‘Sorry to hear that, but you still can’t go inside, not until we’ve given the all clear.’
‘What happened?’ said Duncan. ‘There was talk of a loud bang.’
The fire chief removed his helmet and wiped his forehead with the back of his sleeve.
‘That’s an understatement,’ he said with a sigh. ‘Gas explosion.’
‘That bloody cooker!’ said West, stamping the ground. ‘I knew it was a death trap. It was like something out the dark ages.’
‘No, no,’ said the chief, reassuringly. ‘It’s not the cooker, it was perfectly sound.’
‘So, what are you saying? That this was some kind of freak accident?’
‘Look, we’ll have to wait until the Fire Investigation Unit have done a full survey to be sure, okay? But if it was an accident, then yes. It was very freaky, indeed.’
‘Come again?’ said West.
‘The gas for the oven was turned up full, and probably had been for quite some time. Thing is, it hadn’t been lit.’
‘So, there was a massive build-up of gas?’ said Dougal. ‘Is that it?’
‘Aye. Exactly.’
‘Well, he could’ve just forgotten,’ said West. ‘I mean, he’s been pretty stressed out lately, we all have. He could’ve turned it on and walked away to…’
‘No, no,’ said the chief. ‘See, we also found a mobile phone…’
‘Well, that’s not…’
‘In the oven.’
West stared at the chief, her eyes wide with disbelief.
‘I don’t get it,’ she said, shaken, ‘I mean, why would he…?’
‘Here’s the thing. Gas and electricity, see, they’re not the best of friends, so, too much gas, call the number, an arc occurs, and boom. If it was deliberate, and I’m not qualified to say for sure, then hats off to the fella. Very ingenious, indeed.’
‘If it was deliberate?’ said Dougal. ‘But why on earth would he stick his phone in the oven?’
The chief, his face black with soot, regarded West with sympathetic eyes.
‘You said he was stressed out,’ he said. ‘Could he have been depressed about anything?’
‘Oh, no, no,’ said West, laughing nervously as he she held up her hands. ‘Don’t even go there. Suicide? Jimbo? No, forget it.’
‘What about the phone?’ said Duncan. ‘Has that been blown to smithereens?’
‘No, no,’ said the chief. ‘See, because this wasn’t a mains leak, it was contained, to an extent. Let me explain – in a situation like this, when the gas pops, like anything else, it looks for the path of least resistance – the door. So, it was like firing a canon. The blaze that follows is very intense but only for a very short period of time, it’s like flash-frying a steak. So, regarding the phone, there’s some damage, of course, and I can’t guarantee it hasn’t cooked the components, but there’s a chance you might get something off it. You might even find out who called the number.’
‘You have no idea how helpful that is,’ said Dougal. ‘Thanks.’
* * *
Fearful that her next question may see her crumble like a sandcastle in the incoming tide, West, as stoical as ever, regarded the chief in a manner befitting a patient in oncology awaiting the results of an MRI scan.
‘So,’ she said, nibbling at her fingernails, ‘have you… I mean… did you find anyone?’
‘Aye, he’s bagged up on the front lawn.’
‘Bagged up on the lawn?’ said Duncan, scowling. ‘Jesus, man, have you no respect? You make him sound like an oven-ready turkey!’
‘It’s okay,’ said West, allowing herself a smile, ‘it’s just the kind of thing Jimbo would’ve said.’
* * *
Standing over the body bag, Dougal, unable to contain his excitement, grinned at West as though he’d been nominated to open a surprise present, as she, Duncan, and the fire chief gathered round.
‘That stupid grin had better be a part of your coping mechanism, or so help me God…’
‘It’s not him!’ said Dougal, beaming. ‘Look at the size of him, it’s too tall.’
‘Don’t be so bloody ridiculous, for God’s sake, Dougal, if you don’t…’
‘Hey, hey, come on now,’ said Duncan, ‘that’s no way to behave, is it? Do you think he’d have wanted to see you two acting like a pair of kids?’
‘Sorry, you’re right,’ said West, contritely. ‘Come on then. Let’s get this over with.’
‘Hold on,’ said the fire chief, as he knelt by the top of the bag, ‘I should warn you, it’s not a pleasant sight. He’s suffered flash burns to his face and hands, his hair’s all but gone, and his clothes, well, they’re more like a second skin now.’
‘Crap,’ said West, having second thoughts as she tucked her arm round Dougal’s.
‘Did he… I mean, would he have felt anything?’
‘On the plus side, no,’ said the chief. ‘Look, I know it’s not much, but if it’s any consolation, he didn’t feel a thing. It was the force of the blast that killed him. Blew the oven door clean off its hinges and took him with it. It was instant.’
‘Well, that’s something I suppose.’
‘There is one other thing,’ said the chief. ‘You’ll find out sooner or later, so…’
‘Oh God,’ said West, ‘go on. What is it?’
‘I reckon he was standing right by the cooker when it blew. I’m afraid anything below the waist is pretty much in tatters.’
West spun on her feet, pulled a handkerchief from her pocket and wiped her eyes.
‘Okay,’ she said, taking a deep breath as she turned around. ‘Open it.’
The chief unzipped the bag to the shoulders and paused before pulling it apart.
‘That’s me off crispy duck for the foreseeable,’ said Duncan as Dougal burst into fits of hysterical laughter.
‘Gundersen!’ he said. ‘What did I tell you? I knew it! Did I not say…?’
‘Yes, you did,’ said West, bluntly.
‘I knew I should’ve stayed,’ said Duncan, growling under his breath. ‘I said to him, I said, Chief, will I come inside and he said no. He said he’d be fine.’
‘He would, wouldn’t he?’ said West, reeling from the shock that the char-grilled cadaver wasn’t Munro.
‘Gundersen,’ said Duncan, morosely. ‘He must’ve waited until I left before...’
‘I don’t get it,’ said Dougal, befuddled. ‘What’s going on here? That’s not the DI lying there, that’s Gundersen in the bag. Is that not good news?’
West, stared blankly at Dougal, her eyes misting over.
‘No,’ she said, softly. ‘It’s not good at all.’
‘Why?’
‘Because, you numpty,’ said Duncan, angrily, ‘if Gundersen’s out here, that means…’
‘Oh, Christ!’ said Dougal. ‘Sorry. I wasn’t thinking.’
‘There’s no telling what this murderous bastard’s done to him.’
West, her heart pounding, waited until the fire chief had zipped up the bag before broaching the inevitable.
‘Okay,’ she said, clearing her throat, ‘let’s get this over with.’
‘Sorry, Sergeant, you’ve lost me,’ said the chief, donning his helmet.
‘The other body. Where is it? Inside?’
‘There is no other body. That’s it. Just the one fatality.’
‘No, that can’t be right,’ said Duncan. ‘I left the Chief at home probably not more than twenty minutes before this happened.’
‘I’m telling you, there’s no-one else.’
‘And you’re sure?’ said West. ‘Beyond a shadow of a doubt?’
‘Absolutely, one hundred per cent,’ said the chief. ‘Look, I know this is upsetting, and I hate to disappoint you, but we’ve combed every inch of that house from top to bottom and I can assure you, there’s definitely no-one else inside.’
West, succumbing to shock, turned to Dougal as her eyes glazed over.
‘Where the hell is he?’ s
he said, her voice trembling. ‘Where the bloody hell has he gone?’
Character List
DI JAMES MUNRO – Shrewd, smart and cynical with an inability to embrace retirement, Munro has to deal with a figure from his distant past intent on bringing him down, once and for all.
DS CHARLOTTE WEST – Finally overcoming her self-doubt, “Charlie” takes the reigns as the investigating officer when an old adversary turns up like a bad penny. Fortunately for her, she has DI Munro, father-figure and mentor, to steer her in the right direction.
DC DOUGAL McCRAE – A clever, young and unintentionally single introvert with more brains than brawn who’d rather be fishing than drinking in the pub.
DC DUNCAN REID – Wet behind the ears as a DC but laid-back and brimming with confidence, his mission is to seek out the seedy side of life and destroy it.
DCI GEORGE ELLIOT – Laid back and relaxed, happy behind a desk and happiest at home, he prefers to let others do the dirty work having spent a lifetime dicing with death.
FATHER CALLUM DALGETTY – An ageing priest whose faith begins to wane after the unexpected loss of his lifelong friend and soul mate.
ALISON KENNEDY – Manager of the Glencree care home, she’s kind, smart, and foxy and knows a thing or two about playing the field.
LUCAS RIETVELD – Tall, dark, and Dutch, a solicitor, and a ladies’ man with the ability to drain their bank accounts at the drop of a hat.
LARS GUNDERSEN – A Norwegian with a split personality who’ll stop at nothing to satisfy his lust for wealth and bring down his nemesis.
JASMINDER BANERJEE – Married to Aletta, “Jazz” is the proud owner of Kestrel Cars, works like a dog and is on the lookout for ways to supplement his income.
ANITA CARDUCCI – Widow to Remo, she’s fresh out of jail and keen to pick up where she left off, until a complication thwarts her plans.
CLARE MacALLISTER – Avoiding a jail term by the skin of her teeth, she’s moving in the wrong circles and soon finds herself without an alibi.
Other books in this series
SHE
AVARICE
ENMITY
DUPLICITY
More great fiction by Pete Brassett
THE WILDER SIDE OF CHAOS
YELLOW MAN
CLAM CHOWDER AT LAFAYETTE AND SPRING
THE GIRL FROM KILKENNY
BROWN BREAD
PRAYER FOR THE DYING
KISS THE GIRLS
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TERMINUS: A thrilling police procedural set in Scotland Page 17