Logan lurched out of the taxi and paused, not falling forward, not falling backward, but teetering between the two as the rusty Ford did a three-pointer in the crowded street and slunk off into the night. With a frown he turned and watched the back of the car disappear round the corner and out of sight.
Arse. He'd meant to ask it to wait for him. Taking a deep breath he tucked his shirt back into his trousers and strode purposefully towards Dr Isobel MacAlister's front door. Miller used to have a flat in this part of town, but he'd sold it and moved in with the Ice Maiden instead. 'May they have many, many happy years together,' Logan told the huge rhododendron bush lurking in the evening light. Its purple flowers looked like burnished liver as the sun began its slow slither towards night. He leaned on the bell, and a deeply conservative biiiiiing-bonnnnnnnng sounded from the other side of the frosted glass. This was a fancy neighbourhood: Rubislaw Den, money territory. Four-storey granite buildings worth a not-so small fortune, some of which had been in the family for generations.
Lawyers, accountants, bigwigs in the oil industry. People who had four foreign holidays a year and sent their children to private schools. Logan leaned on the bell again.
The light was on abdve the door. They had to be in.
He squatted down to peer through the letterbox and tipped jg over onto his backside, scrabbling upright in time to see a shadow loom through the glass on either side of the door.
A nervous voice came through the wood. 'Who is it?'
'Isobel? It's me,' said Logan, before thinking about it and adding, 'Logan.' After all, just because they'd shared an % attempted murderer and a bed for seven months, there was no reason to expect her to remember who he was.
The door didn't open. 'Are you alone?'
'Am I alone?' Logan took a pace back and nearly fell off the top step. 'Well, I'm still living with WPC Watson, but I think the new deputy PF likes me as well…' He grinned.
Two women. Tee-hee. 'Can Colin come out to play?'
The door cracked open an inch and a worried face peered out at him. Isobel looked terrible: pale, drawn, deep purple bags under her eyes, lines creasing the skin between her eyebrows and down the sides of her mouth. As if she'd aged a dozen years since last week. 'You're drunk.'
Logan saluted her. 'And you fiddle with dead people for money. But I can respect that. Where's Colin?'
'You don't know?'
'Don't know what?'
Colin Miller was in bed, curled in around himself, grey and shivering, his hands wrapped in white bandages. Logan took one look at Miller's huddled form and suddenly got a lot more sober. 'What the hell happened to you?'
Miller looked up from the bed and stared at him. The reporter's face was swollen and bruised, dark purple tinged with green spreading out from his left cheek, another across his chin, his nose squinter than it had been a couple of days ago. The? What happened to me? I'll tell you what fuckin' happened to me: YOU FUCKIN' HAPPENED!'
Logan flinched back. 'But… I didn't do anything!'
'Had to play the big detective, didn't you? Had to push your fuckin' nose in where it didn't belong!' He was half out of bed now, struggling not to use his bandaged hands. 'He recognized you, you stupid prick. You fucked about with him in the pub, even though I told you not to, and he fuckin' recognized youV Miller's naked feet sank into the deep, blue carpet as he lurched towards Logan, holding up his hands.
'Then you arrested him and he knew I'd screwed him over! 'Cos there you fuckin' were!'
'Colin, I-'
'HE TOOK MY FUCKIN' FINGERS!' The reporter was crying now, face scarlet beneath the bruises, spittle flying from his twisted mouth, exposing cracked and missing teeth.
'My fingers…' Miller buried his head in his stiff, bandaged hands and sobbed. 'My fingers…'
They sat in the kitchen, an open bottle of Bowmore sitting on the tabletop along with three glasses, even though Colin wasn't there. Dying sunlight drifted in through the kitchen window, painting the varnished wood with amber, the shadows slipping from pale violet to deep blue as the sun set. Isobel was slumped in a chair on the opposite side of the table, clutching her emptied glass as Logan slugged in another stiff measure of malt whisky. But he was sticking to water. 'What happened?'
Isobel took a deep drink, shuddering as the neat spirit went down. 'He says they grabbed him outside the house. Bundled him into a car and took him out into the woods somewhere.
Tied him to a chair and hacked off his fingers, one joint at a time, with a pair of poultry shears.' Her voice was low, matter of fact, as if she was speaking for the benefit of the tape recorder at a post mortem. 'Left hand: little finger, distal, middle and proximal phalanx; ring finger, distal and middle.
Right hand: distal phalanx from the little finger, all bones from the ring finger. Jjach finger severed at the interphalangeal joints. One bone at a time.' She took another long swig, nearly emptying the glass. 'They… they left him in a lay-by. Dialled for an ambulance using his mobile phone and left him there.' She shuddered. 'The surgeons managed to reattach three sections. They don't know if they'll take or not.'
Logan slopped another huge whisky into her glass. 'I'm sorry.' Miller was right: this was all his fault.
She looked up at him, as if seeing him for the first time, then stood and crossed to the fridge, coming back with a blue plastic container, placing it down on the table between them. Gingerly Logan popped off the lid and frowned at the contents: small grey-white tubes, like albino chipolata sausages. Then he recognized a fingernail on the end of one.
'Jesus!'
Isobel didn't move. 'He threw up under the anaesthetic'
'Threw…? He'd eaten them?' Silence. Logan put the lid back on the box. 'Isobel, I never meant for this to happen,
I-'
'No? Well guess what: it did.' The last of the sun disappeared behind a wall of granite and the kitchen settled into awkward twilight. 'I want you to find them and I want you to hurt them. Understand?'
'Will Colin testify?'
'They said if he talks to the police they'll come back and finish the job.' She poured herself another drink, her hand
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I
trembling, spilling Bowmore on the tabletop. 'You don't involve him. You find them and you hurt them!'
'But-'
'He's your friend! You owe him. You owe me.'
Logan didn't take a taxi back into town. Instead he walked through the gathering dusk, brooding. Colin Miller had lost nearly half his fingers because of him. The reporter was right: he just couldn't keep his nose out. Couldn't leave Miller alone with Chib in the pub, had to know what was going on. Drunken singing came from up ahead and a party of under-dressed girlies lurched out of the Windmill Inn, belting out something unrecognizable at the top of their lungs, hugging lampposts, wolf-whistling at the passing cars.
What the hell was he supposed to do about Chib and his gimp? 'Find them and hurt them.' Yeah, easy for Isobel to say, but he was a police officer. It wasn't as if he could just roll up unannounced and shoot them – this was Aberdeen, not New York. If Colin Miller wasn't prepared to testify, there wasn't much Logan could do…
Not unless he actually caught them doing something. Even then Isobel wouldn't be satisfied: she didn't want justice, she wanted revenge. Well, she'd just have to settle for what she could get. He pulled out his mobile and turned it back on again: another three messages, all from DI Steel. Ignoring them, Logan started dialling.
39
'Are you sure we should be doing this?' asked Jackie for what felt like the millionth time in the last half hour. The car was cold and uncomfortable, sitting in a small pool of darkness between two lampposts on the quiet residential road. Once more Logan said no, he wasn't, and went back to staring through the windscreen at Brendan 'Chib'
Sutherland's house. An unofficial stakeout in a purloined CID pool car? Of course they shouldn't be doing it. Especially as Jackie was technically still on duty for the next thirty-two minutes.
A faint groan came from the back seat and DC Rennie sat up, clutching his head. 'How you feeling?' asked Logan, looking at the constable's green face in the rear-view mirror.
'Like shite…'He closed one eye and squinted at the house opposite. 'Where the hell's Steve got to?'
Jackie half turned in her seat. 'Give him a break, OK? He's not the one been out getting pished.'
'Zeesh, who rattled your bumhole?'
Logan gritted his teeth. 'Will you two shut up?' He scowled into the rear-view mirror and Rennie held his hands up in surrender. Silence settled back into the filthy Vauxhall: Jackie sulking, Rennie rummaging about in the rubbish tip that was the back scat, coming up with one of Councillor Marshall's pornographic magazines. He flipped through it in the dim yellow glow of a nearby streetlamp, with an amused expression on his face.
Logan turned round and snatched the thing off Rennie, getting a 'Hey, I was reading that!' for his pains.
'Where the hell did you get this?'
Rennie shrugged. 'It was back here, under all the empty Burger King and KFC boxes.' Logan shook his head and tossed the magazine back to the constable. This was ridiculous: it wasn't even the same car they'd had on the stakeout.
It looked like Councillor Marshall's porn collection was doing the rounds all over Aberdeen Command Division – police men and women from Stonehaven to Fraserburgh giggling their way through the man's anal fetish. Made you proud.
'You realize I have to go sign out at midnight, don't you?' said Jackie, peering over her shoulder at Rennie's magazine.
'Tell you what, soon as PC Jacobs gets here you can both go back to the station, sign out, then come back. OK?'
'What you going to do if Sutherland leaves the house while we're away?'
'Follow him.'
Jackie snorted. 'You can't follow him: you've been drinking. So has Captain Caveman here.'
'Maybe we'll get lucky and… oh-ho: company.' A pair of headlights cruised up the street towards them, pulling up on the other side of the road. A pause, then the lights clicked off. No sign of movement from Chib's house. A figure got out of the manky old Fiat – PC Steve Jacobs, still wearing his uniform – arms full of takeaway. He clambered into the back beside Rennie.
'Evenin' all,' he intoned, popping the cardboard lid off a huge bucket of chicken. 'I got some aspirins, one of them bargain family things and- Hey, wait your turn!' Rennie was already helping himself. 'Did the inspector get hold of you?' asked Steve handing Logan a bag of chips. 'She said it was urgent: something about a press conference?'
'We saw it in the pub,' said Rennie through a mouthful of chicken. 'Cheeky cow taking all the credit.' Logan blushed in the darkness and kept his mouth shut. Silence returned to the car as they ate, munching and slurping the only noises, while a huge bottle of Pepsi was passed back and forth. One by one they piled the empty wrappers, napkins and bones back into the bucket, then PC Steve stuffed it down at his feet along with all the other rubbish.
'Now what?' asked Rennie, washing down a couple of Steve's aspirins with greasy Pepsi.
Jackie checked her watch. 'Now we have to go sign out.'
'It's OK,' said Steve, 'I got Big Gary to do it for us. Cost me three Mars Bars, but we're free for the night.'
They spent a while playing Spits-or-Swallows, Logan steering well clear of the game; it just made him think of Colin's fingers. Then came a wide-ranging philosophical discussion on thongs versus big pants and after that Rennie's extended monologue on EastEnders' villains, past and present. With Steve throwing in the occasional helpful discussion topic like, 'Who'd win in a nude mud-wrestling match: Marge Simpson or Wilma Flintstone?' which kicked off yet another round of Spits-or-Swallows. Betty Rubble apparently spits. But eventually silence and boredom descended again.
Half past one and Chib's lounge was plunged into darkness.
Logan stretched in his seat, feeling his back pop and twinge, complaining about sitting here for the last two and a bit hours. His alcohol buzz was long gone, leaving behind a headache and heartburn. The sound of gentle snoring was coming from the back seat, but up front Jackie squinted at Councillor Marshall's magazine, twisting and turning the page to catch as much of the faint sulphurous street lighting as possible. 'You know,' said Logan as the upstairs light flickered on in the house they were watching. 'Maybe this isn't such a good idea after all.'
Jackie looked up from what had to be a faked photograph.
Thought you said it was the only way we'd get anything on Chib and his mate?'
Logan shrugged, head resting against the misty passenger window. 'I don't know.' Sigh. To be honest I don't know anything any more…' He took a deep breath and told her about Colin Miller and what Isobel said had happened. And how it was all his fault.
'Oh come on, you've got to be kidding me!' She threw a glance into the back seat – where Rennie and Steve were curled up like a pair of gangly spaniels, sleeping peacefully – and lowered her voice to a soft hiss. 'How could it be your fault? You didn't hack Miller's fingers off, did you? No.' She reached out and took hold of his hand. 'You're a good cop, Logan. You caught Dunbar and that Pirie woman – that old cow Steel would have fucked those cases up like she fucks up everything else. What happened to Miller was just bad luck.' When he didn't say anything she gave his hand a squeeze. Tell you what, let's call it a night: tomorrow we go speak to Insch and get a surveillance op set up. That wrinkly faced bitch might not give credit where it's due, but Insch will. Solve the Karl Pearson thing and he'll get you out of Steel's team like that.' She snapped her fingers and the snores from the back seat came to an abrupt, snorking halt.
A bleary-eyed PC Steve poked his head through to the front and asked what was going on. Logan was just about to tell him they were going home when the light clicked on above Chib's front door and a shadowy figure hurried out into the night, carrying a holdall. 'Heads up,' said Logan, 'something's happening…' He squinted, wishing he'd got Steve to lift a pair of night-vision goggles. The figure passed beneath a streetlight: black coat, black jeans, black woolly hat, long black hair and moustache. Chib's mate – the Gimp – walked down to the far end of the street, turning right onto Countesswells Avenue.
'OK!' Jackie sounded excited to be doing something for a change. 'Buckle up people!'
Logan stopped her before she could turn the key. 'We can't. What about Chib?'
'What about him? The Gimp is on the go, his mate isn't.
We have to get cracking or we'll lose him!'
'OK, OK…' Logan screwed his face up, running the different scenarios quickly through his head. 'You take Rennie and follow him, Steve and I stay behind and keep an eye on the house.'
It was Jackie's turn to frown. 'How come I get Rennie?
Why can't I take Steve?'
'Because Rennie and I've been drinking, remember? Can't drive.'
'Then you come with me.'
'And leave these two in charge of the house? I'd kinda like at least one sensible person in each team, if it's OK with you.'
PC Steve's face fell. 'Hey, I heard that!'
'No offence.' Logan eased his door open and slipped out into the night. 'Now get your arse in gear.' Ten seconds later they were huddled in the shadows watching Jackie drive away in pursuit of Chib's pet Gimp, with Rennie rolling about blearily in the back seat.
'Er… sir, do you really think they should be going after the child molester on their own?' asked Steve as they sneaked back to his car.
'Relax, he's probably just off for a wank in a playground or something. Anyway,' Logan pointed at the house, where a shadow moved behind the upstairs window, 'it's the bastard up there you've got to worry about.' According to Colin Miller anyway.
The night was dark and quiet, just the way he liked it. Tonight was going to be a special night, one to put in the diary, a red-letter day. Giggling softly, he crossed over the road, picking up the pace as he nipped around the playing fields, enjoying the feeling of light and shadow between the lampposts.
Airyhall Avenue was lined with attractive family homes: mother, father, two point four children. Happy, happy families, all snug in bed, dreaming their happy family dreams and waiting for another beautiful family day to dawn. Despite the chill his armpits were already beginning to feel sticky with sweat, and he shifted the heavy holdall from one hand to the other. Tonight was going to be fun; mixing business with pleasure always was. And this time Brendan wouldn't be angry with him. No more black eyes. Anyway, they were going to be leaving Aberdeen soon, heading back home to Edinburgh. He smiled at the thought. The weather up here was too unpredictable: one minute it was blazing sunshine, the next it was hammering with rain, sometimes both at the same time.
At the bottom of the Avenue he stopped to get his bearings, his heart quickening as he saw the sign on the other side of the road: Airyhall Children's Home. He'd come too far, shouldn't have come down this road. Should have stuck to the road he was on… the home was smaller than the one he'd gone to, where THE MAN had been, the man Brendan had stabbed for him, but that didn't make it any less frightening.
Shivering slightly, he turned and walked the other way, heading back towards the city centre, getting as far away from the place as possible. Only once did he look back over his shoulder at the bulky home and its slumbering, silent inhabitants.
It took ten minutes to walk up past the cemetery on Springfield Road – whistling the Simpsons theme tune from the moment he saw the sign – right, onto Seafield Road, and all the way along to the roundabout on Anderson Drive. He stopped beneath a streetlight, setting the holdall down on the grass verge. Why did he have to pack so much stuff? He dug out Brendan's directions – a little map, with a smiley stick figure following the arrows towards a big skull and crossbones surrounded by flames. The house they'd trashed because the old lady wasn't in. Tonight she wouldn't be so lucky.
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