‘Got it in one,’ he said, rueful. ‘We were burning through our capital faster than we’d anticipated. David thought we needed to give his prices an artificial leg-up to boost our nest-egg.’
‘It certainly did that. And it was your first mistake, Iain. You know what happened, don’t you?’
‘No. All I know is that I got an email from Francis Geary, passing on a message from Jamie. It was like a punch in the chest.’
‘What did it say?’
‘It’s carved on my memory. “Dear Daniel Connolly, Apologies for contacting you out of the blue but I believe you may know something of the whereabouts of my brother, Iain Auld, who knew David Greig very well. I would like to meet to discuss this.” I was so shocked, I threw up. I barely made it to the bathroom. I couldn’t make sense of it.’
‘So what did you do?’
‘I told David.’
53
Auld’s words hung in the air. He might as well have said, ‘I signed my brother’s death warrant,’ Karen thought. Auld knew how ruthless his lover was; he must have understood the risk he was exposing his brother to. But she knew from long experience that people’s capacity for self-delusion was pretty much unlimited.
‘You told David. How did he react?’
‘He could see how upset I was. He told me not to worry. He insisted that he’d handle it.’
Karen let the words settle between them. ‘What did you take that to mean?’
‘I was so relieved. I knew he’d find a better way to explain things to Jamie than I would. I’d have been too emotional, we both knew that. So David said he’d meet Jamie and see how the land lay.’ He gave her a beseeching look. ‘He’s good with people, he knows how to persuade them to see things differently.’ He gave a laugh that turned into a cough. His eyes were all over the place, everywhere except Karen’s gaze. ‘I mean, look how well he did with me, and I was as strait-laced as they come.’
Karen bit down again on her anger. ‘What happened next?’
‘David replied to the email and set up a meeting in Fife. Jamie was up there, visiting Mary. They arranged to meet in Elie and walked out along the coastal path together. They were talking for a long time. There was a lot to explain. Jamie was angry at first, David said. But he calmed down when he understood he could be back in my life again. They were out for so long it got dark.’ Auld closed his eyes, his expression one of anguish. ‘And Jamie lost his footing and fell down the cliff. David went after him but there was no sign.’ He opened his eyes, meeting Karen’s in a piteous stare. ‘He must have hit his head on the way down. That’s what David said.’
‘David lied, Iain. I don’t think there was ever a conversation. I think he went there with the express purpose of removing the threat to his lovely life.’
‘You’re wrong. You don’t know him. He’s not a coldblooded killer. I’ve lived with him for ten years. He’s warm and loving and generous.’
‘He killed your brother.’ She pushed her chair back. ‘I think we all need a break now. Do you want a coffee, or a tea? Something to eat?’
Auld shook his head. ‘A cup of black tea, that’s all. No sugar.’
Nugent intoned the formula for the interview suspension and the three officers filed out. Karen leaned against the wall, exhaling slowly. She allowed herself to feel the tension in her body, the damp in her armpits, the dull ache at the base of her skull. ‘I need something to eat,’ she said. ‘Daisy, away and find me chocolate. Please. And coffee.’
When they were alone, Nugent said, ‘That was a helluva performance in there.’
‘Mine or his?’
‘Well, both, I suppose, but I meant yours. You pushed all the right buttons at the right time.’
‘I thought I’d lost him at the end there, when he started on about it being an accident.’
Nugent gave a dark chuckle. ‘Last desperate throw of the dice. You could see he didn’t believe it himself. So what now?’
‘I have to persuade him to trick David into coming on to your turf.’
‘You have a plan?’
Karen managed a weak laugh. ‘I wouldn’t pay it the compliment of calling it a plan. I have an idea.’
Daisy reappeared. ‘I got you a Snickers because peanuts are protein.’ She handed over the bar. ‘And a bag of Maltesers. Sergeant Tiernan’s bringing coffee.’
Karen forced herself to eat the Snickers bar with something approaching restraint in spite of her desire to demolish it in three bites. ‘Oh God, that’s better,’ she sighed as Tiernan arrived with the coffee.
‘You were amazing in there,’ Daisy said. ‘I mean, wow. I’m learning so much, working with you.’
Karen nodded her thanks, drank the coffee and ate the Maltesers without another word. ‘Bathroom break,’ she said. ‘Then it’s showtime.’
Iain Auld was beginning to look dishevelled. His tie was loose, the top button of his shirt undone. He’d taken off his jacket and there were dark circles under his armpits. Even his hair had started to go limp, its curl loosening.
Karen, who had washed her face and pimped her hair, sat up straight and gave him a look of pity. ‘You know you’re looking at jail time, Iain? I won’t pretend there’s any way out of that. I’ll tell you what else there’s no way out of, and that’s the end of your relationship with David. You’ve woken up next to him for the last time. No more cosy cups of tea in bed in the morning. Whatever happens now, you’re on your own. Either you help us bring him to justice. And I’m guessing he won’t be too happy about that. Or you take the rap for all you’ve done together, all his crimes as well as your own. And what will he do then? Well, based on his past history, he’ll run as far and as fast as he can. So what’s it to be? Decency or martyrdom? I’ll be honest. I believe in justice, and there’s nothing just about you carrying the can for the murder of your brother.’
He hung his head and spoke softly. ‘I’m glad our parents are dead. I couldn’t face them. The shame. The disappointment. That’s what I was thinking about when you were outside. Everything you said, when I had to listen to it like that, I couldn’t believe it was me you were talking about. That I’d lost my way so badly that I let myself be carried along without stopping to think. Deep down, I knew it was wrong.’ He looked up. ‘But I love him so much. I couldn’t bear the thought of losing him.’
‘But you do see now that he’s lost to you, whatever happens?’
He gave a sigh that was more like a sob in the back of his throat. ‘It sounds crazy, but I still want him to think well of me.’
Karen leaned in again. Her voice was soft, almost a caress. ‘I’ve been doing this job a long time, Iain. I’ve seen people like David Greig before. People who think they’re special, above the rules that confine the rest of us. And I swear there is no way he’s going to think well of you after this. He’ll either despise you for your weakness if you try to save him, or he’ll hate you for your treachery if you do the right thing. You’re dead to him now. Your only chance to survive this is to work with me.’
He took off his glasses, polished them on his tie and replaced them. ‘What do you want me to do?’
Karen felt something loosen inside her, something she hadn’t even realised she was holding so tightly. The headache lifted miraculously and she smiled tenderly at him. ‘It’s really simple. I want you to send him a text. You’ve been in a car accident. You’re absolutely fine but the car is too damaged to drive. Can he come and pick you up? He’ll do that for you, won’t he?’
Auld nodded. ‘He’ll come like a shot.’ He took out his phone. ‘There’s no signal here.’
‘Never mind, we’ll compose it in here then I’ll take it and find a signal and send it.’
‘I should say something about Dublin, he’ll be thinking I’m there and back by now.’ He started tapping the phone then showed it to Karen.
Dublin a waste of time, definitely not your work! Need a favour now – bloody stupid woman drove into me coming out of petrol station in Omagh. Front
wing smashed to fuck, undriveable. It’s at the BMW garage bodyshop, they’re saying the end of the week!!! Can you come and get me? Love you. Xxx
Karen took the phone from him and flicked back past some exchanges between them. The tone and the signoff matched. He wasn’t trying to alert Greig. ‘Thank you. Sergeant Mortimer will wait with you while Chief Inspector Nugent and I sort this out.’
Nugent followed her from the room and they walked back to his office, where the phone signal was clear. Karen pressed send and they waited. ‘You think he’ll go for it?’ Nugent asked, propping one buttock on the edge of desk.
Karen couldn’t keep still. She needed to stretch her legs, her back, her neck. ‘Why wouldn’t he? I don’t think I’ve done anything to rattle his cage. My only concern was whether Geary would talk – I called him at the gallery this morning and told him Daniel Connolly wouldn’t be coming and he should keep his mouth shut unless he wanted the Gardai all over him like a very bad rash. Given that Greig hasn’t been in touch with Auld, I’d say Geary has done what I told him.’
‘How are we going to do this? I take it you want Auld staked out in full view to draw him in?’
‘You’ll know a good spot? I’m thinking a coffee shop. Somewhere without alternative exits and entrances?’
‘There’s a nice wee coffee shop opposite the Sacred Heart church on George’s Street. About five minutes away from here. There’s probably a back door but you’d have to jump the counter and fight your way through the kitchen to get to it and we can stick a couple of uniforms out there.’
Before he’d finished speaking, the phone vibrated with a text:
Shit, that’s not good. You sure you’re OK? I’ll jump in the car now, I’ll be there soon as. Where are you? Xx
Karen typed a reply:
I’m in a café on George’s Street opposite the Sacred Heart. Thanks. Love you. Xxx.
The response was instant:
Don’t eat too many scones! Xx
She let out a breath and felt her shoulders drop. ‘Thank fuck,’ she said.
Nugent grinned. ‘Aye,’ he said. ‘We’ll get that all set up and walk Auld over there. Now, tell me. That crystal ball of yours, I don’t suppose it knows where Greig is right now?’
‘Look away now, nothing to see here,’ Karen said, taking her own phone out and opening the app. ‘He’s not hanging about. He’s coming down the road into Ramelton.’ She looked up. ‘I am so looking forward to this.’
54
Karen had to admit that Nugent was a serious operator. He’d proved it twice in one day. With less than an hour to work with, he’d cleared the café of customers and replaced the owner behind the counter with the woman who ran the police station canteen.
He had chosen well. The café was small – three four-top booths along one wall, five small round tables in the rest of the space. Auld was in the booth nearest the counter, facing the door. Daisy had managed to get Auld spruced up a bit – hair tidied, shirt button fastened, tie straight. Karen hoped Greig would write off his partner’s worried and weary expression as the result of his car crash.
There was an unmarked car stationed outside with a plain-clothes detective in the passenger seat, and Sergeant Tiernan apparently interviewing a suspect in a liveried Land Rover in the lane behind. Inside, a young officer sat with a glass of Coke, seemingly absorbed in his phone. Daisy and another plain-clothes cop sat facing each other across the table nearest the door, drinking tea and working their way through a plate of scones. Between mouthfuls, having a quiet conversation about their favourite bands. They almost looked convincing as a couple, Karen thought. Two women from the clerical support team occupied a booth with strict instructions not to get involved.
She conducted a quick sound check with Nugent, parked a few streets away. He could hear her, she could hear him. She took a look at her app again. Greig’s Mercedes was on the outskirts of Omagh now. He’d be with them within minutes. A final circuit of the room; it appeared entirely normal to her. ‘Right, everybody. Get set.’ She smiled at Auld. ‘Keep the heid and it’ll all be over soon.’ She sat down at the table nearest the booth, ready to spring into action as soon as Greig reached his partner.
Karen sipped the coffee in front of her. It was cold now, but it was still better than nothing. She looked at the app again. Greig was closer, it was true. But his car was no longer moving. She expanded the map, looking for clues. Was it a petrol station? Had he stopped to pick something up in a convenience store? The phone map settled and told her his Merc was in the car park of the BMW dealership. What the fuck?
‘Nugent?’ Urgent now. ‘He’s stopped at the BMW dealership.’ She got up and leaned on the table of Auld’s booth. ‘Why would he do that? Why would he go to the BMW dealership?’
Auld looked scared. ‘He’ll be convinced he can get them to fix the car faster than they told me. He thinks I’m too soft with tradesmen.’ He swallowed hard. ‘He’s going to find out I’ve lied to him.’
‘You hear that, Nugent?’ Karen shouted. In her earpiece she could hear the sound of an engine, the crackle of a police radio, Nugent instructing the team in the Land Rover to head for the BMW dealership.
‘I’m on it, Pirie,’ Nugent said. ‘We’re less than two minutes away.’
Karen ran for the door. ‘Stay with Auld, Daisy,’ she cried as she ran into the street and hauled open the door of the unmarked car.
‘Drive,’ she yelled at the startled detective. He looked terrified but did as he was told, clambering across the central console and starting the engine. ‘The BMW dealership,’ she told him. ‘Fast as you can. But no siren,’ she added, seeing his hand creep towards the button.
‘Best-laid fucking plans,’ she muttered as they wove through the busy streets. ‘Nugent, what’s happening?’ she said, checking her phone. ‘He’s still there. Or at least, his car is.’
‘We’re here but I can’t see the bastard,’ Nugent said. ‘We’re going in, but I don’t know where.’ His voice faded out.
Karen’s driver turned into the showroom car park. ‘Go straight round the back,’ Karen said. ‘Where it says “Service and MOT”.’
Obediently, he raced through the car park and screeched round the corner to the rear of the showroom. The wide roller doors leading to the service bays and the body shop were open to reveal a dozen mechanics and technicians working on a variety of cars and SUVs. Karen was out and running almost before the car skidded to a halt, looking wildly around her, alert for anyone who didn’t fit in.
There was an office area behind the bays. As she drew near, she could hear raised voices. ‘Are you calling me a liar?’ a man was shouting in an accent that definitely wasn’t local.
‘Look for yourself, there’s no black X5 in the workshop. I’ll take you round the bodyshop myself if you don’t believe me. Maybe it’s not been towed in yet.’
Through the window, she could see the man who had walked out of Hill House with Iain Auld two days ago. David Greig, or whatever he was calling himself these days. His fists were on the desk, arms straight, head jutting forward, aggression personified. The man behind the desk in a uniform blouson was pink-cheeked but not giving an inch.
Karen glanced over her shoulder. The detective had left the car, ignoring the protest of a mechanic who wanted it out of the way, and he was trotting behind her as if he was out for a slow jog in the park. Impatient, Karen pushed the door open. Both men turned to face her, startled. She planted her feet in a wide stance and said. ‘David Greig, I am arresting you on suspicion of the murder of James Auld. You do not have—’
He launched himself at her, smashing his forearm into her throat. Karen collapsed to her knees, choking for breath. Greig moved to get past her but spotted the other officer coming up behind. He didn’t hesitate for a second. He picked up a chair and threw it through the window that looked on to the service bays and vaulted through the frame, miraculously managing not to open a vein. He took off at speed, pursued a moment later by the Iris
h detective. Greig was moving fast for a man of his age.
Karen struggled to her feet, still making noises like a damaged animal and saw he was opening up the gap with his pursuer. She wanted to howl with rage, but she could barely breathe. All this, and now Greig was getting away.
And then a mechanic stepped out from behind a great brute of an SUV and swung a long spanner at Greig’s trailing leg. He hit the ground with a scream and a crunch. And then the detective was on top of him and Karen thought she might possibly breathe again.
55
Sunday, 22 March 2020
Jason hirpled into the HCU office still leaning on his crutch but moving better than the last time they’d gathered there. Somehow they’d squeezed another desk into the room; Daisy’s temporary attachment had become a permanent assignment. The Chief Constable’s pleasure at the media response to their results on two high-profile cases had trumped the Dog Biscuit’s hostility to all things Pirie and she’d been forced to paste a smile on.
Now the prosecutorial system was grinding its way through the long hard road to the courtroom. Ruth Wardlaw and her boss were still wrangling over how many different crimes they could lay at the door of a still-protesting David Greig, and how much leeway they were prepared to grant the wreckage of Iain Auld in exchange for his full cooperation. The McAndrew case was less complex, but the prosecution lawyers knew they would struggle to persuade a jury not to fall for the defence argument that Dani Gilmartin’s death had been a tragic accident, followed by panic.
Amanda McAndrew’s parents had flown back from Greece to support their daughter. But the spectre of being trapped in Edinburgh by the fallout from Covid-19 had driven them back to their olive grove. ‘She should have been a more devoted daughter,’ Daisy had remarked. ‘What goes around comes around.’
Still Life - Karen Pirie Series 06 (2020) Page 36
