by Lynne McEwan
Marie pulled a small pile of pictures from a drawer. Blonde pigtails and a school uniform. The long, white veil of first communion. Older now, holding a baby. An uneven row of teenage faces, cousins sharing out the Guess-Who game of family features; blonde hair, blue eyes, short stature, high hairline, sticky-out ears. Marie recited their names, her son Lewis, then Siobhan, Matty, Josh, Paul and on the end, recognisably herself, Isla Corr. The girl in Buckie’s photograph, the girl with the bracelet. The girl on the slab.
‘Marie, there’s something I have to tell you,’ Shona began.
‘She’s dead, isn’t she?’ Marie said quietly.
‘I’m sorry, but the body of a young woman has been recovered. She was wearing the bracelet Murdo showed you. Her DNA was a match to Paddy. Do you have anything of Isla’s, a toothbrush or comb? No? Okay, we’ll do another DNA test with yourself, but I think you need to prepare for bad news. The young woman met her death through violence.’
‘It’s her. It’s her for sure,’ Marie moved the photographs around on the kitchen worktop like Tarot cards, as if a different combination could reveal a different fate for her daughter.
‘Why do you say that?’ Shona asked.
‘She’s gone off before, but always come back.’ Marie tore off a sheet of kitchen paper and pressed it to her eyes. ‘Ryan, you see. My grandson. He lives with me at the minute, but she’s never left him for so long. I knew something wasnae right. She was just getting back on her feet. Her man’s inside, he battered her and… she was just getting her head sorted.’ She sobbed. ‘Can I see her? Will I need to identify her? Paddy’s no fit, he can hardly leave the house.’
‘Marie,’ Shona began, ‘Isla’s body was recovered from the Solway Firth. She’d been in the water some time. Like I said, we can confirm her identity through DNA. There’s no need for you to come in.’
With the realisation that she’d never see her daughter again, dead or alive, Marie balled the tissue into her mouth and let out a stifled howl.
‘It’s okay, Marie. Take your time.’ Shona put her arm around the woman. She could feel the tautness of her body, the physical effort required to stay upright, leaning on the kitchen counter. Together the two of them stood looking down at the relics of a young life, a life finished before it had barely begun.
Then, the jigsaw images of Isla Corr began to shift before Shona’s eyes, forming themselves into a new alignment, opening a window of memory that illuminated everything in sharper focus.
‘Isla’s ex-boyfriend? Would that be Marcus Gregor?’
‘That’s the bastard, Gringo.’ Marie nodded vigorously. ‘Always said he was a bad yin. We fell out over it. He didnae kill her, did he? I thought he was in prison?’ Anger was already battling the grief for pole position. Shona had seen it often, the swings and eddies that would roll on for months, even years, if answers weren’t found. ‘Do you know what he done to her?’ Marie continued, ‘He put her in hospital.’
‘Yes,’ Shona said quietly. ‘I know.’
Almost two years had passed since Gringo had come at her with a broken bottle in that hospital room and she’d instinctively grabbed the special’s baton. When she hit him, Gringo had gone down like a felled pine tree. She’d taken satisfaction from it, knowing all the while it could go badly for her if he made a complaint. But now the guilt flooded in. She remembered Isla propped up in a hospital bed, the small face swollen almost out of recognition. The eyes blackened, the lip split. Her name hadn’t lodged in Shona’s memory as it should have. Despite the girl’s injuries, Shona should have recognised her in the Facebook photograph. For all she’d done, putting her career on the line, she’d failed. She’d set out to protect Isla, but now this vulnerable young woman was dead and nothing could change that.
She squeezed the woman’s shoulder. ‘Marie, I think you should sit down. I’m going to get a Family Liaison Officer to come over. They’ll keep you up to date with what we’re doing. When you’re ready, I’ll need you to tell my officer everything you can remember about the last time you spoke to Isla. But for now, is there anyone we can call? What about your son, Lewis?’
‘No, he’ll be at work. My sister, she lives close.’ Marie sniffed, picking up the phone, but her hand shook so much that Shona took it from her and pressed the button marked Margaret. After explaining the situation, she took Marie back into the living room. When Margaret arrived a few minutes later, the women fell on each other, collapsing under their combined grief. Paddy sat sullen and silent, his mouth a hard line beneath the oxygen feed. After a moment he reached for the TV remote, scrabbling for it with his fingertips, and turned the horse racing back on. Murdo glared at him until he muted the sound. The three police officers left the family alone for their last private moment before the public business of an investigation began in earnest.
Outside, Shona started the Audi’s engine. Dan sat squashed in the back. Murdo flicked through the collected pictures in the passenger seat. ‘You mind her now, don’t you, boss?’ he said quietly. ‘And Jamie Buckland, giving us the run-around. Saying he didnae know her. Maybe he was supplying her? Thought we’d get him for dealing instead of just possession.’
Shona bit her lip and made a show of checking her mirrors as she prepared to reverse out of the parking space. It bought her time to steady her voice. ‘Murdo, check if Marcus Gregor is still inside. If he’s not at Dumfries Prison, find out where he’s been transferred to. I’m going to need a word with him, pronto.’
‘I could do that, if you like,’ Murdo said, also paying extra attention to the traffic-free avenue.
‘No, I think it better if I see him myself. We’ve a conversation to finish.’ She slammed the car into gear.
Dan had sat passively through the events inside, as instructed, observing the interplay of the Corrs’ marriage, the firm but compassionate breaking of bad news by Shona and Murdo. Now he leaned forward from the back seat. ‘Ma’am, if it’s okay with you, I’d like to be present at that interview.’ In the rear-view mirror Shona and Dan exchanged a glance. He was just as committed to finding answers as she was.
After a moment she said, ‘Fine. Let’s set that up for tomorrow morning.’
Chapter 11
Next morning, Shona called Murdo, Kate and Ravi into her office. Dan was already there, leaning back on a chair under the window, scrolling through his phone.
‘So, is this our case now?’ asked Kate bluntly, her eyes moving between Shona and Dan. Though she’d smiled and even flirted with Dan when he’d arrived, the question resurrected his uncertain status in the team. She was the senior detective constable here, and he shouldn’t forget it.
‘At present we’re assisting an officer from a neighbouring force,’ said Shona. ‘But as head of CID in Dumfries I’m authorising the opening of a file to be shared with Cumbria in accordance with the guidelines laid down in the document “The Management of Cross-Border Crime in Dumfries and Galloway”. Does that answer your question, DC Irving?’
‘Yes, ma’am,’ said Kate quietly. She crossed her long legs and shot Dan a malevolent look which he pointedly ignored.
‘Okay, folks. Thanks to DC Ridley we have a positive ID on our girl in the water via a partial DNA match. Yesterday Murdo and I interviewed the family, who confirmed their daughter has been missing for over a month. Murdo, what have you found on the victim?’
‘Isla Corr, twenty-one years old. Past convictions for possession of Class A drugs, a treatment order from the Sheriff for her heroin addiction. We’ve had her in for public solicitation as well,’ Murdo said. ‘She dropped out of school and has been in trouble since her early teens. There’s a son, Ryan, who’s six years old, currently living with grandparents, Marie and Paddy Corr. I’ve had uniform check out Isla’s last known address, the one she gave to the hospital when she was assaulted by her partner, but that was nearly two years ago and neighbours say she left a while back and they’ve no idea where she went.’
‘Okay, lines of enquiry and persons of intere
st,’ said Shona, squeezing across to the whiteboard propped up on the low filing cabinets at a right angle to her desk. She uncapped a marker pen. ‘Former partner Marcus Gregor. Murdo?’
‘He was out on licence when he assaulted her and went straight back to Dumfries jail.’
‘Okay, he has an alibi, but we still need to interview him. Dan and I will be doing that later. Who else?’
Murdo cleared his throat. ‘Her father, Paddy Corr. He has previous for violent offences including sexual assault on an eighteen-year-old girl. Pretty sure he brought his work home with him, but his wife Marie would never co-operate with police.’ Murdo turned to Kate and Ravi. ‘Paddy was hooked up to oxygen when we visited yesterday. Terminally ill, stage four emphysema Marie said, but if it wasn’t for his health I’d have him in pole position.’
Shona nodded. ‘Dan, what did you make of him?’
‘He looked in a bad way, but he’s a skilled manipulator. He could still have had a hand in her death.’
‘Aye, that’s true,’ said Murdo.
‘I’d want to check if he’s really as ill as he makes out,’ said Dan, tapping his teeth with his pen. ‘From what I saw yesterday, there’s something not right there. Marie would lie for him, no question. That might change though if she thought he had something to do with her daughter’s death.’
‘Good point,’ Shona said. ‘Okay, for now he stays on the list. Anyone else?’
‘Nathan Jones?’ said Dan. ‘Is he still in the frame?’
‘There’s no indication he knew Isla,’ Shona considered. ‘Despite brandishing an axe handle at us he has no convictions for violence and he’s a victim himself of domestic abuse. But, he’s dysfunctional, aggressive and secretive, living alone close to the Solway Firth. I think he stays until we can rule him out completely.’
‘What about Jamie Buckland?’ Murdo said.
Shona nodded vigorously as she inked his name on the board. ‘He lied to us about knowing Isla. We need to re-interview him. His gave his address as Carter Street in Carlisle so, Dan, re-interview him. And get Isla’s photograph out to your uniform and PCSOs while you’re at it.’
She stood back and looked at the spider diagram on the board, considering possible links and avenues. She turned to her two detective constables sitting side by side.
‘Kate, I know you’re full-on with the baby milk case, but check with the multi-agency hub if Isla Corr pops up anywhere in the months since she left hospital. We’ve an empty timeline, so let’s fill it. And social media. Her mother said she didn’t do Facebook but check the other platforms. Is that odd?’ Shona paused, addressing the question to the room. ‘A girl her age without a Facebook account?’
Ravi shrugged, picking a speck of fluff from his white, half-zipped hoodie. ‘Social media is tribal, depends what your friends have. Snapchat, Instagram, WhatsApp groups. Facebook has an older demographic, but it’s worth checking if she deleted her account and if she blocked anyone.’ Beside him Kate was nodding and taking notes.
Shona replaced the pen lid. ‘Ravi, I want you as FLO. Liaise with the family but also see if you can find out who Ryan’s dad is and if there’s still contact. Marie was evasive when I asked her. I don’t want you to press them, that’s not your role. But anything you pick up on, I want to hear it. As Dan said, there’s something, probably many things, not right in that family. Oh, and we need a DNA swab from Marie, to confirm Isla’s ID, and get any phone numbers Isla was using, see if we can get some cell site history.’
He nodded. ‘Sure, boss.’
The Corrs’ initial reaction to DC Ravi Sarwar would probably be hostile, and he’d certainly stand out in the all-white, working-class community of Dumfries. But his charm, tact and patience would pay dividends both for the investigation and for Isla’s relations seeking closure.
‘Anything else we should be looking at?’ Shona said.
‘Well. She was a prostitute and a drug user,’ said Kate, doodling circles on her notepad.
‘You talk like she deserved it. A young woman thrown in the sea like a piece of rubbish,’ flashed Shona, causing Kate to colour. This was exactly the kind of comment, this lack of tact, that separated her two constables, and confirmed Shona’s decision to appoint Ravi to family liaison. It was also the reason why Kate’s career, talented though she was, could stall in an unguarded moment. A male officer might get away with it, just. But even in this era of diversity and apparent equality Shona knew the old adage held true. Women were held to higher standards and any who failed would be side-lined.
‘I was just wondering why she didn’t come up on the DNA database herself,’ Kate said quietly.
‘She was under eighteen at the time of the offence. The sample was discarded after three years,’ Murdo said. ‘She’s not been in trouble since, or she learned not to get caught.’
‘Lifestyle is a legitimate line of enquiry,’ Shona conceded. ‘But remember, Isla Corr has a son, a mother, siblings, friends who all want to know how and why she died. It’s our job to answer these questions. There will be press interest, so let’s watch our words as much as our actions. Isla’s mother said she was clean, so we need the toxicology results before we jump to conclusions. Any sign of them, Dan?’ Ridley shook his head. There was a moment of heavy silence before Shona wound up the meeting. ‘Dan, with me. I want an update from the rest of you later today.’ Chairs were pushed back, Kate and Ravi heading to the small kitchen area.
‘Boss is taking this quite personally,’ Kate said sullenly to Ravi as they stood by the kettle waiting for it to boil.
‘I suppose if you recover the body yourself it’s bound to affect you,’ said Ravi, flicking through the tin of biscuit wrappers.
‘Or maybe it’s not that body she’s interested in.’
‘How do you mean?’ Ravi frowned. Half a chocolate digestive, dusty and slightly soft, was his only option.
Kate tilted her head to where Shona and Dan were waiting for the lift. They saw Shona, six inches shorter and ten years his senior, smile upwards at something Dan said. Kate raised her eyebrows at Ravi and mouthed a single word. Cougar.
* * *
At Her Majesty’s Prison Dumfries, the warning light flashed, and the reinforced glass door swung open. Inside, a second door buzzed and Shona and Dan entered the carpeted reception. At the desk they showed their warrant cards and deposited their bag and mobile phones in a lock box. There was a delay while they found a female prison officer to search Shona.
The repeated jingle and clang of locks and keys took them into an empty canteen area. Blocks of tables and benches, set out in rows, were bolted to the floor. A sneering man in prison uniform of jeans and blue T-shirt was already waiting, lounging back in the metal bench, one leg thrust out into the passage. A prison officer remained by the door.
‘Thank you for agreeing to see me.’ Shona took the seat opposite him. Dan sat down at the bench across the aisle, pulling his suit jacket straight, his expression parked firmly in neutral.
‘Aye well, we’re a bit short of the female form in here. It’s nice to freshen the image. You’ll be in my dreams tonight,’ Gringo leered.
‘I’m here about Isla,’ said Shona, brushing aside the comment. ‘When did you last see her?’
‘She’s not been to visit me thanks to you, bitch.’ He glared at her.
Shona held eye contact and sat forward, leaning her elbows on the table. ‘We’ve found her body. I’m sorry.’
Gringo stared at her for a moment then dipped his head, shaking it as if to loosen the grip of whatever emotion had seized him. He balled his fists. Dan shifted in his seat, ready to spring between Shona and Gringo. He glanced up at the prison officer, who had also clocked Gringo’s body language and was rocking on the balls of his feet, one hand on his radio to call for back-up. Shona didn’t move.
But when Gringo finally lifted his head, she could see tears in his eyes. ‘Was it the dope? Always thought it would get her.’
‘Someone killed her. Threw h
er body in the Solway Firth,’ Shona said bluntly. ‘I recovered her myself. DC Ridley was there too.’
Dan reached into his pocket. ‘I’m very sorry, Mr Gregor.’ He slid a folded paper tissue across the table top. A sound somewhere between a grunt and a sob escaped Marcus Gregor’s lips. He picked up the tissue and rubbed it across his face.
Given that he’d half-killed Isla himself, Shona thought he didn’t deserve Dan’s sympathy, but it wasn’t her place to judge. The court had done that and passed their sentence. She needed him calm and willing to talk, and if Dan got him there that was fine by her.
‘I’ve seen your file,’ Shona said. ‘Friends on the outside with previous form for violence.’
‘Think I’d let anyone touch her?’ Gringo swallowed hard. ‘What’s he doing here, you lot always swim in pairs. This an official interview? Do I need my solicitor?’ he said, making a half-hearted attempt at defiance.
‘Look, Marcus. I’m sorry we got off on the wrong foot.’
‘You assaulted me with a baton.’ It came out as a little boy whine.
‘You decked a special constable and came at me with a bottle. I wasn’t going to let you get at Isla, was I?’ said Shona calmly.
‘I wouldn’t hurt her. I mean, I didn’t mean to hurt her in the first place. I was high. But I was out on licence, if she went through with the complaint, I’d be back in jail. I only wanted to tell her…’ He hung his head, radiating self-pity.
‘You’ve a parole hearing coming up. If you’ve got anything to tell me, better do it now. Co-operating with the police will help your case.’
‘I loved her. Ryan? What about Ryan? Is he okay? I hurt her, but I hurt myself too.’ He shook his head, blinking back angry tears. ‘I let her down and now she’s dead. I wasn’t there to protect her. The worst thing that could have happened to me already has, so you can threaten me all you like.’