by Bill Daly
‘Did you believe him?’
Steel shrugged his shoulders. ‘I wanted to believe him, Inspector. Not long after that, Ronnie Gilligan’s accusations came to light. At that point, I’d had enough. I told John I was leaving him. However, when Gilligan’s accusations were withdrawn, John insisted they had been groundless and he pleaded with me to stay. I went along with it.’ Steel gave a resigned shake of the head. ‘Against my better judgement, I have to admit. Deep down, I knew I was deluding myself, but I so much wanted our relationship to work. But when the revelations about Tommy Carter came to light, that was it as far as I was concerned. I walked out on him.’
‘Were you interviewed by the police at the time of John’s trial?’
‘I was. But I didn’t say anything to them about John’s paedophile activities. I told them that our split up had been amicable – that we had just decided to go our separate ways. Despite everything he might have done, Inspector,’ Steel said quietly. ‘I was still in love with him.’
‘Were you in court during his trial?’
‘I was in the public gallery throughout the proceedings – and there, my love for John dissipated like snow melting in the morning sun. For the first time in my life, I saw John in his true colours. Deceitful, manipulative and cunning. I realised then how much he had used me – how he used everyone he came into contact with. I felt bitter and resentful. I wanted him to pay dearly for what he had done. When the jury acquitted him, I felt physically ill.’
‘Did you have any contact with John after the trial?’
‘I tried to get in touch with him. I wanted to let him know in no uncertain terms what I thought of him, but he’d disappeared off the face of the earth. He’d moved out of his flat without leaving a forwarding address and both his mobile phone number and his e-mail address had been closed down. I never set eyes on him again.’
‘I think that’s all I need for now, Mr Steel,’ Charlie said, getting to his feet. ‘I appreciate you being so frank – and let me apologise again for interrupting your free period. If you wouldn’t mind giving me your address and your phone number in case we need to get in touch?’
‘Of course.’
When Charlie arrived back in Pitt Street, he found Tony O’Sullivan waiting for him at reception.
‘We’ve got a visitor, sir.’
‘Who’s that?’
‘Lesley Adams. She turned up ten minutes ago. She said she needed to talk to you urgently. I told her she could wait in your office.’
‘Okay, let’s see what she’s got to say for herself.’
CHAPTER 17
When Charlie and Tony walked into the office together they found Lesley Adams sitting on a chair facing the desk.
‘Are you not working today, Ms Adams?’ Charlie asked as he was stripping off his jacket.
‘I’m on my lunch break.’
Tony squatted with his buttocks on the edge of the desk while Charlie hung his jacket on the hook on the back of the door.
‘What can we do for you?’ Charlie asked, easing himself down onto his swivel chair.
‘There’s something I should have told you yesterday,’ Lesley said hesitantly.
‘What was that?’
Lesley gnawed at her lower lip. ‘Gavin Carter and I are in a relationship,’ she said in little more than a whisper.
‘Really?’
Lesley straightened her back. ‘I’ve done nothing wrong!’
‘Nobody said that you had.’
‘It’s just that – well, I know how it looks.’
‘How does it look?’
‘I don’t need to spell it out for you, Inspector. I was the family’s social worker for six years. I’ve known Gavin since he was thirteen. I could tell from very early on that he fancied me, but I did nothing to encourage him. In fact, quite the reverse. I went out of my way to make sure I kept him at arms’ length. When Gavin was seventeen, he plucked up the courage to ask me out for a drink. Of course, I refused. He was mature for his age – and I have to admit that I was attracted to him, but my duty of care as a social worker precludes me from having any kind of personal relationship with a client before they reach the age of eighteen. I was scrupulous about that. I even filled out a report stating that he had asked me out for a drink – and that I had refused. I brought the report to the attention of my manager. She gave me the third degree. Understandably. We take our safeguarding responsibilities very seriously. She wanted to know why he had asked me out. Had I ever flirted with him? Given him any indication whatsoever that I might be interested in him? I managed to convince her that I had done everything by the book. That was the real reason I put in for a transfer,’ Lesley added, lowering her gaze. ‘I was becoming more and more attracted to Gavin. I knew it would only be a matter of time before we got together – and tongues would begin to wag. A few months after his eighteenth birthday we met up for a drink – and things developed from there.’
‘Is Gavin’s father aware of your relationship?’
Lesley blushed furiously. ‘Why should he be? It’s none of his business. Gavin is nineteen – he’s a grown man – and I’m twenty-eight. A nine year age difference isn’t all that unusual, Inspector,’ Lesley added defensively.
Charlie held up both hands in a conciliatory gesture. ‘Nobody’s saying you’ve done anything wrong, Ms Adams.’ Charlie steepled his fingers and rested his chin on them. ‘Do you mind telling me why you didn’t say anything about this yesterday?’
‘I was about to, but I knew you’d jump to conclusions – to the wrong conclusions. I gave Gavin no encouragement at all before he was eighteen, Inspector.’
‘Okay, Ms Adams. Thank you for letting us know that.’
‘While I’m in full confession mode,’ Lesley said, turning to Tony, ‘I should apologise for being tetchy about the not proven verdict yesterday, but Tommy Carter’s case wasn’t the first time I’ve been on the wrong side of that idiocy.’
‘What else happened?’ Charlie asked.
‘Ten years ago, my sister was raped. She was only fifteen at the time.’ A shiver ran down the length of Lesley’s spine as she spoke. ‘She was on her way home from school when she was jumped on from behind and dragged into the bushes. The attacker held a knife to her throat and threatened to kill her if she made a noise. He then proceeded to rape her before running off. She was traumatised beyond belief.’
‘I’m very sorry to hear that,’ Charlie said.
‘She lay in the bushes for more than two hours,’ Lesley continued, ‘until she was found by a passer-by. She didn’t want to go to the police – she just wanted to block everything out – pretend it hadn’t happened. But our mother insisted that she had to report it. She eventually agreed to do that. She was examined by a police doctor. His report confirmed that her bruises were consistent with her having been raped, but there was no DNA evidence available because, apparently, her attacker had used a condom.’
‘Was he ever caught?’ Tony asked.
‘Yes – and no.’ Lesley shook her head. ‘She agreed to look through a police file of mugshots and she picked out her assailant. She was a hundred per cent sure it was him. He was eventually arrested and the case went to trial. Having to take the witness stand and describe what had happened to her was a traumatic experience, especially as the bastard in the dock sat leering at her throughout the proceedings. The verdict was not proven – in the end, it came down to her word against his.’
‘I can only imagine how difficult that must have been for her – and for you,’ Charlie said. ‘But if there was insufficient evidence to secure a conviction, the court would have had to find him not guilty, if there hadn’t been a not proven verdict available.’
‘Things didn’t end there,’ Lesley said, her voice hardening. ‘Three years after that, a man was arrested in Birmingham and convicted of raping a German student – and it transpired that he had raped two other girls in Manchester during the intervening period. All the rapes had happened on the same date – his
birthday. It was the same date my sister had been raped. There was a photo of him in the papers. It was the same guy. He was using a different name, but it was him all right. If he had been convicted in Glasgow, three girls would not have been raped.’
‘I’m really sorry to hear that your sister was subjected to such a harrowing experience,’ Charlie said. ‘How is she now?’
‘She’s back to old bouncy self, but it took a long time for her to get over it. She was in counselling for the best part of four years. She was living in constant dread that he might come back and rape her again. It was a huge relief for her when he got sent down for life. That allowed her to have some kind of closure. It was only after he was convicted that she started to recover.’
‘Is there anything else you would like to get of your chest?’ Charlie asked.
Lesley gave a sheepish grin. ‘I think that’s it for today.’
‘One more thing,’ Charlie said. ‘Do you happen to know where Gavin will be tomorrow morning?’
‘Tomorrow’s Wednesday, isn’t it?’ Lesley said. ‘That’s one of his days for working from home.’
‘Where does he call ‘home’?’
‘My flat,’ she said, blushing.
‘Could you do me a favour?’ Charlie asked.
‘What’s that?’
‘Tell him I’d like to talk to him.’
‘Why?’ Lesley queried. ‘You don’t think he had anything to do with the murder, do you?’
‘I didn’t say that. I just want to have a word with him – nothing formal. Just find out what he was up to on Saturday night. Where he was – and who he was with. As a matter of procedure, we’ll be talking to everyone who had any association with the deceased. The sooner we can eliminate people from our enquiries, the better. He wasn’t with you, by any chance?’
‘No, but, as it happens, I do know where he was.’
‘Where was that?’
‘He went through to Edinburgh with one of mates to go to a gig.’
‘In which case, there’s nothing for him to be concerned about. If he’s going to be at your place tomorrow,’ Charlie added, ‘would it be all right if I drop round and have a chat with him?’
‘No problem as far as I’m concerned,’ Lesley said.
‘Good. If you wouldn’t mind letting let him know that I’ll be at your flat at ten o’clock tomorrow morning.’
Having logged on to his internet banking, Malcolm Steel’s heart sank when he checked his account. There was no way he could afford to go on like this. He scanned the most recent entries on his credit card statement. Over four hundred pounds charged to his card at the weekend, the most expensive items being nearly a hundred and fifty pounds in Rogano’s last Friday and a similar amount in the Ubiquitous Chip on Saturday.
He would have to phone Gordon and have it out with him. There was no other way.
‘Why the hell does Anderson want to talk to me?’ Gavin complained, a sullen expression on his face. ‘I haven’t set eyes on Murdoch since the trial.’
‘It’s nothing for you to be concerned about, Gavin,’ Lesley reassured him. ‘It’s just routine stuff. The police have to talk to everyone who knew him.’
‘Routine, my arse! The cops need to convict somebody for his murder. My Uncle Andy told me that they don’t give a shit who they pin it on – as long as they get a result. They’re going to try to fit me up.’
‘I wouldn’t take your Uncle Andy’s advice on the subject of the police – or on anything else for that matter. There’s no reason to become paranoid, Gavin. The police are only doing their job. All Anderson will want to do is ask you a few questions. He’ll want to know where you were, and who you were with, last Saturday night when the murder took place, so they can eliminate you from their enquiries.’
‘You know where I was. I went through to Edinburgh with Stuart. First Tiger’s drummer had called off sick and Stuart had agreed to stand in for him. They were doing a gig in Whistle Binkies, so I went through to see him perform.’
‘That’s fine. I’ve already told Anderson you were in Edinburgh. You don’t have anything to worry about. Just confirm that to him and everything will be okay.’
Gavin waited until Lesley had gone for a shower before calling his uncle.
‘The cops want to talk to me,’ he blurted out as soon as Andy took the call. ‘My bird gave me a message from Anderson. He’s coming here at ten o’clock tomorrow morning. I’m shitting myself, Andy.’
‘Pull yourself together, Gavin. We knew this would happen. Just do what we agreed and everything will be fine.’
‘My bird has already told the polis that I was in Edinburgh.’
‘That’s okay. When you let Anderson wheedle out of you that you were with me, tell him that you lied to your bird. You were hardly going to let her know that you were helping me do a job in the Jaco.’
‘Okay, okay… that’ll work.’ Gavin hesitated. ‘I’m scared, Andy. Can you be here with me tomorrow when Anderson comes to see me?’
Andy hesitated. ‘I’m not sure that’s a good idea.’
‘Oh, come on, Andy. Please! That way we can be sure we both stick to the same version of the story.’
‘Okay, okay. If it’ll make you feel better, I’ll be there. What time did you say he’s coming?’
‘Ten o’clock.’
‘Will your bird be there?’
‘No. She leaves for her work at half-eight.’
‘Give me the address,’ Andy said. ‘I’ll be there at nine o’clock and we’ll go over everything again to make sure we’ve got the story straight.’
As soon as Gavin disconnected the call, his phone rang. He shook his head when he saw who was calling. Cursing under his breath, he took the call.
‘I was just about to call you,’ he said quietly.
‘You were supposed to phone me this morning.’
‘I tried this morning,’ he lied, ‘but your number was busy.’
‘Everything seems to be all right, Gavin. I think I might have over-reacted yesterday. He probably was checking up on me, but that’s what he’s like. It’s his own guilty conscience that makes him suspicious.’
‘Thank God for that.’
‘He’s going to be away overnight tonight. What time can you get here?’
‘I’m sorry. I won’t be able to make it tonight.’
Her tone changed abruptly. ‘I hope you’re not thinking of changing your mind, Gavin? It doesn’t work like that. I’ve done a lot of favours for you in the past. I expect you to keep your side of the bargain.’
‘I’m not changing my mind. It’s nothing like that. It’s just that there’s a lot going on right now.’
‘That’s not what we agreed, Gavin,’ she snapped.
‘I know! But I can’t get away tonight.’
‘Why not?’
‘The police are investigating a murder.’
‘What’s that got to do with you?’
‘Nothing. But the victim was somebody I knew so the cops want to talk to me. They’re coming to see me at ten o’clock tomorrow morning. It’s just routine stuff, but I have to be here.’
There was an uncomfortable silence before she spoke. ‘All right, this time,’ she fumed. ‘But in future, when I call, you come running. That’s the deal.’
Gavin stared at the phone in his fist as the call was disconnected.
When Charlie got the message from his secretary, he called Tony O’Sullivan on his mobile phone.
‘I appear to have a double booking for tomorrow morning, Tony,’ Charlie explained. ‘Pauline has arranged for me to see Martin Gilligan, Ronnie’s father, at ten o’clock, which is the same time I’m supposed to be at Lesley Adams’ flat to talk to Gavin Carter. I don’t want to reschedule Gilligan. He wasn’t at all keen to talk to me and I don’t want to give him any excuse for opting out. Could you handle Gavin on your own?’
‘No problem, sir.’
‘After I’ve been to see Gilligan, we’ll need a meeting with the
team to bring everyone up to speed,’ Charlie said. ‘Schedule a briefing session in the incident room for eleven o’clock tomorrow morning. Tell Renton, Freer and McLaughlin to be there.’
Wednesday 7th September
Charlie Anderson drew up in the customers’ car park behind the bank in Knightswood. When he went inside, he told a cashier that he had an appointment with the manager at ten o’clock. She showed him to Martin Gilligan’s office at the rear of the building.
Gilligan walked across the office and closed the door behind Charlie before indicating a seat for him.
‘Thank you for agreeing to see me, sir,’ Charlie said as he settled down.
‘I’d appreciate if we could do this as quickly as possible, Inspector. I have a busy schedule this morning.’
‘In which case,’ Charlie said, ‘I’ll come straight to the point. Why did you withdraw your son from his school?’
Gilligan’s back stiffened. ‘Ronnie had a problem with one of the teachers.’
‘Which one?’
‘John Murdoch.’
‘You are aware that Mr Murdoch has been murdered?’
Gilligan nodded. ‘I read about that the papers.’
‘Mr Parker, the head teacher at the school, told me that you had filed a complaint against John Murdoch, but later withdrew it. Is that correct?’
‘It is.’
‘Why did you do that?’
Gilligan hesitated. ‘Initially, Ronnie told me that Murdoch had made improper suggestions to him and that he had touched him intimately in the school library. It was on that basis that I made the complaint. However, when I questioned Ronnie further, it transpired that he was the one who had instigated the intimacy.’
‘Ronnie was thirteen, Mr Gilligan,’ Charlie said incredulously. ‘No matter if he had instigated the intimacy, as you put it, Murdoch was criminally responsible and he should have been held to account.’
