Luke had a sudden flash to how the two of them must have been at school and all the time since. He smiled along with them and wiped a hand down his face a couple of times as the two men attempted to regain their composure and finalise the plan of action before they headed upstairs to face the music.
Chapter 24
The door to the office swung open noiselessly and Luke stepped in alone, closing it behind him. The Magistrate was still staring out of his window at the bird on the sill, his hands clasped behind his wide back, seemingly uncaring about the intrusion. The thick glass muffled the noise from the street below as Luke helped himself to the seat on the other side of the Magistrate’s great desk. There was still no reaction from the man at the window and from his seated position, Luke reached across and could barely grasp the lid of a crystal ashtray that was doubtless for decoration only. Scraping it across the wood so it sat near in front of him, he got his cigarette packet out from the pocket of his jeans and placed it within easy reach. Despite the fact that there was a disposable lighter in his pocket, he searched the desk for one of Geoffrey’s own ones to use. Spotting an immaculate zippo on the mantelpiece, he stood again and picked it up, using it to light his cigarette, studying it thoroughly in his hands before snapping the flame out and putting it back. Touching each item on the mantelpiece delicately, Luke examined everything that was so proudly displayed until a voice behind him caused him to pause.
‘Mr. Calvin. Will you kindly stop touching these.’
Geoffrey Reid had turned from his vigil at the window and was watching him with growing horror as he had explored all the trinkets with his fingertips. Magistrate Reid now gestured back to the seat that had been recently vacated and Luke sat back down, tucking his leg underneath him and smiling through the thin smoke.
‘Good morning Magistrate. How are you?’
The big man in the suit was hovering behind his desk, unsure of whether to remain standing or to sit. In the end his tiredness overruled his will to maintain any psychological edge that would be gained from towering over the seated man. He very much doubted that Mr Calvin would have been affected by it anyway, so it would possibly be an exercise in futility. Ignoring the fact that he was smoking in his office, Geoffrey leaned forward in his chair and rested his elbows on the table, clasping his hands together in between the two parties. Luke continued to smile and ashed into the crystal bowl, waiting on the questioning to begin.
‘So. I hear you found yourself in a prison cell last night.’
‘Not the first time. Nor will it be the last. Occupational hazard I guess.’
‘I’m decidedly curious as to how you happened to be that far out of town that early in the morning, in the custody of the police only to walk out shortly after without as much as a charge sheet being brought up.’
‘So now you want to ask questions about people being arrested without documentation Mr. Reid? Do you really feel that’s a good line to be pursuing? Given that you are fully aware why I was there.’
The Magistrate smiled back at Luke but there was no warmth in his eyes. It was more like a rabid dog salivating at the sight of fresh meat or a clown from a nightmare.
‘So I see that we’re both intent on making this as difficult as possible Mr. Calvin. How prudent it is for either party remains to be seen, but I fear it will get us nowhere.’
‘I agree. If you have questions, now’s the time to ask me. I doubt we’ll be seeing too much of each other after this morning.’
‘I concur. Very well, as it happens there are one or two things I would like to clear up. Your unprofessional behaviour and lack of results notwithstanding, I find it very hard to justify the money I paid you to find my son when you not only show me zero concrete results of any description but instead actively sabotage my own personal lines of investigation.’
The cigarette pirouetted gracefully between Luke’s fingers, jumping from one to the next, spinning round the thumb and continuing its journey round and round. Both sets of eyes remained fixed on it.
‘That was not a question Mr. Reid, it was a statement. But I’ll answer it anyway out of common courtesy because I’ve been struggling with that as well these past few days. Everyone I’ve spoken to seems to think that Rab falling off the face of the earth would be nothing if not a benefit to you. In fact, some would argue that your handprints might be found somewhere along the trail that led to his disappearance if I were to look hard enough. That was a puzzle I only managed to solve very recently and it isn’t anywhere as clear cut as I’d like it, but if the shoe sort of fits, you can cram your foot into it.’
Geoffrey Reid’s tone was ice cold and he leaned forward. The size of the table meant there was still a considerable distance between the two of them so the action did not have the impact he had hoped.
‘If you believe that you can sit in my office, in my employ and accuse me of having a role in the disappearance of my own son then you had better have some airtight evidence to back it up. Otherwise I will body bag you professionally. Then for real.’
‘Death threats don’t suit you Magistrate. You’re too involved to get blood on your hands. Think too much of yourself to do the dirty work personally. In fact, on my way in here I saw a particularly large gentleman with a shaved head and tribal tattoos down to his hands.’ He pointed behind him with the cigarette. ‘Is that your insurance policy in case you swing for me and I happen to beat you half to death with one of your knick-knacks?’
The Magistrate checked himself and sat back in his seat. The fake grin made a reappearance and he clasped his hands once more in what Luke could only assume was a well-practiced pose designed to defuse situations.
‘He is also in my employ. You have no need to fear physical violence as long as you are honest with me Mr. Calvin.’ Luke was not in the slightest bit worried. ‘I feel you should at least explain to me how you came to be in that police station last night and why you feel there will be no consequences for assaulting an officer of the law for no reason.’
Unfolding the leg from underneath him and swapping it for the other one, Luke adjusted himself more comfortably before he responded.
‘How I came to be there is not as important as who I spoke to there. I had a very brief chat with a certain Mr. Sutherland. I happen to think he’s a pretty nice guy all things considered and he told me some very interesting bits of information…’
The reaction was instant. The blood rushed to the Magistrate’s face and his voice raised several decibels.
‘He’s a liar. If you had any sense in you at all you would know that he’s a junkie dealer and a liar. Spinning whatever rubbish he feels will buy him a little more grace. If you believed a single word he said, then you are an even poorer investigator than I thought you were.’
The cigarette had resumed its spinning but it was only Luke who was staring at it. Geoffrey’s eyes were burning holes through the head of the uninterested man performing the elaborate manoeuvres in between puffs.
‘There was only one piece of information I asked him for actually. And it turned out to be entirely solid. So by my scoreboard that puts Deek at a 100% record for tips and information.’ He finally met the Magistrate’s eye. ‘Like I said, he’s a good guy.’
‘I am telling you now that anything he told you will be lies. There isn’t an honest bone in that man’s body.' The meaty fist was slamming down on the table with every word. ‘He’s scum and a waster.’ Luke had stood up. ‘No good, low life druggie.’
Luke crossed to the door and opened it. Geoffrey Reid’s tirade of rage and fury dried up in an instant.
‘Orite Dad. How’s it going?’
Robert Reid entered sheepish as before closely followed by Grant who stood behind his friend. Luke had known neither as children but could picture exactly how their friendship must have been and how it had stayed through the years, never really changing with regards to the fundamental roles that each played. Rab was rubbing his pierced ear self-consciously as the Magistrate who had risen i
n indignation returned himself to his seat in shock. The redness that had come into his face with his anger had given way to a paleness and he kept looking from his son to his desk and back, stammering awkwardly.
‘Robert… I thought… I was so worried…’
Luke retook his seat and placed his elbows on the table, clasping his hands together between the two parties in a perfect imitation of the Magistrate. He indicated behind him with his head.
‘That was the tip that Deek gave me. Where to find Rab. That and only that. According to Rab, he came to Deek pretty upset a few days ago. Needing to get off the radar for reasons that I’ll come to in a bit. And Derek, being the good guy and friend that he is, facilitated this in his own way. Robert was squatting in Mark and Derek’s old flat that had been abandoned since it got raided and kept a low profile. In fact, as far as anyone knew, he could have left the country, just left the city or been plain old dead, except for the fact that he kept on sneaking up town of a night to wander the Gardens. The only reason I was even put in his general direction was that an old boy happened to spot him coming back in the morning and extracted a conversation out of him. What are the chances?’ Luke’s cigarette had gone out and he took a moment to re-light it. ‘Now, Magistrate. What reason would your son have for feeling like he had to disappear for a while? Any ideas? Thoughts? Opinions?’
Geoffrey Reid wouldn’t meet his eye. He wouldn’t look at Rab who stood embarrassed in the corner. And he wouldn’t look at Grant who was losing his temper beside Rab. It was Grant who addressed the Magistrate next.
‘Tell him Geoffrey. Tell your boy what you asked me to do. What you offered to pay me.’
‘I said help him disappear. I meant relocate, you know that Grant.’
His voice had become pleading and weedy. His great hands were being wrung together in earnest; a penitent sinner indeed. Rab surprised everyone by lifting his head and stopping his father’s attempts at an explanation dead in their tracks.
‘I know what he offered you Grant. Because he offered Deek the same. It was the first thing out of Derek’s mouth when I came to him for help, he wanted to be up front. Pretty bizarre to realise the value of your existence in cold hard cash. Even worse when it's so abysmally low. £10,000 dad? Really? I know you're a pretty cold man but that is beyond the pale.'
The cigarette between Luke's fingers stopped twirling and hung in mid-air, the smoke trailing up to the ceiling high above. There it was. The final piece of the puzzle. The part that tied it all together and so neatly as well. Ignoring the stammering mess across the desk from him, he turned in his seat to look at Rab who had his head up for once and Grant who was staring at his friend, not entirely sure how to feel about this latest piece of information. Luke pointed the smoke in Rab's direction with a question.
'You didn't tell me Derek had been offered the same deal as Grant.'
Grant was still incredulous but responded with humour.
'Yeah, I'd have offered a discount if I knew it was a competitive market.'
Rab had a laugh to himself as he walked across the room to the far side and picked up two chairs from against the wall and brought them over to the desk on the opposite side from his father. He parked himself down and motioned for Grant to do the same.
'I guess you need the full story to put it all together properly. For starters, when I went to find Deek and he told me, my first reaction was to be worried. That's a big amount of money to anyone, but he said he wouldn't have taken it if it had been a million. And I believe him. I offered him £15,000 cash to help me get off the grid instead but he wouldn't take that either. Most I could get him to take was a couple of notes to get me food, booze and a little something to help with the boredom. Well, first night I was already going out of my mind in that flat. Just the four walls to stare at and the only person who knew where I was having to deny it. I couldn't call anyone. I couldn't go out in the day, so I waited until it was dark, grabbed a hoody, hopped on the night bus and wandered the town. It doesn't sound like much but it kept my head on straight. Even if everyone thought I was gone, I felt like if I walked around among them I'd still exist. Know what I mean?'
'I guess so.' It was Luke who responded. 'By the way I'm assuming that you kept a hold of your old keys from when you worked at the museum?'
'Yeah. That was pretty stupid but it seemed like a good idea at the time.'
'Always does.' Grant said, rubbing his friend’s shoulder.
'Deek came round the next night to keep me company for a bit. We smoked and chatted round and round in circles until we were talking about how good it would be to get one over on him.' He was facing Grant and Luke but nodded to the right at the Magistrate who was staring at the desk and remaining quiet. 'We got more and more wasted until I came up with the plan. We drove up to the museum, sneaked in the side door with my key and took that skeleton from the display case. We dressed it in some of Mark's old clothes and planted the poor thing on Arthurs seat in the pouring rain. The car was a banger – not even road legal so we just burnt it out and drove back in Deek's car thinking we were the smartest guys in the world.'
Grant and Luke exchanged glances quickly and even Geoffrey raised his head to look at his son with disbelief. It was Grant who spoke.
'Run that by me again man. You're trying to disappear so you nick a skeleton, bury it in a shallow grave and burn a car out? Is that really how you lay low?'
Rab was shaking his head the whole time the question was being asked. He seemed as nonplussed as the rest of them.
'I dunno man, we both thought it was an airtight plan. We were going to leave it a while then Deek would call my dad and ask to get paid. If he wanted proof, he'd dig up the skeleton in front of him and we just sort of hoped he'd accept it.'
There was laughter from both of his companions on his side of the table and even a derisory snort from Geoffrey Reid. Rab looked hurt and ashamed as his head drooped towards the floor once more. Luke offered his cigarettes around as he rocked with mirth and made two abortive attempts at sparking it before managing to not laugh the flame out on the third.
'Do you know how long a body takes to turn into a skeleton Rab?' Luke's efforts to maintain his composure and keep his tone kind were failing. 'Because it's a long time. And they usually aren't bleached, screwed together and dressed in plaid shirts.'
Rab’s hand went up to his earring again and his face reddened in the face of the laughs that were being had at his expense from all parties involved. He had realised as soon as they were done how stupid and reckless the plan was but much like every other silly decision he had made, it had seemed like a good idea at the time. There was no viable defence or grounds on which he could claim it was a well thought out plan so he made no effort to.
‘Like I said, we realised it was stupid. Even more so when it got turned up less than two days later and the cops got a hold of it. As soon as I heard that, I phoned Deek and he rushed over to try and calm me down. I was all for handing myself in but he sort of reasoned that it would do more harm than good. Besides, how would they ever tie it to us? You know? Who would ever put these things together?’
Luke raised his hand smugly. It was a big dose of luck that had brought him to make the connection but there was no point in letting them know that. If Steve hadn’t told him to check the police report, if the Superintendent hadn’t given him full access just when he had, if the security guard had kept his worries to himself – any one of these situations had only to be slightly different or occurred out of order for the whole thing to have passed him by, but a little bit of luck was more than you were used to in his game. Rab sounded as if he was finishing up his explanation.
‘I should have probably turned myself in. Or phoned Grant at least to let him know I was still alive. I’m not proud of what I’ve done but I felt backed into a corner. I’ve worried a lot of people and caused a lot of hassle for my own reasons and I am sorry for that. Although I have no sympathy for him.’
The “him” in ques
tion was sitting quietly behind his desk with his hands folded in his lap and his head hanging. There was a defeated air to the Magistrate that seemed very out of character. He looked like he was deep in thought and searching frantically for a way out. Luke was still smoking and turned from Reid Jr to Reid Snr.
‘So. Looks like I’ve done what you asked me and we can all be happy. There are a few minor points that might need looking into however.’ The Magistrate’s head came up slightly. ‘For example, the whole “conspiracy to murder” problem you seem to have.’
‘It’ll never hold up in court and you know it.’ Geoffrey’s voice was tight but seemed tinged with fear. ‘What do you have other than the word of a convicted dealer and a common thug?’
The arm that Luke stretched out to restrain Grant was not needed as the big man took the insult in his stride and remained seated between Rab and Luke with his muscled arms crossed and a sneer on his face. Luke was still holding court.
‘But it doesn’t have to hold up in court does it Geoffrey? The merest whiff of this latest scandal and you’ll be ruined.’ He leaned forward to make sure his former employer was listening. ‘Especially on top of all the previous suspicions. The miscarriages of justice. The bribes. You name it, you’ve been accused of it. From what I’ve been led to believe, you’ve been sitting very politely in the last chance saloon for a long time now with a list of people as long as your arm just waiting for a slip up and an excuse to toss you out on your ear.’
Geoffrey seemed to have regained some of his composure and raised his head all the way, looking all three men in the eye carefully. He had made his mind up about one thing or another and his opponents waited for him to show his hand.
‘You might be right Mr. Calvin. There have been many accusations and not a single one of them has held up under scrutiny. That notwithstanding, there is likely to be nowhere else for me to turn if this does get out. What you’re doing to me could be interpreted by some as blackmail, no matter how noble you feel your motives are. All I wanted was a son that I could be proud of. Not one who bounced about from job to job embarrassing me with his drug fuelled antics and vulgar displays of power that he hadn’t earned. I gave that boy there every chance to earn my respect and he never took it. Everything that’s happened to him is on his own head.’
Shadow of the Castle Page 21
