Bred in the Bone

by Christopher Brookmyre

  Donnelly’s alibi was that he had been at home with his girlfriend, but the file testified to the investigating officers’ growing confidence that they could prevail upon her to come clean. They were sure the girlfriend was being pressured into lying out of a combination of loyalty and fear, and her story didn’t stand up. They knew she was working at the local community centre, fifty yards from the Shawburn Inn, and the attack happened less than an hour after she clocked off.

  When he read her name he almost choked on his apple.

  Dust

  Laura drove them past the railway station and took a left down a broad, tree-lined avenue, bordered either side by properties set back so far that only the occasional flash of sandstone could be glimpsed through gaps in the foliage. Then she turned right into a greyer, narrower street, a cul-de-sac that looked cut off from the blood supply that was richly colouring its surroundings.

  Miner’s Row was a tiny outcrop of (predominantly ex-) council housing on the verdant periphery of the enduringly affluent suburb of Capletmuir. It sat on the south-eastern outskirts of Glasgow, as the crow flies only a few miles from the schemes of Gallowhaugh, Shawburn and Croftbank, but a few light years in terms of social mobility. In fact, it might as well have existed in another dimension, and Catherine guessed Capletmuir’s residents would have preferred that, particularly when it came to the premiums for contents insurance.

  She was pretty sure Capletmuir was where Campbell Ewart had lived, or at least did when he was Under-Secretary of State for Scotland in the Thatcher cabinet. As she recalled, his home was often the subject of humorous comment because it was perilously close to the constituency border, back in a time when there was such a thing as a safe Tory seat in the west of Scotland; or indeed any Tory seats at all.

  In those days, Capletmuir used to be known locally as ‘the hamlet’, an enclave of opulent villas built in picturesque meadowland during the early nineteenth century by the merchants of the empire. These days, so many new private housing developments had sprung up around it that it was the dowdy Miner’s Row that was the isolated hamlet in their midst.

  It seemed a good fit: Brenda Sheehan’s number had been the conspicuous anomaly on the list of Stevie Fullerton’s mobile phone calls, a curious outlier among a familiar roster of known associates. Officers had been despatched to interview those who hadn’t been contacted already, but Catherine didn’t expect they would be any more forthcoming than their predecessors. This was why she had opted to tag along and provide corroboration when Laura spoke to Sheehan; that and the opportunity to share their confidential impressions of how the case was going, rather than the versions they presented to the squad and the brass.

  They also had the list of Fallan’s phone activity, which was unrevealing but for the curious fact that Jasmine Sharp had been in touch in the hours either side of his hitting Fullerton. What this indicated in the light of Beano’s discoveries, she wasn’t sure.

  ‘It’s been a longstanding nugget – and I think nugget is the appropriate word – of Glasgow bam lore that Fallan “disappeared” Jazz Donnelly,’ Catherine told Laura. ‘And that then Stevie Fullerton disappeared Fallan as payback for his cousin, albeit the latter’s case of death turned out to be of the extremely rare “nonfatal” strain. I take the point that Fallan waited a very long time to commence the next round of “to me, to you”, but his relationship with Jasmine Sharp might somehow have provided the catalyst. She was certainly the reason he finally blew cover a couple of years ago.’

  ‘I’ll admit I’ve been reluctant to rule out the idea that this was a paid gig,’ Laura admitted. ‘That Fallan was the means rather than the motive. But the fact that he got sloppy suggested otherwise. If somebody hired him to take out Fullerton, he wouldn’t have made the mistakes he did. Using his own car, doing it in front of witnesses, mask or not: it seemed hurried, improvised. But if he was rash and reckless because of the girl, it starts to get clearer.’

  ‘He’s always been very protective of her,’ said Catherine. ‘And I don’t just mean that as a figure of speech: I’m talking body language, like he’s ready to take a bullet, or at least loose off a few.’

  ‘You don’t think . . .?’

  ‘There’s certainly something at the heart of that strange wee triangle: Donnelly, Yvonne Sharp and Fallan. Has your top-secret inside source turned up anything interesting?’

  ‘Too early to say, but I’ll keep you posted.’

  Laura stopped right outside the address, there being no shortage of kerbside parking on Miner’s Row. Most of the front gardens had been amended to include a driveway at the side, with Brenda Sheehan’s one of the few falling into the non-monoblocked minority. They climbed out of the car into the autumn sunshine, Catherine immediately conscious of being monitored from across the road, where a wiry old woman in gardening gloves was peering over her hedge.

  Sheehan’s house was the left-hand part of a non-symmetrical semi, its drab roughcasting an almost absurdly stark contrast with the pointed brickwork of its right half. Indeed, the place was distinct in having a conspicuous absence of exterior improvements sufficient to suggest the council was still her landlord. Her grass looked in need of a cut, though it had not risen beyond the level that would have had Catherine nagging Drew. It was only marginally longer than on the postage stamp of lawn that remained next door, where the plot had been landscaped within an inch of its life.

  The layout of Sheehan’s garden probably hadn’t been altered since the place was built: lawns front and back, with a grey path leading to the front door and around to the rear, the concrete slabs flanked by thinning gravel and punctuated by thicker moss.

  Catherine had a glance up and noted that the venetian blinds were drawn over the first-floor windows. She checked her watch. George Osborne would not have approved.

  Laura pressed the doorbell. Catherine guessed, just from the tone of it, that nobody was home. She had rung a thousand of these things in her time, and you could usually tell. Anything generating sound or movement inside could have a slight dampening effect to the experienced ear, but this was reverberating with absolute clarity indicative of silence and stillness within.

  She strode across the lawn and had a peek through the downstairs windows. The venetian blinds were partially closed but she could still peer through the slits between, shading her brow with her hand against the reflected glare of watery sunshine. She saw discarded newspapers, full ashtrays and empty bottles, like the aftermath of a late but not particularly uproarious party.

  ‘Ghosts of bottles past,’ she muttered, quoting a song she had heard Drew playing the other day.

  Laura gave the bell another try, but to neither’s surprise there was no response. Sheehan hadn’t answered her mobile either, the recorded message saying it was switched off.

  Laura nodded to Catherine to indicate the approach of the woman in the gardening gloves, heading across the street with an inquisitive but purposeful expression.

  ‘Think we’re about to get chibbed by the neighbourhood watch,’ Laura said.

  ‘I reckon we can take her,’ Catherine replied. ‘Between us, anyway.’

  ‘I don’t know: those secateurs look badass.’

  They both turned and walked out to greet the concerned-looking neighbour.

  ‘Excuse me,’ she said, ‘would you be looking for Brenda? Brenda Sheehan?’

  ‘That’s right. We’re the police. We were hoping we could speak to her,’ Catherine said, guessing from her expression that the little lady had pegged them as polis as soon as they stepped out of the car, which was why she barely looked at the proffered warrant card. She wore a smile that was polite but tinged with worry, which didn’t augur well.

  ‘See, you don’t like to be nosy, but the thing is, I haven’t seen her in a couple of days, and those blinds have been the same all that time.’

  ‘Do you see her quite a bit?’ Laura asked.

  ‘Oh, yes. I’m always out in my garden. I see her coming back from the shops
most mornings. She goes to eight o’clock mass at St Stephen’s, every day, and gets her shopping on the way home. That’s why I was starting to get a bit concerned. I rang the door yesterday as well, but . . .’

  Catherine and Laura traded a look.

  ‘What’s your name?’ Laura asked.

  ‘Mari. Lamont. Mrs.’

  ‘Well, Mrs Lamont, we’ll have a wee look and see what we can see. For just now, I’d recommend you go back to your garden and we’ll let you know whatever we find out.’

  ‘Thank you. I’d appreciate it.’

  She retreated, looking all the more apprehensive than upon her approach.

  ‘I think that’s good enough reason to force an entry, what do you think?’ Catherine asked.

  ‘You’re the boss.’

  They took a walk around the back, where a cursory try revealed the back door to be unlocked.

  Catherine went first into the kitchen, where she was immediately assailed by a rotting smell. It wasn’t what she feared – not yet, at least. It was only food: unwashed plates in and around the sink, and the debris of takeaway and ready-meal cartons spilling from the top of an over-full bin.

  She spied a twelve steps poster on the back of the door leading out of the kitchen, while on one wall hung a framed print of a burning candle above the legend ‘One Day at a Time’. There was a sacred heart on the wall opposite, as well as a crucifix on a plinth sitting on the windowsill next to the sink.

  There were also an awful lot of empties.

  ‘Looks like somebody came off the wagon at quite a lick,’ Laura remarked.

  Catherine proceeded cautiously out into the hall, where the dust bunnies hugging the skirting boards looked like they were on steroids. In places the carpet crunched underfoot, with crumbs and other debris trodden into the pile. The place didn’t look to be neglected, however: the walls were brightly painted and the carpet itself looked like it would scrub up well if it got some TLC from Mr Dyson.

  She stepped into the living room for a clearer view, bracing herself for the possibility of finding Miss Sheehan lying dead behind the couch, out of sight of the windows. She saw nothing she hadn’t seen when she spied through the gaps in the blinds. In keeping with the kitchen and the hall, she got the impression of a well-kept little home whose owner had recently undergone an unfortunate change in priorities.

  ‘Partying solo,’ Laura observed, noting the presence of only one glass on the coffee table, next to an empty vodka bottle.

  Catherine took in the crucifix on the wall and the framed photos of the last two popes.

  ‘I’m not getting a rock’n’roll vibe, though,’ she observed.

  They retreated back into the hall, where they stopped at a miniature holy water font mounted on the wall just inside the front door.

  ‘Had to hold off dipping that and blessing myself,’ Laura admitted. ‘Pavlovian response. Not actually been to church other than hatches, matches and dispatches since I was about twelve.’

  ‘I think it might be too late for prayers, though,’ Catherine said as she began to notice the odour. ‘You smell that?’

  Laura wrinkled her nose then nodded grimly.

  It got stronger as they climbed the stairs, and so did Catherine’s resigned sense of dread. Being around dead bodies had long since ceased to bother her, but not knowing what sight was about to confront her didn’t get any easier. Similarly, the smell was something she had become swift to identify but never got used to.

  Sometimes she could smell it for hours later, imagining it must have adhered to her clothes. She couldn’t help worrying what might adhere to her brain when she saw the source; how long might she have to sit outside in the driveway tonight in order to leave this sight in the car.

  There was a bathroom at the top of the stairs, the door slightly ajar to reveal a lino floor and the edge of a towel rail. Catherine nudged it open with outstretched fingers, having to push harder than she had anticipated against a stiff hinge. It revealed a lemon-coloured bath suite, the tub dry, not even a hint of condensation on the surrounding tiles. It hadn’t been used recently.

  They proceeded slowly, reluctantly, along the narrow top hall, where three further doors were closed tight.

  Laura opened the nearest, Catherine bracing herself for the olfactory onslaught. It revealed only a boiler cupboard.

  Catherine stepped across the dusty carpet and gripped the handle of the door opposite, turning until she heard the click. Mindful of the stiff hinge in the bathroom, she gave it a good shove, but either it had been better oiled or had been planed in the past to accommodate a deeper carpet, as it flew open and bounced most of the way back.

  This was a mercy, the brief glimpse affording her and Laura a kind of thumbnail preview of the scene inside. There was less mercy afforded their noses.

  Brenda Sheehan was lying on her bed, face-up with her head on her pillow. Her mouth was open, twisted into an endless silent scream, and her lifeless eyes bulged in terrified astonishment.

  Catherine’s eyes searched her for signs of injury, some physical testament to whatever had provoked this permanent gaze of horror. There were no wounds, no bruises, but there was dried sick on her chin and chest, with more spattered about the duvet.

  ‘I’m not the expert,’ Catherine admitted, ‘but I think she may have choked on her own vomit.’

  ‘And there was you saying you weren’t getting a rock’n’roll vibe.’

  Catherine glanced around the bedroom but neither of them stepped any further inside so as not to contaminate the scene. It was a modest little place, sparse and lonely: almost cell-like. There was very little in the way of personalisation, with a framed black-and-white photo on the wall the only item Catherine had so far spotted that didn’t have religious or AA connotations. It showed a woman and a man standing next to what she recognised as the Astraglide chute at Blair Drummond Safari Park. Having spent many hours waiting at the foot of the thing over the years, she had little difficulty identifying it. The woman could have been Brenda Sheehan, she didn’t know. She looked around forty, her hairstyle and clothes suggested it was the early eighties.

  At first glance Catherine thought it wasn’t a very flattering shot of the man, until a longer inspection indicated that his awkward and glaiket expression wasn’t down to the camera catching him at a bad moment. He looked about forty, but was wearing a Yogi Bear T-shirt and getting his picture taken at the Safari Park with no kids in the shot. ‘Learning difficulties’ was the phrase these days. Special needs. Catherine wondered who he was to Brenda, and why this was the only picture of him on display.

  More pressingly, she wondered what Stevie Fullerton could possibly want with an ageing spinster who, until her relapse, appeared to have lived like a nun. She looked again at the photo, thinking she could see a resemblance between the pair: was he a brother?

  Her eyes were drawn briefly to the dressing table close by, against the wall. Something about it bothered her, but she couldn’t yet pin down what. Maybe it just reminded her of one a relative used to have: an old-fashioned piece with curved legs and a glass top.

  In contrast to her own at home – not actually a dressing table, merely the top of a chest of drawers serving the same purpose – it bore very few items: a hairbrush, a hair-drier, a roll-on deodorant and a tub of talcum powder. Catherine had so much crap scattered on hers that Drew frequently complained about how long it took to move and replace everything when he was dusting.

  That was it: there was no dust.

  The carpet beneath looked as manky as downstairs, suggesting somebody whose retreat inside a bottle had not permitted any sorties to push the vacuum cleaner around.

  Catherine looked at the skirting. There were grey clumps at the carpet’s edges, same as in the top hall, but the tops of the boards themselves were spotless.

  She got down on her knees and had a look under the bed. It was cleaner there than anywhere else: also, she would have to admit, in radical contrast to her own bedroom.


  ‘What is it?’ Laura asked.

  ‘I’m not sure, but I think the late Miss Sheehan might not be the only thing around here that’s starting to smell.’

  Friends

  ‘Heard my boys just got there in the nick of time,’ Glen’s host said, striding across an expanse of carpet in his vast front room. ‘I’m Tony, by the way. Tony McGill.’

  Glen knew who he was. Everybody did. He’d only been anything like this close to him once before, however. It had been at the Spooky Woods, back when Glen was about twelve. He had been out there one November night, wandering around just to stay out of the house, when he recognised his dad’s Rover parked behind a black Jag.

  He saw a man get out of the Jaguar’s passenger side, a second figure remaining at the wheel. The man came around the rear of the car, removed something from the boot and then ambled around to the Rover, a polythene bag clutched in one hand, twisted at the neck so that the contents weren’t dangling. His head was down, his face obscured. Glen knew he seemed familiar, just couldn’t place him. Definitely not a polis, certainly not one of the usual crew anyway.

  He climbed into the Rover on the passenger side and shut the door behind him. The inside light had come on in response to the door opening, then Glen saw an arm go up to the switch to ensure it stayed on once the door closed again.

  He watched his dad lean forward, checking something on top of the dashboard. Money: he was counting money. Glen still couldn’t see the other guy properly because he was turned around to face Dad.

  The counting complete, the money went back into the poly bag and the light went out. Glen waited, expecting the man to exit, but he stayed in place. Glen saw his dad reach into the back seat and a few moments later they were both opening cans. They chinked them together – cheers – then began supping: big pals together, or perhaps toasting some kind of deal.

  Glen believed in the polis back then. He needed to. At that stage he still wanted to be one. He knew his dad was a tyrant, but if there were criminals out there, then surely Dad was the kind of guy you’d want out there fighting them: hardline, punitive, uncompromising. It was the equation that made sense of his home life. Dad was the way he was because he had a difficult job: it made him tough at home because he needed to be tough out there on the streets. He held everybody to the letter of his law at home, just like he held the bad guys to the letter of the law.