Shadow of the Castle

by Matthew Macleod

  ‘Orite Steve, what you saying man?’

  Through the hall, they could all hear Dave inspecting the rest of the flat and the two civilians waited for the inevitable. The door to the spare bedroom was pushed open and he shouted through, barely able to contain his excitement: -

  ‘Steve. Steve. Get through here.’

  Steve sat down on the couch slowly beside Deek and reached for the cigarette packet sitting beside what was left of the hash block. He motioned with the packet and seeing a slow approving nod from the sleepy man beside him, took a smoke and lit it. Mark had collapsed into the armchair and was sitting with his head in his hands, his hair fanned out towards the ground like a veil. Steve looked from one to the other.

  ‘How bad is it boys?’

  The reply from underneath the mask of hair came softly.

  ‘It’s bad.’

  Dave stuck his head round the door. His eyes were wide and there was disbelief plastered all over his face.

  ‘You have to see this Steve.’

  ‘No I don’t.’

  He loitered in the doorway only a moment more before entering the room to join the others and sat beside his colleague on the couch. Deek was blinking very slowly and Mark hadn’t made a move. Steve sat further back, resting his foot on his knee and placing the ashtray on his thigh.

  ‘We need to take you in guys.’ The expected protest never came. ‘What I’m going to do is sit here and finish my smoke. You guys go put some clothes on and come back in here in five minutes and we can all leave together. No handcuffs. No fuss. How does that sound?’

  Deek nodded again and stood up as though he were moving through treacle. When he passed Mark, he put a hand under his elbow and hoisted him to his feet before the two of them left the room together. Dave was incredulous.

  ‘They’re going to flush their stash Steve. I guarantee it.’ His voice rose. ‘Guys, if I hear that toilet flush a single time I’m going to come through and smack you with my baton.’

  The slow drawl that echoed back through the doorway was Derek Sutherland at his finest.

  ‘Oooh, you promise big boy?’

  Even Dave gave in to the laughter that was going around and helped himself to a smoke. He wasn’t sure about what Steve was doing but they appeared to be getting compliance without threats or force and that was a lot more than he had anticipated. Maybe his anxiety had all been for nothing after all.

  The station was almost silent – there was an officer at the desk and the rest were out on duty. Dave was loitering in the hallway as Steve spoke to the man behind the desk in hushed tones. When he finally came away, the two of them left together and headed for the patrol car that was sat in the parking spaces in front. Steve had resumed his customary silence but walked to the passenger side of the car instead of the driver’s. They opened their doors and entered. Dave sat behind the steering wheel but made no move to start the car. He was about to question Steve but the older man had his phone to his ear and the other hand extended towards him in the traditional “in a minute” pose. He waited impatiently for the call to be completed.

  'Orite. Aye, I know what time it is. Yeah. Listen, got a bit of info you might be interested in. Nope, couldn't have waited. You'll get why in a minute. You gonna let me tell or you just going to keep giving it big yawns down the phone? Right, call came out earlier tonight to go pick up two boys in Craigmillar, Mark and Derek. Kind of unofficial, definitely off the record. Brought them down to the station and asked the boy on duty what the plan was. He says they're not getting booked or anything, just taken round to see someone in the morning. Any idea who that would be? Yup, got it in one. Your man, Magistrate Reid. Way ahead of you man, we'll come pick you up in the car. Sound, be there in 10 or 15.'

  The phone was returned into his pocket and he faced the front again, staring out the windscreen. Dave was eyeing him carefully as he started the car and pulled out onto the main road, driving in silence for a minute or so before beginning his questions. Of all the many queries running through his head he asked only the most general.

  'What's happening here Steve? Where are we going'

  'Something weird is going on. I'm not sure exactly what but that's why we're heading back into town quickly to pick up Luke. He lives in Victoria Street; said he'll meet us outside when we get there.'

  'What's any of this to do with him?'

  'He's working for the Magistrate. Looking for his boy.'

  'So what?'

  The patrol car was behind the number 30 night bus and pulled around it quickly, headed towards the Commonwealth Pool so they could arrive onto South Bridge and follow it down. Steve was picking away a bit of plastic on the dashboard making a scuff into a tear then a rip.

  'So it seems he'd want to know if his employer is getting cops to pull in small time dealers in the middle of the night, not book them, then bring them round his offices first thing in the morning.'

  'What do you mean not book them? You mean not charge them?'

  'Nope. That man on the desk made no note that they came in and doesn't intend to. What Geoffrey Reid wants, he gets. As far as the great police force of Lothian and Borders are concerned, these guys aren't even in custody.'

  Dave briefly weighed the gravity of this. As far as he was concerned the days of these dark arrests went out with the “enhanced interrogations” that would elicit a confession to being the second gunman on the grassy knoll if they went on long enough. They no longer battered people in the back of the riot van or had suspects who tripped and smashed their faces off the station steps. They were an upstanding pillar of the community. Weren't they?

  'That's pretty shady. So what are we getting Luke for?'

  'When the word went out about picking them up, I jumped right on it so that we could look after them. That makes a little more sense to you now eh?' He received a nod in reply. 'So now I'm gonna bring Luke back to the station and we're going to let him talk to them. You and I are going to get him there and give him a while to find out why they think they're being pulled and we're going to make sure that the man on the desk keeps up his nasty little habit of not recording events that occur during his shift.'

  Dave nodded again as the car made the turn onto South Bridge and began down the slowly curving avenue towards North Bridge.

  'Like an unauthorised person entering a holding cell?'

  'Exactly Davey boy.'

  'See all that “Special Forces” Kosovo stuff that you mentioned at the boozer? Is he going to take them out?'

  The laughter from the passenger seat made Dave jump again for the second time in as many hours and the punch to the shoulder did little to calm his nerves.

  'Come on man, he's not a hitman. He's just a P.I or whatever they yanks call them. I'll bet you ten pints that he doesn't even try to intimidate them and still finds out what he wants to know. Just because he could hurt them badly or kill them doesn't mean he's going to.' He eyed the young driver with a grin. “What about my Special Forces training Davey boy eh? You never worry I could take you out with a nerve pinch or my signature karate manoeuvres?'

  Steve began as elaborate a series of ridiculous kung fu poses as the cramped space in the car would allow him. Midway through his attempt to get his left leg up from under the glove box to display his much praised “crane pose”, he received his reply.

  'Nah man. You're too old and slow.'

  The two laughing policemen in the car turned left and came up past the Natural History Museum where Gav sat behind his desk yawning and turned right onto George IV Bridge. The next left was Victoria Street and as the car pulled up, Luke was leaning against the wall outside his door smoking: trying to get the effects of the late night pints out of his head with only two hours sleep was proving difficult. Climbing into the back seat of the car where he'd been a few too many times, Luke shut the door and the trio began the return leg of the journey back out to the police station through the breaking dawn.

  The Magistrate had not managed to nod off at all throug
h the night. Once his car was safely deposited in the garage he had entered his home and stood in the hall, for once unsure of himself. His housekeeper had left him a meal of chicken and vegetables which he had inhaled and washed down with a glass or three of red wine. Plonked down in his armchair he had found himself unable to focus on the news or the business reports and his mind wandered.

  It had been nearly two decades since his wife had gone and left him alone with Robert. Despite the fact that the long suffering housekeeper had done most, if not all of the parenting, the only person that Geoffrey Reid felt sorry for was himself. His wife needed constant care in a private psychiatric ward after her issues began to manifest and spiralled out of her control but to Geoffrey it was both weakness and betrayal on her part – as if she had chosen to be a prisoner to the voices and thoughts in her head. His son had grown up without the love of his mother and the security of a family but it was Geoffrey alone who had suffered by his estimation. Robert had always been ungrateful for everything and it had got beyond the point of redemption. To Geoffrey Reid, no one was ever in the right but himself. Despairing for the many blights that had been inflicted on his life by everyone around him, he retired up the grand staircase to bed and let his righteous indignation rob the sleep from his pillow.

  It was now five in the morning and he resigned himself to the fact that he might as well get up. A night without sleep was not going to be the thing that made him late to work for the first time ever. Absolutely not. Standing in the shower, he washed his great body meticulously before dressing in an especially fine suit. Today there were things to do and much to be accomplished. Descending to the kitchen, he poured himself cereal and brewed a strong pot of coffee which sat on the side, bubbling merrily. Today was the day that he would find out what happened to Robert. If there was the slightest sign of his hand in it, he would have to squash it entirely. The idea that it was in any way, shape or form his fault did not even enter his mind. Today would be the day he got vengeance of some description. Searching deep in the vaults of his memory for to an appropriate quote to guide his day, he found himself coming back to a verse from the Bible that he hadn’t even realised he remembered. - “The sins of the father will be visited upon the son...”. Shutting his eyes tight he forced it back down to where it came from. Whatever the outcome, he was not to blame. He had never been to blame.

  Chapter 22

  Just before 5am, Dave and Steve re-entered the police station in Niddrie with Luke in tow. The man behind the desk glanced up then straight back to his computer, clearly uninterested in what he assumed was another arrest. As they had discussed on the journey, they brought him in in handcuffs between them and Steve moved away from him to lean across the desk and beckon the other officer closer.

  ‘He’s been kicking off in the car the whole way here. What’s the chances of us taking him into one of the holding cells for a wee chat?’

  The other man looked across at Luke who was not only making it look like he was attempting to escape from Dave’s grasp but coming very close to succeeding. The officer smirked.

  ‘Feel free. I’ve got the cameras off in the whole holding bit. Surprising how often the tapes get accidentally wiped here.’

  He winked broadly at Steve who extended his hand to take the keys instead of throttling the life out of him like he wanted to. Crossing back to Luke and Dave, he jerked the “prisoner” towards the cells.

  ‘Let’s go.’

  Luke was babbling and raving, thrashing about viciously until Steve brought him to his knees with a very real liver punch that took the wind out of him and made his stomach turn.

  ‘You after an Oscar or something man? Dial it back ya radge.’

  ‘Just you wait until I have these handcuffs off.’

  The two men went back a long way and it was unclear to Dave exactly how much of what was going on was show. He was becoming extremely concerned that he would have two men with special forces training attempting to kill each other inside of an 8-foot cell in a minute. They reached the door which Steve unlocked and all three of them entered into the cell where Deek was sprawled snoring across the cot. Relocking the door, Steve took his own handcuff key out and released Luke from his bonds. Taking only a minute to rub his wrists, Luke threw a brutal overhand right directly at his face. Steve didn’t even blink as the fist stopped a centimetre from his nose. Luke shook his head with a smile.

  ‘I’ll get you one day Steve. One day.’ He rubbed his lower back with his right hand and winced. ‘I can see going out of shape hasn’t robbed any of your power though. How’s a man meant to act when the critics are that harsh eh?’

  All the commotion had roused Derek who for the second time in as many hours sat up bewildered at the strangers by his sleeping spot. Rubbing his eyes hard he looked from one face to the next, nodding at the two policemen then stopping on the unknown. Standing up to his full height, he towered over all three and extended a lengthy arm.

  ‘Orite pal, I’m Deek.’

  ‘Luke. Sorry for the circumstances.’ Deek sat back down and shrugged. ‘I’m going to have to ask you a few questions. Nothing too intense, but it would really help me out a lot if you’d answer them.’

  ‘Where’s Mark?’

  Dave was leaning against the back wall with his arms crossed and his head back.

  ‘Next door Derek. He’s fine. Don’t worry.’

  ‘Good. Are we getting the jail Dave?’

  ‘It was an awful lot of hash Deek. You know it’s gonna be intent to supply. And the drugs and the money together…. You know it brings me no pleasure but it looks like you’re for it I’m afraid.’

  Derek’s head sank between his legs and the calmness that had prevailed from when he was picked up was slowly giving way to despondency and despair. In his head he saw his rap sheet and he knew what was going to happen. It’d be a long stretch this time. To his surprise, his new friend stepped in to save the day.

  ‘I don’t know about that Dave.’

  Luke was taking his time extracting a cigarette from his packet before sitting down on the cot beside Derek and offering the bemused prisoner one, which he took.

  ‘How do you mean?’

  ‘I mean you busted in there and seen a good amount of drugs and the cash from it. By all accounts my man here should be banged to rights. Except for one thing.’

  The statement hung in the air as Luke took his lighter and sparked up Derek’s smoke first and then his own. Dave had come off the wall, argumentative and indignant.

  ‘What thing? I like the boys but there’s no other way it can go. And you can’t smoke in here.’

  ‘I know we can’t.’

  Luke continued to smoke. Steve sighed and sat himself on the other side of an increasingly confused Derek who had no clue what was going on but was as keen as anyone to hear why he might not spend years in prison. Steve took the packet off Derek’s lap, took one out and lit it. He blew a column of smoke towards the ceiling and looked at his angry young compatriot.

  ‘I think you can work out why Dave. Being the smart cookie that you are.’

  There was silence again for a few seconds before Deek himself came up with the answer, much to the evident shock of everyone in the room.

  ‘They didn’t have a search warrant did they?’

  He looked excitedly at Luke and Steve either side of him who both kept their eyes forward and attempted to keep their faces placid. He looked at Dave and felt like he could actually see the air come out of his body in disappointment. Nudging Luke’s ribs frantically, he laughed aloud and stood up.

  ‘Ha. No search warrant. So none of it is admissible in court. Brilliant. You told Mark yet? Can I tell him? Man, he’ll be doing his nut.’

  Both Luke and Steve reached up at the same time with one hand to grab an arm and pull him back to a sitting position. His hands went up in an apologetic gesture but the grin on his face wouldn’t shift. Luke leaned forward to look past him at his old war buddy.

  ‘Give me a co
uple of minutes to chat alone Steve? Then I reckon you can take them back home. Once you’ve got me the name and badge number of that specimen on the desk.’

  Nodding and standing, Steve took the speechless Dave by the arm and they left the cell, leaving the other two smoking on the cot.

  ‘Right. I feel like I’ve helped you out a little here Deek, so I want something in return.’

  ‘What do you want?’

  ‘I need to find Rab Reid. I don’t care what the backstory is or the ins and outs. I’m not interested in the “he said, she said” nonsense. Just tell me where I can look for him because I’m close and I’m getting more concerned for him. His dad’s obviously powerful and connected – look at this here. You and Mark both in the cells with no charge, no record and no cameras on. Going to be whisked right round to the offices of the man himself first thing with no one ever officially knowing anything. There's no guessing what could happen there.'

  He paused briefly to smoke and let them both digest what was going on. The underhanded nature of the entire affair was worrying enough but the thought of what else had gone on under the radar on the instruction of Geoffrey Reid was even more disconcerting. Luke continued.

  'I’m starting to think he only hired me because he didn’t think I’d ever be able to track him down. You’re his friend Deek, if helping me out gets you in trouble you then I’ll take care of it. I promise you that. Help me find him before Geoffrey does.’

  Derek Sutherland blinked twice as he considered and took a long pull on the cigarette.

  ‘What time is it?’

  ‘Quarter past 5.’

  ‘Then I can tell you exactly where you’ll find him. But I’m gonna hold you to that promise because there might be fall-out from this.’

  Luke clapped his skinny shoulder hard and laughed.

  ‘I’ve got you covered boss. I’ll leave you my card and you can hit me up day or night.’

  Derek was grinning now too. Not only was he not going to jail, it looked like he might have a chance at helping his friend and getting one over on the slimy Magistrate all in one fell swoop.