The Dark Isle

by Katherine Pathak

  Dani nodded. Jane Boag had always been married to the job. She would have made a good copper, better than Phil in that respect. “I’m sure our paths will cross at some point. The DCC loves schmoozing with the big decision makers of Glasgow.”

  Phil chuckled, “that part of the job I won’t miss. The politics and the cronyism.”

  Dani leant forward, her tongue loosened by the wine. “Is there anything you do miss about it?”

  Phil relaxed into his high-backed chair and looked thoughtful. “I miss the camaraderie. There’s nothing like the police force for making you feel part of a gang – except the army, maybe.”

  Dani nodded. “But it can be pretty isolating to feel on the outside of that gang.”

  “Were you ever made to feel on the outside for being a woman?” Fiona asked.

  “Yes, in the early years I really was. The current investigation we’re working on has reminded me how different it was. The police officer who was murdered on Ghiant a few weeks ago was one of the only females on the force who could provide me with a role model when I started out.”

  “Was she a good role model?” James asked.

  Dani considered this carefully. “Juliet was tough and she taught me how to run a high-profile investigation. But now we’ve delved further into her private life, I can see that she was a bit of a mess back then.”

  Phil rested his fork on the edge of his plate. “The officers at Cowcaddens were hard drinkers. There was a caucus who went to the bar every night after work. I needed to come back home for the girls. I knew this meant I was never fully accepted there.”

  “The same went for me,” Dani added. “I was never comfortable in the smoke-filled backrooms, but Juliet seemed to thrive in that environment.”

  Phil frowned. “I always felt being a young woman went in your favour in that respect. The lads let you off when it came to their more brutish rituals. Besides, half of them were desperate to get you into bed. They just thought I was a pussy.”

  Dani’s mouth fell open. “I don’t think that’s true, Phil.”

  “I heard the locker-room banter, Dani. When they weren’t comparing one another’s pin-ups of Linda Lusardi, they were discussing which females in the station they’d most like to have sex with.”

  Fiona snorted. “That I can well imagine. I don’t think the world has really changed so much in the past decade. I suspect most men have similar conversations when they’re on their own together.”

  James laughed. “Hang-on, we aren’t all lecherous Neanderthals!”

  “No,” Phil interjected, “but in the police force there is still a strong macho culture.”

  Dani sighed. “I can’t deny that, but look at my team. I’ve got Alice, Sharon and Dan in key roles. The tide is gradually shifting.”

  Phil nodded. “Sure, I agree that the culture will change. It was different at Pitt Street anyway. I remember the relief I felt when I got away from CID at Cowcaddens Road. The atmosphere had become unbearable in those last couple of years. It was like we were waiting for some kind of terrible storm to break.”

  Dani took another swig of wine. “How did the officers talk about Juliet, when you were in the locker room together, stripped down to your boxers and sharing a can of Lynx?”

  Phil grinned. “It was never quite like that.” His expression became serious. “Juliet was respected. It was like she’d become sexless to them. Maybe she delivered too many bollockings over the years to be viewed as an object of desire to those lads. Although she was attractive, it was like the DI was out of bounds.”

  “Did she ever mention a man called Sean Ballater to you? He was a volunteer fireman who attended the scene of the bus bombing. It looks like they were lovers some time towards the end of 2006?”

  “I don’t think so, but then I can’t imagine Juliet confiding something like that to me. We weren’t close enough.”

  James cleared his throat. “Hey, this isn’t supposed to be an interview room.” He stood up. “Can I help tidy away the plates?”

  “I’ll give you a hand,” Fiona said.

  When the others were in the kitchen, chatting and filling the dishwasher, Dani turned back to her old colleague, lowering her voice as she said, “I think Juliet may have been sharing information about the terrorist investigation that followed the bus bombing.”

  “With this fireman guy?” Phil had also dropped his voice.

  “Yes. They met at the awards ceremony for the emergency workers who attended the scene and quickly became lovers. Juliet’s brother thinks they discussed police cases together. Now the two of them are dead.”

  Phil shook his head in puzzlement. “We signed the official secrets act before we investigated the boys who placed those devices in the bus depot, and the networks they belonged to. Nothing ever leaked out, not even to the press. Would Juliet really have shared confidential material with a guy she’d been sleeping with for five minutes?”

  Dani shrugged, watching James and Fiona as they approached the dining table, carrying in the dessert on a large platter. “She was pretty out of control during that time, so I think we need to consider she very well might.” More loudly, Dani declared, “wow, that cheesecake looks fabulous, did you make it yourself?”

  Fiona smiled with pride. “I did. It took me most of the afternoon, mind. Phil isn’t the only one who cooks around here.”

  Dani reached for a slice. “Then let’s not allow all that hard work to go to waste!”

  Chapter 28

  Dani had liaised with the anti-terrorism squad on a few past cases. She was always relieved when her brush with that particular division was over. The DCI never liked the secrecy which surrounded their investigations and the way that standard procedures could be bypassed in the treatment of suspects. It made her uncomfortable. It didn’t feel like what she’d signed up for when joining the police.

  Chief Superintendent Ali McNair had worked in anti-terrorism since 2009. He was one of the officers responsible for implementing the Prevent strategy in Scotland. Dani had seen him interviewed on television about it.

  McNair’s office was on one of the top floors of the Pitt Street Headquarters. He had his own secretary, who escorted Dani to the door, slipping away quietly after the detective was safely inside.

  McNair moved around his desk and put out his hand. “Danielle. What a pleasure to see you again. I’ve followed your career closely.”

  Dani smiled. “And I yours, sir. You’ve gained quite a high profile in the media.”

  He gestured for her to sit. “It’s a major part of my remit these days. Now, what can I do to assist you?”

  “As you will be aware, I’m involved in the investigation into Juliet Lowther’s murder. My inquiries have involved examining her prior record as a detective.”

  McNair nodded. “Ronnie Douglas has been keeping me informed. The discovery of her body was quite a shock.”

  “A second body has been recovered on the neighbouring island of Nabb. The dead man was a local to the islands, but it has come to light that he knew Juliet when she was stationed at Cowcaddens Road, at the same time you and I were in her team.”

  McNair’s expression remained fixed. “What is this man’s name?”

  “Sean Ballater. He was volunteering as a firefighter in the Sighthill area between 2006 and 2007. He attended the Roydon Road Bus Station bombing. We believe this is how he and Juliet met.”

  “I’ve never heard his name before.”

  “You attended the scene too, along with DI Lowther, DS Travis and DC Currie?”

  McNair nodded. “I did. It was the worst experience of my career, but very much the reason I’m in my current position.”

  Dani raised her eyebrows quizzically, wanting the man to continue.

  He shifted forward, clasping his hands on the desk in front of him. “The investigation that followed the bombing was my first experience of working in counter-terrorism. You will recall what it was like. We worked hard to identify the two men who planted the bo
mbs. Then there were months of intensive searches of their internet connections and networks. I found the work fascinating and felt it made a real difference.”

  “How has that early investigation impacted on your current role?” Dani was genuinely interested.

  “The remit of the Prevent Strategy is to identify the propagation of extremism before it reaches the point where terrorism is an outcome. I visit mosques and schools, build relationships with community leaders.” He sighed heavily. “We are still under the continual threat of terrorism, but our approach must be to look to the future, rather than always watching our backs.”

  “I don’t recall that kind of forward-thinking attitude being at the forefront of our investigation into those boys who planted the bombs at Roydon Road. DI Lowther and DS Travis particularly, seemed focused purely on retribution for the victims.”

  McNair looked saddened. “There were many flaws in the way we responded to the 2006 bombing. The investigation that followed should not have been run by those so close to the tragic events. Lowther and Travis acted with great bravery that day, but this involvement clouded their judgement.”

  “In what way do you believe Lowther’s judgement was clouded?” Dani was trying to recall the details of the investigation. At the time, all she could remember doing was trawling through pages of computer and phone records, listing down examples of repeated activity, particularly in the run-up to the bombing itself. She passed these details on, someone else had looked into it further.

  “The bombers who were subsequently convicted were only 17 and 18 years old. It was clear that they had been manipulated by a wider network. We did our best to pin something on those individuals who had fed these boys with the ideologies that made them commit the atrocity, but it was hard to make the evidence stick. I was often concerned the interviews were conducted to bully and frighten, rather than to exact usable information.”

  “Did Lowther bully suspects herself?”

  McNair looked uncomfortable. “I should be careful what words I use. All I mean, is that the approach several officers took to the predominantly Muslim associates of the bombers that we interviewed after May 2006 would be deemed too heavy-handed these days. I certainly learned lessons from that period.”

  “I believe it’s possible that Juliet Lowther shared the details of that investigation with Sean Ballater. He was her lover during the summer of 2006.”

  McNair furrowed his brow. “That information was strictly classified. Not even every member of the team knew the names and addresses of suspects.”

  “I know. I’ve tried to locate DS Travis, to interview him about that time. I’ve been told by Vice that he is deep undercover and won’t be contactable for months. Is there any chance you could get me at least a phone call with him?”

  “I’ll do my best, Danielle, but I have no real jurisdiction over the operations of other divisions, despite my rank.” He scratched his balding head. “Do you have any idea what particular information was passed on to this man, Ballater?”

  Dani shook her head. “I’m afraid not. I only have the testimony of Juliet’s brother, who cannot recall any details, only that he assumed Ballater was a fellow police officer as he and Juliet appeared to discuss cases.”

  “There was only one case that mattered during that period.”

  “Precisely.”

  “Do you believe this breach of security played a part in the murders of Lowther and Ballater?”

  “I’ve got to assume so, sir.” She cleared her throat. “In order to continue with my investigation, I’m going to need access to all the material Lowther had in relation to the bus bombing, sir.”

  McNair said nothing for several minutes, clearly considering this. “Counter-terrorism is an area of policing that never truly stops. Many of the interview transcripts and lines of inquiry from 2006 still remain relevant today. Groups who were of interest in Glasgow back then are still under surveillance now.”

  Dani gulped. “I understand that, sir.”

  “You were on the sidelines back in 2006. Are you prepared to be given the full picture now?”

  “I don’t think I have a choice, sir.”

  “Then if you are prepared to sign a copy of The Official Secrets Act, 1989, I will organise a secure place for you to view the classified documents.”

  Dani nodded solemnly. This was a development she didn’t welcome, but she knew it wouldn’t be possible to solve Juliet’s murder without accepting it was inevitable.

  Chapter 29

  The double-poster bed of the honeymoon suite of The Gordon Hotel was covered with sheets of handwritten notes and reference books lying open, multi-coloured post-it notes marking the pages.

  Joy felt it was fortuitous that this had been the only suite left available to them after they were rescued from Ghiant. It gave the couple plenty of space to carry out their research.

  The dressing table was functioning as Bill’s desk, at which he was transcribing notes from the screen of his laptop computer. Joy perched on the edge of the eiderdown, reading a history of western Scotland.

  Bill shifted his eyes from the screen. “Do you want to know what I’ve discovered so far, darling? To be honest, it’s a bit of a puzzle.”

  “Of course.”

  “Your uncle’s service history was easy enough to find. The information is stored on the genealogy website I subscribe to.” He lifted one of the pads of paper scattered about the desktop. “Robert Rushbrooke, born on the Isle of Ghiant in 1917. That’s him, isn’t it?”

  “It must be. I expect he was born at home. Many island babies were in those days.”

  “Rob joined up in the first month of the war. He wasn’t a conscript. He was a member of the Scots Royal Regiment, in their infantry division.”

  “Did he see action abroad?”

  Bill shifted round in his seat. “You see, that’s the puzzle.”

  Joy frowned in rebuke. She was not in the mood for one of her husband’s beloved quizzes.

  “Rob Rushbrooke is listed here as a private in the II Corps of the Fourth Army. They were a force 250,000 strong based in eastern Scotland to prepare for an assault on German controlled Norway.”

  “But that makes sense, because Uncle Rob was certainly based at Kinross for long enough to meet my aunt.”

  Bill got up and moved across to sit beside his wife on the bed. “I know a little about the so-called ‘Fourth Army’. I’ve read about it in the past. But just in case I’d got it wrong, I double-checked my facts in these history books I picked out from the library downstairs.”

  Joy could feel her mouth had gone dry. “What do you know about it?”

  “Well, the Fourth Army was part of what became known as the ‘British Deception Formations’. They played a prominent role in a propaganda war against the Germans. The British Army created a number of fictional army formations and battle plans to fool the Axis High Command. There never was a plan to invade Norway via Scotland, but the rumours kept German units busy along the west coast, ready to resist such an invasion. It was all really rather cleverly done. Radio communications were broadcast giving the impression that hundreds of men were protecting key positions, in fact there were none, or just a handful of personnel sending out misinformation.”

  “I don’t understand, how does this relate to Uncle Rob’s regiment?”

  Bill placed his hand on Joy’s and gave it a squeeze. “It means that the Fourth Army never existed. Rob’s service history is a fiction, created at the time by the British Army.”

  Joy shook her head in frustration. “Then what on earth was he doing during the war?”

  “That’s the big question, darling. What was he doing indeed and how do we find out now, after all these years have passed?”

  *

  The flat in Scotstounhill was in darkness. Dani vaguely recalled James telling her he was going for dinner with his sister, who was in town for the weekend.

  Dani dropped her small suitcase in the hallway. She wondered if it
was worth unpacking it yet, but decided it probably wasn’t. She may have to return to the Highlands before McNair got her access to the classified documents she wanted.

  The kitchen cupboards were bare. It wasn’t surprising, as they’d both been so busy with work. Dani found a packet of crackers open on the worktop and brought the cheese out of the fridge. She was about to pour a glass of wine when the phone in the hall rang.

  She padded into the semi-darkness to answer it. “DCI Bevan here.”

  “Dani. It’s been a very long time.”

  She caught her breath. “Kerr Travis. I wasn’t expecting McNair to get authorisation for a call so quickly.”

  “He’s a big hitter these days. Who’d have thought it, eh?”

  Dani smiled. “Yes, his career really took off.”

  “He’d got the bus bombing to thank for that. Counter-terrorism turned out to really be his thing.”

  Dani detected a hint of rebuke in his tone. She didn’t have time to analyse it. “I don’t know if you heard, but Juliet Lowther was killed. Her body was found on a remote island off the coast of Skye. I’ve been looking into her murder, interviewing her past colleagues. Because of my connection to her.”

  This statement was met with silence.

  “Kerr? Are you still there?”

  “Yes, I’m here. It’s a shock, that’s all. I don’t have access to the news where I am.”

  “Listen, I expect I don’t have long to talk to you. I need to know what you and Juliet were up to in those months after the bombing. I spoke to Lorraine, she thought you and Juliet were sleeping together.”

  The man grunted. “You know that’s not true.”

  “Of course, but I could hardly tell your wife that.”

  “What, that it was you I was sleeping with back then, not our boss?”

  Dani cleared her throat. “Exactly. Besides, maybe you had a thing with Juliet too, I don’t know.”