The Dark Fear (10 page)

              ‘Was Dad there?’ James took a seat and began tucking into his lamb pasanda.

              ‘Yes, we went for a drink afterwards. He and your mum send their love.’ Dani left it at that.              

             
Joy proceeded to describe their daughter’s search for a new house. She’d been staying at her parents’ place with her sons for almost a year.

              ‘You’ll miss the boys when they go,’ Dani commented. ‘Will Fergus be joining them at the new house?’

              Joy shook her head sadly. ‘He’s staying on in Glenrothes. Things just haven’t been the same since Louise was attacked. She now has a totally different outlook on life.’

              ‘You mean she’s actually decided to live it, as opposed to being nothing more than a domestic drudge?’ Bill chipped in, with uncharacteristic venom.

              ‘Louise believes she was given a second chance. People respond to being the victim of crime in many different ways.’ Dani sipped her wine thoughtfully.

              ‘She’s very lucky to have you guys in her corner.’ James raised his glass and grinned.

              ‘Very true,’ Dani responded with feeling. ‘I’ll drink to that.’

Chapter 17

D
ani had asked DI Dennis Robbins if she could use a desk in the Knox Street Headquarters. She and Andy Calder were sitting opposite one another at it now, scanning through Alex Galloway’s arrest records.

              ‘He was pulled in on a charge of possession of a class ‘A’ drug in 2001.’ Andy made notes as he spoke.

              ‘Who was the arresting officer?’ Dani asked.

              ‘PC Will Minch. He and his partner were called to a private members’ club in Caledonian Avenue on the evening of 23
^rd
March. Galloway was one of five men who were searched at the scene. A small amount of cocaine was discovered on his person.’

              ‘It indicates Galloway’s connection to drugs. Did he call a lawyer?’

              Andy looked back at the screen. ‘A small firm based in Haddington sent some ambulance-chaser out to represent him. There’s no mention of Jim Irving. Galloway was charged with possessing an illegal substance and fined. He got a criminal record. No jail time.’

              Dani sighed. ‘Considering Galloway was providing materials to drug-making rings for the best part of two decades, his arrest history is amazingly limited.’

              Andy crossed his arms over his chest. ‘Do you reckon he had a pal on the force? Was Stuart Lamb protecting him?’

              ‘I really don’t know. There’s no evidence of it in these records. Maybe Galloway was just really good at covering his tracks. He kept his legitimate businesses totally clean, that’s probably what steered him out of trouble.’

              DI Robbins approached their workstation. ‘I thought you’d like to know, Ma’am. Bob Gordon’s had word back from ballistics. The bullet used to kill Galloway was fired from a Browning HP 9mm pistol. It appeared to be from the original roll of ammunition.’

              Dennis looked expectant, as if this information should mean something to the two officers.

              ‘Will they be able to trace it?’

              The DI frowned. ‘It’s unlikely, Ma’am. The Browning HP was used during World War Two. It’s a vintage firearm, the type you’d find in a museum.’

              She sat up straight. ‘Then what the hell was Galloway’s killer doing with it?’

              ‘These pistols are still in circulation, they were in service widely during the war. Ballistics sent us a print-out. The HP was used by dozens of countries during the Second World War including the Germans and the Allies. At one point, the Canadians were producing them for us in their thousands.’

              ‘Great, so is this discovery a dead-end?’ Dani ran a hand through her hair in frustration.

              Robbins shrugged his shoulders. ‘Bob’s already spoken with an expert in the field. He says that the Longniddry Bents saw a great deal of action during the war. The army were based up and down that coast. Even if we collared a suspect, his lawyer could claim the perp actually
found
the gun at the scene. It might change the complexion of the case if it comes to court.’

              Dani recalled the tour they were given of Langford Hall by the Earl of Westloch. From what he told them, the whole area was crawling with military personnel back then. She imagined there must be a treasure trove of wartime detritus buried and semi-buried in the woods and on the beaches. ‘Damn it,’ she said aloud. ‘We were relying on that bullet to lead us to the killer.’

              ‘Then we’ll just have to find another way,’ Robbins replied firmly.

*

‘At least it wasn’t police issue,’ Andy said evenly, as they sat in his hotel bar.

              ‘Huh?’ Dani looked up from her glass.

              ‘The bullet. Then it wouldn’t have looked good for DCI Lamb. I checked his service record. The guy had firearms training before he took on the undercover work.’

              ‘Does Lamb have any guns in the house – has he ever applied for a private licence?’

              ‘No. I gave him a call yesterday. He claims that he’s not touched a gun since his training. Stuart says he’s seen a few during his ops but they all belonged to the bad guys. Thankfully, he’s never seen one fired to wound or kill.’

              ‘Bob’s team didn’t find any firearms residue on his hands or clothing anyway. It isn’t as easy to get rid of a gun as you might think. If Stuart was responsible for Galloway’s murder, we’d have forensic evidence of it by now.’

              ‘Look, there’s nothing more that we can do about the case for the moment. Why don’t you head back to James’ place for the night? I’m going to call Carol and then go straight to bed.’

              Dani kept her vision trained on the drink in her hand. ‘Yeah, you’re probably right.’

              ‘Is everything okay between you two?’

              Dani sighed. ‘It’s this new house James has bought. He’s busy doing the place up. It won’t be long before he wants to play happy families.’

              Andy chuckled. ‘
Boy
you’re cynical. The guy’s running around like a headless chicken trying to make you happy. I bet you barely even acknowledge it.’ He grinned. ‘All I can say is that the sex must be pretty bloody amazing to have him this keen.’

              Dani tossed a beer mat at her friend, but she was laughing. You didn’t share the details of your personal life with Andy Calder unless you were prepared to get a ribbing.

              ‘Seriously, Dani, it’s about time you settled down. After what happened to me in that cellar, it concentrates the mind. There’s more to life than the police force and that’s a fact.’

              Bevan nodded, putting down the glass and getting up. ‘You’re right. Say hi to Carol for me. I’ll give you a call in the morning.’

Chapter 18

A
s Dani lay awake in the double bed, she had to admit it was peaceful. James had already gone downstairs to put on the coffee-maker. She swung her legs round and shuffled to the window, pulling aside the chintzy curtains and surveying the view.

              Joy had made a good start outside. The garden was actually beginning to become visible beyond the overgrown trees and shrubs. If James got someone in with an electric strimmer it wouldn’t take long to get the area neatened up. She recalled the estate manager promising that the garden would be tended to by his team. They’d been no sign of this so-far.

              Dani padded down the stairs and sneaked up behind James, slipping her arms around his waist. Dani laughed when he actually jumped. ‘Feeling a bit jittery, are we? Did you think I was the ghost of Langford Hall?’

              James smiled and poured her a coffee. He leant against the dresser and recounted the incident of the gunshots in the wood.

              ‘Why didn’t you ring me straight away?’ Dani was indignant.

              ‘Aiden said he’d call the police from the main house. To be honest, I didn’t want to prove you right about this place being dangerous. I thought you might blow a gasket.’

              Dani took a deep breath. ‘Newton couldn’t have called it in. We’re on a division wide alert for any firearms offences in this area. Any reports would immediately have been passed onto the Galloway investigation.’

              ‘It was just kids with air rifles. Aiden says it’s quite common on the outer edges of the estate.’

              ‘Do you know that for certain?’

              James shrugged. ‘I suppose not.’

              Dani sat down, cradling her mug. ‘The gun that shot Alex Galloway was a Browning HP. It was a pistol commissioned during the Second World War.’

              ‘I expect a lot of them are still knocking about, in old attics and outhouses.’

              Dani looked at him squarely. ‘I need to hook up with Andy this morning. But why don’t you pay a visit to the Hall, see if the Earl can’t give you another history lesson? Then I’ll meet you later on this afternoon.’

              ‘Okay.’ James tipped his head, his expression puzzled. ‘I’ll see what I can find out.’

*

Dani was standing outside the Headmaster’s office at the Scott Academy, whose grounds were on Henderson Place in Edinburgh. She wasn’t quite sure why she’d come, or if the Head would be able to provide her with anything.              

              Finally, the door was opened. A man in his fifties, tall and wiry, beckoned her inside.

              ‘My name is DCI Bevan, Mr Lauriston. I’m hoping you can help me with an inquiry.’

              He gestured for her to take a seat. ‘Of course, if I can. But I’m at a loss as to what this can be regarding?’

              ‘It’s a cold case I’m interested in. An accident occurred in the western Highlands in June 1988. It resulted in the death of one of your students, Gerald Cormac. His father was recently murdered in a remote car-park on the Longniddry Bents.’

Lauriston put up a hand, as if to interrupt her flow. ‘I don’t believe there is any connection between those two events, Detective Chief Inspector.’

              ‘I never suggested there was. Do you know anything about the death of Gerald Cormac? I’d like to read the incident report, if I may.’

              The Headmaster blinked several times. ‘I’m not even sure if such things existed back then. I’d have to ask my secretary to perform a thorough search of the records. There
was
a police investigation at the time. The boy’s death was ruled to be accidental. The school was not found to be at fault.’

              ‘Yes, I’ve read the police report, thank you. I wanted to know what your internal findings were. You were unhappy enough to terminate the employment of two members of staff as a result of the accident.’

              Lauriston sat forward and knitted his fingers together. ‘I joined the staff a couple of years after this tragic incident, although I am of course familiar with the details. Nothing remotely like it has occurred either before or since. Alison Perkins and Hamish Dewar were taking up the rear of the party of students as they climbed the west tower of Dornie Castle.

              One of them should have been in front. This was what the school found in their inquiry. A boy with rather bad asthma had got into trouble on the staircase. Both staff members stopped to deal with this situation. It was deemed an error of judgement, with the benefit of hindsight. The teachers were summarily dismissed from the school staff.’

              ‘Surely there weren’t enough members of staff accompanying the party in the first place, especially as there was a boy present with health problems? Doesn’t that indicate a liability that goes higher up than those individual teachers?’

              Lauriston pursed his lips. ‘There was no legal liability placed on the school whatsoever. The lawyers at the time made our case very clearly. I wouldn’t wish this ancient tragedy to find its way into the press once again. Our legal department would not look favourably upon such a development.’

              ‘There’s no question of that. I’m simply reviewing the facts. My sources tell me that Mr Galloway was keen to pursue a civil action against the Academy.’

              ‘I don’t know about that, DCI Bevan. I wasn’t party to the discussions at the time. I was teaching in Stirling when the incident actually took place.’

              ‘Do you know what happened to Perkins and Dewar – did they move onto jobs in other schools?’

              ‘Again, I’ve no idea. But if you are prepared to wait outside, I will ask one of the administrators to find their addresses and contact details for you, although, I’m sure they’ll be decades out of date.’

              ‘I’d like to take a look anyway. Thank you Mr Lauriston, you’ve been most helpful.’

Chapter 19

J
ames tried not to allow his vision to drift upwards, towards the high towers which flanked the frontage of Langford Hall. He simply focussed on the wooden panels of the enormous double doors instead, waiting for them to be opened.

              He was led by Morrison into the hallway. James stood there awkwardly, until David March finally emerged from another room.

              ‘Mr Irving! I’m very pleased to see you again. I trust that your move went well?’

              ‘Very smoothly, thank you.’

              ‘Come into the library. I’ve ordered coffee for us.’

              The earl strode on ahead into a darkly panelled room, where two tall backed chairs were positioned by a bay window with views onto the front lawn.