Ice Cold Blood

by David W. Millar

  ‘He came here and spoke to you? Did you know this Andrea?’

  ‘John,’ Andrea groaned. ‘You know you shouldn’t be talking to anyone that’s connected to the case. What were you thinking of?’

  ‘Hunter told me he knows that I didn’t kill Ellie.’

  Maria Wallace took out a notebook and a pen and started writing. ‘Right, I want to know the date, the time he arrived and how long he stayed.’

  Serafini answered her questions and then sat back in his chair while she completed her notes.

  ‘Have you told anyone about this?’ Wallace said, putting the notebook back in her bag.

  ‘No.’

  ‘Great,’ she smiled over at him.

  ‘Can you use this in court?’ Andrea asked cautiously. ‘I mean John really shouldn’t have been talking to him.’

  ‘Oh I’ll use this all right. John hasn’t been charged. The prosecution can say what they like after I’ve interrogated Mr Hunter. This is good. This is doubt with a capital D!’

  ‘What if he denies speaking to John?’ Andrea continued.

  ‘Oh I hope he does,’ Serafini interrupted.

  ‘Why is that?’

  ‘Because I’ve got a photo of him on my phone getting into his car in my driveway.’

  Chapter 47

  ‘I’m only asking if you can process the registration numbers again for that evening?’ Tosh was struggling to hide his frustration. ‘It really is important.’

  ‘It’s a matter of procedure you know. We have a schedule to follow; we are really busy, and every request always seems to be urgent,’ the voice at the other end of the call informed him.

  ‘Yeah, I do appreciate that,’ Tosh replied sympathetically wondering how long it would take to enter a registration number into a computer. ‘I’m trying to make up for a schoolboy error.’

  ‘What’s the registration number you want checked then?’ The voice at the other end sighed.

  Tosh read out the number and the voice repeated it back to him. When he put the phone back on the receiver, he heaved a sigh of relief.

  ‘When will they get back to you?’ Shona asked anxiously. ‘He didn’t sound too keen.’

  She was on an early shift at the station and Tosh was glad of her support. He knew their evening together had been disrupted as he had beaten himself up for what he considered an elementary mistake.

  ‘He said a couple of hours but if he gets back to me any time today, I’ll be happy.’

  ‘What’s your plan then?’

  ‘Why didn’t I think it through at the beginning?’ Tosh groaned. ‘Hunter might have had two cars and…’

  ‘Bill,’ Shona wagged her finger at him. ‘We’ve been over this repeatedly. You made a mistake and now it’s time to move on.’

  ‘Yes, you’re right. ‘I’m sorry about last night. I know I kept on and on about it and…’

  ‘And you’ve apologised for that at least a dozen times. I’m in the police too in case you haven’t noticed. Now, just focus and tell me what your plan is for today?’

  ‘I’m going to turn up unannounced at Hunter’s house. I phoned his work earlier and he’s not due in the office this week. He’s not out on a job so I’m assuming he’ll be at home.’

  ‘And his company confirmed he had taken the van back to his house the day before Ellie was killed?’

  ‘Apparently he has a van most days when he’s contracted to a particular job in the UK. But that doesn’t prove anything unless I can confront him with the photographic evidence.’

  ‘Do you think he might have killed her?’

  ‘I think he did. He had no firm alibi for that evening. I let the fact that Serafini had spent the night with Ellie cloud my judgement. And Hunter had a motive - Ellie refused to marry him.’

  Shona put her arm on his shoulder. ‘You only found out later that Ellie Saunders had turned down Hunter’s proposal. John Serafini was always going to be the prime suspect. He appeared to be the last person to see her alive. And he had a potential motive in his wife finding out. And he tried to hide the fact he was with her.’

  The station door suddenly crashed open and McIntyre rushed in, breathless and agitated.

  ‘Boss, I’ve been trying your phone for ages.’

  Tosh felt in his pocket and pulled out his phone.

  ‘Bloody battery’s out of charge,’ he groaned. ‘Jesus what else can go wrong.’

  ‘I’ve just had a call from Annabel,’ McIntyre wheezed. ‘She said her daughter thinks she saw a copy of Ellie Saunders’ will on Hunter’s kitchen table. She’s Hunter’s daughter too of course,’ he added unnecessarily.

  ‘Ellie’s will!’ Tosh shouted. ‘I asked Hunter if he knew anything about a will, but that bastard denied it.’

  ‘I couldn’t speak to the girl herself but Annabel said Eilidh was pretty sure it was Ellie’s will.’

  ‘Right, we’re going through to Glasgow now.’ He looked up at McIntyre. ‘Whatever else you’ve got on for the day you can bloody well cancel it.’

  ‘Have I time for a pee first?’.

  ‘Make it quick.’

  ---oOo---

  Euan was halfway through his walk towards the woods when he heard someone shout his name and turned to see a familiar figure striding towards him along the path.

  ‘What do you want?’ he shouted as Flint drew near.

  ‘I called at the house and your neighbour said you had just gone out for a walk.’

  ‘Yeah so what, I like to walk alone.’

  They came to within a few feet of each other and stopped, Flint extending his hand.

  ‘I wanted to thank you Euan,’ Flint smiled. ‘I’ll leave now if I’m going to ruin your walk. I just wanted you to know I appreciate you giving me that information about the scan and everything.’

  Hunter shook his hand reluctantly and indicated with his head for Flint to follow him. The two men fell in side by side.

  ‘Did you find him then - Ellie’s boy?’

  ‘I did. He’s living in a town called Wanaka in the South Island of New Zealand. He’s doing well.’

  ‘You saw him!’ Hunter asked incredulously. ‘You just walked up to his house and knocked on the door and said, “Hi I’m your dad”?’

  Flint explained how he had tracked Richie Carter down through a contact in Christchurch; the meeting in the pub with the boy’s adopted father and the DNA test confirming him as the biological father. Wary of upsetting Hunter, Flint said nothing about Ellie.

  ‘So what will you do now?’

  ‘The boy knows he’s adopted so maybe when he’s older he’ll get curious about who his biological parents are and want to find out more. If that happens then his adoptive father will give him my contact details.’

  ‘And what about Ellie? Was anything said about her?’

  Joe stopped suddenly, catching Euan by surprise. The two men stared at each other for a few seconds before Joe finally spoke. ‘I told his father that Ellie was dead. That was all. I didn’t go into any details about what happened to her. If the boy does make contact, then I can tell him about her.’

  ‘You didn’t know her like I knew her.’

  ‘I know that Euan. I know you loved her and were close to her. If he does come over to Britain, then maybe you can tell him about his mother.’

  He saw the pain in his eyes before Euan turned and walked on.

  ‘I didn’t come here to upset you. I just wanted to thank you personally and I’ve done that so I’m happy to leave you to your walk.’

  ‘I’ve been a stupid fool. Ellie had problems, but she’s messed up my head too.’

  ‘I’m sorry.’

  ‘I usually turn back at the edge of the woods about a mile from here. If you’re happy to continue we can have coffee back at the house.’

  Joe nodded
in surprise and the two men fell in step again.

  ‘Did she ever talk about her counsellor to you?’ Hunter asked after they had only gone a few metres.

  ‘She never mentioned him. We only saw each other a few times a year and we were always climbing or skiing. We spoke more on the phone. I knew she had a counsellor but that was all.’ He paused and smiled. ‘She did talk a fair bit about you though.’

  ‘Well you can tell me what she said. Good and bad, I promise I’m not going to get worked up about it.’

  Joe hesitated for a moment and then shrugged his shoulders. ‘Well she said you were a very good climber, always praising your skills on the mountains or in the snow. No one better with a map, a compass or a rope she said. But then I saw all that the time the three of us climbed together.’

  Euan said nothing feeling embarrassed by the compliment.

  ‘Ellie was spontaneous. She was great with people, always getting the best out of them. And she thought nothing of leading a climb in some dangerous conditions, happy to take her chances. And she loved skiing off-piste, ignoring avalanche warnings and quoting what I always felt were dubious statistics that more people died cycling on the roads than skiing.’

  ‘I heard that one too,’ Euan smiled.

  ‘She cared a lot about you. That certainly came through in our conversations. When we spoke on the phone, she would usually tell me what the two of you were doing.’

  ‘But didn’t care enough to be my partner?’

  ‘She did say once that you stifled her. I don’t know what that meant and whether it was a perception that came and went depending on her moods. We could fall out too, and then suddenly she’d phone me out of the blue and we’d start climbing again.’

  Euan nodded but said nothing. They walked in silence until they reached the woods and started to turn back.

  ‘Maybe I was too keen. I should’ve tried to be more relaxed about the relationship, but I wanted to be with her so much that it hurt.’

  ‘She also said you became very jealous of any contact she had with other men.’

  ‘It was hard not to be jealous when she was fucking those other men and telling me about it. And you were one of them.’

  Joe glanced over uneasily. ‘Yes, you’re right I was.’

  ‘Sorry, my head is still a bit fucked up with all this. I don’t bear any grudges against you now.’

  ‘Yeah, she’s affected both our lives. I cut myself up by not being there for her in Edinburgh that day. Maybe if I’d gone with her to have that scan, she’d still be alive, and I’d have a son to walk the hills with. I carry so many regrets now too.’

  ‘She didn’t love me. And she didn’t love you either. She loved John Serafini.’

  ‘How do you know that? Did she tell you?’

  ‘In a roundabout way,’ he replied vaguely. ‘I think the bastard filled her head with counselling shite so he could keep fucking her. That’s why she went to Coire Leis. Anyway, we’re nearly at the house and there’s no sign yet of DCI Tosh so I’ll make us a cup of coffee.’

  ‘You’re expecting a police visit then? It might complicate things if I’m here when they call.’

  ‘You weren’t involved in her death so you’ve nothing to worry about.’ Euan unlocked the door and held it open. ‘It’s me they want to question, and in any case I have something you’ll be interested in.’

  ‘What’s that?’

  ‘Ellie’s will.’

  ‘You’ve got her will,’ he replied trying to show surprise in case Euan suspected he already knew. ‘Do the police know?’

  ‘Not yet, but they will soon. Before they do, you’d maybe like a little preview since it does concern you in a way.’

  ‘What do you mean?’

  ‘She’s left most of her money to your son in New Zealand.’

  ---oOo---

  ‘Of course I know you didn’t kill her,’ Katie waved her fork in the air. ‘No one who knows you could see you capable of killing her. How many times do I have to say it?’

  They were having a rare evening meal together; his wife tending now to work late or attend conferences across the country whenever she could. That, coupled with the investigation, was affecting his health making him take sleeping pills at night.

  ‘Have you spoken to them recently?’ Serafini asked anxiously. ‘I keep phoning or texting them, but they don’t answer.’

  ‘I met them yesterday for lunch. I didn’t tell you in case you got upset and demanded to come.’

  ‘I just want to speak to them and apologise for all the trauma I’ve caused them.’

  ‘They don’t believe that you killed her and acknowledged you’ve have been a great dad.’

  ‘They did? You’re not making it up?’

  ‘John, the kids love you unconditionally. Yes, with hardly any prompting they admitted how good you were as a parent. Now they feel you’ve let them down by sleeping with this woman. They are simply judging you from a naïve moral perspective. The whole thing is embarrassing for them. They also see what you’ve done as being disloyal to me and therefore a threat to them.’

  ‘What do you mean a threat to them?’

  ‘You and I were both instrumental in creating this powerful family bond. They felt secure, valued and happy. We did so many things as a family and gave them happy memories when they were young. That was important for them. Now that’s all been blown out the water in a very public way and they blame you.’

  ‘Oh God, if only I could talk to them.’

  ‘What would you say? I’ve told them how sorry you are. It will just take time.’

  ‘And if I go to prison?’

  ‘I don’t know what would happen then.’

  ‘Well you’d be off in a flash.’

  ‘Well you know in relationships that unconditional love doesn’t exist. Would you visit me in prison?’

  ‘Did you tell them that you had been sleeping around too?’ he said angrily, ignoring her question. ‘What about that? Was that not being disloyal to me?’

  ‘Would that help at this stage? Should I tell them I’ve been screwing around too so don’t judge your father too harshly?’

  He dropped his fork onto the plate and shook his head. ‘No, you’re right it wouldn’t help. But it might even things up.’

  ‘You never told me in any detail what you discussed with the advocate,’ Katie said, changing the subject. ‘I hope there’s no more of this nonsense talk about pleading guilty.’

  ‘No, I’ve given her something to put some doubt in the minds of the jury.’

  ‘And what’s that?’

  ‘I never told you, but Euan Hunter came to the house a few days ago.’

  ‘Jesus John are you supposed to be speaking to anyone connected to the murder?’

  ‘I know but he just presented himself at the house.’

  ‘What did he say?’

  ‘I think he wanted to vent his spleen over Ellie’s murder and my involvement with her. He said she loved me and that’s why she wouldn’t marry him. He said I manipulated her with my smooth counsellor speak.’

  ‘Right,’ his wife replied cautiously. ‘Anything else?’

  ‘Yes, he told me that he knew I didn’t kill her.’

  ‘What! Then he must have killed her. Have you told the police?’

  ‘No, but I’ve told my advocate and she’s going to use it in court.’

  ‘It must be him. Does he have an alibi?’

  ‘I don’t know,’ Serafini shook his head. ‘Though if he has then I might end up in prison.’

  Chapter 48

  The phone call came through, this time at a decent hour. He was awake and considering going to the gym before he had his breakfast. Worried about his climbing fitness and cardiovascular system, Joe Flint wanted to bash out a few miles on the running machine before putt
ing the muscles in his arms and legs through a rigorous test. Getting older meant looking after your body. First, he had a flight to book.

  ‘Joe, it’s Billy Carter here from New Zealand. Hope this is a better time of the day for you mate?’

  He felt his heartrate increase. ‘Yeah, I’m up and about and just thinking of heading off to the gym.’

  ‘Good for you mate. That’s one place I could do with visiting more often. My wife pointed at my stomach last night and just raised her eyebrows.’

  ‘Well you looked pretty fit to me. I didn’t fancy my chances if we’d come to blows that day.’

  ‘Yeah, I was pretty worked up. Look Joe I need to talk to you about Richie.’

  ‘How’s your boy doing Billy?’ He was fighting to keep his voice sounding calm.

  ‘He’s doing great Joe, but things have moved on a bit from our last conversation, so I thought it best we have a chat. You got some time before you rush off to that gym?’

  ‘If it’s to do with Richie I’ll always make the time.’

  ‘Yeah, thanks mate. Look Joe it’s a bit awkward, Richie more or less asked me who the guy was in our drive that day. I told him you were trying to sell stuff round the doors, but I could tell he didn’t buy it.’

  ‘I’m sorry about that. I’ve put you in an awkward situation.’

  ‘Yeah, well what’s happened has happened. Anyway, he asked my wife about it when I wasn’t there, and she got flustered saying she didn’t know who the guy was. I think that made him a bit suspicious.’

  Flint pressed the phone hard against his ear. An inner voice told him not to say anything and let him do the talking. But the connection wasn’t the best and Carter’s words often sounded faint and he was scared of losing the call. The New Zealand accent wasn’t helping either.

  ‘Richie’s a smart kid Joe. He knows he doesn’t look much like either me or my wife since we’ve both got Maori blood. His sister shows these traits, but he doesn’t.’

  Flint wanted to scream down the phone for him to get to the point.

  ‘Anyway a few days ago when his sister was at a friend’s house and the three of us were having our dinner, he suddenly asked if his biological parents were from New Zealand.’