“On the house for my favourite customers. It’s good to see you back safely Harry.”
The couple chatted for a while before taking to the dance floor when the small band started playing ‘I Don’t Want to Set the World on Fire.’
“I love you Harry Davies.”
“And I love you Eileen, very much. I’ve really missed you these last few days.”
“A thought that kept coming into my mind was about you driving past the hotel; ‘our’ hotel in Inveraray. We had such fun there.”
“Well we should go back some day, soon I hope.”
The music finished and they returned to their table.
“Harry, let me tell you about one idea that I had when you were away.”
“Only one?”
“Well one of the more important ones, listen.”
“Go on.”
“Well we know that Dermot is planning to sell Michael’s old cottage, I was thinking that maybe he would sell it to us?”
“I hadn’t thought about that. It’s near the coast, it could be perfect. What about travelling to work? Will you give it up?”
“Well there are buses and a train. But anyway once we’re married and have children I won’t be working anyway!”
“You’ve got it all worked out. But let’s ask Dermot first.”
“I’ll ask Dermot, Harry, I think he’ll be pleased to sell it on to me.”
In the early hours Andrew left the Standard on waste ground at the back of the shops near his flat. Although desperately tired, he was too excited to sleep. He had a bath, put his dressing gown on then collected some clothes together and quickly filled a suitcase. Afterwards he unlocked the wall safe and retrieved all his business documents, cash and copies of the deeds to all properties he owned, including his father’s cottage at Innerleithen. He filed all of it neatly away in the case.
‘I think a large whisky is next.’
The bottle was positioned near to hand. He then spread himself out on the settee facing the fireplace and listened to gramophone records ‘Elgar will suit my mood this evening; tranquillity, peace and great expectation.’
Steve went over to see Dermot on Friday morning. The old man was sitting alone in the drawing room of his hotel. He had tried to get interested in the morning newspapers but became quickly bored and irritated. He was in pain again and regretted the over indulgence of alcohol that he had consumed the previous evening.
“Dermot, good to see you!”
Steve shouted as he entered the room.
“It may be good for you but I’m suffering a bit this morning.”
Steve collected up the newspapers lying on the floor and placed them on a table nearby.
“Do you need a Doctor?”
“No, maybe later, I’ll see how I go. Tell me is everyone back, how did it go?”
Steve sat down next to the old man.,
“It went well, the timing was perfect and all was collected safely. Have you heard from Darlath yet?”
“No, I was going to ask you where he was.”
“I’ll ring Tommy to see if the cars been returned. I’ll be back in a minute.”
Dermot appeared anxious. Although he had fallen out with his son he was still concerned about his welfare and hoped one day for reconciliation.
Five minutes later Steve returned to the room,
“There’s no sign of them yet, the cars not been returned.”
Dermot became more concerned,
“Jesus, what’s happened to him?”
“Look, they did have a problem with the car which may have delayed them. But I’ve just ‘phoned the call-out garage in Tarbet and apparently everything was made roadworthy. The mechanic said that they were ahead of him on the journey north at Kintyre and all was well. So they should have returned yesterday. I don’t understand it either.”
“I don’t like this Steve. Something’s happened. Let me ring Darlath’s office in Dublin. He keeps in regular contact with them.”
“Good idea, let me help you out to the lobby.”
“You see Steve; I used to leave messages for him so he always knew which hotel I was staying at. Something’s gone seriously wrong this time. Darlath would normally ring me.”
Steve quickly became aware that Dermot was in great pain and distress as he eased the old man up to a standing position. He shuffled forward with difficulty as they made their way out to the telephone. The old man was gripping Steve’s arm so tightly that his knuckles appeared white and claw like. In the lobby the porter quickly found a chair and placed it by the telephone. Several minutes later the Dublin office had confirmed that they had not heard from Darlath, ‘which was very unusual’. Dermot laid the receiver on the table. The effort required to replace it onto its cradle was now too much for him. His face was ashen, the whites of his eyes were yellow and sunken.
Dermot looked up,
“He’s gone you know?”
“How do you mean gone?”
“I want to tell you something Steve, but first you must promise not repeat this anywhere.”
“You know that you can trust me Dermot, go on.”
“I wouldn’t accept, couldn’t accept what he was, so he’s decided to leave. That’s what’s happened.”
Steve pulled up a chair and sat facing the old man,
“Dermot, there’s something you may need to know from me first. It’s to do with Darlath.”
Dermot’s attention was diverted by the arrival of two other hotel guests in the room.
Steve continued,
“Can we go back into the sitting room or up to your bedroom maybe?”
Dermot looked quizzically into Steve’s face,
“My room.” He rasped.
A few minutes later they were both sitting by a desk in Dermot’s bedroom.
The old man was now breathless from climbing the stairs to the first floor. His face appeared overwrought and puzzled,
“Now what were you saying?”
Steve leaned towards him,
“It’s about Darlath, you asked me to help you. But I already knew about him and his ways.”
Dermot closed his eyes, “Go on.”
“I’ve had my suspicions. But I’ve kept silent so as not to add to your problems.”
Dermot opened his eyes, coughed and cleared his throat,
“My whole life I’ve given to him, to educate him, to set him up. He had a brilliant future ahead; now he’s gone off with someone I suppose. I am angry, very angry who would think a son of mine…”
Dermot rapped the desk with his knuckles.
“As I said to you before, If you can find out who it is...”
Steve cut in,
“I know who it is Dermot.”
The old man looked into Steve’s face, not certain that he had heard correctly,
“You know? Is it someone in Ireland? Who?” he whispered.
“It’s Andrew. He’s the one who’s enticed your son and turned him away from you!”
“Andrew, my best friend’s son, my business partner’s boy… Andrew. I never saw it happening, I had no idea. How blind and stupid I was. But how did you know?”
Tears filled the old man’s eyes.
“I’m sorry to bring this news to you, sir, but I had to be certain. You see I saw Darlath leave Andrew’s flat very early one morning, he’d stayed there overnight but later lied to you that he had arrived on the ferry from Dublin that morning. I’ve watched them together at our meetings, nothing was said but I knew the two of them were … were.”
“Seeing each other Steve?”
“Yes. I’m so sorry Dermot but you needed to know the truth. Especially now, as I guess they must have both disappeared.”
Dermot straightened his back and sucked air deeply into his chest. He thought f
or a moment then turned to face Steve.
“More than anything Steve I now need your help, your open involvement in this matter. I’ve always trusted you, you know that. I want you to find Andrew and put a stop to this nonsense now. Whatever you do, stop them. Go and search for them but make sure Andrew doesn’t take my son away from me. Bring Darlath back here. I need to see him very urgently, do you understand?”
The old man turned and stared out of the window,
“Go now Steve.”
Steve Beecham had been given a mission, a command, just like the old days in the Police Force. He always worked better when directed from above; he was always deferential to his governors and eager to please them. Even as an Inspector he enthusiastically threw himself into a difficult task when ordered to do so by his superiors. Unfortunately his superintendents later discovered that he was prone to bullying the lower ranks that worked with him. So much so that his retirement was brought forward after an incident involving a group of cadets that complained of his exceedingly robust treatment towards them and the prisoners under their control.
“Will you do it for me. I’ll give you my share of this operation if you’re successful?”
“You’ve always treated me well sir, I’ll do it for you Dermot.”
Harry telephoned Andrew’s flat, but there was no reply.
“Still no contact?” Eileen said stretching her arms as she lay on the bed.
“No, I’ll ring Tommy at the garage.”
Harry didn’t have to wait too long before the telephone was answered by Tommy.
“Hi Tom, its Harry, any news from Darlath or Andrew?”
“No not yet, perhaps they’ve broken down again?”
Tommy explained that he had telephoned the garage in Tarbet yesterday and was told that the vehicle had been fixed.
“Tom, I’m just about to start work, I’ll call in to Andrew’s flat later in the morning to see if they’ve arrived. If they turn up with you perhaps you would leave a message for Eileen at the Stuart… Yes, OK, bye for now and thanks.”
Eileen had put on her dressing gown and was brushing her hair, “They’ve not turned up then?”
“No, they probably stayed overnight somewhere. Perhaps the car was still causing them problems?”
Eileen turned away from the mirror,
“Before I go to work I’ll go over to Dermot’s hotel to discuss the cottage with him, and I’ll also check to see if he’s had any word from them.”
“OK love, I’d better make tracks now.”
“See you later Harry. I’m just so excited that we can buy our own place, perhaps even the cottage by the coast. Everything’s turning out so well. I do love you so much!”
“And I love you. I’ll see you at the Stuart later. I hope Dermot’s agreeable to selling the cottage to us. Now I really must go.”
The couple hugged each other and kissed before Harry went on his way.
The morning went fairly well for Harry; only two persistent rent defaulters that needed chasing. On his way to Andrew’s flat he stopped at the barber’s shop for a trim. It also gave him the opportunity to read a newspaper whilst he waited. Afterwards he walked to the flat. Weak sunshine had replaced the drizzly rain making the cobbled road surfaces shiny and reflective. The market stallholders were clearing away their tables and the remains of their produce.
At the flat he rang the bell but there was no response. He waited a few minutes and rang again. ‘He’s not in, damn it!’ Harry decided to let himself inside so that he could deposit the cash he’d collected into Andrew’s safe. As he climbed the stairs he noticed that the sitting room light was on.
“Andrew are you there?” he called. Again, there was no reply. He reached inside and switched the light off. He moved around the flat, quickly examining each room but there was no one at home. ‘He must have been here earlier because the lights were on?’ he thought.
He retraced his steps to the sitting room. There was something not quite right. Andrew was always fastidious in the way he dressed and kept his flat, yet the desk was now strewn with papers. Harry slowly approached the back of the settee facing the fireplace. His nostrils smelt blood and a second later his eyes focused upon the spattering traces of it in front of the fireplace. Looking over the back of the settee he stopped, to his horror he discovered Andrew; naked, gagged and bound. He had been castrated. Blood was still oozing from his mutilated body but he was still just alive.
“Jesus Christ!”
Harry rushed to the press cupboard for towels and packed them tightly around the wound. He then undid the gag and flex tying Andrew’s wrists and ankles. Andrew’s hands and face had been badly beaten and were now a tumid red pulp,
“Andrew, who did this?”
Andrew tried to open his eyes but they were sealed by bruises and dried blood.
“I’ll call an ambulance!”
“No!”
Andrew whispered, his voice making low bubbling noises. Andrew moved and gripped Harry’s arm,
“No…listen..first.”
His voice was now scratchy and weak.
“Listen…”
“You need hospital treatment Andrew, I need to call for help.” Andrew’s grip tightened,
“Go to….Dar…Darlath he’s in great danger…Harry do….”
Harry calmed down,
“OK Andrew I’m listening, where is Darlath?”
Andrew tried to turn his head towards Harry but the pain was too much. He groaned,
“Cottage I own...Dad’s...Darla...money…Darlath. Get to Darlath quickly...I own…”
“Andrew yes I’ll go but you need treatment, I’ll phone for some help.”
“Go and...go help Darlath now!”
Andrew’s words were unclear, the bruising and pain was too much for him to be coherent.
“Dad’s cottage…holiday..I own…cottage I own...sum…summer hol...money will be..under stairs..secret door …get the money … panel loose…holiday cottage…I own…Dad...”
He was becoming delirious.
“Andrew listen to me, can you listen to me, Andrew?”
Harry’s wrist was clasped even tighter,
“Yes…I hear you...” His voice was now barely audible.
“Andrew I’ll do as you ask but where do I go, which cottage, where?”
With great effort Andrew carefully formed the words to answer, “Papers…in suitcase…Inner…Innerleithen...Darlath waiting… for me.”
“Let me look Andrew.”
Harry was released. He quickly found the open suitcase by the desk and pulled out the clothes and shoes but there were no papers. He scanned the desk; all of the drawers had been turned out and their contents scattered. Documents and forms had been removed; all that was left was blank stationery with no reference to Innerleithen.
“Andrew, There’s nothing of any importance in the case or in the desk. I can’t find anything!”
Harry returned to the settee to discover that Andrew had slipped into unconsciousness. He tried desperately to rouse him then he noticed that the fresh towels he had applied were now already seeping blood.
“Christ, enough of this, I’m phoning.”
He quickly dialled for an ambulance and gave Andrew’s address and details before carefully wiping his fingerprints from the receiver and desk. He glanced back at Andrew who was now very pale, all colour on his unbruised skin had disappeared, and he wasn’t breathing. Harry felt for a pulse on Andrew’s neck and wrist, there was none, not even the weakest flicker.
“Oh no, Andy…”
There was nothing else he could do he realised, as he rapidly came to his senses. He couldn’t remain in the flat, and he knew that he just had to find Darlath. Harry stood up and ran out of the room and down the stairs into the street. Carefully pulling the door almost closed, he walked brisk
ly away towards the city centre; as he did so he heard the distant bell of an ambulance approaching from the opposite direction.
Harry decided to go to the railway station and look at a map. He recalled that Andrew kept mentioning ‘Innerleithen’ and the ‘cottage he owned.’ He kept repeating the words he had heard over and over again in his mind. There was something vaguely familiar about the name of the village. Andrew must have mentioned it before but when and in what context?
At the station he found a large wall map of the railway network and quickly discovered where Innerleithen was. His eyes scanned the surrounding area for clues, The River Tweed, Cardrona Forest, Kings Muir, Peebles. Peebles! That was it! Peebles! What were the details of the conversation? Harry thought about it for a minute and then ran over in his mind what Andrew had actually said earlier. Cottage I own, Innerleithen, Dad, holidays. Holidays that was it. His Dad bought the cottage for holidays and as a joke had etched out a map to the cottage on the mirror tiles at a hotel they’d worked on at Peebles. Harry now knew where he had to get to. At the ticket office he tried to buy a single ticket to Peebles,
“Not today sir I’m afraid, there’s been a land slip at Stobo. I can get you to the station at Broughton. That’s about eight miles from Peebles. Will that do you?”
“Yes, I need to get there quickly. Yes that’s fine.”
Harry paid for the ticket,
“Tell me please I’m trying to meet someone at one of the larger hotels in Peebles but I’ve mislaid the details. It’s one that has a swimming pool and steam room. Would you know which hotel that would be?”
“That’s probably the Tartan Hydro sir.”
“Of course, thank you. Thank you for your help.”
As soon ‘the Hydro’ was mentioned Harry remembered the conversation with Andrew in full. ‘The map is in the steam room on one of the mirror tiles.’ His Dad had made a map to the cottage using the adhesive glue on the wall and only when there is sufficient steam does it show through onto the mirror. All the other tiles simply had five dots of adhesive, ‘Like a dice.’
‘That’s it!’ he thought.
Harry checked the timetable and found that he would arrive at Broughton at four fifteen. Then a taxi to the hotel, locate the map and then a taxi to Innerleithen. He should reach there by seven or eight and meet up with Darlath and the money. But first he needed to phone Eileen. He walked across the concourse towards the buffet. Outside were five telephone boxes and all of them were currently occupied. He waited until one became free then he dialled the Royal Stuart.
Shadows of Deceit Page 21