A Dark Shadow Falls (19 page)

              ‘Do you know,’ Rita exclaimed. ‘This operation reminds me of the blackout. Our neighbour was forever getting into trouble with the warden for not covering the windows properly. It’s amazing what little details stick in your mind from back then.’

              As Joy switched on the kettle, an eerie red glow was projected around the otherwise dark room.

              ‘I don’t think you really need the binoculars, dear,’ Rita said to Joy. ‘I expect you’ll be able to see them arrive clearly enough. They must need a van to transport the goods.’

              ‘You’re probably right,’ Bill replied, lowering the lenses from his eyes.

              ‘Although, I simply can’t imagine those two nice young men being responsible for breaking into my house,’ Rita continued, getting into a rhythm with her chatter.

              ‘It’s beginning to look unlikely.’ Bill sighed heavily.

              They drank their teas. Rita perched herself on a stool and joined them for a while. It provided a pleasant opportunity to discuss the war years; Rita from first-hand experience and Bill and Joy from their parents’ stories and anecdotes. An hour or so later, Rita went up to bed.

              ‘Why don’t you go and have a lie down on the sofa?’ Bill asked his wife. ‘We can take it in shifts from here.’

              ‘Are you sure?’

              ‘Of course.’

              Joy poured out a glass of water from the tap and retired to the sitting room.

              Two hours later, Bill could feel his back becoming stiff. He stood up and massaged his lower spine. He glanced at the digital clock face on the cooker. It was half past one.

              Bill thought he heard a noise outside. He scanned the road and pavement but could make out nothing unusual. The sound was like the distant rumble of a vehicle’s engine and abruptly, it stopped. Bill picked up the binoculars and looked again. This time he spotted something. A dark van was parked at the kerb, a hundred yards further up the street. The vehicle must have approached without its lights on. The windscreen was completely obscured. He couldn’t make out who was inside.

              Suddenly, two figures emerged from the front of the van, both with woollen balaclavas pulled low over their faces. The men moved swiftly and silently towards the Hutchisons’ house, slipping down the side passage before Bill could even scramble to his feet.  

              ‘Joy!’ He rasped loudly, rushing into the sitting room to find his wife waking from a doze.

              ‘What is it?’

              ‘They’re here! Those men are breaking into our house!’

              The plan had been one thing, but the reality of the situation was more shocking than the couple had anticipated.

              Bill reached for the phone, dialling 999. ‘I just hope the police get there in time.’

              Joy leant forward and took her husband’s hand. ‘Oh, Bill. So do I.’

*

DS Mortimer was asking the Hutchisons questions in their own living room. They’d left Rita’s place after the three of them had watched the police cars arrive and several uniformed constables sweep upon the house. About twenty minutes later, two burly officers emerged, with the intruders clearly subdued and under arrest.

              The lady detective was obviously confused. ‘If you don’t mind me asking, what were you doing at your neighbour’s house at half past one in the morning?’

              ‘Well, Mrs McCulloch has been rather nervous since her own house was broken into. Sometimes Joy and I go over to keep her company,’ Bill explained.

              DS Mortimer didn’t seem convinced. ‘It was certainly fortuitous that you weren’t at home when the burglars struck
and
that you happened to be looking out of the window at the exact moment they attempted to enter your property.’

              ‘Yes, you’re right, it
was
fortunate,’ Bill replied earnestly.

              Joy entered with a tray of drinks and biscuits. ‘We like to think that our son had something to do with it,’ the woman added, by way of explanation. She lifted the framed photograph of Neil off the mantelpiece and handed it to the DS. ‘He was tragically taken away from us when just a wee boy, but Neil has a way of letting us know if we are in peril. He speaks to us, you see?’

              The detective sergeant cleared her throat. ‘I don’t think I’ve got any more questions for you now, Mr and Mrs Hutchison. I’ll leave you both to get some rest. My men have sealed up the back door with a panel. It should keep you secure for the time being. Just make sure you get it seen to in the morning. Thanks for the tea.’

              Mortimer got to her feet.

              Bill stood up, ready to escort her to the front door. ‘If you wouldn’t mind, we’d like to be kept informed of your investigation. I had a theory, you see, that one of the men responsible for the burglaries might have a military connection. I’m certain this is a detail that a member of your team could look into?’

              Mortimer nodded her head, thinking what a strange couple they were. ‘I’ll call you with an update in a few days.’

              When Bill returned to the living room, he slipped an arm around his wife. ‘Do you really think that Neil intervened in some way in what happened here tonight?’

              Joy shook her head with an amused smile. ‘Of course not. I just thought it might be a rather good way of stopping that detective from asking any more questions.’

              ‘Well done, dear. It certainly seemed to work.’

Chapter 35

C
raig O’Connor’s father had bought his son a series of driving lessons for his seventeenth birthday. The idea was that once he’d passed his test, the lad could start driving him and Val to the pub.

              Mick O’Connor stomped up the stairs and paused outside Craig’s door, where the lad was sprawled out on the narrow bed with a pair of giant headphones over his ears. Mick took a step forward and wrenched them off.

              ‘Come on lad, I’m taking you out for a lesson in the van. Your ‘L’ plates have arrived.’

              ‘Do I have to?’

              Mick wrapped his podgy fingers around Craig’s arm, lifting the boy off the mattress with ease. ‘Yes you sodding well do. When I was your age I couldn’t wait to get behind the wheel.’

Craig slipped on his glasses and made himself comfortable in the driver’s seat. He spent several minutes adjusting the mirrors and making sure the chair position was correct. Mick was just about to lose his patience with all this pansying around when the boy finally placed the key in the ignition.

              Agonisingly slowly, Craig drove the vehicle to the junction at the end of their street.

              ‘Turn left,’ his father instructed. They proceeded at a snail’s pace in the direction of the River View Estate, where Mick thought it would be quiet enough for Craig to practise some manoeuvres.

              Suddenly, the boy seemed to realise where they were headed. ‘I’d rather not go onto the new estate, Dad.’

              ‘Why the hell not? You’re a bloody liability on the open road.’

              Craig said nothing, allowing the vehicle to take them past the high spec new-builds which flanked both sides of this labyrinth of quiet streets. The lad reluctantly acknowledged that his old man was right. He appeared to be making better progress here, his confidence slowly building as a result of knowing they wouldn’t be meeting any speeding traffic coming the other way. The lad even managed to perform an emergency stop.

              But as they progressed beyond the wide avenues of empty executive homes and the road took them into a barren wasteland secured by high fencing, Craig started to feel his chest tighten.

              Sweat had broken out on the lad’s forehead and upper lip. The van lurched violently before Craig brought the vehicle to an abrupt halt. He jumped out of the driver’s seat and slammed the door shut behind him, proceeding to retch his guts up onto a pile of rubble at the side of the road.

              Mick sat immobile in his seat, folding his arms across his fat belly and sighing heavily. He stared out at the desolate landscape which stretched into the distance. The man was wondering just how on earth he and Val had managed to produce such a total wimp.

*

Sally Irving-Bryant was working on a new case. Fortunately for her, the client had admitted to committing the crime for which he was charged but was hoping for mitigation in the sentencing. This was exactly the kind of thing Sally did best. She knew how to manipulate the court system in her favour.

              Grant was due home for dinner that evening so Sally had returned to the house early. She was going to have food delivered but wanted to take a shower and get changed before her husband arrived.

              The exterior light flickered on as Sally climbed the steps of their Edinburgh townhouse. She stood still for a few moments whilst retrieving the keys from her handbag. Once the door was open, the lawyer felt a weight shove her forward. Before she could work out what was happening, the door was shut behind her and a hand was clamped firmly over her mouth.

              ‘Is there anyone else in the house?’ A voice rasped in her ear.

              She shook her head, recognising who it was and feeling bile rise into her throat, praying she wasn’t going to be sick.

              ‘Don’t say a word, okay? I’m only here for information.’

              Sally nodded.

              Eric Fisher removed his hand and guided her roughly along the corridor to an impressive kitchen. Sally sat down with a thud on one of the dining chairs.

              ‘What do you want?’ She demanded, trying to sound brave.

              Fisher was pacing up and down beside the worktop which housed a block of Japanese kitchen knives. The sight made her heart race inside her chest.

              ‘I’m living in a poky wee flat on the Southside. I’ve got no job and I can’t go home. Peggy’s family want nothing to do with me.’ He stopped abruptly and swung round, planting both hands on the side of the thick oak table, as if he was about to tip the whole thing over. ‘I want to find the man who butchered my family. This business isn’t over, even if the Fiscal thinks it is. That woman who came to visit me in Saughton – she actually seemed to know what she was doing. I want her name and address. She’s going to find the bastard for me.’

              Sally’s breathing had become rapid and shallow. ‘I can’t possibly give you that information,’ she replied weakly.

              Eric noticed the lawyer’s eyes darting nervously towards the knife block. ‘
Ah
,’ he said gleefully. ‘You still believe I’m guilty of knifing my own family. Then you really won’t like it if I do this.’ The man shot his arm across the worktop and pulled out a long, glistening blade. He immediately held it against Sally’s throat. The metal was so sharp that even without any pressure being applied, it was still drawing blood. ‘Now, Ms Irving-Bryant. You’re going to tell me absolutely everything I want to know and you’re going to do it
right now
.’

Chapter 36

W
hen Dani returned from work, she found a man sitting on her doorstep.

              ‘James? What are you doing here?’

              James Irving stood up, moving towards the DCI and placing a kiss on her cheek. ‘Sally sent me. It’s complicated. Can I come in?’

              Dani glanced down and noticed a large soft bag by her friend’s feet. ‘Of course you can.’

              James lifted it up and followed her inside.

              Bevan left her guest in the kitchen while she got changed and freshened up. When she returned, James had poured them both out a glass of red wine. ‘I hope you don’t mind. I found an open bottle.’

              ‘Not at all.’ Dani took the glass gratefully and sat down. ‘Now you can tell me what’s going on.’

              James sheepishly explained the visit Sally had received from Eric Fisher and how he’d forced her to give him Dani’s details. ‘She’s desperately sorry, especially after everything you’ve done to help her. But Sal was genuinely terrified. She thought he was going to kill her.’

              ‘I doubt he was but I completely understand. I’m a police officer. It’s my job to put myself in harm’s way. Sally is a civilian. She shouldn’t have hesitated to tell the man what she knew. Fisher would have found out one way or another.’

              ‘Well, Mum and Sally commanded me to come straight here and watch over you.’ His cheeks turned pink. ‘If you don’t mind, that is.’

              Dani started to chuckle. ‘I am a detective chief inspector. It’s my job to protect other people.’

              ‘But there’s no harm in having a little back-up, is there?’ James looked put-out.

              Dani leant across and took his hand. ‘No, there isn’t. Any police officer who tries to go it alone is a fool. I really appreciate you coming here. It’s actually nice to know that someone cares.’

              James’ face adopted a serious expression. ‘I do care about you Dani. I hope you’re aware of that.’

              She nodded. ‘Yes, James. I am.’

*

Dani called Andy and asked him to come to the flat first thing in the morning. He arrived at 8.30, with a bag of pastries in his hand.

              ‘Morning Ma’am,’ he said breezily, sweeping past his boss and heading inside. He stopped abruptly when he spotted James Irving, dressed in casual slacks and a short-sleeved checked shirt. ‘Oh, hi.’

              ‘Hello, DC Calder, it’s good to see you again.’ James put out his hand, which Andy shook reluctantly.