In Dark Water

by Lynne McEwan

  ‘Kate, you really don’t look well.’ Shona wondered if she should offer her a chair. ‘Is there anything you’d like to tell me?’ Shona eyed her shrewdly and hoped she wasn’t pregnant. Kate was a good officer and she’d rather not lose her, even temporarily.

  ‘Er… no, ma’am.’ Kate swallowed hard. ‘Whatever’s happened I’m sure it wasn’t Vin.’

  ‘Yes, I know, it’s hard to believe someone could be that disloyal,’ Shona continued. ‘He’d still be flipping burgers and playing on his Xbox if I hadn’t brought him in, the ungrateful scroat.’ She pointed a finger at Kate. ‘So listen. If he starts yapping again, come straight to me. Understand?’ Kate nodded; she looked like she was about to throw up. ‘Are you okay?’ Shona asked.

  ‘Yes, boss. Something I ate.’

  She knew Kate wasn’t a boozer, so she was probably telling the truth. Shona made a mental note to avoid anything from the office fridge until it had been properly cleaned out. It wasn’t unknown for Murdo to sniff a pint of milk ten days past its date, and declare it fit for human consumption before sloshing it into everyone’s tea. She sent Kate back to her desk with the proviso that she should go home if she didn’t feel better soon.

  Shona needed space to think. Should she do what she was told, tie up the cases and move on? She was in no doubt Baird meant what he said, but he wasn’t the one who’d pulled Isla from the water or seen Sami’s shattered body laid out on a mortuary table. Her debt to the dead remained. The memory of the mortuary filled her nose with the disinfectant smell of the hospital and then an image of Becca in Casualty, strapped to the trolley, flashed into her head. The thought of losing her, seeing her laid out on the same table as Sami or Isla, was a waking nightmare that made her tremble so much that her legs went from under her and she fell into the chair behind her desk. She felt a sudden overwhelming need to check on Becca, make sure the doctors were watching her carefully enough and that nothing could harm her. Taking a deep breath, she forced herself to get up. Her head pounded as she checked the wall clock. Doctors’ rounds would be over.

  She picked up her bag and coat. ‘Murdo, I’m going out for a while,’ she called, and held up her phone to indicate he could call her when he had something to report.

  * * *

  Becca was in good spirits, some of her customary surly defiance already in evidence at her mother’s choice of reading matter. ‘What’s this?’ She held a glossy page by the edges. ‘Shout. Really? Mum, I’m not a kid. And this?’ She picked up a music magazine.

  ‘It’s got Fleetwood Mac on the cover. You like them. Don’t you want to read about them?’

  ‘I like one of their albums. Why would I want to read about anyone who’s a hundred years old? Can’t you bring my laptop in?’

  ‘No, the doctors say you need to rest. What about some talking books?’

  ‘For God’s sake. You trying to finish me off?’ Becca saw the stricken look in her mother’s eyes. ‘Sorry. Sorry, Mum. That was really stupid.’ She lay back on the pillow, blinking tears away. The dressing above her eye and the bruising to her face made her look smaller and younger, like a kid who’d toppled off a swing. Shona took her unbandaged hand and squeezed it. Becca squeezed back.

  ‘I’m okay. Really, I am.’ She adjusted her head on the pillow to look at her mother. ‘You know, you were amazing yesterday.’ Becca’s eyes were shining with admiration. ‘Apart from the singing bit. What was that? Some nursery rhyme?’ Becca started to laugh.

  ‘What? “The Wheels on the Bus”? It’s a proper song. You used to love that.’ Shona couldn’t help smiling back. ‘It was all I could think of. I had to keep you awake.’ Then the thick lump of terror that had been sitting in her stomach since yesterday welled up. Tears formed in the corners of Shona’s eyes and she found she was crying and laughing with relief that her precious girl was still her precious girl in all her awkward, prickly, defiant self. Shona leaned over and pulled Becca into a fierce embrace, until her daughter again protested. ‘Ouch! Mum, stop.’

  ‘Ravi was in earlier,’ Becca said, when her mother had given her a tissue and they’d both wiped their eyes. ‘To take a statement. Is that what it’s called? It’s all a bit fuzzy, but I’m sure the car came from the direction of the main road, not the farm. I didn’t recognise it as local. Don’t think I was much help.’

  ‘I’m sure you were,’ Shona reassured her. ‘Something more might come back to you, but don’t try to force it. We can trace the car in other ways: CCTV, paint matches, tyre pattern analysis. You just need to concentrate on getting better.’

  Becca nodded. ‘Is Dad coming in later?’

  ‘Yes, I’m sure he’s on his way,’ said Shona with brittle brightness. Rob was probably still over the limit to drive. He should take a cab, she wasn’t going back to pick him up. No way. She knew it was stupid, but it was hard not to blame him for what had happened to Becca. Last night, Murdo had found Rob sitting in the corner of the Royal Arms pissed out of his head. There was no sign of Rob’s brother, Sandy. As soon as Tommy had left the lifeboat station in his van, news of a serious road accident on the farm road would have gone round the village like wildfire. Hadn’t Rob thought to check who the victim was? That Becca was okay? Maybe that’s why she blamed him, for being so wrapped up in himself. He didn’t care that someone, anyone, was hurt. She just couldn’t understand it.

  ‘You need to rest now, darlin’.’ She kissed Becca’s forehead. ‘I’m going back to the office for a bit. I’ll be back in to see you this evening.’

  Chapter 24

  Dan met Shona as she came up the stairs to the CID office. ‘No word on Buckie yet. I’m just on my way back to Loreburn Street for an update. Maybe uniform or the PCSOs… what do you call them here again?’ He stopped on the half-landing.

  ‘The special officers,’ she said.

  ‘Yeah, the specials…’ Outside, rain was spiting on the stairwell window. ‘Maybe they’ve heard something.’ Dan zipped up his jacket.

  ‘Wait, Dan,’ Shona said, as he made to continue downstairs. ‘Listen, I’ve had word from Division to drop both Isla and Sami’s cases.’

  ‘I know, you said before.’ His frown deepened. ‘I’ve already told you I’ll be careful. I’m not giving up on this and I don’t think you are either. If they sack us, we’ll just have to get capes and become a cross-border crime-busting duo. Gotham City comes to Dumfries. What do you say?’

  Shona shook her head, but Dan was grinning at her with such unfeigned enthusiasm that she found herself suppressing a smile. It was true, she had no intention of dropping the case. But if Dan could see through her then Baird would too, and with Vinny acting as a spy in the camp, that would come sooner rather than later. There wasn’t much time.

  ‘Okay, but you’re gonna have to watch yourself. Understand?’ Shona said. ‘First sign of trouble you put your hands up and say you were acting under my orders.’ She waited for him to nod before continuing. ‘So, what have we overlooked? Wazir mentioned money.’

  ‘We checked Isla’s bank account,’ Dan confirmed. ‘Only a couple of quid in it and her card wasn’t used after she disappeared. Still no sign of a purse, mobile phone or handbag.’

  ‘We’re going to need help to crack this.’ Shona shook her head. ‘We need Buckland.’

  ‘He’s a bail absconder. Every police force in England and Scotland is looking for him now. He won’t get far.’

  ‘Listen, Dan.’ Shona put her hand on his arm. ‘From now on we play this close to our chests.’

  DC Kate Irving came through the glass door at the top of the stairs. Shona had the sense that she might have been watching them. She took her hand from Dan’s arm. Kate’s pale face was unreadable. ‘Ma’am.’

  ‘You looking for me, Kate?’

  ‘Yes, uhm…’ Kate came down to the half-landing. ‘Isla Corr and Sami Raseem. I’d like to help.’

  Shona peered at her curiously. ‘You have plenty of work with the baby milk case. Fiscal’s charged him but there wil
l be a mountain of case preparation for the trial.’ She couldn’t fathom Kate’s change of heart. Perhaps she was pregnant, and desperate to get as much investigation experience as she could before maternity leave. Whatever the reason, these murder cases would likely prove fatal to career prospects; Shona wouldn’t put Kate at risk.

  Kate chewed her lip for a moment and seemed to hesitate, but persisted. ‘Really, boss. I want to help. What you said is true. Closure for the family, it’s really important.’

  Dan was watching this exchange carefully. ‘She’s right, boss. DC Irving is a good officer and, speaking for Cumbria Police, I could do with the help.’

  Kate shot him a look of gratitude. ‘I was thinking, the social worker never came back to us. Perhaps I could chase that up? Just have a quick word with them?’

  Shona looked at the two young officers and knew she was outnumbered. A trip to social work could be viewed as tying up a few loose ends. Isla Corr had been mentioned in connection with the baby milk case. It shouldn’t put Kate in the line of fire. ‘Fine. Get over to the multi-agency safeguarding hub. See if you can get anyone to talk to you, officers, civilian staff, case workers, anyone. Be respectful, social workers are overloaded at the best of times. See if you can get any background on Isla Corr. Anything we might have overlooked.’ She turned to Dan. ‘You clear on our next steps?’ Buckland was his priority. He nodded and set off for the car park.

  Shona and Kate headed back up the stairs. ‘Wazir said that Sami and possibly Isla may have had dealings with child trafficking.’ She saw Kate’s shocked expression and pressed on. ‘I’ve already informed Division, but I want you to double-check if anyone locally thinks that story is credible.’ Shona pushed open the door into the CID office. ‘And I don’t want any of that bollocks about scheduling it for a weekly meeting. Two people are dead, I want the individual or individuals concerned off the street before they can do any more harm. Verbal is fine for now. Get me the headlines, we can deal with the paperwork and the details later. Got it?’

  Kate nodded and lifted her coat from the rack, swinging it round her shoulders and stuffing her notebook and phone into the pocket. Shona continued into her office and shut the door behind her. Murdo and Ravi were out somewhere, the civilian staff all busy at their desks. She sat for a moment, her head resting in her hands, then she pushed back her shoulders and surveyed her desk.

  The screen grabs from the surveillance video that Dan had found were sitting on a folder in front of her. She picked up the pictures of Jamie Buckland and his unknown assailant scrapping in the street near Buckland’s Carlisle home. The man with the sharp cheekbones and equally sharp suit stared back at her. Frozen now in black and white, stripped of motion and mannerisms, he looked less like the individual Shona had seen with Baird and Hanlon at the STAC reception. In fairness he could be any lean, shorn-headed, thirties guy with a taste for sharp tailoring. It was a popular look. But something in the video had struck a chord and Shona was convinced she’d seen this man at the STAC reception. She trusted her instincts. Holding the picture before her she picked up the phone.

  Detective Superintendent Munroe answered after the first ring. ‘Shona, I was just about to call you. Terrible, just terrible. How is your daughter?’ His voice was full of concern.

  Shona imagined this Glasgow bruiser had spent a large part of his career delivering bad news to families. It was his compassion as well as his toughness that had got him where he was.

  ‘She’s fine, sir. Doing well, thank you,’ Shona said.

  ‘I’ve just been talking to Baird, he’s just heard about it too. He’s suggested you take a bit of time off, compassionate leave. I must say, Shona, I’m with him on this.’

  Shona felt a creeping cold travel up her spine. So, Baird was prepared to use her daughter’s accident to get her out of the way. He’d probably bring in a temporary DI from his pals in Ayrshire, just to keep her in line. She forced herself to inject a note of calm in her voice. ‘Oh no, it’s really not that bad. She took a tumble off her bike, was sensible enough to be wearing a helmet. She’ll be out of hospital shortly and Rob will be home to look after her.’

  ‘And the driver…’

  ‘Traffic are on it, sir. DC Sarwar is liaising. I trust them all to do a good job.’

  ‘I’m sure they will. And what about you? I understand you were first on the scene.’

  ‘I was, sir, but I had support from the lifeboat crew. So, you see, everything’s okay.’ Munroe couldn’t force her to take leave, but he could make it very difficult to say no if he thought her mind wasn’t on the job.

  ‘Are you sure? It would give you a break, and girls like to have their mothers around when they’re poorly.’

  Shona bit her tongue. She was pretty sure a male DI wouldn’t have to go through this grilling. Munroe had three grown-up daughters, so maybe he was talking from experience, but she was willing to bet he’d never taken time off for childcare. ‘She will have her mother around, don’t you worry. I’ll be there every evening and I’ll be sure to let you know if the situation changes, sir,’ she soothed.

  ‘Well, if you’re sure.’ Munroe sounded mollified. ‘Keep in touch, and our best to Becca and Rob.’

  ‘Sir,’ Shona said before he could hang up, ‘just one thing. I’ve been meaning to bolster our relations with the business community, part of the STAC initiative. Could your secretary send me the guest list from the launch in Glasgow? I’m thinking about setting up some cross-area networks. This baby milk case has thrown up a few ideas. Staff development, improved protocols.’

  ‘Sure, I’ll get Joan to send that through. I don’t want to lose you, Shona, but remember what I said about the leave.’ Munroe hung up.

  Five minutes later, the guest list dropped into Shona’s inbox. She printed out the three-hundred-plus names and began the slow job of eliminating them. Women first, then the males she already recognised. That still left over a hundred people she needed to identify and exclude. She couldn’t risk giving it to someone else. She looked out into the office. Murdo was back at his desk. Shona decided she’d go home via the hospital, taking the list with her. Before she turned back to her desk, Ravi came into the office, shaking the rain from his parka and smoothing his hair. He said something to Murdo and they both headed for her office, tapping the door. ‘Yes?’ she said, not looking up from her emails. She should tidy her inbox before she left.

  ‘I’ve just had a phone call from Marie Corr, boss,’ Ravi said.

  Shona frowned. ‘What’s the matter?’

  ‘Paddy Corr died this morning.’

  She nodded slowly, taking in the implications. ‘Okay. Did he say anything about Isla?’

  ‘Not a peep. If he knew anything, he took it with him,’ Ravi replied. ‘Marie asked if we had any news. I told her we hadn’t.’

  ‘How did she take it?’

  ‘I think it’s what she expected. She’s got the wee boy to look after. Might be easier with Paddy gone.’

  ‘I’ll ask Marie to let us know about the funeral,’ Murdo said.

  ‘Are you planning on going?’ Ravi said.

  ‘Oh, aye.’ Murdo nodded. ‘It’s worth making sure that bastard is definitely in the ground, no mistake.’

  Chapter 25

  The next morning Shona headed to the office late, stopping off at the hospital to get an update from the ward sister on the way. Becca was doing well, but still had spells of confusion and tiredness associated with the concussion. This was entirely normal. She’d need physio for her broken arm. They would keep her a few more days. Shona and Rob had orbited their daughter, taking turns to be at her bedside. They kept their distance from each other, pulled in opposing directions by the demands of Shona’s work and Rob’s B&B guests. When he’d suggested it wasn’t fair to cancel them, Shona had quickly agreed. It would keep Rob busy and out of her way. Her disappointment and embarrassment at having her husband hauled from the pub by her sergeant still stung.

  The CID office was buzzing
and DC Kate Irving, looking smart and composed in a navy trouser suit and pale shirt, led a chorus of good mornings. She brought Shona a coffee in her Charles Rennie Mackintosh mug and said she had an update from the social services hub when Shona was ready.

  ‘You can tell me now.’ Shona took a sip of coffee and pointed to the seat opposite her. ‘How did you get on?’

  Kate crossed her long legs and opened her notebook. ‘Well, there’s nothing to indicate Wazir’s claims about child trafficking are true. They haven’t dealt with any out-of-area children, beyond placing a brother and sister from Glasgow with a local couple.’

  ‘Okay, that’s good to know, but it may be a new operation that isn’t on anyone’s radar yet. We need to keep it in mind, in case it becomes a potential line of enquiry. Situations like this, children at risk, it’s important we all work together. It’s why the multi-agency hub was set up in the first place.’

  Kate nodded. ‘How solid is this intelligence?’

  Shona wrapped her hands around her cup. ‘Uncorroborated,’ she conceded. ‘It may even be a fabrication by Wazir to misdirect us.’

  ‘And we don’t know anything about Sami Raseem’s mental state other than it was fragile and he made at least one suicide attempt,’ Kate added.

  ‘True. God knows what he saw in Syria or while he was being trafficked himself.’ Shona shivered, partly from thoughts of Sami’s plight and partly from chilliness. She’d walked from the overheated hospital back to the car park without her coat and was paying the price. Even after nearly two years back in Scotland she’d still occasionally associate the late September sunshine with its counterpart in London and forget about the nippy wind and the ten-degree difference in temperature. She pulled the charcoal grey pashmina that hung over the back of her chair around her shoulders.