by Tana Collins
‘Cupar.’
‘Jesus. It’s like getting blood out of a stone. Where in Cupar?’ asked Carruthers.
‘Thirty-five,Main Street.’
‘We can check,’ said Watson as Carruthers scribbled down the address.
Hunter looked uncomfortable. ‘Go ahead.’
Suddenly the door opened and Brown’s head appeared. ‘Boss, you’ve got a phone call.’
‘I’m in the middle of an interview here, Willie.’
‘It’s important.’
Carruthers sighed.
Watson and Carruthers left the room together. ‘What do you think?’ asked Carruthers.
‘He’s no’ giving an inch. Something’s not right, though. Did you notice how uncomfortable he was when we asked him about his childhood? I want to know what’s making him feel so uncomfortable. What is it about his childhood he doesn’t want us to know?’
‘Boss,’ said Brown. ‘The phone call. It’s Dr Mackie. Says it’s urgent.’
Carruthers nodded at Harris. ‘Gayle,’ said Carruthers striding away from her towards his office, ‘I need to take that call. I won’t be long.’
11
‘Frustrating how unhelpful he was,’ said Fletcher, as she and Harris walked back towards their car. A horn sounded as Fletcher opened her door.
‘What’s the matter with that bawbag?’ said Harris. ‘You could drive a bus through that space. Numpty,’ he shouted. Turning back to Fletcher, he said, ‘McBride obviously heard about the murders. My bet is he didnae want to get involved.’
‘That’s the impression I got. He also didn’t want to hear a bad word said against Marshall. You’ve been in the force a long time. Did you ever meet Marshall?’
Harris put the key in the ignition and started the engine. ‘Na. I’m no’ that old. But I’d heard about his reputation. He wasnae a man you stood up to, by all accounts. Big fella, too. I imagine if he told you to drop something you would drop it, nae questions.’
‘And if you didn’t?’
Harris started manoeuvring out of the space. ‘Probably ran you out of the force. Policing was a lot different back then. It was a man’s world. You started at the bottom, put in the graft and if your face fit and you were good at your job you climbed to the top. None of these bum-fluff graduates being fast-tracked.’
‘When you say “bum-fluff graduate”, I take it you’re referring to me and Jim?’ Fletcher said, feeling her face redden.
Harris shrugged. ‘S’pose Carruthers is a good detective. Bit too touchy-feely for my liking. Heard his brother’s had a heart attack. How’s he doing?’
‘OK, I think.’ Fletcher didn’t want to say too much.
‘What about Gayle?’
‘What about her?’ asked Fletcher, noticing the sly look on Harris’ face.
‘Has she made a pass at you yet?’
‘No. I doubt I’m her type. Anyway, just ‘cos most men go for anything with a pulse, doesn’t mean women follow suit.’
‘Follow suit. I like it.’ Harris pretended to hold his sides laughing.
‘Oh shut up, Dougie. I’m starting to get sick of your sexist shite. Gayle’s OK.’
‘You two best buddies now, then?’
Fletcher remained silent.
‘I still find it hard to believe Marshall was part of a paedophile ring, though,’ said Harris.
Fletcher checked her mobile as they pulled out in to the road. The lights changed to red. ‘I still want to know why the investigation got dropped. Mind you, investigations in to child abuse weren’t taken as seriously in those days, especially when the victims came from children’s homes. Somehow they were seen as being less important.’
‘Aye, poor wee blighters,’ said Harris. ‘Yeah, look at the fuss they’ve made over Jimmy Saville and what he got up to in the seventies and eighties. Mind you, I always thought he was a weirdo. You just had to look at him to see he was a freak. I dinnae see the point in pursuing it now, though. He’s deid.’
‘It’s not just about him though, is it? Although it’s seems to have become a real witch hunt,’
There was a sudden shower. Harris switched the wipers on. ‘Cannae help but feel sorry for some of those old boys like Stuart Hall. See he’s been dragged in and questioned.’
Fletcher turned to look at him. ‘You feel sorry for people like Hall?’
‘Well, they cannae all be guilty, can they?’ He wiped his nose with his sleeve. ‘Like you said, it’s become a witch hunt.’
‘Well, women have obviously made complaints against him otherwise they wouldn’t be questioning him,’ said Fletcher.
‘Is this red light ever gonna change? Look,’ said Harris putting his foot down as the light finally turned green. ‘If you were a teenage lassie visiting the BBC, meeting some of your idols for the first time, I’m sure you’d drop your drawers willingly. Some of them must have done.’
‘Well no, I wouldn’t. Those girls were still underage and it sounds like some were coerced into sex if not downright raped. Come to that, what’s the difference between coercion and rape? Anyway, look we’re getting off the subject.’
‘Different era,’ said Harris. ‘If he’d been threatened, no’ that I’m saying Marshall did threaten him or anything. But it was nearly forty years ago. How are we supposed to find out what really happened now?’He turned to Fletcher. ‘What’s up with you? You’ve got a face that would turn milk sour.’
‘I just felt he wasn’t telling us everything, that’s all.’
‘Mebbe he was scared. After all, there’s some loony tune nut job of a murderer on the loose. Mebbe he didnae want to be the next victim.’
Fletcher laughed. ‘I like your turn of phrase, Dougie. Come on. Let’s get back to the station.’
‘Ready to talk yet, Malcolm?’
‘It’s after 6pm. You can’t hold me against my will. My wife will be worried. I want to see my kids.’
‘You’re free to leave any time you choose,’ said Carruthers, knowing perfectly well he couldn’t hold Hunter. Malcolm Hunter stood up. ‘And we could bring in a solicitor for you but it’s only going to delay you getting back to your family. Carruthers sat tapping a pen against the desk. ‘It will also look better for you if you co-operate. We need to know where you were when Ruiridh Fraser and Henry Noble were being murdered. It’s a simple question. We know you weren’t at work. You got made redundant less than a month ago. Not long to find another job.’ Carruthers sat back, interested to know what Hunter would say.
Malcolm Hunter sat back down slowly, rolled his shirtsleeves up and leant back in his chair. He made eye contact with Carruthers, holding his gaze. Shook his head and expelled a long even breath. Put his hands behind his head.
Carruthers picked up his pen. ‘We’re listening.’
Hunter leant forward and put his hands palm down on the table. ‘You’re right. I wasn’t at work. I did get made redundant and I haven’t told my wife.’
‘Finally,’ said Carruthers, looking over at Watson, ‘we’re getting somewhere. Well?’
‘I was with another woman.’
‘You mean you’re having an affair?’ said Watson.
‘Well, not an affair exactly. I just meet women for sex. One woman actually.’
Carruthers and Watson exchanged glances.
‘And you were with her when Fraser and Noble were being murdered?’ asked Carruthers.
Malcolm Hunter stood up. Gathered his coat from behind the back of the chair. ‘Yes, I was. So you see I do have an alibi. But you can also see why I didn’t tell you. I don’t want my wife to find out. We have a good family unit. She loves me and I love her and the kids.’
‘Then why?’ asked Watson.
Hunter shrugged. ‘There’s no sex. Anne isn’t interested anymore.’
‘Sit down,’ ordered Carruthers. ‘You’ve already lied to us. The least you can do is give us a proper explanation this time. And it had better be the truth.’
Hunter sat back down.
&
nbsp; ‘And this other woman,’ said Carruthers. ‘She’d be willing to back you up?’
‘Yes, she would. She won’t like it, but I’ll ask her.’
‘Why would she be reluctant? Does she not know you’re married?’ asked Carruthers.
‘She’s married.’
A look crossed Carruthers’ face, a look not lost on Hunter.
‘I can tell you disapprove,’ said Hunter, ‘but you have no right to judge me or anyone else in the same position. How can you possibly know what goes on in someone else’s relationship? What an individual’s needs are? Whether they’re being met?’
Hunter turned to Watson. ‘Is he always this sanctimonious?’
‘We’ll need her name and the address,’ said Watson.
Hunter took a deep intake of breath and shook his head.
‘You don’t have a choice,’ said Carruthers. ‘We need to corroborate your story. We’ll try to be discreet.’
As Carruthers listened to the details of the married woman Hunter had been seeing, his mind was already racing ahead. They were none the wiser about who had bashed Fletcher or killed Angus Dawson. Had it been the murderer of Fraser and Noble, or someone else? Who else would have wanted to get their hands on the historical material from Braidwood? He also wondered how Fletcher and Harris had got on interviewing the one remaining cop from Marshall’s time. He hadn’t had a chance to talk to Andie about giving Gayle the Hunter interview. He knew by rights it should be Andie’s. He hoped she wouldn’t bite his head off when she next saw him.
‘How did you get on with Lenny McBride, Andie?’ said Carruthers, drinking from a bottle of fizzy water. Too much caffeine was starting to give him a headache. As for the number of doughnuts he’d been eating lately, all that sugar was making him feel bloated and sick. Carruthers and Fletcher were back in his office. He’d set up a short informal meeting with her and Watson, but he’d asked Fletcher to come five minutes earlier than her colleague.
She shook her head. ‘I’m not happy with the way it went. I’d like to pull him in, but we don’t have anything concrete on him. Reckon he’s got something to hide. Just haven’t found out what it is, yet.’
‘Look, I hope you don’t mind me giving the Hunter interview to Gayle. I know it should have been yours.’
‘I wasn’t happy about it,’ said Fletcher, ‘but now I’ve interviewed McBride, I think he could be a major player in all this.’
Carruthers took a gulp of water. ‘What did McBride say about the allegations into child abuse being dropped? He did admit to being involved in the case?’
‘Well, first he denied ever going to Braidwood. Later admitted he’d been involved but said at the time he started the initial investigation, he didn’t realise Marshall was going to be named as one of the abusers.’
‘Did he say Marshall put pressure on him to drop the investigation?’
‘No, he said he didn’t believe the allegations, especially when he heard Marshall was named. Got the impression a bit of hero-worshipping was going on. Told me Marshall gave him his first big break.’
‘What else did he say?’
‘Wasn’t keen to discuss the case. Said Superintendent Marshall was an outstanding cop and it must have been lies. That there’s no way he would have been a kiddy fiddler. Was very defensive of him.’
‘Does he remember interviewing Paul Fraser?’
‘Yes, he said Fraser told him his father hadn’t abused him and that boys didn’t go back to the house.’
‘Did he admit to conducting the interview in front of the boy’s father?’
Fletcher stared open-mouthed.
Carruthers continued, ‘And did you tell him that Paul has since made a statement he’d been abused by his own dad?’
‘I did tell him but he didn’t seem to want to talk about it.’
‘There’s a fucking surprise. Seems to be a recurrent bloody theme in this case.’
Fletcher played with her file. ‘Do you think he could have been one of them?’
‘What? A paedophile?’ said Carruthers, looking at Fletcher sharply. ‘We’ve got no evidence he was in that ring. I’d hate to think the whole Fife Constabulary were either abusers or accessories. I’d like to think Superintendent Marshall was the one bad apple. Afraid the evidence against him is now starting to look undeniable.’
There was a tap on the door and Watson walked into the office eating an apple. ‘Is this Lenny McBride you’re talking about?’ she said.
‘Andie wants to pull him in but we don’t have anything on him,’ said Carruthers.
‘It’s just possible he may be the man who attacked me,’ said Fletcher as Watson pulled up a chair.
‘Did you recognise him?’ asked Watson.
‘No. I never saw him. Got attacked from behind, remember? But he fits the general description of one of the two men the librarian said was enquiring about Braidwood.’
‘Well, if it was Lenny McBride, why would a former police officer attack you?’ asked Watson, throwing her apple core in the bin.
‘I can think of two reasons,’ said Fletcher. ‘If he really did hero worship Marshall, he’s trying to prevent his name being besmirched by allegations of child sexual abuse coming to light now.’
‘It’s a bit extreme, attacking you, isn’t it?’ said Watson.
‘True. Or there’s another reason. He was a member of the paedophile ring.’
‘In which case, he would have a lot more to lose,’ said Carruthers.
‘We’ve been thinking that our murderer is a former abused child,’ said Fletcher. ‘Well, what if he’s a former abuser instead? Think about it for a minute,’ said Fletcher. ‘That there aren’t two murderers. Just the one. But he’s starting to unravel. That’s why not all their actions aren’t making sense to us.’
‘Why would he kill other members of the paedophile ring?’ said Watson.
‘Perhaps he found out Fraser was up to his old tricks. Discovered he was sharing photos of a local lad with Henry Noble? Thought they’d get careless and slip up.’
‘And the subsequent investigation would lead the police back to their time at Braidwood as supposed “carers”, which would mean the whole ring would get exposed,’ said Watson.
‘It’s possible. I don’t think it’s likely though,’ said Carruthers.
‘Think about it,’ said Fletcher. ‘Look at Operation Yewtree in the Jimmy Saville case. Big names being exposed over thirty years later and arrested. They’ll realise from that case they won’t be exempt from prosecution just because it happened decades ago.’
‘I’ve got a few calls to make,’ said Carruthers. ‘Report back when you’ve got anything on Hunter’s mistress, Julie Coutts, will you?’
‘Sure boss.
‘And Andie? Don’t overdo it. This is starting to get complicated. I need you with me. You too, Gayle.’
As soon as Watson and Fletcher had left his office he picked up the phone and dialled Jodie’s number.
‘Hi, it’s me.’
She sounded pleased to hear his voice.
‘How’s it going?’
‘Pretty hectic. How’s everything with you?’
‘Good. I’ve had a day off today.’
‘I remembered. That’s why I’ve rung you.’
‘Any chance of us meeting up again, Jim?’
Carruthers felt a warm glow. ‘I’d love to see you, Jodie. I just don’t know when. Things are starting to really intensify here. My brother’s not well, either. I’d hate to make arrangements and then have to cancel.’
‘I’m sorry about your brother. Well, you’ve got to eat. Do you want to come over to mine? I’ll cook?’
Carruthers hesitated, glancing at his watch, wondered if he had time.
‘How about I come over to the station?’ said Jodie, ‘pick up your house key and cook you a meal? If you get delayed then you can just give me a call. I can always put the food in the fridge and you could heat it up later.’
It was almost as if Jodi
e had read his mind. But for some reason he couldn’t fathom he felt reluctant to agree. He knew it was a wonderfully unselfish gesture on Jodie’s part but he felt some disquiet about giving her his house key. He couldn’t work out why, when he knew he wanted to see her again.
‘I couldn’t ask you to do that.’
‘You’re not.’ She laughed. ‘I’m sensing a little reluctance here. Do you think it’s too soon to be given your house key?’
‘No. well, maybe. Sorry.’
‘No, you’re right. I’m sorry. Far too early days. Don’t know what I was thinking. Forget it.’
‘Jodie, do you like camping?’
‘That’s come out of left field. Why do you ask?’
‘I just wondered if you’d like to go camping with me sometime. When the weather gets warmer, of course.’
‘I’ve never been camping before but I’d give it a shot.’
‘Atta girl.’ Suddenly Carruthers felt absurdly happy.
He finished the call then dialled his mother’s number. Found out his brother was doing OK. His mother sounded relieved. Hospital had told them Alan was a candidate for a bypass after all. They were just waiting on a date. Resolved once the case was over and his brother was on the mend to spend more time with him.
‘What have you found?’Carruthers asked Fletcher a short while later. ‘I can tell just by the look on your face you’ve got something for me.’
‘You look happy,’ said Fletcher. ‘Have you just spoken to Jodie?’
‘I don’t know how you do that Andie, but it’s scary.’
‘I think she’ll be good for you. I just wanted to say we’ve tracked down Julie Coutts.’
‘Fast work. I’m impressed.’
‘Says she’s willing to give Hunter an alibi on both nights, so long as we keep her name out of it and we don’t tell her husband.’
‘Shit. I was so sure it was him.’
‘Still could be. She could still be lying.’
‘Why provide a false alibi? There’d be too much at stake for her.’ Carruthers steepled his hands under his nose. ‘With Paul Fraser already ruled out … there’s got to be someone else. Someone we’ve completely missed.’