World's End (Cullen & Bain Book 2)
Page 12
‘Aye, well. Always the lassies, isn’t it?’
‘Excuse me?’
‘Poisoning. Boys will smash someone’s head in, run them over in a car, shoot them, that kind of thing. Lassies, it’s always the poisoning.’
They look at each other like there’s been a chat. Kind of expected there has been. Snidey wankers.
As much as I want to leave them in suspense, I can’t help myself. ‘Trouble is, the way I hear it, your lassie thinks those two were the ones poisoning the meat in the shop, right?’
Crystal’s raging, looking at us like I’ve mis-filed a report or something. ‘What have you got, Brian?’
‘Just wanted to congratulate you on solving a murder. Good work, Sundance. I must’ve taught you well.’
He’s taking it like a dose of fuckin’ salts. Smiling, but he’s fucking raging inside. ‘Thank you.’
‘I mean, I solved three murders.’
Prick looks at Crystal then back at me. ‘What?’
‘Just the small matter of getting a full confession for the meat poisoning.’ With a regal flourish, I hand over the photo of the boy in the supermarket. ‘That lad there. Simon Mowat. We spotted him on CCTV swapping out meat from a carrier. Spoke to him and he crumpled.’
Another look between them, but it’s like they’re out of control. This isn’t what the pair of fannies expected.
‘Boy confessed right away, never mind crumpled. He’s an inadequate personality, and the only time he felt higher than an amoeba was when he killed. Trouble is, once it’s all done and dusted, he just goes back to being wee Simon Mowat. When we mentioned swapping in meat, he switched back to the poisoner and went into great detail about his methods so he could take all the perceived credit. But he’s a full-time carer for his sick mother, gets paid for it but not much. He told me and Elvis that poisoning was the only time he feels in control. For a day, he can feel like a god. He killed three people back then, but stopped it. This is him starting up again.’
They’re floored by this. Much as I’d love to bask in it for a long time, I’d better get on with the show.
‘The boy found his dad’s warchest of old-time rat poison going to waste in the garden shed. Dad died about ten years back and his mother went into a slow decline. Sneaky bugger is slowly feeding the stuff to her as well, trying to get his nerve up to top the old dear. Much easier to do a load of randoms in a supermarket than her. Must be sentimental, I guess.’
Sundance clears his throat. ‘Well, that’s excellent work, Brian.’
‘Don’t mention it, Scott.’ I wrap my arms around him to hug him, but mainly so I can slip the spanner’s locker key back in his suit pocket.
EPILOGUE
CULLEN
‘Why do I want to become a detective again?’ Sergeant Lauren Reid stared up at the ceiling with a coy look on her face. She was perched on the edge of the desk with perfect posture, hands resting on the surface, bright orange nails and a giant diamond on her ring finger. She wore standard uniform, T-shirt with a fleece, though she had draped two coats on the back of the seat. ‘Okay.’ She focused on Cullen and sat back, her dark-blonde ponytail flopping over her left shoulder. ‘Well, I was a detective constable in Thames Valley for eighteen months before my now-husband got a job in Edinburgh. We decided it was best for me to move up, and a uniform sergeant position became available.’
Donna Nichols sat to Cullen’s right, scribbling away in the interview pack. Hair in a bun, eyes lined, wearing a trouser suit that struggled with her bulging, pregnant belly. ‘Go on?’
Lauren frowned at Cullen. ‘Well, I, um, I was good at being a detective. I enjoyed it. Part of this uniform role is it’s allowed me to manage a team and, while it’s not developed my detective skills, it has let me broaden my skillset as a leader.’
Cullen glanced at Donna and got a nod, so he smiled at Lauren. ‘Okay, that’s all of our questions. Have you got any for us?’
Lauren sat forward and rubbed her arms like she was in the deep freeze back at the supermarket. ‘I was just wondering if you had a timescale on this?’
‘Well.’ Donna slammed her notes shut like a door. ‘We’re interviewing a few other candidates. Have you got other irons in the fire, as it were?’
‘Possibly.’
‘Okay, well, this kind of thing can take weeks if not months, especially if the worst comes to the worst with the global situation. It’s late February, who knows where we’ll be in a month’s time.’
‘Okay.’ She held Cullen’s gaze for a few seconds, her eyes twitching like she was conveying some message. ‘Well, that’s all for me.’
The door opened and Methven stood there, his wild eyebrows like they were receiving a signal from deep space. ‘A word.’ He slipped off and the door shut.
Cullen walked over but stopped by the door. ‘Thanks for coming in, Sergeant. I’ll see you around.’
‘Thanks.’
Cullen left them to it, but there was no sign of Methven. The blinds shuffled in the meeting room next door and Cullen clocked those eyebrows, so he followed him in. ‘That interview went well.’
‘Good.’ But Methven didn’t seem too keen to hear it. He was over by the window, staring out, his jaw clenched tight.
‘You know I didn’t take that meat, right?’
‘I know. Mr Anderson is getting hauled over the coals for it. He’s been obsessing about productivity gains and what have you, but his office didn’t even have a security camera. That place should’ve been locked down, but… it wasn’t.’ Still staring out, Methven shook his head. ‘But we’ve got a good idea who did take it.’
Cullen joined Methven by the window. Bain was standing by his purple Mondeo, laughing and joking with Elvis. ‘And there he is.’
Methven swivelled round to look at Cullen. ‘So we are on the same page.’
Of course it was Bain. Cullen knew it from the start, deep in his soul, but he had no evidence. Did Methven? ‘Can we get rid of him?’
‘That’s the thing.’ Methven pulled the roller blind down to block their view of Bain. ‘As you know, I’ve spent all afternoon in calls pertaining to a case in Dundee and Carolyn… Well, she called me personally to thank me for my assistance in the matter.’ A dark look passed across his face like a cloud. ‘She also imparted some information, namely that DS Bain is to remain in his post.’
Cullen laughed. ‘Are you serious?’
‘Extremely. Do you think I’m one to joke? Carolyn has his back.’
‘Great.’ Cullen couldn’t face up to another day with Bain, let alone another year or two. ‘What, you think he’s got something on her?’
‘I hate to think what.’
‘So Bain is blackmailing the head of Specialised Crime?’
‘I wouldn’t put anything past him.’ Methven left the window and took the seat at the head of the table, facing Cullen. ‘I did some digging. They served together in Glasgow for a few years.’
‘We knew that, didn’t we? It’s why he was kept on in Glasgow after you got his old job.’
‘Well, either way, it probably means he knows something he shouldn’t, or something she did that might cause issues for her. Rumour is she’s going for one of the assistant chief constable positions.’
‘You any idea what her dirty laundry is?’
‘No, but for her it’s best burned in the back garden.’ Methven took out his phone and inspected a message, then put it away.
‘What do I do about Lauren?’
‘Well, I’ll sort that out.’
‘She’s a good cop. I’d like her on my team.’
‘And I shall sort that out, Scott. Carolyn alluded to some increase in my headcount, so I shall see if that will permit us to take her on while we manage the situation with DS Bain.’
‘So we’re stuck with him?’
‘Not quite. While DS Bain getting to the bottom of this poisoning scandal makes things a lot more difficult for us, I have no doubt that he was behind the missing meat farrago. H
e’s gunning for you, Scott. You’ve got his old position, ergo he wants it back.’
The logic was sound. ‘And you had his old position?’
‘Correct.’
‘So you want to snare him in something?’
‘That’s the plan, yes.’
‘You got any ideas?’
Methven grinned wide. ‘Oh yes.’
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Without the following, this book wouldn’t exist:
Development Editing
Allan Guthrie
Procedural Analysis
James Mackay
Copy Editing
Allan Guthrie, Kitty Harrison
Proofing
John Rickards
As ever, infinite thanks to Kitty for putting up with me and all of my nonsense.
CULLEN & BAIN WILL RETURN IN
“HELL’S KITCHEN”
August 1st 2020
Pre-order now!
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SEE ANOTHER SIDE OF SCOTT CULLEN IN
“MISSING”
Out now!
Cullen features heavily in MISSING, a police procedural comedy thriller starring Craig Hunter, ex-soldier and ex-CID, now back in uniform.
It’s out now and you can get a copy at Amazon.
Table of Contents
Title Page
Contents
Copyright
Other Books By Ed James
Prologue
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Epilogue
Acknowledgments
Next book
Craig Hunter