by Zach Abrams
“I've also arranged to see David Kerr, Senior, tonight. That's likely to be pretty bleak and it's hardly likely that he'll know very much but it's another loose end that needs to be tied up.”
They spent a further hour sifting through all updated information and bringing each other up to speed and then allocating priority tasks for each of them to pursue.
Sanjay and his partner were just starting their nightshift but the others decided to adjourn to a pub to unwind after a long, tough day's work.
It was cold, dark and windy and the rain was being blown almost horizontally at them as they made their way, walking uphill to Sauchiehall Street. Phil took the opportunity to tell the others about his holiday and the wonders of Florida, Disneyworld and Universal Studios. He described the humidity, the oppressive heat and the warm tropical rainfall and it made them all overtly aware of the stark contrast to their typical Glasgow, November evening. When they arrived, Alex offered to buy the first round. The pub was running a promotion on a selection of real ales and both Donnie and Phil thought they'd give it a try. Unable to resist the name, they both opted for a pint of one called 'Bitter and Twisted.' Sandra had a liking for Czech beers and asked for a bottle of Budvar; Alex came back with a pint of soda water with lime for himself.
“What's this, Boss? You're not on the wagon are you?” Donny enquired.
“Not at all, but I have the car in with me today. I was up at the crack of dawn and I've been to the West End and then out to Paisley. I've not had a moment to drop it home so I'm still driving. The good news for you guys is having a designated driver means you'll have a free lift home.”
“That's awfully good of you, Boss,” Phil said, mimicking an English public school accent, then followed up with, “but surely you could manage one or two and it wouldn't affect your driving?”
“I probably could and I know I could definitely have one without going over the permitted limit, but that's not the point. Irrespective of legalities I feel very strongly about drink driving. I've seen too many accidents caused by or affected by drink. Between the incidents I've attended and the reports I've read it's convinced me. There have been countless fatalities, but some of the most horrific accidents were the ones where the person affected didn't die. There was one I attended when I was working traffic as a constable when some stupid bastard ploughed his Mercedes into a school bus at four o'clock in the afternoon. He was more than three times over the limit at that time, having consumed a long liquid lunch. No one died but two wee lassies each needed to have a leg amputated. They were only ten years old with their whole lives ahead of them and because of some stupid arse their whole future was ruined.”
Although tempted, Phil showed an unusual restraint and refrained from uttering his first thought, describing the driver as being legless as well.
“The other one that sticks in my mind was a young man driving to work at eight-thirty in the morning when he was hit by a truck. The truck driver was still carrying the effects of his binge the night before. The poor lad wasn't too badly affected physically but banged his head so bad he was left with brain damage, giving him the attention span of a butterfly and unable to feed himself, go to the toilet or do anything. He was only twenty-seven and he was going to need professional carers to look after his most basic needs for the rest of his life. He, himself probably wouldn't have known anything about it, but he had a two-year-old kid and his wife was six months pregnant. They were the ones who would suffer the most. It would have been kinder to them if he hadn't survived.
“That's why I feel so strongly about it and why I don't drink and drive.”
“Point well made, Boss. I don't feel too far differently myself,” Phil stated. “But there's plenty who don't see it that way and, I'm sorry to say this, but there are other officers who are amongst the worst culprits.”
“Let's move on to a lighter topic,” Donny interrupted. “I've just noticed there's a pub quiz on this evening. It starts in twenty minutes. Should we have a go? It might be a bit of fun.”
“I'm up for it,” Sandra replied enthusiastically.
They spent the next twenty minutes arguing over the choice of a team name. They discarded 'the detectives,' 'the pit bulls,' and 'lawn order' before settling on 'wheel ask the questions,' which the quizmaster later abbreviated to the 'Wheels.'
There were seven other teams competing, mostly made up of students or young professionals. The others seemed familiar with the set up where an independent question master took every opportunity to poke humour at the contestants and the brighter ones reciprocated. The 'Wheels' were at a disadvantage as most of the teams had six members, all of whom seemed experienced and knew the routine. Despite this they were determined to make a good showing.
Alex's team got off to a flying start in the first round which was on music. They benefited from this being Phil's obsession and he had an encyclopaedic knowledge, answering questions with answers as diverse as Rachmaninov and Audioslave. They scored nine out of a possible ten and had a genuine reason to dispute the one they were marked down on as the question was ambiguous. They reluctantly accepted the quizmaster's authority before realising that they shared the lead with two other teams.
Round two was about celebrities and, as it seemed to be based mainly on current television personalities and programmes, which the 'Wheels' never had much chance to watch, they performed poorly, scoring only four.
Round three was a picture round and the 'Wheels' regained some momentum, utilising their combined experience and observation skills.
Round four was sport and, to their amazement, Sandra proved a great asset, knowing the years of Jim Clark's Formula 1 championship wins, Bobby McGregor's Olympic silver in freestyle swimming and John Newcombe's Wimbledon win, all of which took place long before she was born. Inexplicably, the more beer they consumed the easier the answers came to them.
'Films' was the subject of the final round and Alex surprised them and himself by recollecting obscure details to answer questions on 'rom-coms.' Phil's recent visit to Universal and Disney/MGM studios also proved beneficial.
Donny failed to answer a single question that the others didn't already know, but they all enjoyed the evening, producing a creditable performance and finishing third.
In the course of the evening, they'd consumed four rounds of drinks and were rather merry. Although he hadn't partaken of any alcohol, Alex felt a lightness having benefited from the company and camaraderie. He shepherded the others back down the road and into his car, Sandra climbing into the passenger seat with Donny and Phil scrambling into the back.
Without conscious thought he set off south across the river towards McAvoy's house. They declined his invitation to come in for a coffee and instead travelled further east to drop Phil at his home, a recently built, terraced villa near Cambuslang.
Alex knew Sandra lived with her parents in a detached bungalow in Bishopbriggs, a good quality suburb to the north of the city. He started driving in that direction.
“I'm really sorry to take you so far out of your way, Boss.”
“It's not a problem and I've said to you before to call me Alex except when we're in the office.”
“Okay, Alex, but I'm taking you in the opposite direction from your home.”
“I told you it's not a problem. But listen, I'm feeling a bit hungry. I'm planning to pick up a burger. Do you fancy joining me?”
“You really know how to treat a girl, don't you?”
Alex turned the car into a McDonald's car park, pulled into a parking space and switched off the ignition. “Would you rather go in or should we pick up something from the drive through?”
Sandra unclipped her belt. “It's not food I'm hungry for,” she said and leaned across kissing him on the lips.
Alex was stunned but not in a bad way. He returned her embrace and delighted in the sweetness of her lips contrasting with the sour taste of the beer off her breath. She unclipped his belt to give them greater freedom. Moving her body closer, le
tting his arms envelope her, she whispered, “I've wanted to do that for a long time.” She pushed his jacket aside and pressed her body against his, each relishing the warmth from the other.
“I'm so glad you did.”
An elderly man walking past the car rapped on the side window. “Away and get a room, move on or I'll call the Polis.”
Both of them burst out laughing until Sandra grasped Alex's hand, looked intently into his eyes and said, “I want to be with you tonight. He was right. We do need to get a room. We can't go back to my place as my parents will be there. Could we go to yours?”
“Are you sure you want this? It's not just the alcohol talking?”
“If it is, it's telling me what I want to hear. I've wanted this for a long time. I've just not felt able to tell you. After seeing that slut playing up to you this afternoon, I decided I shouldn't leave it any longer.”
Alex pulled her head closer and kissed her deeply and hungrily. “It's what I want too.” He pulled back, smiled and turned on the car's ignition.
Just as they pulled out of the parking area, turning back in the direction of Shawlands, Alex's phone rang. He looked quizzically at the screen when he saw Helen's name displayed.
“I'm not answering that,” he said and pressed the cancel button. A few seconds later it rang again showing a voicemail had been received. Again Alex cancelled. Within less than a minute there was a third ringing indicating a text.
“Don't you think you'd better check it?” Sandra suggested
Alex exhaled resignedly and pulled the car into the side of the road.
He pulled the handset out of his pocket. “Fuck!” he exclaimed after reading the screen, “Emergency, phone back as soon as you get this, Craig has gone,” Alex read aloud.
“Oh Christ, you'd better call and see what you can do.”
Alex's mind was in an emotional turmoil with contrasting and contradictory thoughts flashing through at an alarming pace. His feelings of elation from only a few seconds ago were doused, replaced by anger at Helen, maybe at Craig too, for spoiling his evening and heightened by a physical frustration. This was overtaken as he felt a concern for the boy's wellbeing, a fear maybe. What if he'd been abducted? What if Stevenson's murderer had got to him to stop Alex in his tracks? His reaction was to snap a response.
“No, I'll drop you home then I'll call.”
“But I could come with. I can help you find him.”
“No, I don't think that would be a good idea.”
Alex made a U-turn on the road, and within a few minutes he deposited Sandra at her house.
“Please call me as soon as you know. Let me know what's happened. I'll help any way I can.”
Alex grunted an incoherent response as he sped off. He didn't phone back but covered the ten miles across town in record time, driving on autopilot with no awareness or recollection of the journey.
He arrived at the Clarkston house, raced up the pathway and hammered on the door.
Helen ran to answer the door, her eyes red and face tearstained. “Where have you been? I've been trying to call you and you never called back.” The only welcome he received was from Jake and under these circumstances Alex had no time for the dog and pushed him aside. He knew he ought to have called back but was annoyed at Helen's audacity in questioning him. Nevertheless, he realised it was probably caused by her own feelings of worry and insecurity.
“Never mind that, tell me what happened.”
“It started earlier this evening, Craig was being annoying and he'd been winding up Andrew. I thought it was just the normal teenager nonsense. He was talking about his new friends and how he was planning to meet them at the cinema on Wednesday. It was only after he'd been talking for a while that I realised he was talking about going to a late show and I think it was an eighteen certificate as well. I should have known better than to jump at the bait, but I told him I didn't consider it suitable and there was no way I would let him stay out that late on a school night. Anyway, I thought that was the end of it and went into the kitchen to make some tea when I heard shouting and doors slamming. I went back in and Craig wasn't there, Andrew was giggling and Colin was looking shocked. He told me that Craig had started a rant and was calling me for all the names. He'd told him off and said he shouldn't speak about his mother that way. Craig had then turned on him and Colin told him he was grounded. Craig then came out with a mouthful. His words were, 'You can't fucking tell me what to do. You're not my dad and never can be so don't try and fucking act like it.' He'd then run out and slammed the door.
“I ran after him, but I didn't know where he'd gone. I got my keys and drove about looking for him, but I couldn't find him anywhere.”
Although still deeply concerned and wanting to bring Craig home, Alex was considerably relieved. There was still a problem to solve but it sounded as though his worst fears were unfounded.
Helen continued, “When I came back I argued with Colin. It wasn't really his fault, but I blamed him. He was angry and accused me of being too soft and spoiling the boys. He said it was my fault they were as selfish and uncaring as they were. I was already upset and I told him if that's how he felt then he could get out too. He wasn't wanted anymore. I didn't expect him to go, but he did. He took a sports bag, threw in a few items, and he went. He said he'd collect the rest of his things at the weekend. I couldn't go after him or look for Craig because Andrew would have been left alone. Then I got even more upset when I couldn't get hold of you.”
Alex realised it was the closest to an apology that he would get from her. “Oh, Alex, what have I done? What am I going to do?”
“Don't worry about Colin, he'll be back when he calms down. We need to find out what's happened to Craig though.”
“I know. That's why I'm so worried.”
“What have you done? Who have you spoken to?”
“I asked Andrew if he knew anything and I called a couple of Craig's classmates, but they couldn't tell me anything.”
“I take it Andrew's in bed, but I'm going to talk to him.”
“There's no point, I've already asked him”
“Just give me the benefit of the doubt.”
“Okay, I'll come up with you.”
“No, I'm better doing this alone.”
Andrew and Craig each had their own bedrooms, constructed as proper rooms in the attic, where the hitherto sloping ceiling had been enlarged by the installation of dormer windows to give full head height to most of the room.
As Alex climbed the stairs he heard the click of Andrew's lamp being switched off.
When he went in, the room was in darkness and Andrew appeared to be sleeping soundly. Alex touched the light-bulb to confirm his suspicions and it was red hot. “Good evening,” he started.
Andrew drowsily opened his eyes and yawned and then welcomed his father.
Alex sat at the bedside and they talked about what had happened with Craig earlier on. They chatted amiably for several minutes before Alex started asking more probing questions. Alex was a skilled interviewer and before he left the room he knew the names of several of Craig's new friends and, more significantly, that two of them were a couple of years older and lived in Busby, about two miles away.
Alex came downstairs and told Helen what he had found.
“Why didn't he tell me?”
“Don't feel bad, I've got years of experience in knowing how to ask.” Alex made a few phone calls and before long he had traced the home addresses and phone numbers for the other boys. He phoned the first and hit the jackpot straight off, speaking with Jamie's mum. When Craig had left home, he had phoned Jamie and then gone straight to his house. They had then met up with Tony and had taken the bus together to East Kilbride where they were going to a late evening showing of a movie the boys wanted to see. Jamie's mum routinely allowed him to stay out till midnight and tonight she was allowing him to be even later. Craig had asked if he could stay over, saying he'd had a fight at home and needed to give it a day before go
ing back. She hadn't been happy about it, but didn't know how to contact Craig's house and he wouldn't give her any information other than to say his mum knew he'd be staying out overnight and was okay about it. Jamie's mum hadn't been convinced but thought it better to allow the boy to stay as he'd at least be safe. Before finishing the call, Alex knew which film they had gone to and the finishing time. He checked his watch and realised it would be coming out in less than ten minutes. He had time to get there or, failing that, at least to the bus station before the boys left. Helen had been listening to Alex's side of the call and he advised what he'd found as he made for the front door. He confirmed that she needn't worry as he'd traced Craig and was racing out to get him.
After some more adventurous driving, Alex was standing at the exit to the cinema as the boys came out. Choosing not to embarrass Craig in front of his friends, he announced that he'd been in the area and thought he'd drop by to give them a lift. Craig looked quite fearful and didn't risk arguing with his father. The boys piled into the Santa Fe, grateful to avoid having to wait out in the cold and wet for their bus.
After Alex dropped off Jamie and Tony, he drove the car round the corner from their house and stopped. He gave Craig a severe lecture about his inconsiderate behaviour and how it would not be tolerated.
“I hope that was a good film you saw and it was worth it because it's the last you'll see for some time; you've got a debt to repay. We'll sort out a suitable punishment later, but as soon as you get home I want you to apologise to your mum and then go straight to bed. You've got school tomorrow.”
“Okay, Dad,” he replied sulkily. “What about Colin? Do I have to apologise to him to?”
“The way you spoke to him, yes, you most certainly do. You apologise to him when you get to see him.”
Craig thought the answer was strangely worded but didn't feel able to question it and merely agreed.
Alex parked outside the house and led Craig up the path. Helen opened the door when they were only half way and Jake enthusiastically greeted them both. Craig rubbed the dog's head, walked up to his mother and pecked her on the cheek while saying, “Sorry Mum, I shouldn't have behaved like that.”