“Mary Ward?”
“Yes, she was a British writer who died around 1920. She was born in Tasmania to a literary family, her father a professor, her uncle a poet, and her husband, Humphry, was also a professor, I believe. Her father became part of the Catholic Church when she was five, which caused some trouble. The family had to leave Tasmania for Ireland. She was educated throughout Britain and wrote a number of books and articles. Despite the use of her husband’s name, I think she was a strong woman.”
“Aye. The novel is aboot?”
“A bookseller who ends up falling in love in Paris, though it’s not necessarily a happily-ever-after book. There’s some struggle, regarding both marriage and religion, which probably very well reflected the time and almost certainly the author’s family’s situation.” I’d prepared the quick synopsis.
Elias gave the book some good, long, chin-rubbing contemplation, but I knew he’d be happy with the choice.
“Sounds perfect, lass. Thank ye,” he said a moment later. “How much?”
I quoted a price I thought would be acceptable to everyone. In the end we both felt good about the transaction, and Edwin would be thrilled too.
After we finished, I debated taking Elias over to Edwin’s office to show him the sticker, but that didn’t seem like the right way to handle it. I pulled out my phone.
“Elias, do you know what this is?” I scrolled to a picture of the diploma and held it toward him.
“Looks like part of a diploma or a government document maybe.”
“It’s a diploma, but I mean this little part here. Do you know what the sticker is? It’s on the glass.”
“SPEC? No, I have no idea. Meebe Aggie will.”
“Good point. I’ll ask her.” I put the phone back into my pocket.
“Anything more about the lad we found on the roof?” he asked.
“Oh, yes, lots more. Let’s go, though. I’ll tell you on the way.”
“Awright. Dinnae tell Aggie aboot the book, lass. It’s tae be a surprise. Dinnae tell her aboot the party either. She might not like being surprised, but she’ll be happy when she sees who’s there tae celebrate with her.”
“Mum’s the word,” I said. Elias had told me every day since he’d been thinking about the party to keep quiet about it. It wasn’t until next Friday evening, but I didn’t mind a week’s more of reminders.
“And yer coworkers will be there too?”
“I think so.” Who knew what the passing of another week might bring though?
“Guid.”
“Hey, any chance your cab is available for a few extra minutes right now, and then tomorrow morning?”
“Aye, ye’ve got some investigating tae do?”
I smiled. “I guess I do.”
“Are we meetin’ anyone atop a castle?”
“Not this time. Feet flat on the ground. Just a little research. I can take the bus tomorrow but it’s more fun in the cab. And with you.”
He smiled. “Aye. Weel, the cab and I are both at yer service, lass. I’m glad tae help, and glad tae watch yer back.”
“Thank you.”
I hurried back over to the warehouse for my bag, and then turned off all the lights and locked the doors again. I sent Tom’s pub a farewell glance before I jumped into the cab. Friday was one of his busier nights, even with bad weather. I wouldn’t get a chance to see him until Saturday afternoon, or maybe even Sunday, and I suddenly missed him.
The pang of longing I felt didn’t pass unnoticed. It was unsettling, this romantic stuff, particularly when more than just a wee bit of emotion got attached to it. Or to him, as the case may be.
Och, I thought to myself. Och.
NINE
The bagpipe shop sat on a corner, toward the bottom of and around another corner from the Royal Mile. The simple sign above the front window, “Bagpipes,” said it all. Elias parked the cab across the street from the shop, and he and I got out.
“What now?” he asked as we stood on the busy sidewalk.
“I don’t know. It looks like the shop is still open.” I lifted myself up to my toes. “I can see Grizel inside. She’s talking to someone but I can’t see them.”
“Let’s just go in. We can pretend tae be in the market for some bagpipes,” he said as we moved out of the way of a passing couple.
“Can you play?” I asked.
“No, but Aggie can.”
It was cold and we were in the way of too much pedestrian traffic.
“Okay, let’s go in,” I said.
We crossed the street, dodging traffic there too, and then stopped outside the front window.
“I’ve never seen so many bagpipes and so much plaid in one place in my entire life,” I said as we looked in.
“I need tae take ye tae a parade one of these days,” Elias said.
I smiled and then watched Grizel. She spoke, using her hands a lot, to a man whose back I could barely see.
“She doesnae look happy,” Elias said.
She looked adamant, forceful, maybe a little angry.
“I’d like to just ask her some questions about if she knew Billy,” I said. “But I might lie first and tell her we’re there to look at some bagpipes for Aggie. How does that sound?”
“I’ll play along with whatever ye say.” Elias shrugged.
I had told Elias that we’d confirmed that Billy had been murdered. I shared with him that I’d gone back to the castle with Tom and Artair because they were curious, and Artair was working on something regarding the castle for the university so we’d let the appropriate people know about our after-hours excursion.
We’d been lucky to find the dirk and the business card. Elias was so proud of me for taking the items to the police so quickly that he didn’t seem to catch on that I might have left something out. I did not tell him about Gordon and the circumstances behind his false death and Leith’s real one, nor about the alleged handwritten story. I still might, but not yet.
“Let’s go,” I said as I took a step toward the door.
“Hang on,” Elias said. “The customer is coming oot.”
Elias was gifted at looking like he belonged anywhere or behaving casually without garnering suspicion. I wasn’t such a natural and even with the cold air I felt warmth from my cheeks as I blushed from my efforts at being covert.
However, this time even Elias couldn’t keep us camouflaged.
“Delaney?” Inspector Winters said after he came through the door. Grizel came out behind him.
He put on his uniform hat, something I would have recognized if he’d been wearing it inside.
“Inspector Winters, hi!” I said.
“Hello.”
Even if he hadn’t been a good police officer, he would have had a good idea why Elias and I were there. He sent me a brief impatient look before he said, “You here tae shop for some bagpipes?”
“Aye,” Elias said. “My wife Aggie loves to play.”
Grizel smiled. “That’s fabulous! Come in, come in.”
“Aye,” Elias said before he smiled at Inspector Winters and then followed Grizel inside. He stood in the open doorway and looked at me. “Ye coming in?”
“I’ll be right there,” I said.
“Aye, take yer time,” Elias said before he shut the door.
“You got the things I brought by. I’m glad,” I said to Inspector Winters.
“I did. Thank you. I was just on my way tae find you,” he said. He nodded toward the shop. “You were curious?”
“Yes, very,” I said. “What did she say? Did she know Billy Armstrong?”
“See, and I thought you’d probably already beat me here,” he said with a half-smile.
“I’ve been busy.” I wanted to add that he must have been busy too if it took him this long to talk to Grizel.
“Aye,” he said. “Me too, and unfortunately the officer on duty last night didn’t think that your visit was something urgent. I’m sorry tae have tae say this, but next time you find t
hings that might turn out tae be evidence in a murder, maybe you should just call me, or not drop things off with one of our less competent officers.”
“I’m sorry, Inspector Winters, I didn’t think…”
“No, you did the right thing. I’m bothered by our poor protocol, but I’m trying tae catch up quickly. Do you have some time we could discuss what you know?”
“Of course, let me get Elias and we can come to the station if that would help.”
“It would be best if you didn’t ask Grizel any questions. I know you sometimes don’t believe me that the police are on the case, and after the … lack of professionalism I witnessed in our department today, I wonder a wee bit myself, but we are on the case. I am. I’ll share with you what I think is appropriate, but let me do the hard parts. All right?”
“Of course.”
“I’ll wait right here. We can take a table in there,” he nodded toward a small café a couple doors down, “and I’ll send you on your way quickly.”
“I’ll be right back,” I said before I disappeared into the shop.
Elias was already charming Grizel into a good mood. The two of them were laughing and speaking so quickly with interspersed Scots that I would need an interpreter if we stayed too long.
“Lass, we were just discussing Ms. Sheehy’s contribution tae the Stirling William Wallace monument activities. She was telling me how one time a piper fell doun a hill and rolled head over bare arse all the way tae the bottom. The bag saved the lad’s harn, but the cords nearly took off an ear.” Elias shared a smile with Grizel.
“’Twas a sight tae behold,” she said as she patted what I thought was a happy tear at the corner of her eye.
“I bet.” I smiled. “I’m Delaney, a friend of Elias’s. We did come in to shop for some bagpipes for his wife, Aggie, but I’m afraid we need to go now. May we come back later?”
“Certainly! Come back any time. I’m here all the time, when I’m not in Stirling.…” Her smile retreated. “No, I’m here all the time now.”
“Is everything okay?” I asked.
“Och, all is weel. Sairy.” She forced a smile and then looked out toward Inspector Winters. “The police yer friend?”
“He is. Kind of. I reported a stolen computer a few weeks ago,” I fibbed. “Since we all ran into each other he was hoping to give me an update on the case.”
“Oh, I hope they found it!”
“Me too,” I added with too much enthusiasm. I cleared my throat, hoping she didn’t really think about how weak my story was.
“Weel, I hope tae see the two of you again,” she said.
“You will,” I said.
“Thank ye, Grizel. ’Twas a pleasure,” Elias said.
“Nice tae meet ye, Elias,” she said as they shook hands.
I’d seen this before. Elias was one of the best at finding things he had (or things he made up) in common with just about anyone, but it seemed he and Grizel were most definitely cut from the same cloth. Or tartan.
As we left the store, we met Inspector Winters outside, and then traveled to the café. There was not one moment when I could have asked Elias about whatever he and Grizel discussed, but he did manage to send me one secret wink that told me that he had a little something.
After we were seated in a corner and coffees and biscuits had been ordered, Inspector Winters began the conversation that felt much more official than it probably was. I didn’t think he knew how to ask questions without trying to get you to confess to something.
“You and Elias found the body?” he began. We nodded. “Tell me the details. Why were you two at the castle?”
He was the first one to ask why, but I still didn’t give him the real reason.
“I had some time off. Elias had told me about the castle and he was available.” I shrugged.
Elias nodded.
“And there was no sign of violence? No blood?” Inspector Winters said.
“None,” I said.
“No,” Elias said.
“It was horrible, but my first thought wasn’t murder. Was he murdered?” I said.
“Aye. Blunt force trauma to the head. He didn’t bleed, wasn’t even cut, but … yes, he was killed,” Inspector Winters said. “You didn’t see anyone else there until the police got there? Is that correct?”
“Yes,” Elias and I confirmed, and I told him about stopping the German tourists.
“And you didn’t find the dirk and business card until that night?”
“I found it,” I said. “I was with Tom and his father, Artair. Artair works at the University of Edinburgh library and he’s helping some other folks research if there’s a castle buried under Castle Doune. Officially the castle was closed, though it wasn’t locked up, so Artair called the appropriate people to give them a heads-up, I guess. I can give you his and Tom’s contact information.”
“Aye. I don’t think I’ll need tae call them, but it wouldn’t hurt to have the information. Was Artair curious?”
“No, it was more about me being curious. I knew the police had been there, but my visit with Elias had become a blur and I … just wanted to see it again.”
“In the dark?”
I shrugged. “Schedules and all.”
Inspector Winters rubbed a finger under his nose and looked down at his notepad a moment. He looked up again and said, “Delaney, does this have anything tae do with Edwin, with the bookshop?”
And then I really lied. I didn’t like lying, and lying to a police officer was not only illegal, but pretty stupid too. But I couldn’t think of a way to tell him the truth without it ultimately leading the police to Fiona Armstrong and her illegally obtained insurance money. I made a silent deal with myself, that even though I lied now, I would talk to Edwin as soon as possible, maybe even talk him into talking to Inspector Winters himself.
“No,” I said.
He believed me. Mostly. I think he was always slightly doubtful of anything to do with Edwin.
“Other than the body and then later the dirk and card, you saw nothing suspicious, either time? No other people, no items?” he said.
“No,” I said. “Just the Germans, later.”
He seemed to have no interest in his coffee or the biscuits the waitress had put on the table.
“Inspector Winters, what do the police think?”
“I don’t really know,” he said as he closed his notebook and glanced at his watch. “This isn’t my case, but since you brought by the dirk and the business card, you put me into the middle of it a wee bit—that’s not a bad thing. I’m sorry if it sounded like it. I just want tae help the other officers as much as I can, as accurately as I can.”
I swallowed a gulp of coffee and nodded. “Did you check the dirk, the card, for fingerprints?”
“We did, and there’s nothing on them that tells us anything. I don’t even need to fingerprint you—there’s nothing that could help at all.”
“Do you know anything about the dirk?” I asked.
“I know that when the case is solved and if it isn’t used in solving the case, it will be yours. You found it.”
“Can you tell anything about it? Where it’s from?”
“My crime people are testing it. Do you think it’s valuable?” Inspector Winters asked.
“I have no idea, but I know someone who might be able to help. He works at the National Museum of Scotland.”
“I’ll keep that in mind. For now, I’ll let my people look at it.”
“And Grizel? Did she know the victim?”
“She did, very well, it seems.” Inspector Winters lifted his coffee cup and took a sip.
“Mind if I ask how?” I said.
“They dated. The victim recently broke off the relationship,” he said. His eyes shadowed briefly as if he’d said too much.
“Do ye think she kil’t the lad?” Elias asked.
“I don’t know. She has no real alibi for the time of the murder, but I’ve got nothing that I could use tae bri
ng her in for further questioning. Do either of you?”
“No,” we both said.
“Aye,” Inspector Winters said. “And you need tae keep in mind that it’s better that way. A murder’s been committed. It’s good tae be wary.”
“We will,” I said as Elias and I nodded together.
“I hope so.”
“Well, thank you both. I’m sorry I didn’t call you sooner.” Inspector Winters stood and put his hat on again. “I’ve got tae go. Call me if either of you think of something important tae the case.”
“We will.”
He stepped away from the table, but then turned around again.
“You haven’t asked for the victim’s name,” he said.
I suddenly realized this whole coffee-and-chat time had been orchestrated so Inspector Winters could see if I would say the victim’s name. I didn’t think anything had been released on the news and I had already thought to be careful. If I knew who he was I would have much more explaining to do. Keeping a lie going is exhausting.
“I didn’t think it was my business, but what was his name?” I asked.
“William Armstrong,” Inspector Winters said. “His father was killed a couple of years ago in a fire.”
“That’s terrible,” I said.
“Aye,” he said. “Coincidences are funny sometimes though. As I was looking through the file for Gordon Armstrong, the victim’s father, I came upon Edwin’s name. The police had talked tae your boss back then. Do you know anything about that?”
“Nothing at all, but I’ll ask Edwin,” I said.
“Aye,” Inspector Winters said before he turned.
“Inspector Winters,” I said, causing him to stop and pause a second before he faced us again.
I continued, “Is there any chance the blunt instrument that killed William Armstrong was a bagpipe drone? That’s what they’re called, right? The wooden parts of a bagpipe.”
“If there is a chance, it’s ever so slight, but I’ll be looking into everything,” he said.
“Thanks. And, I have no doubt. I mean, that you’ll be looking into everything.”
Of Books and Bagpipes Page 8