Death of a Valentine (17 page)

‘I’ll make us some breakfast but then I have to leave you, Elspeth. It’s this valentine murder. I have so many suspects, my head’s going round and round. You look
glamorous on the telly. Not now with your hair gone all frizzy again. But I like it frizzy.’

‘It can stay a mess while I’m here. I’m sick of hairdressers and beauticians. You know, Hamish, sometimes I wish I’d stuck to that job on the
Highland Times.
Never
mind. Tell me about the case.’

‘I’ll make breakfast first.’

It was like old times, thought Hamish, as he put a plate of bacon and eggs in front of Elspeth. Elspeth looked like old times, too, with her frizzy hair and clear grey gypsy
eyes.

He began to go over the murder cases.

When he had finished, Elspeth said, ‘The main thing is background.’

‘Like what?’

‘You need to dig and dig and find out if any of them have any knowledge in their past about how to make a letter bomb.’

‘Strathbane went through the lot. Nothing.’

‘But,’ said Elspeth, ‘have you got anyone on your list who came up after Strathbane checked?’

‘There’s a point. I’ve been checking on the men. I’ve only recently begun to check on the women.’

‘Now, someone young might not have had the experience,’ said Elspeth. ‘What about this Bill Freemont? Where’s he gone?’

‘I’ll need to ask his wife. But he was checked.’

‘Maybe he knew someone who could do it for him.’

‘Good girl. I’ll get over there and see the wife. Oh, I got a message from young Percy Stane. He thinks he’s got something that might interest me. I’ll call on him on the
way back.’

‘Want me to come with you?’

Hamish hesitated and then said cautiously, ‘I suppose it’ll be all right. Blair’s given up and the press have gone. Mind, old rules! No reporting on anything unless I tell you
to.’

‘Don’t worry,’ said Elspeth. ‘I need a break.’

The wildlife park had a lost, deserted air about it. Bad weather was moving in from the coast, carrying a metallic smell of snow to come on a rising wind.

Jocasta was not in the office and so they went up to the house, a small, squat, pebble-dashed bungalow.

Hamish rang the bell. Elspeth huddled behind him, the collar of her coat pulled up.

Jocasta answered the door. ‘What now?’ she asked.

‘Just a few questions.’

‘I don’t want any newspeople around,’ said Jocasta, recognizing Elspeth.

‘Elspeth, wait in the car,’ said Hamish. When Elspeth had turned away, Hamish said, ‘Can I come in? It’s freezing out here.’

‘Just for a minute,’ said Jocasta. ‘I’m packing things up.’

She ushered him into a cold living room full of packing cases.

‘Do you know where your husband is?’ asked Hamish.

‘Unfortunately, I do. He had to give me an address to send on his stuff. I’ll write it down for you. He’s in Edinburgh.’

Hamish waited until she had written down the address and handed it to him.

‘Would you say that your husband was capable of making a letter bomb?’

‘I would say that my husband was not capable of even mending a fuse,’ said Jocasta harshly.

‘What about yourself?’

‘The jealous wife? You can forget that. I was right off Bill even before I knew about Annie. In fact, I’m grateful to that conniving bitch. Makes it easy for me to get a divorce.
What is a village bobby doing cruising around the countryside with a member of the rich and famous?’

‘Do you mean Elspeth?’

‘Who else?’

‘Miss Grant is an old friend,’ said Hamish stiffly. ‘When you were packing up Bill’s things, did you find anything like letters from Annie? Anything like that?’

‘Nothing but a lot of unpaid bills that he said he had paid. Look, I am so fed up with him that if I had found there was even a hint of him being a murderer, I would have told
you.’

When Hamish hurried back to the Land Rover, snow was beginning to fall, small pellets driven before the wind.

‘Any joy?’ asked Elspeth.

‘Nothing there,’ said Hamish. ‘We’d best get to Braikie while we can. The forecast is bad.’

He drove north through the whitening landscape. ‘I forgot it could get like this,’ said Elspeth. ‘Yesterday was so glorious that I didn’t remember that up here, you can
get five climates in one day. It’s getting worse. Are you sure you can see?’

‘I’m all right. But I hope the gritters get their trucks out soon.’

By the time they reached Braikie, the wind had dropped, but the snow continued to fall: large white Christmas card flakes, each one a miracle of cold lace.

At the town hall, they found that Percy was not in his office. Iona, at the switchboard, said he had stepped out half an hour ago.

They searched around Braikie in the pubs, in the café and at the post office, but no one had seen Percy.

Their search was slowed by people recognizing Elspeth and asking for autographs.

‘Let’s have something to eat,’ said Hamish, ‘and then find out where Percy lives.’

They ate mutton pies and peas in the café and then drove back to the town hall. This time, Hamish asked Jessie Cormack if she knew where Percy had gone. She shook her head and said she
had not seen him that morning. But she was able to give them his address.

Percy lived with his parents in a small, grey stone house on the outskirts of Braikie. A very thin woman with dyed blonde hair answered the door. She looked in alarm at Hamish. ‘Is my
husband all right?’

‘It’s Percy I’ve come about,’ said Hamish. ‘He isn’t in the office. Is he here?’

She shook her head. ‘Why are you asking about him?’ she demanded. ‘Has he done something wrong?’

‘Nothing like that. He left a message saying he had some information for me. Did he say anything to you?’

‘He left this morning as usual.’ Her eyes widened in fear. ‘These murders! Do you think something has happened to my boy?’

‘No, no. I am sure he will turn up. I’ll phone you as soon as I find him.’

‘No joy,’ said Hamish when he joined Elspeth in the Land Rover. ‘Where the hell can he have gone? We’d best go back and sit in his office and see if he
turns up. I’ll need to let Sonsie and Lugs out for a run first.’

‘What’s the point of having a great flap on your door if you’re going to take your beasties everywhere with you?’ demanded Elspeth.

‘You never liked them,’ complained Hamish.

‘I like them fine,’ said Elspeth. ‘But to have to look after two peculiar animals in a snowstorm when you’re supposed to be detecting is ridiculous.’

Hamish glared at her.

He let the dog and cat out of the back and stood huddled in his coat while they chased each other through the snow. At last he called them back and drove back to the town hall.

When they sat down in Percy’s office, a bad-tempered silence reigned between them. Elspeth broke it by saying, ‘Now we’re here, what about searching his desk?’

‘Oh, all right,’ said Hamish sulkily.

He began to turn over every piece of paper on top of the desk and then began to go through the drawers. ‘There’s something here,’ he said, holding up a videotape.

‘Maybe Percy’s back at the police station waiting for you,’ said Elspeth.

‘I’ve got a video recorder. I’ll just be leaving a receipt for this.’

‘I didn’t think anyone had video recorders any more,’ said Elspeth.

‘Well, now you know.’

Back at the police station, Hamish, after he had lit the stove, said, ‘I’ll make us a cup of coffee and then we’ll have a look at this video. Strathbane
won’t get out the men to look for Percy because they say he’s probably gone off somewhere with friends. I’ll just need to hope he’s all right and start searching in the
morning.’

The lights went out. ‘Damn,’ said Hamish. ‘The snow must have brought a cable down.’

‘I saw a face peering in at the window when the lights went out!’ Elspeth exclaimed.

Hamish ran outside with the dog and cat at his heels. The snow had stopped, but it was freezing hard. He could hear it crunching under the feet of someone fleeing over the hill at the back. He
set off in pursuit and brought the fleeing figure down in a rugby tackle.

‘It’s me, Josie,’ squeaked a frightened voice from under him.

Hamish pulled her to her feet. ‘What were you doing looking in at the kitchen window?’ he demanded.

‘I wanted to see what your instructions were for tomorrow,’ said Josie, close to tears. ‘I heard voices and thought I would look in the window and see if you were
busy.’

‘You could have knocked,’ said Hamish angrily. ‘Get back to the manse and wait there until I phone you in the morning.’

Hamish returned to the station. Elspeth had lit a hurricane lamp and placed it on the kitchen table.

‘Who was it?’ she asked.

‘It was Josie McSween, my copper. She was running off up the back way. She said she heard voices and wanted to see who it was.’

‘Is she stalking you, Hamish? Where is she living?’

‘Over at the manse.’

‘So what’s she doing ploughing through the snow over the back way when she could have come round by the road?’

‘She’s a bit daft, that’s all. It looks as if we aren’t going to have a chance to see thon video.’

‘The hotel’s got a generator.’

‘So it has. Let’s go.’

Hamish put out the lamp and lit a torch. ‘Hamish!’ exclaimed Elspeth. ‘You don’t have to let Sonsie and Lugs come with you. Leave them here for once. The kitchen’s
nice and warm.

‘You can’t go on with those beasts chained to you. What woman would put up with rivals such as these?’

‘You were aye jeering at them!’

‘Don’t let’s quarrel,’ said Elspeth. ‘Let’s get to the hotel.’

They were about to drive off when the Currie sisters appeared, standing in the glare of the headlights and waving their arms. Hamish lowered the window. ‘What’s up?’

‘Tell Miss Grant the press are all at the hotel waiting for her,’ called Nessie.

‘Waiting for her,’ chorused Jessie.

‘Thanks,’ said Hamish.

He turned to Elspeth. ‘They’ll all be in the bar. We’ll park at the side and go in through the kitchen door.’

The chef, Clarry, was sitting reading a newspaper when they entered the hotel kitchen.

‘Evening, Hamish,’ he said. ‘I thought you pair might come in this way. Take the back stairs and the press won’t see you. I’ll send the boy up with some sandwiches.
I’ve got some bones for Lugs and a bit o’ fish for Sonsie. You can leave them here in the kitchen.’

‘She wouldnae let me bring them,’ said Hamish.

‘Well, call in on your way out and I’ll pack them up for ye.’

Elspeth and Hamish made their way up the back stairs to Elspeth’s room.

‘Right,’ said Hamish. ‘Let’s see what’s on this video.’

He switched on the television set and slid in the video.

It was a film of Annie being crowned Lammas queen. How faraway that sunny day appeared now! There he was, standing just below the platform. The provost raised the crown and placed it on
Annie’s head. She smiled triumphantly. Her two attendants were Jessie Cormack and Iona Sinclair. Jessie was glaring at Annie.

The film ran on. Percy had followed the procession through the town.

‘Do you notice anything?’ he asked Elspeth as he went to answer the door and receive a tray of food and coffee.

‘It all looks ordinary,’ said Elspeth.

‘Wait a bit,’ said Hamish. ‘Run it back a little. Stop! There! That’s Jake from the disco. He’s passing up a little package to her. Bastard! Dealing drugs right in
the middle of what should ha’ been an innocent day.’

‘Yes, but he’s dead,’ said Elspeth. ‘I’m starving. Let’s have something to eat and look through the tape again.’

‘I hope Percy’s all right,’ Hamish fretted. He picked up the phone by the bed and called Percy’s mother.

‘He hasn’t come home,’ she wailed. ‘Where’s my boy?’

‘We’ll have a search party out in the morning,’ said Hamish. ‘I’ll call as soon as I hear anything.’

He then phoned Jimmy and explained the situation. ‘It’s urgent, Jimmy,’ said Hamish. ‘Percy said he’d remembered something. Now he’s missing.’

‘Can’t do anything tonight, Hamish.’

‘I don’t think I should wait until the morning, Jimmy. Maybe I’ll get over to Braikie and begin to look. I’ll take McSween with me.’

When he rang off, he said to Elspeth, ‘It’s a right pity. I would ha’ preferred your company, but the press’ll be hounding you from now on.’

‘I know,’ said Elspeth sadly. ‘I’d better stop running away. I’ll get back to Glasgow tomorrow where I’ve got a press agent to cope with the lot of them. I
shouldn’t have run away.’

Hamish ejected the video. ‘When will you be back, Elspeth?’

‘I don’t know, Hamish. Maybe I’ll spend my next holidays up here.’

He bent his head to kiss her but the phone rang. Elspeth swore under her breath. She picked it up and then slammed it down again. Then she phoned reception and ordered that no calls were to be
put through to her room.

Hamish hesitated in the doorway. ‘I’d better pack,’ said Elspeth, heaving her suitcase on the bed.

He felt he did not have the courage now to try to kiss her.

‘You can’t want a wee lassie like Josie to go out in this freezing cold,’ protested Mrs Wellington when he arrived at the manse.

‘It’s her duty,’ said Hamish. ‘Go and get her.’

Grumbling under her breath, Mrs Wellington climbed the stairs to Josie’s room and opened the door. The room was in darkness and there was a powerful reek of whisky. She switched on the
light. Josie lay on the bed, fully dressed. She was snoring loudly. An empty whisky bottle lay on the floor beside the bed.

It’s that Hamish Macbeth, thought Mrs Wellington. He’s driven the poor lassie to the bottle. I’ll sort her out in the morning.

She went back downstairs. ‘Josie is very unwell,’ she said. ‘She has a bad cold and should rest.’

‘I’ll see her tomorrow,’ said Hamish, thinking bitterly that Josie was absolutely useless.