Dark as Night (8 page)

              ‘Now the press have got onto it, DCS Nicholson is breathing down my neck for a quick result,’ she began. ‘Where are we with the appeal for witnesses?’

              Alice Mann flipped open her notebook. ‘We’ve had a slow trickle of phone calls from folk who were in Balgray Park on Saturday evening. But no one appears to have seen anything suspicious.’

              ‘Is the area known for being a cruising point? Do homosexuals and courting couples use the car parks at night?’ Dani glanced at each officer in turn.

              ‘Not that I could tell,’ Phil chipped in. ‘I’ve been in contact with some of the gay pressure groups in Glasgow since we discovered why Nathan McLaren was in Balgray Park when he was killed. The guys there said it wasn’t a well-known meeting place, but then, they also said that cottaging is generally less common these days. Homosexuality doesn’t have the stigma it once did.’

              ‘It still does if you’re a gay bloke married to a woman,’ Dan Clifton added.

              ‘Aye.’ Bevan nodded. ‘Bloody good point. So, this man we’re looking for – was he Nathan’s boyfriend, or just a casual pick-up? I think that’s the key to this investigation.’

              ‘There was absolutely nothing out of the ordinary on Nathan’s computer,’ Alice responded. ‘No deleted messages from a male lover or evidence of gay porn.’

              ‘Jenny claimed that Nathan had some porn mags in his briefcase. Perhaps he and his lover kept it old-fashioned and corresponded by letter?’

              ‘We found nothing in his office, either at home or at work, Ma’am,’ Dan confirmed.

              ‘My sense is that Nathan was only just beginning to act upon his urges,’ Bevan continued. ‘His wife had only known about his proclivities for a few months. The therapist was encouraging him to explore them further. If there was a boyfriend, I suspect he was fairly new on the scene.’

              ‘I reckon that would make Nathan vulnerable,’ Phil said carefully. ‘He was almost like a teenager taking their first, tentative steps onto the dating circuit. He might have appeared pretty green to those who’d been out for many years.’

              ‘And a bit naïve perhaps,’ Alice added, crinkling her forehead. ‘I think we should go back to that rowing club, Ma’am. I’ve got a hunch that McLaren wasn’t simply hanging around there to find out whether his son could join in September. I believe there’s something else.’

              Bevan narrowed her eyes thoughtfully. ‘Okay. You and Dan make another trip over there. Talk to some more people this time and have a proper conversation with that coach.’

              Alice nodded, recognising the DCI’s tone as an indication they were dismissed. As the officers filed out of the poky room, Dani gestured for Calder to remain seated. She pulled the door shut behind Phil.

              ‘You were very quiet during the briefing,’ Bevan stated, crossing her arms over her chest.

              ‘I know what you’re thinking.’

              Dani cocked her head to one side and raised an eyebrow.

              ‘You think that Uncle Donny might have been meeting a fella too, on the night he went missing.’ Andy kept his gaze fixed on the floor. ‘Donny was
not
a homosexual,’ he seethed through gritted teeth. ‘I want to make that absolutely clear, Ma’am.’

              Dani took a deep breath. ‘If the McLaren case is going to prove difficult for you to work on, then I’ll have to re-assign you. There’s no place for prejudice on my team, or for anyone who can’t keep an open mind. If you are too close to this, I’ll find something else for you to do.’

              He glanced up in surprise. ‘I want to remain on the investigation. This is really important to me.’

              ‘Okay, Andy, but I need you to keep focussed on Nathan McLaren. You’ve been distant and distracted these last few days. It’s time to step up now. There’s a killer out there, who we’ve got to catch.’

              He nodded. ‘Aye, of course. I’m a hundred percent committed to this case, I swear.’

*

Mae slid her hand across Andy’s torso, pulling him closer. ‘I saw on the news that they’d found that man’s body.’

              Calder’s muscles tightened. ‘I can’t discuss the details.’

              She shifted up, resting her chin on his chest. ‘I know he was dumped in Balgray Reservoir. The reporter said so.’ Mae widened her green eyes and looked straight at him. ‘I want them to send divers down – to see if Don’s body is in there too.’

              Shocked by her words, Andy sat bolt upright. ‘I don’t believe the McLaren case has
anything
to do with Don’s disappearance now. There are too many differences. Balgray is a good five miles from here. What would Uncle Don be doing all the way over in Barrhead that night?’

              ‘Well, what was Nathan McLaren doing there?’

              Andy remained silent, certainly not wishing to get into that territory.

              ‘Exactly, who knows why his killer took him there. Because it was quiet, I suppose, and the reservoir was the perfect place to dump a body,’ Mae continued.

              Calder could tell she’d spent a while considering this.

              ‘If the same man murdered Don all those years ago then he could be in that place as well. Surely the police can at least search for him? You must be able to request it?’

              Calder gazed at her beautiful, anguished face and groaned. He leaned in and kissed her forehead tenderly. ‘He isn’t there. You have to trust me on this, sweetheart. The McLaren murder has nothing to do with Don. I know more of the details than you do. I promise it’s a dead end.’

              Mae’s lips began to quiver. Tears spilled down her cheeks. Andy kissed them away but they continued to fall. ‘I need to know what happened,’ she sobbed. ‘I thought I was finally going to find out where he was, so we could bury him.’

              ‘I know,’ Calder whispered, holding her close, smoothing her soft hair. ‘We
will
find out the truth about what happened to Donny, I swear to you. But just not this time.’   

Chapter 14

D
Cs Mann and Clifton arrived at the Clydebank University Campus by mid-morning. Both young detectives were graduates themselves and familiar with the environment. There were very few students in residence on the site at this time of the year but they had arranged to meet Tony Lomond at the cafeteria by the entrance to the Department of Environmental Planning, where he was a post graduate student.

              The building was modern, allowing the bright sunlight to stream onto the tables through tall strips of glass reaching up to a high ceiling. Lomond was looking smart in an open-necked blue striped shirt. He already had a coffee in front of him when the two officers arrived.

              ‘How much longer do you have until you graduate?’ Alice asked with genuine interest, thinking that the man must be thirty at least.

              ‘There’s another year remaining on my Msc course. But I’m preparing to produce a doctoral thesis, that’s why I’m here working through the holidays. I’m already teaching classes, but would like to go for a permanent tenure once I have my Phd.’ He sipped his espresso. ‘I don’t really understand why you’re speaking to me again. I’ve nothing more to add.’

              ‘Did you happen to see on the news that Mr McLaren’s body was found in Balgray Reservoir yesterday?’

              Tony adopted a grave expression. ‘Yes, I did. It’s terribly sad for the man’s family. He seemed like such a pleasant chap.’

              ‘This is now a murder inquiry,’ Dan explained reasonably. ‘You are one of the last people to speak with Nathan McLaren before his death. Could you do your very best to recall exactly what the man said to you and which direction he headed in after he left the Rowing Club on Saturday afternoon?’

              Tony narrowed his grey eyes, as if in deep concentration. ‘As I said, he explained how he rowed himself whilst he was studying at St Andrews. I believe he told me that he was now a business software analyst, his office was somewhere in town.’ The man paused, blinking several times before adding, ‘he may have mentioned that he was going to visit a bar in the city centre, before meeting his sons later.’

              ‘You didn’t say this when we spoke to you earlier.’ Alice fixed upon him a stern stare. ‘Did he give you the name of the bar?’

              Tony cleared his throat, obviously growing uncomfortable. ‘I think it was called Bacchus.’

              ‘The gay bar?’ Clifton enquired.

              Tony sighed heavily. ‘Look, my sexuality is a private matter. I teach here and train the lads down at the river without any problems whatsoever. They don’t need to know what I do in the evenings and at weekends. My parents don’t know about my lifestyle either and I really don’t believe it’s anyone else’s business.’

              ‘Were you sleeping with Nathan McLaren?’ Alice interrupted bluntly.

              Lomond’s cheeks flushed pink. ‘Why, do you have sex with every straight man you come into contact with?’ He immediately put his hands up in the air. ‘I’m sorry, that was out of line. But no, in answer to your question, I had not ever slept with Nathan McLaren. I’d seen him a few times at clubs and bars in town, that’s all. When he was wandering around the Green on Saturday, he saw us practising and came over. Nathan was genuinely interested in his son joining up, but then he recognised me.’

              ‘That must have been extremely awkward for you, sir,’ Dan said evenly.

              ‘It wasn’t ideal, sure, but Nathan and I had a brief, private conversation and then he headed off. The guy had absolutely no interest in outing me in front of my friends any more than he would wish to be outed himself. I’d say that Nathan had a lot more to lose on that score than I did.’

              ‘Actually, Mrs McLaren had been aware of her husband’s sexuality for several months,’ Alice corrected.

              ‘But I’m sure she didn’t know he was frequenting gay bars during his lunch hour, the ones best known as pick-up joints.’ Tony polished off his coffee, seeming frustrated by their line of questioning.

              ‘Could you supply us with a list of these places, Mr Lomond? And if you can recall the dates that you saw Nathan in these bars it would be extremely helpful. We will also have to ask you not to leave the city for the foreseeable future, not until our investigation is completed.’

              Tony said nothing, but nodded his head in silent resignation.

*

Although it was only late morning, Bacchus was already busy with lunchtime drinkers. The clientele were predominantly male, most wearing tight fitting business suits, looking well-groomed and professional.

              Alice noticed that Dan was getting some appraising glances as they approached the bar. She had to admit that her partner was quite cute, in a floppy-haired, boyish kind of way. Alice asked the barman if they could talk to the manager. The detective was surprised to see it was a woman, although she wasn’t sure why that should be unusual.

              Tanya Smith looked closely at the photograph DC Clifton handed her. ‘Aye, he was in fairly often, usually at lunchtimes during the week.’

              ‘Did this man drink here on his own, or with others?’ Alice had to raise her voice above the pounding beat of the music.

              ‘He always comes in on his own, but he chats to folk, including the bar staff. I’d say he’s friendly rather than a shark – you know, someone here just to pick-up. I got the sense he was lonely, maybe. The guy
is
a little older than our usual customers.’

              ‘Was he in on Saturday afternoon?’

              Tanya made a face. ‘We were incredibly busy on Saturday. There were lots of people here from out of town. Plenty who most likely didn’t know this is a gay bar, which doesn’t matter in the slightest. Everyone is welcome. If that chap was in, there’s absolutely no chance I’d remember, sorry.’

              ‘Have you got CCTV cameras?’

              ‘Only at the front and back, not here in the bar area. We very rarely have any trouble at Bacchus. Our clientele are regulars and we’re like a family.’

              ‘Do you mind if we talk to some of your customers?’

              Tanya adopted a hostile stance. ‘Actually, I’d rather you didn’t. I like to run a relaxed and tolerant operation here. The people who drink at Bacchus don’t expect to have their lifestyle questioned.’

              Alice held the photograph up again, tapping her finger on the grainy image. ‘The man who you recognised was called Nathan McLaren. He was brutally murdered on Saturday night. I’m sure your customers would be very happy to assist us in finding out who was responsible.’

              Tanya looked genuinely shocked. ‘Shit, he was that fella on the news. I never made the connection – he was married with kids they said…’ realisation seemed to dawn on the manageress. ‘Okay, fine, ask ahead, just try to tread gently. Remember, it’s not a crime any longer to practise an unconventional lifestyle.’

              Alice felt that Ms Smith was preaching to the converted with this warning but that she could certainly think of a good number of her colleagues who would be only too pleased to see homosexuality made illegal again. Nodding their thanks, the DC flipped open her notepad, nudging her partner to do the same and began circulating the room.

Chapter 15

‘A
ll of our interviews suggest that Nathan was a pleasant, quiet guy, new to the scene. He was getting to know people rather than cruising.’ Alice Mann addressed her colleagues. ‘We took some names and addresses, but none of these men knew McLaren particularly well, or so they claim. I think that Tony Lomond is the only one who we should consider a proper suspect.’