Her Cold Eyes

by Tony Black

  ‘We think it’s salt,’ said Davis, answering for the SOCO and nodding him off. ‘We found it on the ground, quite a quantity of it, too. That’s where we found the sequins as well.’

  The DCI turned towards Davis and tilted his head. ‘Salt?’

  ‘It’s commonly used in purification rituals, sir.’

  ‘In what?’

  ‘It’s something to do with spirits. Kevin Rickards would be able to tell you more.’

  ‘Bring Rickards down to Ayr as soon as you can, Ian. We need to have a chat.’ Davis nodded and the detectives went into the outbuilding. It was a small, unlit chamber with drystone walls. The roof beams were exposed and the ground earthen. At one end two more SOCOs were engaged in bagging evidence by torchlight.

  ‘What have you got there?’ said Valentine.

  ‘Looks like blood,’ said Davis. ‘And lots of it.’

  ‘No splatter marks that I can see. The walls seem clean. It’s like a bucket was just emptied.’

  ‘Very strange, sir.’

  The DCI asked the SOCO for his torch and shone the beam upwards. A glossy black dampness covered the roof-beams, but there was fresh scoring in the centre of the beam. ‘Take a look at this, what do you think?’

  ‘It’s something sharp, not rope, more like metal,’ said McCormack, stepping forward.

  ‘A chain,’ said Davis, ‘possibly on a pulley, maybe for lighting? There’s a waxy black residue on the floor, too. It looks like drippage, from candles perhaps. We’ll need to have that analysed, of course.’

  ‘It certainly looks like the building’s been used for something unwholesome.’ Valentine turned back to the SOCOs. ‘Anything you find, scoop it up and bag it. Fibres, fluids . . . anything. This building is a crime scene now; I want the place sealed off.’

  ‘Yes, sir.’

  ‘Ian, get some uniforms on that door, too. Nobody comes in or out without my say-so.’

  ‘Yes, sir.’

  The detective headed back to the door and into the open air. Outside, joined by the others, he asked DI McCormack to show him where the rope ladder was found. She indicated a stretch of wall about two hundred metres away and they set off. The ground around the wall was hard packed, too hard to show any footprints or tracks. Valentine was crouching down, pressing the soil with his hands when McCormack spoke. ‘The SOCOs have the rope ladder in the lab now, sir, but I have a picture here.’ She removed a photograph from a blue folder in her satchel and handed it over.

  ‘Looks expensive, are those mountaineering grips?’ Valentine said.

  ‘Hard to say, but it doesn’t look run of the mill.’

  ‘No, with any luck it’s rare and we can narrow down its origins. There’s no doubt something went on here, but I’ll be honest I’ve no idea what.’ He handed back the picture and exhaled heavily. ‘That old cowshed’s been used for something, but I’m not sure the ladder is connected. I’d wager that whoever was responsible for the blood and the salt wouldn’t have left a ladder hanging around in the open.’

  Davis nodded. ‘Certainly not after a young girl was killed a matter of yards away.’

  Valentine smoothed the stubble on his chin. ‘Something’s not right here at all. I get a very bad vibe indeed about the whole place.’

  2015

  ‘I know where babies come from, I’m not silly.’

  Paige doesn’t like to hear the word baby, none of the older girls do. She puts her head down and goes all quiet. I think I’ve upset her now. I want to go over to her and say sorry or can I take it back but I’m not sure. Sometimes I get things mixed up and the words come out all wrong.

  Paige starts to cry.

  ‘What is it?’ I say.

  ‘Nothing.’

  ‘No, it’s something. Tell me.’

  ‘It’s nothing.’ She gets off the bed and goes to stand at the window next to my Snoopy curtains. That’s when I see her belly. It’s bulging, not much, just a little. She turns quickly and catches me staring and that’s when she pulls the curtain over her.

  ‘I saw it.’ The words come out before I can even think.

  ‘No you didn’t.’

  ‘I saw it.’ I can’t stop, it’s like I have to speak.

  ‘You didn’t see anything.’ She’s crying harder now. ‘Go away.’

  I stand up, the Monopoly cards fall off my lap, but it doesn’t matter, nothing matters any more. I walk over the board and the little Scottie dog is crushed under my slipper.

  ‘Paige . . .’

  She buries her head in the curtains. Lucy, the bossy one who always pulls the football away from Charlie Brown, is smiling in front of me and I want to rip the curtains down. But I’m not angry, just confused. I’m all upset to see Paige crying. She’s usually the strong one – she’s older than me and tells me what to do.

  ‘Please, Paige. I want to help you.’ I pull the curtain away and she starts to cry even harder, her face going all red on her cheeks and the tears slipping onto her T-shirt.

  ‘Oh, Abbie. If only you knew what it was like.’

  I give her a hug and I feel her belly pressing on me. It feels bigger than it looked. It feels strange too, because I know there’s a little baby growing in there.

  I stop cuddling and take Paige back to the bed where I sit her down. I get some tissues and help her to dry her eyes. She smiles a little, not a proper smile, just one of those ‘thank you’ ones that people make sometimes, and I feel all sad inside. I don’t want her to be unhappy, or hurt, or upset, because she’s my friend and I just want things to be like they were before when we were playing Monopoly and laughing and joking about the things on telly. But I know it can’t ever be like that again.

  ‘How did it happen?’

  ‘I’m not supposed to say,’ Paige says.

  ‘You can tell me.’

  She looks up at me, her eyes are still all watery. ‘But why do you want to know?’

  ‘You told me I have to do what you do, so you have to tell me some time.’

  Paige’s lip goes wobbly then her shoulders shake and she’s crying again. I put my hand on her but she pushes it away and can’t even look at me. ‘Oh, Abbie,’ she says.

  ‘Please, Paige. I have to know.’

  She lifts her head and looks at the window, I think she doesn’t want to look at me, but then I see it’s because she can’t look at me without the tears starting again.

  ‘When you meet your keeper, you’ll know.’

  ‘I don’t want to meet my keeper.’

  ‘Oh, Abbie, you don’t have any choice. You’ll have to start the rites soon, all the girls do.’

  ‘I’ve done the rites, what do you mean?’

  ‘Not those. I mean the real ones.’

  I don’t understand and when Paige looks at me she realises this too. ‘I mean the sex stuff, we all have to do it.’

  ‘What sex stuff?’

  ‘Stuff that pleases the Master. There’s a group of girls, all of us have to do it. Oh, Abbie, it’s horrible stuff, horrible, but we all have to do it.’

  My throat starts to go all stiff, like I might cry too. ‘Why do we have to do it?’

  ‘The lower you become, the more it pleases Lucifer, and the more power you will be given when you die. Oh, it’s horrible, horrible. Sometimes they make us drink stuff or take pills and you get sick. But that’s not the worst thing.’

  ‘What’s the worst?’

  ‘I can’t say.’

  ‘You must.’

  Paige whisks her head away, but I grab her chin and pull her eyes back to face me. ‘You must tell me now, Paige. You must.’

  She nods slowly and some tears escape from her tight-closed eyes. ‘Okay. I’ll tell. The thing that really pleases him – is blood.’

  ‘What do you mean?’

  ‘I mean eating flesh and drinking blood.’

  I can’t make a picture in my mind of her words so I ask again. ‘Paige, how do you eat flesh and drink blood?’

  ‘Remember in history c
lass, how they told you about the ancients who did child sacrifices? Well, they never told you that there were still people doing that sort of thing, did they?’

  ‘No.’

  ‘Well, when we go to the groves and do the magic rites, that’s what we do. They say it’s when what we think is wrong becomes what’s right.’

  ‘But where does the blood come from?’

  Paige goes all quiet and stares into my eyes. She touches her belly and I wonder what it is she’s trying to tell me. For a moment I keep wondering and then it’s clear in my mind and I know.

  ‘It can’t be true.’

  ‘I had one before. It was already dead when it came. I was on the loo and it just happened. I was afraid they’d take it away, take it away for the rites.’

  ‘What did you do?’

  ‘I took it, but didn’t tell anyone. I kept it in a drawer at home and put little flowers around it. I used to just look at it, I’d keep looking at it for the longest time, but then I stopped and put it in a shoebox under my bed.’

  ‘Did they find it?’

  Paige nodded. ‘They took it away.’

  ‘Where?’

  ‘I don’t know.’

  Paige reaches out and takes my hands in hers. ‘Abbie, they’re going to take this baby, too.’

  ‘No, we won’t let them.’

  ‘We can’t stop them.’

  I grip her hands. ‘Yes we can.’

  ‘No, there’s nothing we can do. Not if it makes the Master happy.’

  15

  The detectives were descending the path, heading back towards the stone outbuilding, when the groundsman stopped them. His mobile phone was out of sight now, but he was no less animated than he had been at the height of his earlier conversation. As the officers halted, directed by Malcolm Frizzle’s flailing arms, they observed his antics unfolding.

  ‘Right, you can’t go any further,’ he said, putting out his hands and splaying his fingers like he was keeping goal.

  The comical scene prompted the officers to laughter. ‘Cool your jets, Groundkeeper Willie,’ said Valentine.

  The man gave them a gummy smile and lowered his arms. ‘I’m just doing what I’m told.’

  ‘By whom?’ said the DCI.

  ‘My boss, Mr Coulter.’

  ‘Oh yeah, I’ve met him too. And was equally underwhelmed. Where’s the organ grinder? I’m sick of speaking to his monkeys.’

  ‘If you mean Mr Sutherland, he’s on his way now.’

  Valentine observed Frizzle’s twitchiness and made a connection that he normally associated with a particular type. ‘Do I know you, Frizzle?’

  ‘No, not me.’

  ‘Are you sure? I think we might have met before.’

  ‘No we haven’t.’

  ‘Well, I never forget a face. I’m annoying that way. I’d hate to be proven wrong, mind you. That might not work out well for you in this current situation.’

  Frizzle became noticeably more nervous, scratching his thigh through the pocket of his tracksuit. ‘I’ve never even seen you before in my life.’

  Valentine turned to the others. ‘Detective Inspector Davis, get on the blower and run this scrote’s details through the system. If he’s lying to me, then please extend him the great honour of a shot in your nice shiny police car, all the way to the station.’

  ‘Yes, sir.’

  As Valentine walked on he listened to Frizzle’s protestations and DI Davis’s much firmer shut-downs.

  ‘That wasn’t very nice of you,’ said McCormack as they went.

  ‘Police aren’t very nice, Sylvia, haven’t you heard?’

  McCormack smiled. ‘Perhaps it’s for the best, when we’re sopping up the dregs of society on a daily basis.’

  ‘There can hardly be any doubts about that. It feels like we’ve descended to the bottom of the barrel.’

  ‘What do you think’s gone on here, boss?’

  Valentine turned, his eyes narrowing as he took in the DI. ‘I’ve no references for any of this sort of thing, and everything I’ve gleaned from Davis so far is giving me nightmares.’

  ‘That reminds me.’ McCormack looked back towards the track. ‘You were going to tell me how things went with Hugh Crosbie.’

  ‘As interesting as ever,’ he said, as the pair continued to descend the trail. ‘He told me that the girl, Abbie, had something to pass on to me.’

  ‘Like a message?’

  ‘Yeah, something like that. He said she obviously thought I could help her in some way.’ Valentine turned to face McCormack again. ‘I wish I could believe that, because right now I have more questions than answers.’

  As they reached the edge of the gravel path skirting the house, the sound of footfalls crunching in the scree came upon them. Two figures, both male, were approaching.

  ‘Is that who I think it is?’ said Valentine.

  ‘I’d bet money on it.’

  When the figures neared the officers, and it became clear Ray Coulter had spotted them, their pace dropped and a brief, whispered exchange took place.

  ‘Hello again,’ said the DCI.

  The security officer nodded and slunk back as his boss stepped forward. ‘I’m David Sutherland.’

  ‘I’m sorry for the disturbance to your property, Mr Sutherland,’ said Valentine. He wasn’t sorry in the slightest, but did his best to disguise the fact.

  ‘It’s a bit of a shock to come home to a three-ring circus on your lawn.’ Sutherland ran his fingers through a thick crop of unruly hair, but the overlong fringe disobeyed, flopping into his eyes once again.

  ‘I’m sure it must be, but you’ll appreciate we have to be thorough in such matters.’

  ‘My understanding is that the girl was knocked down on the public highway – the road doesn’t run through my estate, detective.’ He seemed pleased with his remark, a slight smile twisting the side of his mouth.

  ‘I’m concerned with what occasioned that event, Mr Sutherland,’ said Valentine. ‘Which is why we’re here.’

  ‘You can’t seriously believe that anyone on my property has anything to do with that.’

  ‘It’s not about what I believe, sir. It’s about the facts, which haven’t been established yet.’

  Sutherland rolled his eyes towards the sky, his agitation obvious. However, much as this might have enjoined his staff, or a wine waiter, to act in his favour, it had the opposite effect on Valentine.

  ‘I’d like to take a look inside your property, Mr Sutherland,’ said the DCI.

  ‘Do you have a warrant?’

  ‘No.’

  ‘Then it doesn’t really bother me what you’d like to do, detective.’

  ‘I’m sorry to hear you say that.’ Valentine ushered DI McCormack onto the road. ‘I’ll be leaving a few officers here for now, Mr Sutherland.’

  ‘What?’

  ‘Yes, I’m afraid so. I’ve declared your outbuilding a crime scene, so they won’t be going anywhere. I’d also like to extend an invitation to you to join me down at the station, in your own time of course, as there’s a few questions I’d like to ask you.’

  ‘You can’t be serious.’

  ‘Oh, I’m very serious indeed, Mr Sutherland. I definitely do not make jokes about matters of life and death. Shall we say you can make yourself available, within the next forty-eight hours, at King Street station.’ He nodded and moved on. ‘Call in advance when you have a suitable time in mind and I’ll make myself available.’

  As Valentine and McCormack made their way to their cars, the DCI felt like a laser sight was being drawn on the back of his head. The encounter with David Sutherland had not gone to plan, or been conducted with any degree of civility, but he had succeeded in setting the ground rules. He was not going to be pushed around or intimidated – any bowing and scraping could be left to the chief super.

  DI McCormack was pinching her lips and emitting a low whistle as she removed her car keys. ‘We’re really winning friends and influencing people today, sir
.’

  ‘Is it just me or does that type get up everyone’s nose?’ said Valentine.

  ‘Comes with the territory.’ McCormack waved her hand over the rolling lawns. ‘I suppose it’s hard not to feel a little superior when you wake up to this view every morning.’

  ‘What happened to preaching that we’re all equal?’

  ‘Nobody really believes that nonsense.’

  Valentine tipped back his head. ‘Well Sutherland certainly doesn’t.’

  ‘Why didn’t you just pull him in, boss?’

  ‘I want to get the lab reports first, perhaps we’ll have something on him by then.’

  McCormack’s phone pinged, and, as she stared at the screen, her mood seemed to rise. ‘Result!’

  ‘What is it?’ said Valentine.

  ‘It’s Phil. DVLC came up trumps – we’ve found our missing social worker.’

  ‘Jean Clark?’

  ‘The very same.’

  The DCI tapped the roof of his car. ‘Good work, Sylvia. Let’s pay her a visit first thing in the morning.’

  ‘Yes, boss.’

  The detectives were getting into their cars when DI Davis appeared on the path, a distressed Malcolm Frizzle trailing behind him and remonstrating loudly. When they came level with the officers’ vehicles on the driveway, Davis placed his hand on Frizzle’s chest and halted him. Two others were following on the path behind them, Sutherland and Coulter stopping shy of the commotion to observe.

  ‘What’s going on?’ said Valentine, stepping out of his car.

  ‘Your suspicions were accurate, sir,’ said Davis. ‘This is indeed a lying toe-rag. And, not only is he in possession of a list of previous that would make your eyes water, but it looks like he’s breached an existing probation order.’

  ‘How the hell did you work that out?’ said Valentine.

  ‘Phil ran his details and discovered that the name tallied with the statements from his teenage trespassers. It looks like Malky Frizzle here has some questions to answer.’

  ‘Sounds like Phil’s had a busy day all round.’ The DCI pointed to the rear of his car. ‘Put him in the back, we’ll see what he has to say for himself when he gets down the station.’