Bonnie Jack

by Ian Hamilton

  After about an hour, Henderson turned to Johnson. “I think I’m done. Is there anything you’d like to ask?”

  Just as Johnson started to reply, there was a knock on the door. “Come,” Henderson shouted.

  The door opened and a constable stood in the entrance. “Sir, I thought you should know. We’ve just received a call from the hospital with an update on McPherson.”

  “Yes? How is he?”

  “He’s dead.”

  25

  At the news of McPherson’s death, Jack broke out in a cold sweat. It had been one thing to consider the prospect of McPherson dying, but it was quite another to face the reality of it.

  Pike took the news calmly. He said in an almost blasé tone, “That’s unfortunate, but given the man’s nature and history, it’s a miracle he lived as long as he did.”

  “Inspector Johnson and I need to talk about this outside,” Henderson said.

  “We’re not going anywhere. Take all the time you need,” Pike said.

  “They’ll be trying to decide what to do with you,” Pike said when the policemen had left. “They won’t make a decision about charges right now, but they have to decide whether to let you leave with me tonight.”

  “What do you think they’ll do?”

  “I expect them to let you go, but with a warning that you aren’t to leave the country. They might ask for your passport.”

  “That’s not a problem for me.”

  “I’ll resist that kind of request anyway.”

  The policemen were gone about ten minutes and returned with grim looks on their faces. “McPherson is dead all right,” Henderson said. “The preliminary report is that he died of a heart attack.”

  “So it wasn’t the direct result of a punch,” said Pike.

  “The excitement of the fight could have triggered it.”

  “So could a lifetime of heavy drinking and smoking,” said Pike.

  Henderson stared at Jack. “We’re going to let you leave, but we want you to stay in Scotland until we make a decision about how to proceed.”

  “How long will that take?” Pike asked.

  “We’ll have the medical report tomorrow and we won’t sit on it, so maybe two days.”

  “I wasn’t planning to leave that soon anyway,” Jack said.

  “You said you’re staying in Edinburgh?” Henderson asked.

  “I am, at the North British Hotel.”

  “Don’t change your address without informing us.”

  “I’ll keep you posted if there are changes on our side. I would prefer it if you direct your communications to Mr. Anderson through me,” Pike said.

  “Of course.”

  Pike rose slowly to his feet. “Excellent. If there are no more questions, we will take our leave of you now.”

  It was raining, and a cold wind snapped at them as they left the station house. Jack shivered. The weather was a perfect reflection of his mood.

  “My car is over there,” Pike said, pointing to a black Bentley parked under a streetlight.

  “The policeman said you live in Glasgow,” Jack said.

  “That’s correct.”

  “You don’t have to drive me to Edinburgh. I’ll take a taxi.”

  “It’s been a very long time since I saw a client in the middle of the night. Now that I’m up, I figure I might as well see it through to the end,” Pike said. “Besides, I’m charging you a small fortune for all this.”

  “That’s candid of you.”

  “I didn’t think you’d expect anything less than complete honesty.”

  They got into the Bentley and began the drive through deserted streets. Jack laid his head against the back of a seat that smelled of new leather and closed his eyes. He knew he couldn’t sleep, but he wasn’t up to further conversation. McPherson was dead, the fact of it hard to accept. In his mind’s eye Jack could see the old man clearly, a contorted face with small, dark, beady eyes and a mouth full of spit ready to unload on Georgie. Jack tried to recall how McPherson had looked before they spoke to him, but all he could conjure was a leering, threatening face. The spit was humiliating enough. Why did he have to punch her as well? If he hadn’t done that, Jack thought, I wouldn’t have reacted the way I did. What choice did he leave me? What kind of man stands by when another man punches a woman?

  He opened his eyes and sat up. They were on the highway, the wet black road stretching empty in front of them.

  “Are you feeling all right?” Pike asked.

  “I was thinking about what happened in the pub.”

  “What transpired tonight was not your fault. You were trying to defend your sister, who was being attacked by a man with a violent history.”

  “I know, but I can’t help thinking that we baited McPherson. For certain we caught him off guard with a load of angry emotions.”

  “If you are charged — and I think assault is the only option they have — that’s the case they’ll make.”

  “We had no violent intentions.”

  “I believe you, but I have to ask, what did you expect from tonight?” Pike said.

  “I don’t know. I had this need to see him, and I had one question I wanted him to answer.”

  “Why he refused to take you in when your mother abandoned you?”

  “Yes.”

  “Did you really expect to get a satisfying response?”

  “I don’t know what I expected.”

  Pike turned to look at Jack. “I have something to ask you, but before I do, would you be offended if I played the devil’s advocate?”

  “No.”

  “Excellent. Well, we can’t completely discount the possibility that you may be charged with assault. If so, it could come down to your family’s word against Duff’s. And despite his seedy past, it isn’t inconceivable that a jury would choose to believe him. He would have no reason to lie. A good prosecutor could do a lot with Duff.”

  “What are you trying to say?”

  “I’m trying to find out how far you will go to make sure there are no charges,” said Pike.

  Jack looked at him. “I suspect you have something in mind.”

  “I do,” he said. “Are you averse to eliminating Duff as a witness?”

  “Eliminating him?”

  “My choice of words may have been extreme. What I mean is, are you averse to paying him off? He’s the only credible witness the police have. If he were to retract the statement he gave to the police, they would have absolutely no basis for laying charges,” Pike said. “We need him to say that your sister did not provoke McPherson. And it would be helpful if he said McPherson initiated the violence against you.”

  “Is that doable?”

  “I think it’s entirely doable if we pay him enough. Remember, we’re dealing with a petty criminal.”

  “You wouldn’t be worried about him going to the police?”

  “Not in the least. Besides, precautions would be taken,” Pike said. “We wouldn’t deal with him directly. We’d work through a third party, the type of men he would be afraid to cross.”

  “Criminals?”

  “I am a criminal lawyer, Jack. There aren’t many serious offenders in Glasgow that I don’t know on a first-name basis,” Pike said. “And just because a man breaks the law and is branded a criminal doesn’t make him unreliable. I’d put more trust in some of those villains than I would in most of the lawyers I work with.”

  Jack looked out the rain-spattered window as he assessed the risk in Pike’s suggestion. It didn’t take long to decide there wasn’t much. “How much money are we talking about?”

  “Three thousand pounds should do the trick. I’ll put up the money and include it in my fee. You’ll never be connected to it.”

  “Then I think we should do it.”

  “Excellent. N
ow don’t spend another minute thinking about Duff. The men I’ll use to represent us will make it clear to him that if he whispers a word about this to anyone, there will be serious repercussions,” Pike said with a tight smile. “Duff will know the men and he’ll know the drill. He won’t be a problem.”

  “That’s quite a system you have there.”

  “Well, the way I view it is that all we’re doing is saving the courts time, money, and trouble.”

  “How long will this take?”

  “I’ll make some phone calls when I get back to Glasgow. By dinnertime tomorrow you should be worry-free.”

  26

  It was almost five a.m. when Jack got back to the hotel. He went up to the suite, and as he put his key in the lock he heard voices inside. He opened the door, and seconds later Anne wrapped her arms around his neck and began to sob. Over her shoulder he saw Georgie standing near the sofa, her swollen lips a mesh of red and purple bruises.

  “I was worried sick,” Anne said. “Why didn’t you call me?”

  “I was at the police station.”

  “Georgie saw them take you away. She came directly here in a taxi. Harry, Barbara, and Liz were with us for a while as well, but they’ve gone home,” Anne said. “You still haven’t told me why you didn’t call.”

  “I was too confused when I got to the station, and then after they let me go, all I wanted was to get back to you.”

  “Harry told us he got you a top-notch lawyer. Did you meet him?”

  “His name is Duncan Pike, and he did a hell of a fine job. I owe Harry big thanks for getting him there in the middle of the night.”

  “You have to call Harry. He’s at home, but he’s waiting up to hear what happened.”

  “Nothing terrible will happen. I’ve been told not to leave Scotland until the police decide if they’re going to lay charges, but Pike is confident they won’t. We should know something by tomorrow.”

  “That’s wonderful,” Georgie said tearfully. “I’ve been worried sick. I shouldn’t have taunted McPherson the way I did. But the moment I saw him, all I could think of was him beating Mum.”

  Anne grabbed Jack’s hand and pulled him into the room. “Georgie’s been here with me all night. She’s been so supportive. Give her a hug too.”

  Jack stood there with both women hugging him for what seemed like minutes before gently prying himself free. He took a good look at Georgie’s face. “Should you see a doctor about that?”

  “I did. The hotel arranged for someone to come up. I’m to keep icing it. There are no broken bones, just a loose tooth.”

  “That’s good news. I was afraid it might be worse than that,” he said, and then noticed they were both fully dressed. “Have either of you slept?”

  “How could we sleep, given the circumstances?” Anne asked.

  “I didn’t sleep either. I’m exhausted,” he said.

  “We’ll go to bed in a few minutes, but you have to call Harry first,” Anne said.

  He sighed. “I could really use a Scotch, but there’s no chance of getting one at this hour.”

  “That’s where you’re wrong,” Anne said. “I ordered a bottle of Scotch and a bottle of gin when I got back from the restaurant. I thought we might need something to tide us over tonight.”

  “You clever girl.”

  “Georgie and I have been working on the gin, so there’s a full bottle of Scotch for you.”

  “Pour me a large one, please, while I go to the bathroom,” he said.

  When Jack came back into the living room, Anne and Georgie were sitting on the sofa. A glass half-filled with Scotch sat on the table in front of them. He picked it up, sipped, and then sipped again. “I’ll call Harry now,” he said.

  Jack sat at the desk and listened to Harry’s phone ring five times before he answered.

  “Anne?” Harry said.

  “It’s me, Jack. I’m here at the hotel with Anne and Georgie. I’m going to put you on speakerphone so they can hear you.”

  “Thank goodness you’re back. I wasn’t sure what the police were going to do,” Harry said. “I guess Pike made it to the station.”

  “He did, and thanks for hiring him. He’s very good, and I needed someone that good. In fact, I still do for at least another day. But if Pike’s judgement is correct, we’ll be able to put this behind us by the end of tomorrow.”

  “So no charges?”

  “Not yet, and Pike doesn’t think any will be forthcoming.”

  “When I told him what had happened, he thought they might charge you with assault.”

  “Assault was a lesser concern,” Jack said. “About two hours ago we were more worried about a manslaughter charge.”

  He saw Anne’s eyes widen and Georgie’s face fall as she reached for Anne’s hand.

  “What do you mean?” Harry said with a slight stammer.

  “McPherson is dead,” Jack said, looking at the women and speaking as distinctly as he could.

  “Oh no,” Anne gasped.

  “Awww,” Georgie said, closing her eyes.

  “All you did was punch him on the nose,” Harry said.

  “I punched him twice, and he was eighty years old,” Jack said. “The good news — if there can be such a thing under these circumstances — is that he died of a heart attack. That raises the question of what caused the heart attack, but Pike doesn’t seem fazed by that.”

  “What is he fazed by?” Harry asked.

  “Nothing. He believes things are under control.”

  “Duff made all kinds of wild accusations. Are the police going to ignore him?”

  “Pike believes Duff will retract a lot of what he said,” Jack replied. “In fact, he believes he can persuade him to say that McPherson’s attack on Georgie was unprovoked and that my actions were in response to McPherson’s aggression.”

  “How will he convince him to do that?”

  “Nothing dramatic, but it might be better if you don’t know the details,” Jack said.

  Harry fell silent.

  “He died of a heart attack,” Jack repeated. “Nothing else matters.”

  “I wish I’d never heard the name McPherson. I wish I’d left him in the past,” Georgie moaned. “What a mess I’ve caused.”

  “You can’t blame yourself for what happened,” Jack said. “If I hadn’t come along he would have remained in your past. I was the one who wanted to see him. I should never have involved you and Harry.”

  “You can’t blame yourself either. Who knew the man would react like that?” Harry said. “What’s done is done. None of us are at fault. At the end of the day, McPherson was true to his character. He was a sadistic animal — the way he treated Georgie is proof.”

  “I agree with Harry,” Anne said. “There’s no value in rehashing what happened. If the lawyer says he has things under control, then I think we should leave things in his hands and get on with our lives.”

  “Speaking of which, I need to get some sleep. I can’t remember the last time I was up this late,” Harry said.

  “We all need sleep,” Jack said. “Does anyone have any plans for tomorrow . . . I mean, today?”

  “I’m going to take the day off work,” Harry said.

  “And I can’t work with my face looking like this,” said Georgie.

  “Then why don’t we meet for dinner,” Jack said. “By then I might have heard from Pike.”

  “That sounds like a fine plan,” Harry said, and then paused. “I’ll say goodnight to you all, then. It was quite a night, but we’ve come through it in one piece. We’ve come through it as a family should.”

  “Amen to that,” Anne said.

  Jack turned off the speakerphone as Harry hung up, then turned to the women. “I don’t mind sleeping on the couch. You two can share the bed.”

  “No,”
Georgie said, getting to her feet. “I’m going home. Liz will be worried, and I think I need my own bed.”

  “But we’ll see you tomorrow?” Anne said.

  “Of course. I’ll let you know as soon as I’m up and functioning.”

  “Let me wait with you until the taxi comes,” Jack said.

  “There’s no need. Besides, you look absolutely knackered. Get to bed.”

  They walked Georgie to the door, shared hugs, and watched until she got into the elevator.

  “Bed,” Anne said to Jack as the elevator doors closed.

  As soon as they reached the bedroom, they threw on pajamas and climbed into bed. Jack lay flat on his back. Anne rested her head on his chest and wrapped an arm around his waist.

  “Who could have imagined?” he muttered.

  “Tonight was like a bad dream, but as Harry said, we came through it like a family should.”

  “Maybe we did, but I can’t stop thinking that I killed the man who was, for better or worse, the patriarch of that family.”

  27

  The room was dark when Jack woke, and he wondered if he’d slept at all. Then he saw a sliver of daylight at the bottom of the heavy, tightly drawn curtains. He slid from the bed and opened the door. Anne sat on the sofa reading a newspaper.

  “What’s the time?” he asked.

  “It’s past one.”

  “Is that coffee?” he asked, pointing to a pot on the table in front of her.

  “There could be a cup left. You should order more.”

  He kissed his wife on the forehead, then poured what was left in the pot into a cup, took a sip, and grimaced. “It’s cold,” he said, and picked up the phone. “Do you want anything besides coffee?”

  “No. I don’t have much of an appetite.”

  He called room service, ordered a large pot of coffee, and then sat next to Anne. “How did you sleep?”