A Dark Shadow Falls (3 page)

              Andy was sifting through the crime scene photographs. He set down his half-eaten pastry. ‘The attacks on the wife and son were incredibly frenzied.’

              Dani nodded sombrely. ‘Peggy Fisher suffered thirteen stab wounds to the chest. In Callum’s case, there were even more – including defensive wounds to his arms and hands. The lad put up one hell of a fight.’

              ‘How tall was the boy?’

              ‘5’5’’ and of average build for his age. Eric Fisher is 5’11’’ and physically fit. Callum didn’t really ever stand a chance.’

              Andy moved the photographs around the table. ‘The murder of the little girls is quite different in character. The knife wasn’t used. There aren’t even any bruises evident where the man held them down under the water. Do you think Fisher killed them first? Did something happen after that to make him really angry?’

              ‘Perhaps the daughters were never the target. His anger may have been focussed purely on Peggy. Perhaps the boy tried to defend his mother and that’s what riled Fisher up.’

              ‘How much do you know about domestic homicides, Ma’am?’ Andy looked at his boss carefully.

              ‘Only what I’ve read in the training packs. I’ve never actually worked one. How about you?’

              ‘When I started out in the western division, we were called out to the aftermath of a fire at a council flat in Greenock. The mother and three kids had died of smoke inhalation. The father claimed he was kipping on a mate’s sofa and fast asleep when it happened. His wife had kicked him out the week before. It didn’t take us long to realise he’d set fire to the place – murdering his own wife and children. The guy’s still banged up in Barlinnie.’

              ‘That is the typical pattern though, isn’t it? The husband has become estranged from his family and fears losing contact with the kids. All of his anger and frustration become channelled on his ex-partner. The children are simply innocent pawns in the conflict between their mum and dad.’

              ‘Were Fisher and his wife having problems?’

              ‘According to Sally Irving-Bryant, Eric Fisher claims they had the perfect marriage.’ Dani raised her eyebrows and took a sip of coffee.

              ‘What did the family and friends have to say on the matter? Did eastern have any record of domestic violence at the address?’

              ‘The police didn’t find any evidence of Fisher being violent towards his family, but a couple of Peggy’s friends said that Eric could be very possessive. The woman always had to run it by her husband before she made plans. If they did go out for drinks in Edinburgh, Peggy would be nervous all night – always checking her phone.’

              ‘But she had the wee girls. Folk might say the same about Carol. She doesn’t actually like going out in the evening any more, she’s forever calling to make sure Amy’s okay. I’d take offence if I didn’t know it was natural.’

              ‘Fair point.’ Dani sat back in her seat. ‘Eric Fisher was definitely living at home with his family at the time he killed them. It’s unusual in a case of domestic homicide.’

              ‘But the murders took place on a Sunday, which is typical in family annihilation,’ Andy added. ‘It’s the time when the father has greatest access to the children. If he’s under pressure at work, the weekend coming to a close could trigger his desire to end the cycle.’

              ‘I want to look more closely at Fisher’s finances. There are some details here in these files, but not enough to provide me with the full picture. I think our next move should be to speak with Phil’s contact on the original investigating team.’

              Andy drained his cup. ‘Aye, Ma’am. That’s a good idea.’

Chapter 4

D
ani Bevan stood on the pavement with DI Mike Tait and gazed across the quiet road at the Fishers’ property.

              ‘It’s empty, so we can go inside.’ Mike led the way to the front door. It was a typical, pebble-dashed council property with relatively newly fitted double–glazing at the windows.

              Most of the flooring in the hallway had been ripped up. The place was stone cold. ‘Why have the local authority not redecorated?’ Dani stepped carefully through the passageway, heading towards the kitchen.

              ‘Fisher’s lawyers insisted it remain a crime scene until they completed their investigations,’ Mike explained. ‘Mind you, I can’t see anyone wanting to live here now.’ He ran a hand through his untidy grey hair.

             
‘You’d be surprised,’ Dani muttered under her breath. She looked down at the dark, puddled stain on the linoleum.

              ‘It’s amazing that the guy survived, considering the amount of blood that pumped out of him.’

              ‘Did you attend the scene?’

              Tait nodded grimly. ‘It’s the worst I’ve ever witnessed.’

              ‘And Eric Fisher was the only one still alive when the neighbour found them?’

              ‘Yes. Peggy had been dead for at least an hour before we arrived. The boy, maybe twenty minutes less.’

              ‘What about the two little girls?’ Dani watched his face closely, noting the shadow which passed across his features.

              ‘The pathologist reckoned that the twins were the first to die. He just held their heads under the water until they stopped breathing.’ Tait balled his hands into fists and released them again. ‘We should never have called an ambulance for the bastard. It would have saved the taxpayer a whole load of money for this farce of a trial if we hadn’t.’

              Dani pretended she didn’t hear his last comment. ‘The times of death don’t match with Eric Fisher’s claims. He says that the girls were alive when he was bundled into the airing cupboard.’

              Tait raised his eyebrows incredulously, as if she were a fool to even be considering this possibility. ‘We found no forensic traces of Fisher in that cupboard.’

              ‘Were the tests carried out straight after the murders?’

              The DI shifted from one foot to the other. ‘No. We sent the white coats in again after Fisher provided his new statement. It was maybe three weeks later.’

              Dani nodded, making no comment on this. ‘Were the neighbours re-questioned about the possibility of an intruder hanging around the property on the day the murders took place?’

              Tait puffed himself up, seeming more confident on this topic. ‘Yes, we did a house-to-house on this street and the one which backs onto it at the rear. No one saw a thing, just like when we asked them the first time.’

              Bevan spent another ten minutes inspecting the house before allowing DI Tait to drive her back to the station.

              The investigation into the deaths of the Fishers had operated out of the headquarters of the City and Borders Police on Fettes Avenue in Edinburgh. Bevan was introduced to the SIO of the case, DCI Annie Carmichael. Dani’s opposite number was tall, with a bob of ash-blond hair and strikingly green eyes. The woman was well into her forties and had a formidable presence. Bevan took a soft seat in Carmichael’s office, waiting for her to summon the details of the case onto her computer screen.

              ‘So, Ms Sally Irving-Bryant has been in contact with you?’ Annie directed her piercing gaze at Dani.

              ‘Aye, she’s an old contact of mine and wanted some advice.’

              ‘Well, the advice I would give her is to get Eric Fisher to plead guilty and end this circus right now. Peggy Fisher’s family have suffered enough already.’

              ‘But the main reason I’m here is because DCS Nicholson wants to know we’ve covered our arses.’

              Annie chuckled.

              ‘What if there’s actually some element of truth in Eric’s claims?’ Dani braced herself for the woman’s tirade but was surprised to see a careworn smile creep across Annie Carmichael’s face.

              ‘We took them very seriously, DCI Bevan. The press are crawling all over this case, so we could hardly not do so.’ Annie tilted her screen so that Dani could see the information she was referring to. ‘Forensics didn’t find a single trace of another individual in that house. We could only place the five family members and the neighbour who found them in that property on the day they died. Eric Fisher’s account is riddled with contradictions, particularly in relation to the order of the events. His version simply doesn’t match the
post mortem
and crime scene evidence we have. I intend to put that point very clearly to the court at his trial.’

              ‘What about a
motive
, Annie? Don’t underestimate Sally Irving-Bryant, she’s a brilliant advocate. Sally will make it crystal clear to the courtroom that Fisher didn’t have any real motive to kill his family. The jury always wants to be able to understand
why
.’

              The Detective Chief Inspector sat back in her seat and folded her arms across her chest. ‘Have you heard about the use of ‘psychological autopsies’?’

              Dani shook her head.

              ‘There’s an MP in England who’s demanding that they should be performed in every UK incidence of family annihilation. We had a lady from the NYPD, who’d trained at Quantico, over here on the team with us for a couple of weeks. She performed a psychological autopsy on Eric Fisher and his extended family. This involved questioning him and all his closest relatives and friends. A full history of the man was created.’ Annie reached for a paper file on a shelf behind her and dropped it on the desk between them. ‘This is it. I received it from the US on Monday. We’ve already disclosed it to Fisher’s defence team, but it would seem that Sally Irving-Bryant hasn’t shared the juiciest details with you.’

              Bevan narrowed her eyes. ‘Can I read it?’

              ‘Yes. But it remains strictly confidential. This evidence is crucial to the prosecution case.’

              ‘Of course. If Eric Fisher is guilty of this crime, I’m as keen as you are to see him go down for it.’

Chapter 5

T
he Pentland Hotel was situated in Edinburgh’s Old Town and Dani’s room possessed a view of Holyrood Palace. The impressive baroque building, once the permanent residence of the Scottish monarchy, was not grabbing the detective’s attention. Instead, she was sitting cross-legged on the double bed, with the contents of Annie Carmichael’s file spread out across the quilt in front of her.

              Eric John Fisher was born at the Edinburgh Royal Infirmary in April 1972. The family lived in Leith and Eric’s father worked at Henry Robb’s shipyard, losing his job when the yard closed in the early eighties. Leonard Fisher was never in full-time employment again until his death ten years ago. Eric left school at 16 to start earning money for the family. As a young lad, he’d taken an apprenticeship in joinery and worked for various building firms until starting up his own business at the age of 25.

              Not long after this, Eric met Peggy Wheelan at a nightclub in Edinburgh. She was on a weekend away with a group of pals, but lived with her parents in Dalkeith. They began a relationship, finally setting up home together, near to Peggy’s family, in 2001.

              Dani looked up from the notes, gazing around at the dark furnishings of her mock gothic bedroom. Peggy had only been 18 years old when she met Eric Fisher. They’d dated for over four years before moving in together as a couple. The detective thought this was unusual. She turned back to the file. Callum was born in 2002. The couple had married in 2009 and had the twins in 2011.

              Peggy Fisher was 35 years old when she died, younger than Dani was. Bevan looked closely at a photograph from their wedding day. Peggy wore her dyed blond hair in a twist on top of her head and her make-up was heavily applied. Despite this, it was obvious the woman had been extremely pretty. Eric was dressed in a grey morning suit, with a hand placed around his wife’s narrow waist. His hair was naturally dark and his face tanned and handsome. Bevan took a sip from the mug of sugary tea she’d placed on the bedside table. Both Peggy’s parents were still alive and lived just a few streets away from the house in which their daughter was killed.

              Peggy’s sister was questioned extensively by Janette Morrow, the American consultant to City and Borders Police. According to her, Eric Fisher was possessive and manipulative. Gracie Wheelan was with her sister when she first met Fisher at the club in Edinburgh. Even back then she’d not taken to him, claiming the man was very aware of his considerable good-looks and a charmer with the ladies.

              Gracie was convinced he’d had a number of other girlfriends in the city before finally settling down with Peggy. Morrow had asked if any of these girlfriends were still on the scene at the time of the murders. The sister was forced to admit she didn’t think so.

              Dani shook her head, flicking through the many pages of interview transcripts. There was plenty of evidence here about Eric, provided by Peggy’s friends and family, most of it uncomplimentary but without solid evidence to back it up.

              Bevan would expect that, particularly in the aftermath of a crime in which the press had already decided Fisher was guilty. What Dani wanted to see more of was information about
Peggy’s
life and background. It was her and the children who were the victims of this terrible atrocity. As a detective, she needed to know more about
them
. If
Peggy
had a boyfriend then that would provide a much clearer motive for her murder than if Eric Fisher had been the one playing the field.

              The phone by Dani’s side began to buzz. It was a text message from Sally. They’d arranged to meet at a bar in the Grassmarket in half an hour. The lawyer was confirming she’d be there. Bevan was about to leave the file for the time-being and take a quick shower when a piece of paper amongst the pile caught her attention. It was a hospital letter.