Windsor Place

by Russell Robertson

  “Christ! What are you doing here, Dad?”

  “Just looking after my little girl.”

  “When did you get here? What day is it?”

  “Arrived yesterday, you were asleep when I came to see you. Today is Sunday the third of January.”

  “How long have I been in here?” She looked around the room. “And which hospital am I in?

  “You collapsed in your flat over a week ago and Chengdu brought you here to the Dongguan Hospital. You have been diagnosed with pneumonia, but are now over the worst of it and thankfully well on the road to recovery. All is going well you should be fine to go home in a couple of days.”

  “Geez. I don’t remember anything.”

  “Don’t worry about that. The hospital has been great looking after you, now it’s our turn.”

  Harry decided it was best not to worry her with his current problems.

  Lily was glad to be back in her apartment, although Harry refused her offer to stay with her and her partner, Chengdu. He preferred his own space at the hotel.

  They were having dinner at her apartment around eight o’clock when Harry received a text from Blair:

  Trust all is ok, give our luv 2 Lily. Alex worried about u.

  Harry replied:

  Lily out hospital, all ok, be home end of week, tell Alex, the thistle hasnae lost its jag!!!

  Harry knew that he had to get back to Edinburgh soon but he also knew he had to stay with Lily until she was back to good health.

  They spent the rest of the day talking about the good times they had when he lived in Dongguan and the experiences they both cherished in a culture so alien to the West, but one they both loved.

  Chengdu, Lily’s partner was a local Chinese student who spoke good English and most importantly had a western sense of humour. Quite rare in China.

  He longed to visit Australia where Lily was born but it was difficult for most Chinese to leave the country, although each year it was getting easier to obtain visas.

  “You going back to BrisVegas or staying on here, Lily?” her father asked.

  “I think I might stay on here for a couple of more years. By then Chengdu should be able to accompany me to Australia and that would be awesome. And you Dad, what are you up to? How’s Carole and the kids?”

  The party was over and Harry had to sit down and explain what had happened recently. He decided not to tell her about his private investigation into the matter.

  “Oh, my God. You poor thing. Carole and the girls … have they found the killers yet?”

  “Not yet. But the police are working on it.”

  “What a tragedy and what about you Dad? What are you going to do?”

  “I’ll be okay. Get back to my journalism and see the Jam Tarts win the premier league.”

  “Not sure about the last wish.” Lily said cheekily

  “Well, you sound as though you’re definitely getting back to normal. So now I can look at flying home and leave you in the safe hands of Chengdu.”

  Chengdu understood and grinned with pride.

  “Okay, gotta go and leave you love birds alone. Catch up with you tomorrow evening. How about we meet at Jack’s Bar for a few drinks?”

  “Sounds cool! See you around seven.”

  Harry decided to walk rather than take a taxi, as that would be much more dangerous than walking. The local taxi drivers made their own road rules, besides it was a nice evening and only a twenty-minute stroll to his destination.

  There was someone he needed to talk with on his way back to the hotel.

  Chapter 56

  Alex received a call from her next door neighbour who had just returned home from grocery shopping and noticed that Alex’s back door window was broken.

  She thanked her for getting in touch and immediately rang Curtis, who was only five minutes from home. He would call her when he got there.

  Alex asked for and was given some time off, so she jumped in her car and headed home.

  As an ex-copper, Curtis knew not to touch anything but he needed to get inside the house before the police. As well as the glass being broken the door lock had been pried and the door was ajar.

  He was surprised as everything seemed in order as he moved through the house until he entered the office.

  It was totally trashed. They, whoever they were, had been looking for something either in their files or computer. This was the work of pros who knew what they were looking for.

  Curtis stepped outside and waited for Alex to arrive.

  As they both stood at the office door observing the scene, they agreed that they couldn’t report this to the police.

  Her computer appeared to be the only thing missing.

  “Thank Christ, I backed up the laptop files on Dropbox,” was Alex’s response.

  “What does that mean?” Curtis asked.

  “It means Curtis, that we still have all the files that were on the computer.”

  “That’s very clever.” Replied the computer-illiterate Curtis.

  Alex ignored the comment and gave him a loving hug. “Now we know that they, whoever they are, know that we are on to them and that spells danger.”

  “For all of us,” added Curtis.

  Chapter 57

  The Pullman Hotel in the Dongcheng district was a five-star western hotel where Harry had spent many a late-night gambling and spoiling the local karaoke scene with his old friend Prince.

  “You going to buy me a beer or do I have to buy one myself?”

  Prince was surprised to see him. “Harry, what are you doing here?”

  “Thought I might find you here, Prince.”

  Prince was his adopted English name, his real name was Huan Wei, but all Chinese business people adopted an English name. Harry had met dozens of Madonnas and Obamas in China.

  Prince was a large property developer even though he had no experience and most of his work was given to him through his contacts in the Communist Party.

  That’s the way it was in China.

  “My daughter Lily has been sick, but much better now.”

  “How long you here for?”

  “I go back to Scotland in a few days. Back to the snow and icy winds.”

  “You want to go to karaoke tonight? Then some late-night gambling. Just like old times. Tomorrow we go to Hong Kong?”

  “No, Prince, not this time. I have a few things I need to attend to before I head back. Need to keep a clear head.”

  “Anything I help you with?”

  “Well, there is one thing. Your friends in Beijing … can you contact them and find out who is supplying drones and drugs to which company in Scotland? I also need to know the main person they are dealing with in Scotland. I will email you the details.”

  “We heading up to Bar Street soon for some extra entertainment. Sure you don’t want to join us?”

  “You mean you’re heading for the cheating part of town? I think I will give it a miss. Talk to you in a couple of days, and stay safe tonight.”

  The information that Prince relayed to him a couple of days later was stunning and he couldn’t wait to get back home to tell the team.

  Harry hated airport lounges. The waiting around, the screaming kids, the frustrated parents and most of all he detested their careless attitudes and the lack of decent dress of the youth today. No respect. Hopefully, none of them would be in business class today.

  It was nine-thirty in the morning as the plane touched down in Edinburgh after the overnight flight from China via Amsterdam. Looking out the window as they taxied to the air bridge, Harry could sense it was a typical Scottish bitterly cold winter’s day.

  He took the tram to the city centre. He loved the trams, which had been recently reinstalled after closing over fifty years ago, and then took an Uber from the tram terminus at York Place home to Portobello.

  The flight back from China left Harry a bit jet-lagged and he was having a cat nap at home when there was a knock on the door. That was strange, how did someon
e get into the building without using the intercom?

  Harry walked to the front door of the apartment, cautiously opened the door and was greeted by a petite young lady. “Hi. I’m Skye Livingstone, your new neighbour, just moved in below you last week. Thought I’d pop up and introduce myself.”

  Harry was surprised by the introduction and her beauty. “Hi. I’m Harry Cram, would you like to come in for a coffee?”

  “Another time, have to get going to work. Glad we've now met. Just wanted to say a quick hello. Here’s my business card. Call me at the weekend and perhaps we could have a coffee downstairs at the Beach Cafe?”

  “Sure thing. Nice to meet you. Take care.”

  With that, Skye spun around and made her way to the lift as Harry read the card she had left him. Scottish Government Senior Financial Analyst. Pretty cool. What a stunner …

  Chapter 58

  The information that he had received in China and was about to relay to the team troubled him greatly. He felt used and cheated.

  His friends in the CAOS room could sense his uneasiness.

  “There is something I need to tell you that will surprise you. My contacts in China did a bit of snooping around and Carole had been talking with the dealers in China and planning to take Alf out of the picture. She had set up a company called NBN, trading as New Big Network and was about to place orders for the drugs to come into the UK. The dealers were not comfortable with Alf being in prison and decided that it would be better to deal directly with her. And before you ask me, I had no idea what she was up to.”

  Blair entered the conversation. ”Wow. If this is correct then we are all in danger.”

  “Not from the Chinese. They have decided to deal with someone else and that will not please Mr. Hunter,” Harry informed them.

  “So, we can assume that Alf found out and decided to eliminate you and Carole but the Mason brothers got there an hour or so early and that saved your life,” Blair offered.

  “It kinda looks that way,” Harry confirmed.

  “Then the Mason brothers will be the next to be dealt with?” Alex asked.

  “I would think that would be correct,” Harry said nervously. “What should we do?”

  “Maybe it’s time to hand over what we know to the police and they might offer you witness protection,” Blair suggested.

  “I've seen what happens in witness protection. Against someone with Alf Hunter’s contacts outside and sadly perhaps inside the force you wouldn’t be very safe. Anyway, if Alf wanted you dead, you would have been taken care off during the attack the other day in the basement. For whatever reason, he decided to let you live. That was just a gentle warning in the basement and you should be very grateful that you are still in one piece,” Alex said

  “Carole could not have done this on her own.”

  “She would have to have teamed up with someone. Someone like Alf’s second in charge, Nugget Reid and perhaps Reginald Buchanan saw this as an easy way to get rich quick. They would have made a good trifecta,” Blair suggested.

  “Alex, what do you suggest we do from here?”

  “I think we should take a deep breath and work on the twenty-four hour rule and reassess tomorrow. In the meantime, I’ll see what information I can pick up tomorrow at the office.”

  Alex also informed them about the break-in at their home and their decision not to involve the police.

  Chapter 59

  Alex decided to pick up a decent latte from the Beach Cafe rather than the usual canteen coffee at the station. She had noted an earlier text on her mobile this morning requesting she contact DCI Scully as soon as she arrived at the office.

  As she walked up Bath Street from the cafe to the station she was suddenly aware of how cold it was outside and she thought to herself, “A Harley Street specialist wouldn’t be able to remove the layers of skin on her face as fast as the bitter wind today …”

  Winter days in Portobello can be extremely harsh.

  Once inside the warmth of the office she was immediately confronted by the young friendly desk sergeant who advised her that she was to make her way at once to Scully’s office.

  The station on a Monday morning was a mixture of tired people from working the weekend to reasonably refreshed and pleasant staff who had the luxury of a weekend off. The latter were easy to spot; usually milling around the office chatting about who did what or how the football went over the weekend. The others were usually found hiding in dark corners.

  Scully greeted Alex as she tried to slink past his door on the way to the toilet. “In here now, young lady and bring your coffee and wits with you. You’ll need them both.”

  Alex liked the DCI and wasn’t afraid of him as he was fair and mostly courteous to women, but she was ready for a torrent of questions regarding Harry Cram.

  Alex had never been in Scully’s office and she was surprised to find it sparsely furnished and rather small. It contained no more than a grand oak desk, his leather chair, a filing cabinet and an old-fashioned hat stand

  The desktop was virtually empty except for a notepad, a pen and pad of paper and the traditional family portrait sitting proudly on his desk.

  “Alex, we are a bit concerned that your personal association with Harry Cram under the current circumstances may result in a conflict of interest.”

  “With all due respect, sir. Surely what I do in my own time is of no concern to the police force.”

  “Yes. I agree, but in this case the rumour mill has it that you are helping Mr. Cram with his private investigation.”

  “Sir, yes I am helping him, but only as a note taker supporting his role as an investigative journalist. I don’t see that as a conflict of interest.”

  “It will be if you start to split hairs. You are warned. No inside information that you gain in this establishment is to find its way to Mr. Cram or anywhere else, is that understood?”

  “Understood, sir.”

  “Now get yourself out of that chair and back to Fettes. And remember, if I hear anything to the contrary, I will come down on you like a ton of bricks and that won’t be good for your reputation or your career aspirations. You are a good cop with a good future, don’t throw it away.”

  Chapter 60

  Alf Hunter had a saying that terrorised everyone in the underworld. When pressure was put on someone for answers or actions they were told St. Mirren or St. Peter, which in effect meant that the correct answer would allow them to see St. Mirren play. Give the wrong answer and they would meet with St. Peter.

  The prisoners in Saughton were aware that Alf was not a happy chappy and there was an uneasiness in Ingliston Hall that even the screws were picking up. Tension was building and the exercise yard was generally the flashpoint area when something was going down. So extra guards were on duty in the yard.

  Alf knew this and had already pre-arranged a small fight in the yard that would distract the screws from where the real action was going to be.

  As the staged fight broke out in the yard between Kenny and Stanley the alarms went off and the screws came swarming from every corner of the exercise yard.

  At the same time, Billy and Murphy were entering the metal workshop where ‘Knuckles’ McCarthy and his wingman Eric Boyle were working. The two screws in the shop were, of course, concentrating on a broken lathe at the very back of the room as Billy and Murphy simultaneously landed ferocious back-of-the-head blows to their victims.

  As they both stumbled across the floor, homemade chibs made with razor blades fixed to the end of a toothbrush were dragged across their faces from cheek to cheek. Screaming in agony they fell to the floor trying to stem the spurting crimson flow with their hands. McCarthy and Boyle reminded the perpetrators of two squealing pigs. As the men were wrestling with their injuries they were dealt more harm in the form of heavy blows from a hammer to the knees, resulting in smashed kneecaps.

  The CCTV was temporarily down as the power had to be turned off while the lathe was being looked at, of course leavin
g no video evidence at the scene.

  The pair hastily dusted themselves down and casually left the workshop for the chaos in the exercise yard. Most of the melees had been broken up and it was easy to slip in to the swarm of prisoners corralled into one corner.

  The mandatory statements were later issued by the authorities after the incident.

  A Scottish Prison Service spokesperson issued a statement through a press release that said. “We can confirm that an incident took place at Saughton Prison today where two prisoners were assaulted. The matter has been passed on to the police.”

  A police spokesperson reported at a doorstop meeting. “Officers from the Fettes station are investigating a report of an alleged assault on two prisoners at Saughton Prison.”

  The prisoners would be in no doubt who was responsible for the message that Alf Hunter had just delivered.

  No convictions would arise from the incident.

  Chapter 61

  Skye was dressed very casually in light blue jeans, matching tee shirt and sandals as she sat sipping her cappuccino, waiting for Harry to join her for their pre-arranged morning coffee in the Beach Cafe. She was aware of the issues that he had been dealing with recently from the newspapers and wondered if it would come up in the conversation.

  She decided that she would not be the one to raise it.

  She greeted Harry with a peck on the cheek as he arrived, which left him feeling rather awkward. He wasn’t expecting that from someone he had only met once, but admitted to himself that it was a nice touch.

  “Well, Skye, you settled in okay? And have you met our infamous onsite manager?”

  “Yes, thank you. I absolutely love living here. No, I haven’t met the manager yet. What’s his name?”

  “Murray Webster or ‘Muzza’ as he is known to all of us. I am surprised he hasn’t introduced himself to you yet. It won’t be long before he tracks you down. He likes to know everything that goes on in the complex and gets shitty if he finds out last.”