Fire in the Blood

by George McCartney

  Visibly shaken by the arson attack, Annie nervously laughed and said, ‘Well it certainly works for me, boss. But I mean who would want to? Wait a minute, are you thinking this could be the nut job who threatened to kill you on my first day at work here?’

  ‘Probably, Annie. He’s done this before.’

  Chapter 16

  Jack then made a phone call to the CID room at Glasgow City Centre police office and, after getting transferred several times, he eventually got hold of Andy Welch, who he had known briefly as a cocky young detective constable, shortly before Jack’s sudden resignation from the force. An hour later, Jack and Annie met up with Andy at the Royal Bar. The men shook hands and Jack then introduced Annie and asked his ex-colleague how things were going back at CID HQ.

  ‘Morale’s not the best at the moment, Jack, to be perfectly honest. There have been loads of changes recently, as you probably know. And there seems to be a different new initiative every week, at the same time as ongoing job losses and cut backs to the civilian support staff. So most of front line cops are getting bogged down in admin hell, instead of being out on the street doing their job.’

  ‘Nothing changes,’ said Jack, cynically. ‘It’s always been the same whenever a new top banana comes on the scene. Their brief is always to shake everything up and they usually don’t much care exactly where the pieces fall. Although the big Police Scotland reorganisation, that was pushed through by the Scottish Executive, has obviously made things worse. But I hear that healthy pay rises are being pushed through for the top brass. I bet that’s really cheered the troops up, right?’

  ‘Don’t get me started on that can of worms,’ said Andy sourly. ‘Anyway, it’s a long time no see, Jack. How are things out there in the private sector?’ Without waiting for an answer, Andy continued quickly, ‘Look, we’re due you an apology, Jack. I checked out that name you gave me on the phone, Thomas Burke. You really should have been notified before his release from Shotts prison.’

  ‘Yeah, thanks for that Andy. A heads-up would have been nice.’

  Jack then explained about the threatening phone call, which Annie had taken two days prior to the arson attack. And he told the younger man that, in his opinion, Burke was the only likely culprit.

  However, not expressing any undue concern, Andy nodded professionally and advised, ‘Well I think there’s a good chance he’ll probably just leave it at that, Jack. You know, it was probably a bit of a wind-up; a “we’re even now” kind of thing.’

  Jack shook his head in disbelief and looked at his ex-colleague with contempt. ‘I take it you haven’t even read his file, because if you had you would know that when he was rampaging around the centre of Glasgow twenty years ago, that wasn’t Burke’s style at all. He never forgives and he never forgets either. He always bides his time and then …’

  ‘Well that was all a long time ago, Jack,’ interrupted Andy, with a condescending smile. ‘The game’s moved on quite a bit from your day. As I said before, now we’re mainly up to our bollocks in paperwork and trying to make the crime stats look good for our new boss. His top priorities, apart from the Edinburgh saunas, seem to be meeting the so-called Key Performance Indicator targets, which involve racking up loads more convictions for speeding, driving while using a mobile phone and not wearing seat belts.’

  ‘So where does attempted murder and arson figure in the new priority pecking order, Andy? Are you trying to tell me that unless Burke gets stopped for not wearing a seatbelt, while making a phone call, you don’t have much chance of catching him?’

  ‘No, of course not, Jack. But we have to be realistic, that’s what I’m saying. Okay, we know what he looked like on the day he was released from prison two weeks ago, but he could have changed his appearance since then. Also we don’t know what he usually wears, where he’s living or what he’s driving. And we don’t know if it definitely was Thomas Burke who set the fire at your office. It could just as easily have been some daft kid carrying out a random act of vandalism. It just depends how you look at it, don’t you see?’

  ‘Yeah, I see Andy. I can see perfectly.’

  As Annie went off to speak to her Aunt Peggy at the bar, Andy closely watched her leave and nodded approvingly. ‘I did hear a little bird in the office say that the JD Investigations workforce had doubled in size recently. And very nice your new start is too. A little bit skinny for my taste, but there is definitely something about her. If she played her cards right, she could make it onto my to-do list.’ He then nudged Jack in the ribs with his elbow and said confidentially, ‘You dirty, lucky old bastard, Jack. Maybe you could put in a good word for me. You know, for old time’s sake.’

  Jack bit his lip, gripped his pint glass tightly and said nothing.

  ‘I take it you are … you know, giving her one? I mean why else would you hire a tart like her?’

  Jack replied coldly, ‘First impressions can be really deceptive, Andy. I mean to the casual observer you look as if you might actually be an intelligent conscientious cop, instead of a lazy incompetent twat who would have difficulty finding his big fat arse in a darkened room.’

  ‘Come on Jack, I can understand you’re a bit shaken up by what happened back at your office, but that’s a bit strong. Okay, I admit it, I haven’t read the Burke file but I did make time to speak to an assistant warden at Shotts prison. He said that Burke was quite the model prisoner. He kept his nose clean, didn’t start any fires and even got a job in the library as a reward for good behaviour. In fact he said that Burke had completed an Open University degree course of some kind.’

  ‘Look, the bastard’s been conning the shrinks all his life. I know this guy, he’s not changed a bit. No way.’

  ‘Come on, you should know how this works better than anyone, Jack, I need to consider all of the possibilities. Maybe he is a reformed character and maybe it was someone else you’ve pissed off big-time who did this. I’m not saying that’s what happened, I’m just saying, it’s possible. So let’s try and keep an open mind on this one, until we get some hard evidence one way or another, and then we can take things forward.’

  Andy then looked at his watch, finished his drink and got up to leave. ‘Okay then Jack, here’s my card with contact details. And don’t worry, I’m going straight back to the office right now to arrange for a priority alert about your friend Burke to be sent out city wide. I’ve also got your mobile number and email address, and I’ll personally keep you up to speed with any developments.’ Patting Jack on the shoulder, he winked and then flashed his best winning smile to Annie, ‘Really nice to meet you, please try and keep this grumpy old bastard out of trouble.’

  ‘That seemed to go well then,’ said Annie, who had missed most of the men’s conversation whilst chatting to her aunt. ‘I mean it’s good, isn’t it, that your old friend Andy is on the case. Hopefully they’ll be able to pick Burke soon and then we can all relax.’

  ‘Friend? Fucking arsehole, more like,’ spat Jack. ‘Honestly, I’m not holding my breath, Annie, for him to pull out all the stops looking for Burke. He seemed much more interested in perving at your butt, than listening to anything I was telling him.’

  Annie gave him a strange questioning look and Jack unwisely blundered on. ‘I mean, not that there’s anything wrong with a man, you know, discreetly checking out an attractive young woman’s, ahem … bits and bobs.’

  Annie giggled, ‘Bits and bobs? I’ve never heard them called that before. Look relax boss, you don’t need to explain anything. I’m a big girl and I know exactly how the man – woman, lookee lookee thing works. As long as they don’t try to touch without permission, that’s when the trouble starts.’

  Jack slapped his forehead and said, ‘Oh bugger, I forgot to ask Andy if the prison had sent him a recent picture of Burke. We really need to know what he looks like, after eighteen years banged up.’

  Taking Andy’s card, she picked up her mobile and quickly tapped away. ‘No probs, I’ll send a text right now and get him to ema
il one.’

  ‘So what did Peggy want?’ said Jack.

  ‘Oh, she was just being nosey. You know, wondering what’s going on. She’s an amazing woman. She always seems to have a sixth sense when something bad has happened.’

  ‘Oh God, you didn’t tell her about the fire at the office, did you?’

  ‘Absolutely not, she’d have locked me up in the beer cellar until Burke’s caught. But she does know something’s going on. I can never fool her for long.’

  ‘I’m starting to feel a bit paranoid Annie, I really think we need to take some extra precautions until this whole thing blows over. We can talk about it first thing tomorrow back in the office. But for now, leave Senga in a different car park overnight and then cycle home by a different route, doubling back now and again just to make sure there’s no one following you.’

  ‘I’ll be fine boss, honestly.’

  ‘Good night then, Annie. And if you’re worried about anything, phone me right away. Okay?’

  ‘No worries, boss. I’ve got your moby number at the three spot on my speed dial list, right after Domino’s Pizza and the off-licence round the corner from my flat.’

  Chapter 17

  When she finally arrived home Annie made herself a sandwich and sat with a cold beer, staring blankly at the television for half an hour. Then, feeling exhausted by the day’s events, she decided to have an early night. However, sleep did not come easily as she went over in her head again and again the implications for her immediate job prospects. She found it hard to second-guess exactly what her boss would decide to do next, with the sinister fire-raiser Burke now back in circulation, after eighteen years of hard time in the Scottish prison system, and apparently hell-bent on revenge. Having just found her dream job, would she now have it snatched away from her, because Jack wanted to distance her completely from JD Investigations, for her own safety?

  Suddenly sitting up in bed, Annie found herself immediately awake from a deep dreamless sleep, feeling startled and anxious without knowing why. Her bedside clock read 3.35a.m. Without moving, she listened for several minutes wondering if a car alarm out in the street, or perhaps a domestic disturbance in one of neighbouring flats, had roused her. But the only thing that broke the silence was the loud thumping of her heart. Not normally susceptible to an overactive imagination, or the night terrors, she breathed deeply and tried to regain control of her emotions. And then in an instant she realised that it wasn’t a noise that had disturbed her … it was a smell. There was a distinct smell of petrol here in her flat.

  Immediately fearing that the madman Burke had broken in, she leapt from her bed and grabbed an illegal pepper spray from a bedside drawer. With the noxious spray in one hand and her mobile phone gripped tightly in the other, she then tiptoed silently towards the bedroom door. She froze and whispered a curse as a squeaky floorboard threatened to betray her presence.

  Annie forced herself to keep absolutely still and listen, but she heard nothing. Her flat felt empty and silent. Forcing herself to think logically, she decided that if Burke had somehow broken in whilst she was asleep, she would surely be all too aware of his presence by now. Flicking the lobby light on, she quickly checked the flat entrance door and was relieved to find that it was still locked and secure, with no evidence of forced entry. However, confirming her suspicions, the source of the smell which had pervaded her home was immediately obvious. A filthy petrol-soaked rag lay directly underneath the letterbox, staining the carpet, with an open book of matches adjacent, on which a blood chilling threat had been written in red ink … UR1STBITCH

  Spooked and unsure what to do next, Annie phoned Jack, who picked up immediately. She quickly explained what had happened and he then told her, ‘Okay Annie, I’ll phone the police and try and get hold of Andy Welch, if he’s on duty. You pack a bag, essentials only, and I’ll be round for you by taxi in about twenty minutes.’

  When Jack arrived at Annie’s flat, the police had already arrived in force and were in the middle of taking her statement and processing the crime scene. When the opportunity arose, he took her aside and gave her a brief hug and was relieved that she seemed remarkably calm, despite Burke’s visit to her home.

  Half an hour later, as the police forensic team were finishing their work, Andy Welch bustled into the flat and was quickly briefed by the senior police officer on site. He then joined Jack and Annie in the flat’s small kitchen and said, ‘Jack, I’m rapidly coming round to your way of thinking about Burke. He obviously knows where you both live and work, so that makes you extremely vulnerable if he intends to try anything else. Although I can organise drive-by checks at all three locations every hour or so, we simply don’t have the resources to baby-sit you both 24/7. You maybe haven’t had a chance to think about re-locating on a temporary basis. But, if you want me to, I can check and see if any of the safe houses we have here in the city are available for a couple of nights, just till you decide what to do.’

  Jack shook his head and said, ‘Thanks for the offer, Andy, but I think we’ll make our own arrangements.’

  ‘Jack, following our last little chat, I did actually read Burke’s file and I have a feeling that this might get a lot worse before it gets better. I would be a lot happier if you’re both tucked up safely out of the way, until we can pick him up. If I was you, I’d take a holiday somewhere nice and warm. Relax on a beach for a couple of weeks till all this blows over. Anyway, we’re nearly done here, so I’ll be heading off. But remember, if you do change your mind about the safe house, let me know. Otherwise I’ll be in touch if there any developments.’

  With the police finally packed up and gone, Jack patiently explained to Annie how seriously he now took the threat posed by Burke. ‘It’s a long story, Annie. That’s for another day, but for your own safety I think you really need to get as far away from me as possible. For once Andy’s right, so if you’ve got an auntie in Australia who has a spare bedroom, now would be a really good time to pay her a visit.’

  ‘Well I don’t. But what’s wrong with the safe house option, at least until we have a plan?’

  ‘From past experience, I don’t rate that option as being very safe at all. I think the safe option is to tell as few people as possible about our movements, especially the police. Look, I’m going to stay here in Glasgow till this thing is finished, one way or another, but you need to get out.

  You could be on a plane to Ibiza in a few hours, for a bit of sun and clubbing, my treat. What do you think?’

  Annie remained unmoved and said, ‘Well I’ve never been a policeman, but I think the safe option is for both of us to get out of the city for a while. If we split up now he can pick us off one at a time, but if we stick together we can watch each other’s back. I know somewhere safe, well off the grid, where we can go for a while. It’s also a good bit nearer and much cheaper than Ibiza or Australia.’

  Jack was secretly pleased that Annie had decided not to prematurely end their working relationship and he made a solemn promise to himself that he would do everything in his power to keep her safe.

  ‘Okay then, if we’re leaving, there are a few things that we need to take care of first before we go. I’ll seal off your letterbox, in case the bastard comes back for another go. While I’m doing that, you could go online and see about diverting mail deliveries, from both our home addresses and the office, to separate PO boxes in the city centre, where we can collect our post as and when.’

  Jack had brought with him several small pieces of wood, a hammer and a bag of nails, which he then used to secure the flat’s letterbox flap, saying, ‘I don’t know if this will do any good, but it just makes me feel better to be doing something.’

  ‘But that’s the problem, isn’t it?’ replied Annie. ‘At the moment everybody’s reacting to Burke’s moves. We need to think of a way to turn things round, to try and get one step ahead of him.’

  ‘Okay then, let’s get a taxi back to the office, where I’ll fix the letterbox there and also divert a
ll incoming calls to our mobile numbers. Then we can pick up Senga and head round to my flat to do the last letterbox job and collect my bag of stuff. After that … I’m really sorry, Annie, I don’t know what happens after that.’

  Chapter 18

  When they arrived at the alternative car park, chosen the previous evening by Annie, they found that paint stripper had been liberally poured over Senga’s bonnet, wings and roof. The crumpled boot and rear bumper, which Jack had temporarily secured with duct tape, following events at the Greenbank Sports Centre, was the only area of the car which had been spared the chemical assault.

  Walking round the car, shaking his head in disbelief at the curled, peeling paintwork, Jack cursed, ‘Fucking hell, would you look at that. Poor old Senga.’

  ‘I’m really sorry, boss, first your office and now your car. You’re really getting your chain pulled big style. But, trying to look on the bright side of things, I think the way Senga looks right now she’ll definitely make the Turner Prize shortlist.’

  ‘Burke’s had eighteen years of lying staring up at the ceiling of a prison cell to plan all of this, Annie. I think you’re right. Getting out of his crosshairs for a few days, by leaving Glasgow, is absolutely the right call for both of us. Let’s go.’

  As Annie drove south from Glasgow on the M77, she indicated for a left turn and then took the slip road signposted for the Silverburn out of town shopping centre.

  ‘What’s happening?’ said Jack.

  ‘There aren’t any big supermarkets where we’re going, so we need to pick up enough supplies for a few days, just until we decide what to do. There’s a big Tesco Extra in here, so it won’t take me long. Are you coming in?’

  Annie collected a trolley and they both entered the supermarket. As she headed towards the huge food section, Jack wandered purposefully in the direction of the booze shelves. Having filled a basket with his priority purchases, a selection of bottles and cans, he then waited outside the entrance for Annie, who appeared ten minutes later with four bags of non-alcoholic essentials.