by Tana Collins
Carruthers was impressed. He wasn’t the only one: all the eyes in the incident room were on DS Fletcher.
‘I did a bit of reading up last night,’ admitted Fletcher.
McGhee looked round the room. ‘Right, any other questions?’ Silence.
McGhee collected his mobile and file from the table in front of him. ‘I’ll leave you to it now as I have a telephone briefing with the Secretary of State in,’ he glanced at his watch – Carruthers resisted the urge to sneer when he noticed it was a Rolex – ‘twenty minutes.’
Carruthers controlled his facial expression as he watched how McGhee stole a glance at Andie before he turned smartly on his heel and strode away. Damn arrogant man.
‘Over to you, Jim,’ said Chief Inspector Bingham. ‘I’ll be in my office if you need me. Brief me later on any developments.’
EIGHT
‘Right,’ said Carruthers, ‘there’s a lot of ground to cover so pin your ears back. We’ll start with the university.’ Jim looked towards the bald-headed man centre right. ‘Kiely, you’ve done that recent course in security, so it makes sense for you to arrange a meeting for university staff. The aim is to make them more vigilant without paranoia. Can you handle that?’
‘Of course, guv,’ came the pleased response.
‘Andie, I want you to work alongside me to locate Holdaway. Let’s assume for the moment he is the target. Whilst he’s out there and we don’t know where he is, he’s vulnerable to another attack. I want someone to get on to the taxi firms to see if they’ve picked him up. McGhee’s team are arriving later this afternoon. Let’s get as much ground covered as possible. I don’t want McGhee to think we’re a bunch of slow-witted hicks. Dougie, I want you to find out as much as you can about Holdaway. Use the internet, talk to his colleagues, read his book if you have to. I take it you can read?’
Dougie Harris rolled his eyes then gave Carruthers the finger. Several people laughed.
Carruthers was relieved it was all taken in the right spirit. The last thing he needed on a big case was colleagues too stressed to do their jobs.
‘As you know, the superintendent wants Holdaway to leave Scotland for his own safety whilst these maniacs are still at large, so we need to get that arranged. Although, frankly, I think putting him in protective custody would make much more sense.’ Fletcher nodded.
‘Now, whilst it’s vitally important we catch these lunatics as quickly as possible, let’s not forget we also have Evans’ death to deal with. We’re in charge of that one. Whatever Superintendent Bingham thinks, I’m not convinced it was a botched robbery. ’We’re still waiting on Mackie’s lab results. Also, Andie, can you confirm whether a call was logged at the station about Rhys Evans’s disappearance the night of his death?’
‘Nothing’s been logged, Jim,’ said Fletcher ‘I’ve already spoken to the night staff.’
‘Then it looks as if Roberts was lying,’ said Carruthers.
‘Or Mathews,’ said Fletcher.
Carruthers’ phone rang. ‘Excuse me,’ he said looking at the caller ID. ‘This is Mackie.’ He accepted the call. ‘What’ve you got for me?’ Carruthers visualized Mackie on the phone, glasses perched on the bridge of his sharp nose, that shock of unruly white hair framing his face. It wasn’t just his intelligence that had earned him the nickname of Einstein.
‘Death was caused, as suspected, by the blow to the back of the head. You’ll be looking for some sort of blunt instrument. I’ve also found fibres of wool in the wound. Whatever was used to kill him was wrapped up in a garment, maybe a sock. Not my place to say it, but I’ve been in this job a long time. If the motive was robbery then, in my opinion, excessive force was used.’
‘Are you saying killing him was intentional?’
Mackie cleared his throat. ‘Hear me out. There’s bad news on the fingerprints front. Only partial have been found. All smudged. I believe the stairwell was used by students and staff from the pizzeria so unfortunately there’s been lots of human traffic.’
‘Yes,’ said Carruthers. ‘Doorway from the second floor leads to a store room for the restaurant.’
‘I’ve found strands of wool under Evans’ fingernails. Looks like the assailant or assailants might have been wearing gloves, and seeing as it’s summer, that in itself makes the casual robbery theory look pretty iffy. Of course, I don’t need to tell you that. That’s your job, but I thought you might like my opinion.’
‘As ever.’
‘Toxicology will take longer to come back, so you’ll just have to be patient. Not your strong point, I know, laddie, but they do say that it’s a virtue. That’s pretty much it.’
‘OK, thanks. Can you email this over to us and get back in touch as soon as you find out anything else?’
‘Will do.’
Breaking the connection Carruthers turned to his staff. ‘Right, listen up. We’ve got one dead man. Killed by a blow to the back of the head. No useful fingerprints. Doc thinks assailant or assailants were wearing gloves.’
‘What killed him?’ asked Fletcher.
‘Mackie says blunt instrument wrapped up in some sort of woollen material. This is starting to sound premeditated, so we may well be looking at murder instead of manslaughter. Nobody claims to have seen or heard anything. Door-to-door has yielded nothing helpful. Empty wallet, ID and keys of the deceased were found two hundred metres away from the body. The last person to have seen him alive, Dave Roberts, has in all likelihood lied to Evans’ girlfriend about reporting his disappearance to the police. He’s now gone missing himself. This is fast becoming a mess and I don’t want this team looking like a bunch of idiots over it.’
‘What about CCTV, sir?’ asked Fletcher.
‘I’m getting Brown and Kiely, to trawl through it. It’s yielded nothing significant yet though.’ At the mention of Brown’s name Carruthers visualised the ardent SNP supporter. Brown had been at the station almost as long as Harris. The man with the Bobby Charlton comb-over was almost as lazy. Another dinosaur.
‘What’s your gut feeling, boss?’ asked Fletcher.
Carruthers stroked the bristles on his chin. ‘Roberts’ disappearance is in some way linked to Evans’ death. Perhaps Roberts killed Evans. So he’s done a runner.’
‘How does this fit in with the explosion over by the politics department?’ asked Fletcher.
Carruthers shook his head. ‘Your guess is as good as mine. It may not. There’s no evidence as yet to suggest any link at all.’
‘For what it’s worth,’ said Fletcher, I just don’t buy into a Welsh terror group bombing an English professor in Scotland because he’s brought out a controversial book and is looking to buy a holiday home. It makes no sense to me. It’s gotta be something more personal that also involves Rhys Evans.’
‘We need to keep an open mind. We also need to look more closely at the relationship between Evans and Roberts. Talk to those who were close to both of them. That’s our starting point.’
‘Back to the RAF base then, Jim?’ said Fletcher.
‘Yes, at some stage. However, I’ve been warned off by Bingham for not having a proper warrant. We’ll go back to the base, but we also need to pay Siobhan Mathews another visit. However, first, we need to locate Holdaway. You’ve got his home address, Andie?’
‘He’s not in Castletown. He’s out near Strathburn. The Lodge, Hillside Road, Strathburn.’
‘That’s only a few miles outside Castletown. Right then, that’s where we will begin our search.’
***
Carruthers and Fletcher drove silently towards Strathburn in Fletcher’s green Beetle. A few miles away Fletcher knew that the Firth of Forth would look like smoky blue-green glass, smooth with the occasional ripple.
‘By the way, I didn’t ask how badly Dougie beat up Russell,’ said Carruthers.
Fletcher imagined Jim must have had all the gory details from the landlord. Perhaps he wanted to see if her story stacked up. Fletcher shifted the gear and smoothly overtook a tra
ctor.
Without looking at her boss she said, ‘Broken nose. But, like I said, Harris told me Russell tripped and fell. I believe him.’ How he tripped and fell and ended up soaking wet was another matter, though, thought Fletcher.
Carruthers groaned. ‘Think Russell will make a complaint?’
She glanced over at him. ‘Don’t think so. He’s too scared. Jim, I’m really sorry I didn’t say anything. You know how it is. If word had got out I’d grassed Harris up, things would’ve been really tough for me. He already thinks it was me that told you.’
‘Is Dougie giving you grief?
‘I can handle it.’
‘You shouldn’t have to. There are laws against discrimination and we need to remove bad apples from the cart. I am still disappointed in the pair of you. Dougie for what he did, you for what you didn’t do. But I do understand. If Dougie, or anyone else tries to make trouble for you over this, then you let me know. We can’t have that in the team.’
‘Dougie Harris has been in the force a long time,’ said Fletcher. ‘He’s not going to change now.’ Feeling the heat, she wound down her window.
‘Honestly, when are you going to get a car with air con?’ he asked.
‘You can talk. You’re still driving a Vauxhall Vectra. Anyway, I like my old car,’ she said. ‘There’s something else you should know. The thing is – I reckon it was personal. Russell had a sexual relationship with Dougie’s niece. She’s only sixteen. That’s why he went off on one.’
‘Oh Christ,’ said Carruthers. Fletcher glanced at him as he ran his hands through his short greying hair. ‘This is all we need,’ said Carruthers. ‘Now I understand why people call Fife “bandit country”. Talk about incestuous.’
‘Well, in villages and small towns everyone knows each other,’ said Fletcher. ‘Happens up and down the country. Have you never watched Midsomer Murders?’
Carruthers also wound down his window a couple of inches. ‘Dougie still can’t behave like this, Andie, using his professional standing to wage personal revenge. He’s not some renegade cop taking the law into his own hands.’
‘I know, but he won’t see it like that. He’s old school. He’ll see it as taking the initiative and doing the world a favour. Anyway, let’s face it; you’re a bit of a renegade yourself at times. I bet you’ve already given Bingham countless sleepless nights, and you’ve only been here a couple of months.’
‘I’ve never beaten anyone up in a toilet. Well, the matter will have to be dealt with. Dougie’ll have to be disciplined. Anyway, not your problem.’
They lapsed into silence.
‘You like her, don’t you?’ she said.
‘Who?’
‘Siobhan Mathews.’
‘Why on earth would you say that?’ asked Carruthers, with his brows knitting together in a frown.
‘I don’t know, just something about the way you looked at her, I suppose. I’m sure you won’t want advice from me, but I think you should tread carefully.’
Carruthers took a sideways glance at Fletcher. ‘You’re right. I don’t want advice.’ There was an awkward silence. ‘Look, Andie, I know you mean well. Truth is, it’s bloody irritating being mothered by a girl nearly ten years your junior.’
Fletcher kept her silence.
‘If I was staring at her for a little bit too long it’s because she reminds me of someone, if you must know,’ Carruthers said eventually.
‘Well, it’s another woman so I reckon it’s got to be your ex-wife. She’s a philosophy lecturer, isn’t she?’
‘How on earth would you know about my ex-wife?’
‘So you are talking about your ex-wife?’
Another silence.
‘Oh God, it’s worse than I thought.’
‘What is?’
‘Well, by the time most people split up they can’t stand each other. But you’re still in love with her, aren’t you? You’re still in love with your ex-wife and now you’ve met a woman who reminds you of her. Bloody hell. No wonder you needed a drink. I’m right about you liking Siobhan Mathews, though, aren’t I?’
‘OK, if you really want to know – I do like her. I don’t know why. And perhaps she does remind me of my wife. And yes, I still have feelings for Mairi. We were together for ten years and you don’t just switch emotions off. At least, I can’t. I’m acutely aware of the fact this is a murder investigation and Siobhan Mathews is the victim’s girlfriend. I am a professional, Andie. All I want to do is find the person or persons responsible for her boyfriend’s murder – to try to find out why they did what they did, and help her get some sort of closure.’
It was Fletcher’s turn to fall silent. Now, while they were in a confessional mood, would be a good time to tell him about her pregnancy. She couldn’t keep hiding it. She could kid herself all she liked that the reason she hadn’t told him was that she hadn’t found the right time. The truth was that she didn’t want to tell him because she didn’t want it to be true. That point was too tender, so she switched back to thinking about Jim.
‘Is that the reason you got drunk?’ There was no answer. Fletcher looked across at him. ‘Look you can talk to me, you know. We do work together. I might not have been married but I still know how painful a break up can be.’
‘Thank you. I’ll bear that in mind. Now I’ve got a question for you. How on earth do you know all this stuff about me?’
She smiled. ‘I Googled you, boss.’
‘You what?’
She looked across at him. ‘I Googled you.’
‘Why on earth would you do that?’
‘Well, I was bored one day and I knew we had a new DCI coming to the station. I wanted to know what your background was. And then I asked Harris.’
‘Did you now?’ said Carruthers.
‘You don’t like Superintendent McGhee much, do you?’ said Fletcher changing tack.
Carruthers sniffed. ‘Not much.’
‘Does it have anything to do with your wife?’ asked Fletcher. ‘Sorry, forget I just said that. I’m not usually so nosey about personal matters. The only reason I asked is, well, how can I put this nicely? He’s a bit of a sleaze, isn’t he?’
‘Did you get all this from Dougie, too?’ said Carruthers, smiling.
‘Well there’s been station talk. Apparently your fall out with McGhee is legendary. What happened, if you don’t mind me asking?’
‘I’ve only been at this station two months. How on earth do folk know about my fall out with McGhee?’
‘Well, apparently, Kiely told Harris that his dad knows your ex-wife’s mother. Fife can be a small place. So what happened?’
‘You’re doing it again, Andie.’
‘What’s that?’
‘Being nosey. And I do mind you asking. It’s private.’
Fletcher felt her cheeks go red. She could have kicked herself for going too far again.
Some minutes passed before Carruthers finally spoke. ‘So you noticed he was a sleaze then?’
‘Are you kidding? Don’t think I didn’t notice the way he was looking me up and down and to be honest although he’s good-looking and all that – there’s something… not attractive about him. I wouldn’t go within a mile of him.’
‘Good,’ said Carruthers.
‘Anyway, I very much doubt he’d be interested in me in my condition,’ continued Fletcher. It was now or never, she thought.
‘Condition? What condition?’ asked Carruthers.
‘Look, I know this is really bad timing, but I’ve been trying to find a way to tell you. The thing is,’ she had to push the words out, ‘I’m pregnant.’
She looked across anxiously at him but at the same time a weight felt as if it had already been lifted. She expelled a deep sigh of relief. She’d finally managed to share her burden with someone. Unfortunately, she knew that whilst she might be starting to feel better, Carruthers might not be. She threw a glance at him wondering if he would say anything. Hoping he’d say something. Was he taking this
as a bombshell, a bad thing? Had she just damaged their working relationship? Knowing him and how conscientious he was, she figured he’d be thinking about staffing levels and the extra work her absence would cause.
A few long moments went by. Finally, he opened his mouth but whatever he was about to say was halted by the shrill ring of his mobile.
He answered. Barked his name. After a few terse sentences he snapped the phone shut. ‘We need to get a speed on. That was Bingham.’
‘What’s he want?’
‘If we can’t locate Holdaway, we’re to double back and bring in Edward Sadler. Bingham thinks he’ll be useful in giving background on Holdaway.’
‘I’ve already taken a statement from Sadler,’ said Fletcher.
‘A few more probing questions needed, I think. Right, come on. No lunch for us today. If you’re OK with that given–’
‘I’m fine. I’m not that hungry at the moment.’
‘OK, so put a spurt on then.’
She drove in silence. Fletcher was disappointed and frustrated at the timing of Bingham’s call. She’d obviously blindsided Carruthers. She needed his support. Wanted him to say something about her news. Anything.
They took a left on to a straight road. On the brow of the hill stood a solitary old stone building.
‘Christ, I think that’s it,’ she said. ‘Talk about living in splendid isolation.’
‘Sorry,’ he said at last as if he had read her thoughts. ‘I know I should say something. I just don’t know what. Is “congratulations” appropriate? You don’t seem exactly thrilled.’
She decided honestly was the best policy. ‘It wasn’t planned.’
‘How far along are you?’
‘Fourteen weeks. And just for the record you’re the first person I’ve told – other than Mark.’
