get involved,' he said, drying his hands on the tea towel.
'Why not – we've all been through a lot together. We can't just let them split up because of some kind of misunderstanding.'
* * *
When they got to the steading, Ana opened the door and, in the living room, they found Madalina packing things into a large cardboard box. She muttered a greeting but continued with what she'd been doing.
'We've got to leave.' said Ana. 'Scott's got some people coming for holidays after two weeks.'
'Oh, right, of course,' said Joe, 'I'd forgotten it's only a temporary let. What are you going to do?'
'There's a flat in Dunbar we're goin' to,' she replied. 'Bit of a dump, but it'll be okay.'
'Show me how much stuff you've got to move. There's plenty of room in the back of the Duster if I fold down the seats. I could come over on Saturday morning and give you a hand to move it all.'
Ana led the way through into the bedroom followed by Joe, and she pointed to items that they'd acquired in the short time that they'd stayed there. While they were out of the room, Sam walked over to Maddie and put her arms around her.
She came straight to the point. 'Neil told Joe that he wants to marry you and you turned him down. Why, Maddie? Anyone can see that you love him.'
Madalina burst into tears and ran out of the house before Joe and Ana came back. Sam ran after her and caught up with her in the courtyard.
She turned with an anguished look on her face. 'I do love him, Sam, but it just him being sorry for me, 'cos of this!' she sobbed, pointing to the scar on her face. 'I can't let him marry me just 'cos he got pity for me!'
Samantha put her arms around the taller woman, pulling her close, and Maddie leaned against her with tears trickling down her cheeks. Joe came out, looking for them.
Sam turned to him. 'She says she can't marry Neil because of her damaged face, Joe – She says he's just taking pity on her because of what they did to her.'
'Oh, Maddie, you're so wrong.' he cried. 'Neil's crazy about you. You've been the best thing that's happened to him in ages ... Look, we talked about you after you came out of hospital – when you looked far worse than you do now ... And he told me he'd been let down twice before by pretty girls who had no integrity ... It's what's inside that matters, he said – not their looks … And now he only ever rates women by how honest they are, their personality and their actions.
'But …..'
'And then he said you were the most beautiful woman he'd ever met.'
* * *
Chief Superintendent Mark Graham was walking through the offices, stopping occasionally to speak to Officers and catch up with the progress of investigations and Police initiatives that were ongoing.
'Ah, here she is – Detective Inspector Rushforth,' he said.
'Yes sir,?'
'How does it feel – the promotion, June?'
'Very good, sir. Thank you for the recommendation,' she replied smiling.
'Not at all. You've earned it this year.'
'Thanks again, sir … Oh, by the way, while you're here, there is something that I wanted to have a chat with you about.'
'Okay?'
'Frank Mannion, sir.'
Graham looked interested. 'Yes, when's his case due in the courts?'
'About six weeks time – end of July.'
'Good. I'm looking forward to seeing him go down for a spell. He could get anything up to fourteen years for trafficking.'
'Yes sir, but it's something else, something I think might be linked.'
'Carry on.'
'You'll recall that a couple of weeks after we pulled in Mannion and Gratz and the others mentioned on the computer, there was an incident in East Lothian when two guys who were on Mannion and McNeil's payroll were found, badly beaten up, in a barn.'
'I remember – they wouldn't tell us anything about the gang that did it to them.'
'No, sir, and they still haven't said anything.'
'So what's new then, June.'
'Last week one of our East Lothian Officers was at a meeting. He was doing a liaison duty at a local Community Council meeting. Well, when it was over, he got talking to a gamekeeper from one of the large estates and they chatted about that incident.'
'And?'
'The gamekeeper said that a little while before it happened, he'd noticed a car in the area on a few occasions. It was a white Dacia 4x4, and he paid it particular attention because they are uncommon. They also are getting a pretty good reputation, off-road and on, and are inexpensive – long and short of it – he was interested in getting one for himself. He hasn't seen it again since the incident, though.'
'And?'
'And he said it was pretty new – last year's or this year's model – and two of the letters in the registration plate were the same as his wife's initials – CP. The cop told me the story, because he'd met me when we interviewed the two injured guys, Doig and Antonelli. I checked on-line, and there were only three possibilities in Southern Scotland.'
'Carry on.'
Inspector Rushforth was pleased by the interest being shown by the Chief Superintendent.
'One is owned by an Edinburgh architect – Joe Sutherland. He's never been in trouble with the law and he's not on our radar.'
'But?'
'You might also recall, sir, towards the end of last year, there was a serious incident when a woman was attacked by two men in the Craiglockhart area of the city.'
'Yes, I do remember that. A particularly vicious attack wasn't it? Didn't the woman have a miscarriage as a result?'
'Yes she did and, at the time, she said she had no idea who her attackers were – said it must have been a case of mistaken identity. Thing is – Samantha McKay's her name … she's the partner of Joe Sutherland.'
'Is that so. That is a coincidence. Well done June – good detective work ... The point is, though, what do you intend to do with the information?'
'I'm seeking your advice, sir.'
'Well, if Doig and Antonelli are keeping their mouths shut, and McKay and Sutherland claim that they don't know who attacked her, there isn't a lot you can do. You'll have to establish that a crime has been committed for a start. Then if you begin to interview Sutherland, you'll put him on his guard. I think that you should keep your powder dry – see if anything comes up during the court cases – but write a note for the file, just in case there are any further developments in the future.'
'Yes, sir. Thank you, sir.'
'Any news on McNeil.'
Rushforth shook her head. 'Afraid not, sir. He's not surfaced to our knowledge since he did the runner in Hull. We've been keeping our ear to the ground, hoping that he'll come back to visit his mum. So far, though, nothing.'
'Okay. Well, keep up the good work, Inspector, and be sure to keep me informed of any developments.'
* * *
It was just after lunchtime and they had gathered in the conference room. Paul lifted the phone and called Joe who was down in the basement studio.
'Could you come up and join us, Joe,' he said.
Joe climbed the stairs and crossed the reception area to the glass walled room.
'I hope you're not in trouble,' said Alison as he passed, and he turned and smiled at her.
They were sitting around the
oval table, in their usual seats, with Paul in the centre of one of the long sides. Immediately opposite him sat Neil with George Henderson beside him. Liz was next to Paul.
'Hi guys,' smiled Joe. 'No Fraser? I thought I saw him come in, half an hour ago.'
'That's why we asked you to join us,' Paul said. 'Fraser's handed in his notice.'
'That's a bit sudden, isn't it? He hasn't said anything to me.'
'He's setting up a new Practice,' said George. 'His father-in-law is expanding his empire. Fraser's got the job of designing three new garden centres. He's going to use those projects to establish his new office.'
'A little while ago, he did tell me the new garden centres were being planned, but I thought he intended to bring the work into the office.'
'Well, anyway, that's the situation,' said Paul, looking up. 'And this morning, I got an unexpected call from Derek Baxter. It seems he left KRS Developments a couple of months ago, and he's gone into partnership with another two guys. Between them, they've got some really good contacts and as you know Derek has a strong track record. He said they've acquired a site in a run-down part of Leith, and his words were, “we want you to design us an award-winning, low cost, housing development”'
'That's fantastic.'
'Yeah, it's great news, but Fraser moving on leaves us short of a Director ... We've talked it through, and Neil, Liz and myself would like you to take it on. How about it, Joe. Will you join us?'
'Wow, that's a bit sudden,' Joe said, taken aback. 'I'll have to think about it'. He glanced slowly around the faces that were still looking at him expectantly . 'Er, I've thought about it – thanks very much. I accept!'
* * *
Two days later, to celebrate Joe's new appointment, Paul booked a table in Raphael's. He had invited everyone who had been involved in the raids on Carlo's and Mannion's house and the blackmailing of Smythe, during the previous year, with the single exception of Fraser.
A waiter pushed two tables together so that there was seating for eight, which occupied almost half of the tiny restaurant. Joe introduced Maddie to Liz, Julia and George and, as they moved towards the table, he made sure that he had a seat beside her.
'Couldn't Ana come?' he said, sitting down.
'She's met a guy from Haddington. He's a car mechanic an' she's nuts 'bout him. He's just as crazy 'bout her, an' tonight they're going looking at a house they want to rent together.'
Just then, Joe saw Neil arrive and he jumped back up. 'Sit here, Neil. I'm needing to have a chat with Julia.' Before he had time to protest, Joe had moved around the table and already seated himself beside Julia. He looked across the table at Sam, who was between Madalina and George. She smiled and winked at him. Beside him an excited Julia looked as if she was about to burst.
'What is it, Jules?' he asked.
'Paul and Liz have offered me a promotion as an Associate!' she exclaimed.
'I know,' said George, smiling at her. 'You've earned it, lassie. You've been working your socks off this year.'
'That's excellent,' Joe said. 'I can't think of anyone who deserves it more. I'm really pleased for you, Jules.'
The waiter came over. He handed out menu's and reeled off the evening's specials.
'Me too – I've got some good news as well.' said Liz, after they'd given their orders. 'My Stevie's been selected to swim for Scotland schools. They're competing against teams from England, Wales and Ireland. It's going to be in Glasgow in September.'
'Good for Steven. Well, we all know how hard he's been training this year,' said Paul. 'and I hope he recognizes the part you've been playing in getting him there.'
'It's not a problem and anyway I'm expecting everyone to come and cheer him on.'
''Course we will.' George said. 'Just give us the date and we'll all get it in our diaries.'
Later in the evening, when the coffee was being served, Sam left her seat and went to the toilet. Joe got up and moved to sit in her seat beside Madalina. Her eyes were shining and she had the broadest of smiles on her face.
'You two look a lot happier.' he grinned. 'At least you're back talking to each other now.'
'Ya, 'an you won't need to come and move stuff for me on Saturday, now Joe.' she said. 'Neil's coming – I'm moving in with him.'
'Oh, that's great. Party at yours next week, then?'
'If you want. You can all come'
'Yeah, that's right. Party at our place on Saturday,' Neil said, smiling – the dark cloud that had hung over him for days had evaporated.
Sam returned to claim her seat. 'Hey, Sutherland, I'm sitting there. Move!'
'Maddie's moving in with Neil,' he replied, looking up.
She smiled and bent forward, kissing Madalina on the cheek. 'You've seen some sense at last, girl. Congratulations. I'm really pleased for both of you.'
It was after eleven o'clock, when Paul finally stood up. 'I've got to love you and leave you all, I'm afraid. I told Jo I wouldn't be too late, and now I can hear East Lothian beckoning.'
He went to pay the bill. It was the cue for the party to break up and everyone to head for home. Outside the restaurant, it was still a pleasant evening, mild and still. Joe stopped on the pavement and reached out to take hold of Samantha's hand. He pulled her towards him and put his arms around her waist, hugged and kissed her.
'You know, love,' he said. 'It's been a hell of a year!
* * *
Disclaimer
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, incidents and dialogue are products of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual people, living or dead, events or locales is entirely coincidental.
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