Picture Her Dead (Rhona Macleod)

by Lin Anderson

  Rhona wondered how many more of his victims were out there, hidden like McGeehan, perhaps never to be discovered.

  ‘The laptop belongs to the missing girl,’ Sandy confirmed. ‘Someone wiped it clean, or thought they did, but all her material is here. The emails, files and images. And the film we found on the memory stick? It’s here too, but with more frames than on the back-up. I’ve passed a copy to vice. Plenty of participants in it. They’ll be older now but you might be able to identify some of those taking part. After all, leopards don’t change their spots, do they?’ He handed Bill a DVD. ‘I’d have a stiff drink before watching that. The rest of the material from the hard disk is available for your team to peruse online.’

  Bill thanked him, although thanks were barely enough for what they now had access to. All Jude’s correspondence and files leading up to her disappearance, together with the film Nelson had been so keen to get his hands on; which begged the question, did Nelson already know what was on it?

  Bill headed back to his office. On the way he handed over the job of examining the contents of Jude’s laptop, minus the film footage, to his investigation team.

  ‘And I don’t want to be disturbed,’ he told DS Clark on his way in, coffee in hand. This development, along with what Rhona had just called to tell him about Gavin MacLean, had given him plenty to think about. He laid the DVD on the desk.

  Jude had seen all or most of the content of the film, that much was obvious. The age of the film, however, might have led her to believe that a crime, if there was one, committed in it was past its sell-by date. Bill wondered how much of the film’s content she’d revealed to the Mulligans, or to Nelson.

  According to the twins, Jude had only asked if they could determine its age for her, which might mean she was considering going to the police with it. Bill recalled the two elderly men, distressed to hear Jude was missing and obviously keen to help. They’d had no reason to present themselves to him, and had Liam not confessed to his continued involvement their existence might never have been discovered.

  Nelson, on the other hand, had done everything in his power to avoid the law, even trying to call in the big guns. Why? Because he had something to do with Jude disappearing that night, or because of the existence of this film?

  And then there was Charlie. Did he steal the film along with the laptop, and if so, why?

  Bill stood up. He had things to do.

  ‘I’m going down to the Rosevale. I need you to get hold of all the plans of the building from when it was a cinema through to the present day. The place is a warren. I want to know every square inch of it.’

  ‘What about the guy calling himself Dominic McGeehan, Sir?’

  Bill had totally forgotten about him.

  ‘You interview him. Take DC Campbell in with you.’

  Janice looked pleased.

  ‘He’s a good actor, Sergeant. Remember that.’

  On his way to the car Bill took a turn past the vehicle bay where the SOCOs were at work on the cars. He spotted Chrissy among the swarm of white bees.

  ‘How’s it going?’

  ‘Both men clean their cars pretty thoroughly.’

  ‘Not too well, I hope?’

  ‘Not well enough.’

  ‘Sally Murphy says she was sick in Charlie’s car.’

  Chrissy smiled. ‘Good. Vomit’s a hard thing to get rid of, and a rich source of DNA.’

  ‘Anything interesting in Nelson’s car?’

  ‘Soil. On the accelerator, brake and clutch pedals and under the mud guard. Mr Nelson’s been off road, and recently.’

  ‘Any sign of Jude in the car?’

  ‘We have hairs and some fibres, from inside and the boot.’

  ‘No blood?’

  She shook her head. ‘Not so far.’

  Bill left them to it.

  He made for Dumbarton Road, but instead of stopping at the Rosevale, he kept on going. Charlie had given his address as Henrietta Street, just past Victoria Park. The flat was in a row of red sandstone tenements.

  Bill turned left into Henrietta Street, then promptly did a three-point turn. He checked his watch, then drove back the way he had come, keeping an eye open for cameras. He didn’t spot any until he came to a row of shops. No cameras, but plenty of wooded areas between Charlie’s house and the Rosevale.

  He reached the cinema in eight minutes and parked in the side street that ran down towards the expressway. Rather than entering by the front, he made for the side entrance. A van was parked there, its back open, two men he recognised as Jimmy Dixon and Robert Hennessey busy unloading a green three-piece suite.

  ‘Is Angus about?’

  ‘Inside,’ Jimmy told him.

  Bill heard Angus’s voice before he spotted him. Authoritative and humorous at the same time. A good bloke and a good foreman. Angus emerged from behind a stack of furniture.

  ‘Inspector Wilson. What’s up?’

  ‘Can we talk?’

  ‘Sure.’

  ‘In private?’

  ‘We could go outside, I’m due a smoke.’

  Bill waited until Angus had lit up and inhaled.

  ‘You called Mr Nelson “the Admiral”. Does anyone else call him that?’

  ‘I’m the only one here who knew him.’

  ‘What about Jason?’

  ‘Why would he know him?’

  Bill waited while Angus took another draw.

  ‘How well do you know this building, Angus?’

  ‘Pretty well.’

  ‘What about before it became a charity shop?’

  ‘I used to come here as a kid when it was a cinema. Worked here for a bit at nights when it was a bingo hall. Played snooker here too.’

  ‘So you know it well?’

  ‘Better than most. Why?’ Angus threw Bill a wary glance.

  ‘What if I said I thought Jude Evans was still inside this building?’

  Angus looked mystified. ‘That’s impossible. You lot searched the place.’

  ‘Maybe not everywhere.’ Bill watched Angus’s reaction as he spoke. ‘There are only two possibilities as far as I see it. Either Jude came back here, or she was picked up by car between here and the subway. I’m beginning to think she came back and someone let her in.’

  ‘It wasn’t Jason,’ Angus said swiftly.

  ‘How do you know that?’

  ‘He told you at the station. The lassie asked to get back in, but she didn’t turn up.’

  Angus took another draw at his cigarette.

  ‘So what did Jason do?’

  ‘Came back in the pub. With me.’

  ‘All night?’

  ‘All night.’

  ‘You lied to me the last time.’

  ‘Aye, because I knew the lad had nothing to do with the lassie disappearing,’ he said firmly.

  ‘A team will be here first thing tomorrow to search the building.’

  ‘No problem.’

  Bill left Angus and went to talk to Carol. When he told her what he thought, she looked horrified.

  ‘But you searched the place.’

  ‘Maybe not well enough.’

  ‘Do I have to shut the shop?’

  ‘Yes, please. Could you be here at eight tomorrow morning?’

  It was a long shot, Bill thought as he got back in the car, but one worth playing. As in a snooker game, if you lined up the balls, you had the chance of hitting them all at once.

  51

  After calling home to tell Margaret he wasn’t sure when he would be back, Bill parked out of sight of the Rosevale. He settled himself in the café across the road where he ordered a pot of tea and one of their giant scones. The sign on the door said they closed at six, which suited him fine. The surveillance team would be in place by then and he could join them. Bill set about his cherry scone with gusto.

  At five on the dot Carol came out and stuck a notice on the door, no doubt warning customers that they were shut the following day due to unforeseen circumstances. Then she
headed off, accompanied by the girl he’d seen working in the shop with her. One by one the men emerged via the storeroom door and went into the pub.

  They were no sooner inside than Bill’s phone rang.

  ‘We’re in place.’

  ‘I’m on my way.’

  He paid his bill and complimented the woman on the scone in particular. She offered him one to take away. ‘On the house,’ she said and popped it in a bag.

  Bill emerged and checked for the car. Campbell and Clark were sitting inside, looking like an ideal couple. Bill told them so when Janice rolled down the window, and she made a face at him.

  DC Campbell got into the back, allowing Bill to slip into the space he’d vacated.

  ‘OK, nobody falls asleep. We could be in for a long night.’

  Three hours later, Angus and Jason were still in the pub. The other three men had departed by seven, leaving the furniture van parked next to the storeroom door.

  As the time went on, no one mentioned food, although DC Campbell’s stomach had started to protest loudly. Bill eventually told him to hand the camera to DS Clark and go and get pizza for himself and Janice.

  ‘What about you, Sir?’

  ‘I have something here,’ Bill indicated the scone bag.

  Campbell wasn’t long gone when Angus and Jason emerged from the pub and went round to the side door of the charity shop. Angus pulled up the shutter and the two disappeared inside.

  ‘They’ve put the lights on,’ Janice said.

  Bill called Campbell’s mobile. ‘Stay away until I tell you.’

  ‘But I’ve got the pizza, Sir.’

  ‘Wait where you are, Constable.’

  Angus was coming back out carrying a nest of tables which he loaded into the van. Jason followed with a mirror.

  ‘What are they doing, Sir?’

  ‘Pilfering, most likely. And here comes Jimmy Dixon, back to help.’

  Jimmy went inside and he and Jason emerged carrying a green armchair. Angus managed its mate all on his own.

  ‘Is this what you were expecting, Sir?’

  ‘I’m not sure what I was expecting,’ Bill answered honestly.

  Last came the sofa, which two of the men loaded with some difficulty – clearly it was heavier than it looked. Then Angus handed Jimmy some notes and he headed off.

  ‘Yep, looks like they’re stealing furniture, Sir.’

  ‘Or making a late delivery,’ replied Bill.

  Jason disappeared one more time and emerged with a black backpack, then Angus pulled down the shutter, locked it and got into the driver’s seat. The engine started up and the van drew out on to Dumbarton Road.

  ‘We could pull him over. Breathalyse him.’

  ‘Just follow the van, Sergeant, and don’t make it too obvious.’

  ‘What about Campbell?’

  Bill called his DC’s mobile, and Campbell appeared from a side street, balancing the pizza box as he ran. He threw it in the back then slid in as DS Clark took off.

  The furniture van stayed on Dumbarton Road for several miles, finally taking a right into a row of houses and drawing up. DS Clark came to an abrupt halt.

  ‘Sorry, Sir.’

  ‘Lights out.’

  Bill watched Angus emerge, carrying the backpack. Jason climbed out and the two began a heated argument. Jason tried to leave and Angus pulled him back, thrusting the bag into his arms.

  ‘Let’s go.’ Bill sprang from the car and walked swiftly towards the pair.

  Jason spotted him and looked ready to run, but Angus caught and held him, face grim.

  ‘What’s in the bag, Angus?’

  ‘See for yourself.’

  Bill took the bag and unzipped it. Inside was a camera, a flash gun and a torch, all marked with fluorescent yellow labels bearing the initials JE. ‘I assume this belongs to Jude Evans?’

  ‘Aye, it does.’

  Jason looked sick. Angus saw his expression and seemed to take pity on him. ‘It’s all right, son, it’s time they were told.’

  ‘Told what, Angus?’

  ‘What happened the night the lassie disappeared.’

  52

  ‘Here we are again, Jason. Pity you didn’t tell the truth the first time round.’

  Jason didn’t lift his head as Bill set the tape running and listed who was present at the interview.

  ‘Right. Now tell me exactly what happened last Tuesday night.’

  The boy took a deep, quavery breath and began. ‘What I told you before was true, up to where you saw me on camera talking to Jude. She said she’d forgotten something and needed back in, but I told her I’d have to ask Angus if it was OK. She said she’d hang around. Angus was playing darts so I waited until he finished his turn. He went and let her in. He was back in five minutes. Maybe an hour later, he told me to go and see why she hadn’t come back round. The light was still on in the foyer. I headed upstairs and shouted but there was no answer. So I checked the balcony and the projection room.’

  ‘You had a torch?’ Bill said.

  Jason looked startled by Bill’s interruption. ‘No.’

  ‘From what I remember it’s pretty dark up there.’

  Jason shrugged. ‘Your eyes get used to it. Anyway, I only opened the doors and shouted her name. She didn’t answer.’

  ‘She never picked up her recorder,’ Bill said. ‘It was in the projection room. We found it later.’

  ‘So she didn’t go up there?’

  ‘Maybe she couldn’t?’

  ‘What d’you mean?’

  ‘Maybe she was already dead.’

  The colour was draining from Jason’s face.

  ‘I swear I never saw her.’

  ‘Where did you find the bag?’

  ‘In the foyer near the basement door.’

  ‘When?’

  ‘Wednesday.’

  ‘You’re sure it was Wednesday and not Tuesday?’

  ‘I found it on Wednesday.’

  ‘Why were you in the cinema on Wednesday?’

  ‘I go there sometimes,’ he said, eyes down.

  ‘You took a girl?’

  ‘No. I was on my own.’

  ‘If you found the bag on Wednesday, why not give it to the police when they arrived on Thursday?’

  ‘You weren’t here because of the lassie. You were here because of the body behind the wall.’

  ‘You were planning to sell the camera?’

  Jason looked embarrassed. ‘If she didn’t come back for it.’

  ‘And you never thought it strange that she didn’t? All that expensive equipment?’

  ‘I got scared. I thought you’d blame me for her disappearing like that.’

  ‘So you got Angus to lie for you?’

  ‘Angus knows I never did anything to that lassie.’

  Once again Bill started a tape running and recited those present.

  ‘OK, Angus. Tell us what happened last Tuesday night.’

  Angus cleared his throat. ‘I let the lassie in.’

  ‘Jude Evans?’ Bill established.

  ‘Aye, Jude Evans. She’d left her recorder behind and wanted to look for it. We talked as I took her through the shop. She asked if I knew a Mr Nelson, who used to manage the place. I told her I knew an ‘Admiral’ Nelson and I didn’t like him much.’

  ‘What was her reaction to that?’

  ‘She didn’t react really. I unlocked the door to the cinema and put the light on in the foyer. I asked where she thought she’d left the recorder and she said she wasn’t sure. It could be any of the places she’d taken photographs in. I told her to come to the pub when she was finished and I’d lock up. When she didn’t arrive, I sent Jason to check.’

  ‘How long was it before you sent Jason?’

  Angus shrugged. ‘Couple of pints. It could have been an hour.’

  ‘What did Jason say when he came back?’

  ‘That he shouted on her, but there was no answer. We thought she’d left without telling us. Then I went
and locked up.’

  ‘Did you lock the projection-room door?’

  Angus shook his head. ‘I locked the partition door and the front door.’

  ‘What about the backpack?’

  ‘Jason never mentioned a bag, not then.’ Angus was scowling now.

  ‘When did he tell you?’

  ‘Not until tonight. That was what the fight was about.’

  ‘Did he say when he found it?’

  ‘No, but it had to be Tuesday when he went looking for the girl.’

  ‘Jason said it was Wednesday.’

  Angus’s face went darker still with anger. ‘I told him not to go back in there.’

  ‘Because he took girls in?’

  ‘Aye, that. And because it could lose him his job.’

  ‘So you weren’t aware he was in the cinema on Wednesday?’

  ‘No.’ Angus looked about ready to throttle Jason when they met again.

  ‘You told me you saw Jude with a tall blond boy outside the Rosevale.’

  ‘I just said that to get you off Jason’s back.’

  ‘Lying to the police is a criminal offence.’

  Angus met Bill’s eye levelly. ‘I’m telling the truth now, Detective Inspector.’

  ‘When you talked to Jude did she mention how she knew Mr Nelson?’

  ‘She’d found an old film that he was interested in. I told her not to trust him.’

  ‘You didn’t see Mr Nelson near the building that night?’

  Angus gave him a sharp look. ‘You think Nelson might have something to do with the lassie’s disappearance?’

  ‘Do you?’

  Angus considered this. ‘The Admiral had an eye for boys, not girls, but he liked to get his own way. If he didn’t, he could turn nasty.’

  It was a fair summary of Nelson.

  ‘When you sent Jason to check on Jude, how long exactly was he away?’

  ‘Ten minutes, maybe fifteen. He said he called out for her, then checked the balcony and the projection room just to be sure.’

  ‘Did he take a torch with him?’

  Angus looked wary. ‘No, why?’

  ‘The balcony and projection room are pretty dark.’

  ‘If she’d been there, she would have answered.’

  ‘Not if she was already dead,’ snapped Bill.

  Angus reacted as though he’d just been punched. ‘You think she was killed in there?’