‘In the morning . . . well, the morning wasn’t so good,’ he continued. ‘We were all a bit embarrassed. Not so much Barbie – she was a bit of a free spirit, I suppose – but the guys couldn’t really look each other in the eye. Even Paddy seemed uncomfortable. If anyone took it worse, it was Laurence. I think he really liked Barbie. I’d seen it in the pub on the Friday night; he was looking at her like a lost puppy. By the Saturday morning, he couldn’t look at her at all. In the afternoon, Paddy was back to his pain-in-the-arse normal self and he and Barbie were joking around like nothing had even happened. Laurence went off on his own, saying he was going into Kilmahog to bring back some food.
‘When he came back late in the afternoon, just after it had got dark, he was full of the news from the Lake of Menteith. He said everyone in Kilmahog was talking about how the lake was frozen and they were curling and skating on it. He said people were coming from all over the place to go on the ice. Laurence was up for going over there on the Sunday but the rest of us had already decided to go hiking over to Callander to see the Bracklinn Falls. Barbie, well, she saw how disappointed Laurence was and said that she’d go with him to the lake. I don’t think he knew how to react. He was still awkward about what had happened the night before but he couldn’t really say no.
‘We stayed at the bothy again that night and had plenty to drink but nowhere near as much as the night before. Everyone was edgy. Nothing happened. Well, I don’t think so anyway. Paddy and Barbie disappeared at one point, saying they were going to get more beer from the car. They were gone a while and I think the rest of us wondered what they were doing. I certainly saw the look on Laurence’s face. He wasn’t happy.
‘On the Sunday, Adam, me and Paddy headed off on foot and Laurence and Barbie hitched into Port of Menteith. I could see he still wasn’t too sure about it but they went anyway. It was the last time any of us saw Barbie. When we got back from Callander, Laurence was at the bothy, alone. He told us he’d had a big argument with Barbie and she’d gone off on her own. She’d had everything with her in her rucksack so she didn’t need to come back to the bothy to get anything. That was when Paddy dropped the bomb.’
‘What bomb?’
‘He said it was probably just as well that she was gone. She’d told him the night before she wasn’t on a gap year but that she’d run away from school. She was fifteen.’
Winter felt a sickening sensation somewhere deep in the pit of his stomach as his eyes flew to Narey, whose stare was fixed hard and angry on Deans. He, in turn, had found a spot on the floor that captured his attention.
‘Paddy thought it was funny but the rest of us certainly didn’t. Adam went for him and we had to pull him off. We were in deep shit. We were teachers, or training to be, and if it came out that . . . well, we’d never work. She was under age and that made us . . .’
‘Rapists?’ Narey offered. ‘Paedophiles?’
‘No!’
‘Legally there’s no doubt about it,’ she confirmed.
‘Sergeant, we didn’t know. And, yes, it would definitely have made a difference – a huge one. There’s no way I’d have . . . not if I’d known. But it put our careers in danger if anyone found out. We’d be finished. And after all that work . . .’
‘My heart bleeds for you,’ Narey snarled.
Deans clenched his teeth.
‘Adam and I demanded no one ever breathe a word about it and the others agreed. We packed up immediately and went back to Glasgow.’
‘And?’
‘And we never mentioned it again – even to each other. We could barely cope with seeing each other. Then, four months later, a body was found on the island.’
‘A body? Her body, you mean. Barbie’s body.’
‘We didn’t know,’ he protested weakly. ‘Not for sure.’
Narey laughed sarcastically.
‘You knew. Of course you fucking knew.’
‘No. Laurence had said he’d argued with her but that she was fine. He said she was fine when he left her.’
‘Bullshit. You knew it then and you know it now. Why didn’t you report it to the police?’
‘It wouldn’t have changed anything. Except that we would all have faced prosecution.’
‘Mr Deans,’ Narey shook her head almost as much in disbelief as anger, ‘trust me, you haven’t escaped prosecution. It is highly likely that you will be charged with attempting to pervert the course of justice. If I can think of anything else with pervert in that I can charge you with, then I will.’
Deans’ mouth fell open pitifully and his lower lip trembled.
‘So what did you and your pathetic pals do when you heard about the body being found on Inchmahome?’
‘We met. Once. For five minutes. We agreed we would never meet again, never talk to each other again.’
‘And Paton?
‘Nothing was said. Nothing was asked. It was over.’
‘Like I said, pathetic – and cowardly. You saw the newspaper reports. You saw the TV appeals. And you never thought to put a family out of their misery? You never thought to help the police? To save hundreds of man-hours, hours that could have been spent investigating other crimes? You never thought to do the right fucking thing?’
‘I didn’t know what happened – not for sure. Yes, I was sure it had to be Barbie but it could have happened after Laurence had left her. I’d have been hanging him out to dry.’
‘And yourself.’
‘Yes. Yes, I’m not denying that. I’m not proud of it.’
‘Well done.’
Deans flared at her sarcasm and the pair of them locked eyes, apparently trying to stare each other to death as far as Winter could see. There was something amounting to genuine hatred between them but Winter knew there would only be one winner and it wasn’t Deans.
‘And you never thought to come forward any time over the years?’ she scowled at him. ‘God knows there must have been plenty of appeals.’
‘I was married, and a father. I couldn’t put all that at risk.’
‘So tell me about what happened recently. Tell me about the emails.’
‘How do you know about them?’
‘Mr Deans, let me make something quite clear because you don’t seemed to have grasped what is going on here. Even putting aside for a second that a girl was murdered, we have two highly suspicious deaths that seem to be linked to it. Someone is knocking off your old pals and you might be next, which would be a terrible shame. So, here’s the deal: I ask the questions and you fucking answer them.’
Deans simply nodded, the fight seemingly gone from him.
‘I got an email from someone claiming to know what had happened back then. There was no name as such, just a Hotmail account in the name of Justice 1993. It was sent to me, Laurence, Adam and Paddy. There were a couple of follow-up emails but they seemed to be only to me. If the others were copied into them, their names didn’t show.’
‘Did he ask for money?’
‘Not at first. He just made it clear he knew, or thought he knew, about what had happened. Then he said we had to pay. Said we could pay either in cash or in what he called “cold justice”. Obviously I emailed back asking who it was, but I was wasting my time. When he wouldn’t tell me, I said I wouldn’t deal with someone if I didn’t know who they were.’
‘And his response to that?’
‘That he would have to show me the consequences of saying no. I don’t know what I thought was going to happen. I didn’t think he would . . . I never thought that. Then I heard about Adam – how he’d committed suicide.’
A single tear ran down Deans’ face and it struck Winters that it might have been poignant but for the fact that he was crying for himself, not for Barbie or Adam.
‘Did you believe it was suicide?’ Narey persisted, clearly unmoved by the display of waterworks.
‘Yes. No. I don’t know. The papers were clear that it was. But it seemed too much of a coincidence. I was scared. I began to look at getting some m
oney together but then . . . this.’
‘Your push down the steps might have been a warning, Mr Deans. It was either a reminder to you to hurry up or maybe the person just didn’t care whether you died or not.’
Deans attempted a glare but his heart simply wasn’t in it.
‘So who do you think your blackmailer is? I assume you’ve wondered about that.’
‘I’ve not thought about much else, Sergeant. I don’t know. I’m sure no one else knew at the time. I suppose maybe the landlord at the pub where we met Barbie did. No one else knew. Laurence and Adam are gone so that leaves Paddy Bradley. Or else one of them spoke about it. I certainly didn’t. If anyone had blabbed, it would have been Paddy. He liked the sound of his own voice and he could never resist playing the big man – particularly in front of women. My guess? If anyone talked, it was him.’
‘We would like access to your emails, Mr Deans, to see if there is anything else we can get from them. It may help us identify the blackmailer or your attacker.’
‘You don’t think they are the same person?’
‘I’m keeping an open mind about it.’
‘Okay. Again, I’d ask if you would do it when there’s no one else in the house. Sergeant, my wife will leave me if she finds out about what happened. My daughter . . . she would be so ashamed. Please.’
Rachel laughed bitterly.
‘For a schoolteacher, you aren’t very bright, Mr Deans. Someone is trying to kill you. That’s why I’m going to put a cop on guard at your front door. Did it not occur to you that your wife might just wonder why?’
Deans looked defeated.
‘But, okay,’ Rachel conceded, ‘you let us in and give us computer access and you can tell your wife what you like for now. But this will all have to come out in the end. Did you make contact with any of the others after you received the emails?’
‘No.’
‘Why not? Was it not the natural thing to do?’
‘I didn’t want anything to do with it. I guess I was burying my head in the sand.’
‘Mr Deans, you are in danger of being buried completely. Do you not realise that?’
‘I do now. But I couldn’t have contacted them even if I’d wanted to. I don’t where they live now – lived. I don’t know where they lived.’
‘What about Peter Bradley? When did you last hear anything about him?’
‘Years ago – maybe twelve, fourteen years ago. I heard he’d dropped out; not just out of teaching but out altogether.’
‘What do you mean?’
‘I heard he’d gone off the radar and out of mainstream society. The word was he’d married some girl from a gypsy family and was living that lifestyle now. No one knew where he was living.’
CHAPTER 39
Narey and Winter stood in the chill outside the Western, joining a throng of frozen smokers who were hopping from foot to foot in a futile attempt to keep warm while they coughed away the last of their health. A couple of them were in real danger of hypothermia; pyjamas and a dressing gown offered little protection against sub-zero temperatures. One woman in her mid-fifties, her face as grey as slate, was even attached to a portable drip as she puffed away. You had to admire their dedication.
Narey had her mobile to her ear and her other arm wrapped round herself for warmth as she impatiently circled while waiting for her call to be answered. The doctor had eventually ushered them out, saying that Deans needed to rest. Narey hadn’t disagreed but had told Deans he could expect to hear from her very soon.
The DI sounded typically grumpy as he barked into the phone – not exactly filling Narey full of confidence but not putting her off either.
‘Where the hell are you?’ he demanded on recognising her voice.
‘The Western. A man named Greg Deans was seriously injured in a fall and I . . .’
‘A fall? Why the fuck would you be interested in a fall? And who the hell is Greg Deans?’
‘Well, I don’t think it was an accident and Deans . . . Deans was a student at Jordanhill with Paton and Mosson. He was . . .’
‘Jesus Christ. Not this teacher bollocks again. If you haven’t got anything better to do with your time, then I can find you something.’
‘No, sir. This is serious. I think we’ve got two murders on our hands and an attempted murder.’
‘We’ve been through this, Narey. Even if Paton was murdered, he isn’t on our books; he’s on Central’s. And you still haven’t told me what the fuck makes you think there’s anything going on here at all.’
‘Look, if you could just trust me on this for now and get a uniform to watch over Deans, then I’ll explain the rest at the station. The link between these guys is concrete. I’m certain about this, boss.’
She knew the silence on the other end of the phone was Addison trying to think of another reason to argue. The longer he went without saying anything, the surer she was she’d persuaded him. He was as argumentative and confrontational as they came, but she was confident he respected her judgement – even if he’d never tell her that.
‘You’d better be not just certain but fucking right,’ he finally growled. ‘Do you know how much those pencil-pushing pricks will bust my balls if I can’t justify the man-hours spend of even a single woodentop? If there’s anything I can’t stand in this world, it’s dealing with fucking accountants. They’ve got the personality of cheese but they’re vindictive bastards.’
‘I am right,’ she told him. ‘Get me a uniform out here and I’ll come straight in and tell you the lot.’
‘Fucksake. The sooner I get out from behind this desk the better. You lot are doing my head in.’
The line went dead and Narey knew that was going to be as close to agreement as she was going to get. She’d wait until the constable arrived, then go to see Addison. Obviously she wouldn’t tell him everything – just the part she felt would be enough. Addy had been round the block often enough to know that information came from all sorts of places you might not want to share with your superior officer.
As she was putting her phone back into her pocket, Narey looked up to see two women rushing to the hospital entrance. They were clearly agitated and the younger of the two was wiping tears from her eyes. As they brushed past, she saw that Winter knew who they were and raised her eyebrows at him questioningly.
‘That’s Deans’ wife and daughter,’ he told her. ‘I recognise them from the photos in their house.’
‘Poor cows,’ Narey muttered. ‘They’re in for a nasty shock about Daddy.’
‘So you’re going to tell them?’
‘Of course I am. It’s only a question of when. At the moment it gives me leverage over him so I’ll keep that while I need it.’
‘You’re all heart. What did Addy say?’ he asked her.
‘Your pal isn’t exactly happy but then he never is. He’s sending someone over to keep an eye on Deans. I’ll stay here till he arrives. What are you going to do?’
Winter looked up at the grey skies, which had a hint of pink, suggesting yet more snow could be on the way.
‘I’m going to go over to The Rock. I want to get some pics from the scene.’
Narey swore under her breath and looked at her watch.
‘Shit. You’re right. I’ll need to go there too. You go ahead. I’ll join you as soon as the cavalry arrives.’
‘Didn’t I hear you telling Addy you’d be going straight to Stewart Street?’
‘What are you, his bloody secretary? I’m going to The Rock and Addy can wait. That place is being treated like the scene of an accident but it’s a crime scene.’
Winter grinned at her and she knew he’d been winding her up.
‘Piss off,’ she laughed. Her smile quickly disappeared, however, and was replaced by a serious frown.
‘So . . .’ she began. ‘Our man Bradley may be living as a gypsy traveller.’
‘Didn’t see that coming. It was all I could do not to let my mouth fall open like a halfwit when Deans said i
t. What the hell’s going on, Rach?’
‘No idea. You’re the gypsy expert, you tell me.’
‘I can ask some of my new friends, I guess. But I already know they aren’t exactly keen on sharing things with out siders. Which reminds me: if what Deans says is right, then the “gypsy bride” rumour is a load of crap. Danny and I have been chasing this Sam Dunbar guy for nothing.’
‘Not for nothing,’ she disagreed. ‘It’s too much of a coincidence. There’s some link we’re just not seeing. It looks like we’ll need the help of your pal Tommy Baillie to find Bradley. That might mean sorting out this Dunbar character. I might need to get Addison to put someone on this.’
Winter shook his head.
‘No. The last thing that Baillie wants is the cops involved in this. If we want his help, then we have to keep them out of it.’
Narey exhaled noisily.
‘Christ. I’m being asked not to do my job a hell of a lot these days.’
‘Well . . .’ he hesitated, although perhaps not for as long as he should have done. ‘You are not doing your job quite a lot these days.’
‘What’s that supposed to mean?’
‘Rachel, you’ve been out on a limb for so long you’ll be getting splinters in your arse. You’ve been doing too much stuff that isn’t authorised and you need to watch it before you get into trouble.’
She stared hard at him but couldn’t muster up any real resentment because she knew he was right.
‘You let me worry about that. Right now, we have other things we need to bother about.’
‘Like who is Peter Bradley? Our blackmailer, our killer or the next victim?’
She shook her head.
‘Yes, but it doesn’t matter which he is. Not right now. Whichever of those things he is, we need to find him as quickly as possible.’
The Rock was surrounded by residential housing, most of it of the high-ceilinged, corniced, spacious Victorian and Edwardian variety. As such, the low, flat-roofed white pub with its beer garden spilling onto the street was an oddity for that part of the west end. Whether it was a rock, an oasis or a sore thumb rather depended on your point of view. Winter had, inevitably, had a drink in it a few times, on his own and with Addison to watch football, and he quite liked the place.
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