Dark as Night (10 page)

Chapter 17

A
ndy Calder was doing his best to keep a low profile at work. He’d volunteered to sift through the CCTV footage from the gay bars of Sauchiehall Street on the afternoon of Saturday, 25
^th
July. It was a long and tedious task but kept him away from the DCI for a few hours longer.

              Calder could see his boss was still deep in conversation with that shrink in her office, the guy who looked like Gandalf from the Lord of the Rings but wearing an ill-fitting, shabby suit. So when the phone rang on Phil’s desk and there was no one else around, Andy strode over to answer it.

              It was the lassie from reception, informing him that Ewan McLaren was down in the lobby, waiting to speak to someone from the investigation team. Calder sighed and picked up his jacket, heading for the lift.

‘What can I do for you, sonny?’ Andy laid a hand on the boy’s shoulder, noting how awful he looked. His hair was lank and greasy and it was clear he’d not slept in days. ‘Come on.’

              The detective led Ewan into one of the family rooms, asking the desk sergeant to sort them out a couple of teas with plenty of sugar. He sat opposite the lad, waiting for him to start the conversation.

              ‘I’ve done nothing but go over stuff in my head these last few days. I can’t help but think that you must have got it wrong about Dad – him meeting up with gay men, I mean.’ Ewan seemed to be struggling not to cry.

              ‘I’m sorry, Ewan, but the evidence is very clear cut. Your Dad was seeing a therapist about his feelings. The situation is well documented. Your mother even knew about it.’

              The boy shuffled forward in his seat. ‘But for the last few months, I actually thought Dad might have another woman on the go. Whenever we went out anywhere together, he was always pointing out the good-looking girls. It was so out of character I thought that maybe he was having some kind of mid-life crisis. Don’t you see? The lassies he was picking out were really fit – the kinds of girls I fancied too. So he couldn’t have been gay, could he? Not for real, otherwise he wouldn’t have known which were the pretty ones?’

              Andy sighed. ‘It’s what’s called, throwing up a blind. He was trying to put you off the scent. I expect your dad really didn’t want you and your brother to find out that he was gay.’ Calder suddenly had a memory flash. He pictured his Uncle Donny in one of the dingy rock venues of Glasgow in the mid-nineties, nudging his young nephew whenever a bonny girl went by, winking exaggeratedly, playing up to his jack-the-lad image. The thought made Andy feel deeply uncomfortable.

              The tears had finally escaped onto Ewan’s cheeks. ‘I know you’re probably right, but if that’s the case why didn’t he just tell me? I can understand him not telling Cormac, he’s just a silly kid. But I would have listened. I’m not some kind of bigot. I knew my parents weren’t happy, I’m not blind. Dad didn’t need to run around in secret and get himself bloody killed!’

              The lad was sobbing by this stage and Andy held him in his arms. ‘It wasn’t as easy for your father as that. You were his son and he loved you to pieces. He didn’t want to shatter the image you’d built up of him. Believe me, Ewan, you were the
last
person your dad wanted to tell.’

              The boy nodded, his head half buried in Calder’s shoulder. Andy thought that finally, the lad seemed to be taking it on board.

*

When Andy returned to his desk, the professor had gone and his boss was in the office by herself. He took a deep breath and walked over, knocking lightly on the door.

              As Calder entered, Dani gestured towards the chair in front of her. ‘Take a seat.’

              ‘I’d like to explain, about the other night.’

              Dani shook her head. ‘You don’t need to. I’ve made some mistakes in my own private life, some of which you’ve bailed me out of. I can hardly start pointing the finger at others.’ The DCI sighed heavily. ‘However, I can’t bear to see you scupper your future with Carol and Amy.
Please
think carefully about whatever it is you’re doing.’

              Andy nodded, the colour draining from his cheeks. This was worse than the bollocking he’d been expecting. ‘I don’t know if I feel the same about Carol any longer.’ The words came out as a hoarse whisper.

              Calder saw a flash of anger pass across Dani’s dark eyes. ‘That’s the sex talking. But once the initial lust has blown itself out between you and this woman, what’s left? I’ve been there, Andy. I know what I’m talking about. This case has brought back the memory of what happened to your uncle and it’s messing with your head. Stop seeing her. I’m begging you, as a good friend.’

              Andy avoided her gaze. ‘I know you mean well, boss, but I’m not sure I can promise you that.’

              Dani felt a wave of sadness wash over her. ‘Fine. Then we’ll say no more about it.’

Chapter 18

T
he meal went more smoothly than Andy thought it would. Mae had prepared a full roast dinner with all the trimmings, even though it was a really warm day. Gavin even had to open the French doors, so that the light breeze could cool them as they sat around the table.

              Andy was pleased to have a chance to see John again. The lad was tall and lean with a thin, handsome face. Calder would have liked his cousin to resemble Donny a bit more. The similarities were definitely there, around the eyes mostly, but Andy had to concede that John was more like Mae’s side of the family.

              ‘How are you finding college?’ Carol asked politely, whilst she dished up a miniature plateful for Amy.

              ‘I’m really enjoying it, thanks,’ John replied. ‘I wasn’t sure at first if I’d made the right decision, but now I’m really glad I chose to stay in Glasgow.’

              ‘That’s because you’ve met Shiona,’ Lizzie put in. She leant down to address the wee girl next to her. ‘She’s John’s girlfriend.’

              Amy began to giggle.

              Luckily, the young man took his sister’s joshing in good humour. ‘Shiona would have loved to have come along today but she’s up near Loch Lomond with her parents this week.’

              ‘I’m sure we’ll meet her again,’ Carol said.

              Gavin’s attitude had softened considerably since Andy’s last visit. The presence of Carol and Amy seemed to make him much more comfortable. The men lapsed into a good-natured discussion about the prospects for St Columba Football Club in the forthcoming premiership season.

              Andy noticed that Mae remained quiet throughout lunch. When they’d finished eating, he stood up to help their hostess clear the plates from the table. Gavin led the guests out the back. He’d just had a summer house constructed that he wanted to show Carol. Andy could see, from the kitchen window, his daughter running madly across the huge lawn. Andy felt the pang of guilt he often experienced when in other people’s large houses that they didn’t have a garden of their own for her to play in.  

              When she knew the others were out of earshot, Mae turned towards Andy. ‘I don’t want to hurt Gavin.’

              ‘I’m not sure why the hell you married the guy. He’s clearly not in your league.’ Andy placed the cutlery in the dishwasher with a clatter.

              ‘I love him.’

              Calder stopped what he was doing, the words hanging heavy in the air between them.

              ‘
Come on
,’ Mae gasped in frustration. ‘Don’t try and tell me you don’t love Carol. I wouldn’t believe you for a second.’

              Andy straightened up and took her by the shoulders. ‘But it’s different for us. I don’t remember ever feeling like this.’

              Mae wriggled about, as if she was trying to shake herself free of his grasp. ‘You’re getting your emotions muddled up. It’s the excitement of possessing something that your beloved uncle once had that’s intoxicating you. It’s got nothing to do with me, not really.’

              Calder frowned. ‘How can you say that – when you know what it’s like when we’re making love?’

              ‘It’s an illusion and it will pass. When you get to my age you’ve learnt that much at least.’

              Andy squeezed more tightly. ‘I’m not some naive wee bairn. I know what I’m feeling.’

              Mae tried to take a step away from him and caught her bare leg on the door of the dishwasher. A trickle of crimson blood rolled down to her ankle.

              ‘Is everything okay, Mum?’ The question travelled towards them from the open doorway. John Calder was standing there, silhouetted against the lowering afternoon sun.

              ‘Oh it’s fine. I’ve just stumbled backwards and grazed my leg.’

              ‘Let me see.’ The young man moved across and plucked a sheet of kitchen paper from the roll, proceeding to dab at the tiny cut. He twisted his body round and peered up at Andy. ‘I’ll deal with this. You can go out and join Carol and Amy now.’ The words were not delivered as a suggestion but stated coldly, not inviting a reply.

              Andy said nothing, brushing past the pair of them and heading out into the garden, his mind racing with unwelcome thoughts. He tried to focus his attention on Amy instead, who was still running in endless circles around the grass, her arms waving in the air. Carol was standing in the summer house, deep in conversation with Gavin. Calder jogged towards his daughter and scooped her up, swinging her high into the blue sky until she was shrieking with laughter and begging him to stop.

Chapter 19

D
ani thought the guy in the interview room was probably in his early twenties. His hair was cropped short at the sides but left a little longer on top so it could be gelled up into what could only be described as a quiff. His sleeveless top revealed the tattoo of a bird of paradise on his tanned upper arm.

              DC Laidlaw had brought the man into the station to make a statement. The detective thought his superior might want to hear what he had to say.

              Bevan knocked on the door and opened it. Laidlaw stood up as she entered and pulled out a chair. ‘Paul Black, this is DCI Danielle Bevan. If you could just repeat for her what you just told me, I’d be most grateful.’

              Black sat upright, not with nervousness but determination. ‘Pleased to meet you, DCI Bevan. I’d been wondering whether to come into the station and speak with someone, but then the police officers arrived this morning at the salon on Rose Street, where I work. They beat me to it.’

              ‘What information do you have for us, Mr Black?’

              ‘I knew Nathan McLaren. Not particularly well, but enough to share a couple of drinks with him for the evening. He was a really nice guy.’

              ‘How did you come into contact with Mr McLaren?’ Dani leaned forward with interest.

              ‘Nathan was in Bacchus one lunchtime, we got chatting then. He’d not been out long. We arranged to have drinks that Friday night, as he didn’t know many guys on the Glasgow scene.’

              ‘What date was this, do you recall?’

              Paul puckered his lips. ‘It must have been the first weekend in July, because I was out of town the following Saturday. My sister lives in Balloch and she’s just had a bairn.’

              ‘Did you know that Nathan was married to a woman?’

              Paul looked sad. ‘No, he didn’t mention that and I never noticed him wear a ring. I wouldn’t have encouraged him if I’d known; whether he was married to a man or a woman. He should have come clean to his wife first. No one deserves to be two-timed.’

              Dani got the sense that Paul had probably been on the receiving end of such treatment himself. ‘Were you having a relationship with Nathan?’

              Paul seemed surprised by the question. ‘No! Nathan was decades older than me, not my type at all. We’d just become mates, that’s all.’

              It was Bevan’s turn to appear puzzled. ‘Then what do you have to tell us?’

              The man leaned in closer. Dani could smell his tangy aftershave. ‘The Friday evening we met for drinks at the Oyster Bar, Nathan got talking to this chap. They were getting on really well, so I slunk off to join a group of other folk I knew. Nathan came back over later, when this man had gone. I teased him about it and Nathan admitted they’d exchanged numbers. When I saw the report about Nathan’s murder on the news and how they were saying he was married with kids and no mention of him being gay, I thought that I’d better inform the police of what I knew.’

              ‘Could you provide us with a description of this man, so that we can create an E-fit?’

              Paul nodded. ‘Yeah, of course. I’ll do my best. I can tell you now that he was really good-looking, that’s why I was ribbing Nathan so much. I was joking how I’d been on the scene for years and never got the number of a guy who was such a hunk.’ He looked suddenly wistful. ‘We had a laugh that evening. When we parted, I promised to call his mobile and arrange another night out, but then I had to go to my sister’s and got caught up in other shit, you know? The next thing, I hear Nathan’s body’s been found dumped in the reservoir. I felt really bad.’

              ‘Well, if your description can help us to locate this other man, then you will have done something important to help your friend.’

              Paul’s expression brightened. ‘Yeah, I suppose I would.’

*

DC Alice Mann stared hard at the E-fit. The chiselled features of the face staring back at her certainly felt vaguely familiar.