by Zach Abrams
“Anyhow, none of this is going to help you solve your case. I was telling you about Meg Limited. It owns a portfolio of shares, nothing suspicious, all blue chip investments. But the properties are more interesting. The accounts only show it as property investments but I've checked it out with the Land Registry and the company owns three flats, two are in Newton Mearns and the third is in the Glasgow Harbour development at Partick. He also owns the freehold on two shops in the West End. I don't see any immediate links to him; one's a fast food carryout and the other's a newsagent. They may just be leased out to get the income but you'll probably want to check them out. I've written down the addresses.”
“Thanks for all your help,” Sandra smiled gratefully.
“Any time,” Geoff replied and patted her three times on the leg in a friendly gesture, just above her knee, but with the third one his fingertips gently grazed her inner thigh and he gazed into her eyes longingly.
To Sandra the effect was like an electric shock and she sprang to her feet. She felt very uncomfortable in his company. She was now more certain that she hadn't misinterpreted his earlier intentions. She was glad Celia had been in the room, albeit at the other side, as she wouldn't ever want to be left alone with him. She fought back the urge to utilise her martial arts training. Just one straight arm punch to the centre of his face would be so pleasing. It would break his nose in an instant. Maybe that's what had happened to it before. It might not have been rugby after all. She decided against making an issue of his behaviour or making any formal complaint, as she had more than enough to cope with at the moment. However, she'd maybe pass on a comment to her union rep so that Geoff could be monitored more closely. Sandra rushed away and as she approached the door, Celia ran to open it for her, not saying a word, but her eyes were downcast staring at the floor.
Sandra was desperate to tell Alex about the new information but waited until she was back in her office to call him.
Chapter 8
Crowds of contented supporters were meandering all over the road as Alex drove away from the stadium. He was making slow progress, being careful to not inflict any bodily injuries with his wing mirror, when his phone rang.
Eyeing the screen, he pressed the accept button on the 'Parrot' and immediately spoke, telling Sandra where he was and that the boys were with him, as a caution to be guarded in what she said.
“Okay, Boss, give me a call when you can. We've now got the low-down on Stevenson's business and property holdings. Very interesting, I'll give you the details later.”
“Fine, I'll give you a call from the flat, half an hour to an hour tops.” They cleared the jaywalking crowds fairly quickly but progress along Dumbreck Road was still slow as they vied with traffic heading out of the city which was exiting first from the M8 and then the M77 motorways.
They arrived back at Alex's flat and the boys were ravenous. Alex quickly heated a pot of soup he'd prepared earlier. He was a dab hand at Scotch broth and he had left the pulses soaking overnight so they would swell to a solid mass. Although he gave them each a spoon with their mug, a fork and knife might have been a better way to handle it. Buttered rolls were laid out to accompany the soup. “Eat up lads. We don't have a lot of time if we're to make it out before the fireworks start.”
The boys were eating while watching the early evening television and Alex, armed with his own mug, disappeared into his bedroom to call Sandra for a quick update.
Being the 5th November, it was Guy Fawkes' night and, as had become a tradition for Alex and the boys, they were going to a firework display. Last year was the first time Helen hadn't been with them but previously Guy Fawkes' night had been considered one of the traditional family events. When the boys had been younger, Alex had bought their own fireworks and they had a private bonfire and then set them off in their back garden. One memorable year, the family had a weekend, mini-holiday away in Manchester during September and visited Chinatown where they had purchased some interesting looking firecrackers. Little did they realise they'd bought display fireworks which when they set them off nearly deafened them, the ground actually shook and many of their neighbours rushed out thinking there'd been a gas explosion. Last year, with Helen's absence, they'd gone to the free entertainment provided on Glasgow Green which boasted Scotland's largest organised display. The event was produced in association with the ABBA show 'Mamma Mia' and with its musical accompaniment together with participation from Radio Clyde, it had various sideshows and food booths. Although the entertainment was sensational, the experience was spoiled by groups of unruly teenagers running about, throwing bangers and other fireworks, smashing bottles and shouting and yelling obscenities. This year Alex decided to avoid the big show and instead he would take the kids to their local display. He didn't mind having to pay for the tickets as they would be far less likely to encounter the same problems and it was somewhere they might bump into their own friends. It was still a significant display and it was to be held at the playing fields of the Glasgow Hutchisons' Aloysians Rugby Football Club in Giffnock. The location of the GHA stadium was roughly half way between Alex's flat in Shawlands and the bungalow in Clarkston.
Alex considered taking the car but knew the car park would be full long before he got there and the adjacent side streets would be no better. He thought about parking at a local supermarket and walking the remainder of the distance but decided it wouldn't be worthwhile. Instead, he made sure the boys were warmly dressed and, at 6.45 pm, they set off at a brisk pace to walk the near two-mile distance. They arrived in good time to buy hot dogs and find their seats before settling down for the show to start. Not unexpectedly, the boys both met up with school friends and Alex had a chance to unwind and chat with some of the other parents.
When the show ended, they declined the opportunity to go to the family disco in the clubhouse. Instead, they started their walk home, discussing the comparative merits of this year's display with the larger one last year, rubbing their necks as they went, to ease the strain from spending a long time looking skyward.
Once home, Alex made them all hot, milky drinks and they ate toasted, buttered muffins. They sat watching television for a while but as the boys were physically drained after their very full day, before 10.30pm they chose to have an early night and went to their beds to read.
Alex took the opportunity to phone Sandra and, hoping to have a more leisurely discussion, he dialled her landline. “Hi, I'm sorry to break into your Saturday evening.”
Sandra answered and then immediately lifted the cordless phone into the hall so as to be out of hearing range of her parents and so not to disturb their television viewing.
“The sorriest part is you knowing that you'd get me at home on a Saturday night. Poor, sad, lonely bastard that I am, and you'll never guess what we've been watching on TV? CSI followed by Law and Order no less. No rest for the wicked, I could bloody well write the script”
“Who on earth's phoning you at this time?” Alex overheard in the background.
“It's okay, Mum, It's just to do with my work.”
“What, at this time on a Saturday night?”
“Mum, you need to realise it's a 24/7 type of job.”
“Sorry about that,” Sandra came back on.
“I didn't expect you to be at home, I was just trying on the off chance.”
“Sorry, Alex, nice try but you don't win a coconut. That doesn't sound remotely likely as you didn't try my mobile first, and besides even if it had been true it wouldn't make me feel any better. The truth is, at the moment, I don't have any social life.”
“Well, we'll just need to do something about that. If you don't fix yourself up with a better offer, I'll take you out for a drink next week.”
“Hmm, that's the second offer I've had today.”
“And there was you complaining. Women, I'll never understand them.”
Sandra hadn't intended to tell Alex about Geoff's behaviour, not now at least, but whether by accident or not, the conversation had
led to it and she found the words flooding out, telling Alex exactly what had happened and her concerns about Geoff's predatory behaviour.
Alex was angry. “It sounds like he's good at his job but there's no excuse for that type of behaviour and we need to nip this in the bud. I understand you'd prefer not to make a formal complaint but we need to deal with this quickly. I'm going to find out who's supervising the project and see what we can do. From what you've told me, this is a joint agency task force and he's meant to be representing his profession. Marwick's will be mortified when they find out.
“Leave this with me for now, okay. Right, what have you got planned for tomorrow?”
“I'm seeing Findlay at ten o'clock. McAvoy's going to be with me. We'll find out what he has to say about the phone calls. I'm also seeing Shirley McCann with Sanjay, we're meeting her at six o'clock in the evening We've managed to trace a few more of the punters from the photos and I've already arranged interviews with a couple of them and I'm setting up meetings with some others for Sanjay. It's quite tricky because we are trying to be discreet.”
“I hope they appreciate it, but I doubt it. Anything else?”
“The warrant's being processed and we should have it in good time. We'll be able to go to the bank any time that suits us.”
“Good.”
“So what have you got planned?”
“I didn't think it possible but I've managed to exhaust the lads, what with the swimming the football and the fireworks. They've both called it a night and have taken their books to bed. Andrew's reading a 'Harry Potter' and Craig's into some vampire series. I'm just about to go and put my feet up, but before that I'll pour myself a whisky. I think I've earned it. I was given a nice bottle of Glenlivet for my birthday a couple of months back and I'm sure I still have a fair amount left. Some nice relaxing music for background and I might just drift off myself.”
“Are you around tomorrow?”
“Call me if you need me. I'd been planning to take the boys round the Kelvingrove Museum but Craig's got himself a date, an invitation to meet up with a crowd at East Kilbride. It came from a girl he met at the swimming and she asked him to join them.”
“Well, that's your problems really starting now. One's already a teenager and the other one's almost there.”
“Thanks for your words of encouragement, and with that I think we should call it a night. Whisky beckons and I'm sure you'll want to get back to Benson and Stabler. Good night, sleep tight”
“Night,” Sandra replied with some regret, she'd being enjoying the warmth and camaraderie of their discourse and returned to the loneliness of the family room.
When she'd been twenty-two, Sandra and her then boyfriend, Graeme, had rented and moved into their own flat in Glasgow's fashionable Merchant City. They'd had plans to save up so they could afford to buy their own place, but a few months later Graeme was made redundant and never found any replacement permanent work. He sometimes took temporary positions for a few weeks at a time but mainly just bummed around the flat relying on Sandra's income to keep them. She wouldn't even have minded too much had he taken a fair share of the household chores, but he rarely cooked, shopped or cleaned. All too often Sandra returned from a hard day's work to find no food in the fridge, the flat being filthy, with dirty dishes piled high and needing to be cleared before she could even think about food. Graeme would be sitting playing on a games console. Sandra tolerated his behaviour for some time, too long actually, making excuses to herself that Graeme was suffering from depression but would soon find a job and be okay. The job never arrived, mainly because he wasn't trying, and eventually Sandra stopped making excuses for him and called time on their relationship. She realised she'd had a lucky escape but nevertheless was bereft at the loss of the life she had planned and expected, having instead to move back home with her parents.
Much as she loved her parents and they were devoted to her, this was not the life Sandra had wanted for herself, and it did not fit with her parents plans either. Her father was a chartered surveyor and he was only a year off retirement, while her mother was already retired, on a full pension, after a career as a modern languages schoolteacher. Sandra had two older siblings who were both married and each had two children. Her sister now lived near London, and her brother lived in Stirling, each with their families. Sandra's return to her parents' home had inhibited their plans for a more carefree time with greater freedom and more travel as they instead had to resume their roles as mother and father. They had always joked about 'SKI-ING' through their retirement - 'Spending the Kids Inheritance.' They had even taken the first step, not long after Sandra had moved into her flat, when they purchased an apartment in a small spa town in the Vallespir valley in the South of France, only a few kilometres from the Spanish border. Although they took every opportunity to holiday there, Sandra became concerned that her presence was slowing down their plans.
Without the distraction of a relationship, Sandra worked hard to build her career, and although she dated and took part in many interests and activities, she was unable to commit to anything serious. Only after several years of living back home was she now looking to rent a flat of her own to establish her independence.
Alex, too, felt rather lonely and melancholy. He changed his mind about the whisky. He enjoyed having a drink as a celebration or in company but was wary about drinking alone being particularly cautious not to drink to forget or cover up thinking about problems. In his line of work he was all too aware how easily it could become habit forming and lead to much worse problems. In his job, he often had to pick up the pieces after other people had made that mistake.
* * *
In the morning Alex rose early and prepared the batter to make waffles and pancakes as a special treat. While waiting for the boys to wake, Alex made a few calls to find out who was responsible for the project Geoff Thomson was employed on. He was delighted when he was informed Superintendant Charles Hunter was in charge. He knew Charlie very well, having worked for him for a number of years, earlier in his career, when he'd been a newly promoted sergeant. Charlie had been a great boss and a good teacher. Alex had learned a lot from him and he had enormous respect. Alex still had Charlie's private number and he gave him a ring.
Charlie was appalled to hear about Sandra's experience and they discussed various options.
“The force has had enough problems with claims of sexual harassment over the years without importing it from outside. We could just ask Marwick's to take him off the project but they'd want a full explanation and that could prove awkward, as there's not a lot of evidence to go on. The other lass, Celia, did you say? She might be a help, but we can't be certain, and if Sandra would prefer not to be roped in we're snookered. We might be better to keep our powder dry and wait until we have something else to work with.”
“We could always send Edwina round to see him?” Alex suggested stifling a chuckle.
“What, you mean mad Eddy? Eddy Torrance, the transvestite? The ex-copper who won that beauty contest without telling the organisers he was in drag?”
“That's the one, but you're exaggerating a bit, he only came third. He's a professional entertainer now. We could hire him.”
“Aye, that would be hilarious. Find some excuse to let him meet up with Thomson and then let nature take its course, so to speak. It would scare the shit out of him. Christ, I'd pay for tickets for that show.”
“Lovely thought but not too practical,” Alex added.
“No, I suppose not, but I'm pleased to see you've not lost your sense of humour. What we need is something more formal and controlled. I've an idea though.”
“Shoot.”
“Thomson is the supervisor on the project and we've still to recruit most of the staff. How about we ask him to interview some of the hopefuls to assess their potential? Just him and them, not a panel interview. We could hold the interviews in one of our offices, one wired for sound and vision. We could make sure all the signs were up warning about tapin
g. You know what it's like, after a few minutes you forget its running. We can set up the candidates, a few who have ideal credentials who're either older or are guys and then maybe a couple of lookers who have far poorer potential. We then wait and see who he recommends and we'd have the whole thing recorded to take him to task on. There's even the chance he does or says something really stupid.”
“Sounds great, keep me posted.” At this point Alex heard movement from next door and begged away, explaining to Charlie that he was looking after the boys this weekend.
“Yes, we haven't spoken for a while. I'd meant to say to you that I was really sorry to hear about your break up from Helen. How are you coping?”
“It took a while, but I'm okay now. I just want to make sure the boys aren't badly affected, and on that note I'd better go.”
Craig and Andrew found their way to the kitchen by mid-morning and Alex finished making their breakfast. They devoured every last bit, smothering the pancakes in maple syrup. They had a leisurely time before setting off for the ice rink. Although cold, it was a beautiful clear day and the sun was shining. Alex had the thought of picking up Jake so he and Andrew could take him to the park while Craig was with his friends. He called Helen to see if it would be okay and she gladly accepted as it relieved her of the responsibility of dog walking.
Alex and Craig sat in the car outside the house while Andrew went in to collect Jake and all his accoutrements. A few minutes later, he and Jake came bounding back out, Jake wearing his safety harness with Andrew carrying his bowl, a two litre Coke bottle full of water and his ball and catapult. Alex opened the tail gate and the dog enthusiastically flew through the air to land in the boot. Once they were all belted in, Alex set off and within a few minutes he pulled into the Cinema car park one level above the ice rink.
Craig couldn't get out of the car quickly enough. He was keen to meet up with the crowd but was also a bit nervous.
Ten minutes later, he had not returned and they had not heard from him. Alex wanted to check up on him but knew his presence wouldn't be welcome, besides he couldn't leave Andrew or the dog alone in the car and Jake wouldn't be permitted in the shopping centre. He dialled Craig's mobile.