Duncan knew she meant the castle when she said house.
She went on, "The cave is still there. He was quite well known around these parts as a grumpy gus, in the 1600's. You've borrowed his hair style today," she said between giggles.
"Enough with the hair now," he responded.
They finished their meal and Duncan explained to Donald why he was leaving. He made his way up to his room to collect his belongings and comb his hair. Caroline waited for him in the lobby. A bell boy helped deliver his belongings to the Vauxhall. He tipped the boy, a lad of about eighteen, and waited for him to disappear into the inn before seizing her in his arms. He held her in a tight embrace for several minutes before she looked up and allowed him to kiss her. It was a long, deep kiss that sent electricity up and down his body, tightening his muscles.
"Come to Edinburgh now," Duncan pleaded into her ear, his lips grazing her there.
Caroline threw her arms around his neck and kissed him several more times, before pulling away.
"I can't. I have to take care of things here. Maybe after your investigation is finished, I can come for a visit."
She seemed so happy that he allowed his fears to fade to the back of his mind. The idea of her coming to Edinburgh, perhaps meeting his family, pleased him greatly. He pushed all negative thoughts away and enjoyed this moment. A moment he was never certain would happen.
They took their time saying good-bye. Duncan was no longer in a hurry. They kissed for some time, passionately, slowly, deeply. Any thoughts of red flags from yesterday fled. Locals tooted their horns as they drove by. He hardly noticed. Donald watched from the lobby. He didn't care. She helped him squeeze into his vehicle. For the first time, the old, torn upholstery in the Vauxhall embarrassed him. Faded over the years from a shade of dark blue-green, it was now gray-blue, just like the outside of the car. She must have noticed his discomfort.
"Nice ride," she teased with a grin, adding, "I drove something similar, in college."
"Yeah, it matches my ensemble, doesn't it?" Duncan declared.
They agreed to ring each other every day. He admonished her to be careful before closing the auto's door and driving away. Caroline stood waving as he made a U-turn and drove past her. Duncan watched her in his rear view mirror until he crossed the bridge out of town and a bend in the road took her from his view. He was glad he had taken a moment to ask Donald to look after her while he was gone. His tone conveyed to the older man that he was serious, and the innkeeper took his request soberly.
As he approached Edinburgh, Duncan was still reliving his time with Caroline. He could not remove the smile from his face. He imagined introducing her to his family, starting a life together. He had never been happier.
Chapter 3 - Home
He tossed his briefcase onto the desk just as Angus appeared with his tool bag, suitcase, totes, and garment bags. Angus's face showed surprise.
"What is all this stuff, anyway?"
"Oh, nothing. I just needed some new trousers, that's all," he said, making light of his expenditures.
He surveyed his old space. His mum had placed fresh linens on his bed. The room held three identical twin beds, covered in plaid blankets. The curtains were the same plaid, but made from a different fabric. A small throw rug covered the bare, wooden floor. The walls were painted a light smoky blue shade and a desk, chair and waste bin completed the boys' room. Wall shelves held old textbooks, trophies, and souvenirs from America. He spied an old martial arts award, earned during those difficult years.
"Alright, spill it," Angus ordered after dropping Duncan's belongings on one of the beds. "What's going on? I saw you come in and I can tell you're sore or something."
Despite his large size and puerile antics, Angus possessed intelligence and tremendous perceptive abilities.
"Yes, I've been in a couple of accidents… " Duncan began, but Angus interrupted.
"Got whipped, eh? Just like old times? You want to hide it from Mom and Dad and have your little brother handle it?"
Angus seemed excited to be reliving Duncan's painful past. His face reflected pure glee.
"Not exactly, Angus," Duncan replied.
He gave his brother the once over. If possible, Angus was even better looking now than a few years ago. He aged well. It was good to be back with him in their old room. Duncan sat on his bed and briefed Angus about his mishaps in Taye. If possible, Angus was more protective of his older brother now than when they were children.
Angus paced back and forth across the small room as Duncan shared. His face was red with anger.
"Ye know, Dee, I think I should come back with ye to Taye. Ye can say I'm yer assistant or something. Harold can handle the garages. I'll handle that Peter Menzies fer ye."
Angus's Scottish accent reared its head strongly when he was angry. Duncan felt flattered and a little humbled that his younger brother felt he needed his protection. He chose to shake off the negative and told Angus he would consider it. His fury placated, Angus plopped his long body down on his childhood bed. He placed his hands behind his head, elbows and face up, towards the ceiling, calves and feet hanging from the end of the mattress.
Once settled, he asked, "Who is she?"
"What?" he responded, trying to play it cool.
How on earth had Angus deduced a she? Duncan was the Sherlock Holmes of the family, not his brother.
"You heard me. I know you've met someone. You wouldn't have taken all that abuse otherwise, nor would you have loaded up with new trousers. Plus, you've had a silly grin plastered on your face since you got here. Something kept you in Taye and I'll bet it's a lass. Go ahead, spill!"
Angus turned his head to look at Duncan. He considered another denial. Instead, he walked to the desk and opened his briefcase. The contents were not in the order he'd left them. He had a near photographic memory and knew something was amiss. Shuffling through loose papers, he came upon the photo of Caroline, the one he'd ripped Stuart's picture from. He tossed the photo towards his brother like the Frisbee they played with as kids.
Quick reflexes allowed Angus to catch the photo with one hand, without moving from his position on the bed. He held the photo above his face. He swung his head from side to side.
"Out-of-your-league," he said, pausing briefly between each word.
Duncan sensed his cheeks flush with heat.
"I don't know why you would say that. She loves me!"
Angus moved his head for a clear view of his brother, and raised a disbelieving eyebrow in way of reply. Duncan knew Caroline had said no such thing, and he was not in the habit of embellishing the truth. Yet he thought so highly of her, it was the only conclusion he could draw from her behavior today. She tracked him down at the inn, instigated their intimate conversation, and kissed him. A woman like Caroline wouldn't kiss him like that if she didn't love him. Duncan realized he must love her to feel this way. Now, it was his turn to pace the room, red faced.
"You don't know much about women, do you, Duncan?" Angus said with a sigh as his brother marched back and forth between their beds.
Perhaps Angus did understand the average woman better than him. He had dated lots of average women, at least in Duncan's opinion. Sure, they might be attractive, but their personalities and intelligence were usually average. Maybe that's why Angus had never settled down with anyone. However, Caroline Menzies was anything but average. Angus did not know what he was talking about. He turned on his brother.
"I know plenty about women! Don't forget, I'm the one who dated a celebrity!"
He spat his words towards his brother, immediately regretting it. Duncan was the big success of the family, thus far. He knew Angus had fancied Cassandra, the model he had dated. She preferred Duncan, only because he was well known at the time, and Angus had graciously backed off.
"You're not talking about that Cassandra Baines, are you? Wasn't she the bane of your existence?" he chuckled.
His rising distress had no effect on Angus. Duncan sat back down
on the bed opposite his brother and took a deep breath.
"Yeah, she was a real pain it turned out, shallow, too," he responded.
Cassandra had hurt him more than he liked to admit. Angus sat up and stared Duncan in the eye.
"I just don't want you to get hurt, Brother."
"Don't worry, I won't," Duncan responded.
Again, Angus raised his eyebrow in way of reply. His brother went downstairs, and Duncan showered and changed into fresh, matching clothing. He met up with his parents and brothers in the kitchen. They exchanged hugs, and he tried not to wince in pain. No need to worry Mum and Dad. Duncan could smell one of his favorite dishes. His mum removed a steak and kidney pie from the oven. She served the main dish, accompanied by an enormous salad of mixed greens, buffet style. After dinner, Mrs. Dewar set out a box of biscuits from the local bakery. Mr. Dewar busied himself making coffee and placed a bottle of whiskey next to the treats, just in case someone wanted a wee shot with their brew.
It was late by the time the family finished catching up. Duncan felt exhausted and looked forward to getting some sleep. It was nice to see everyone, but he had hoped to get some work done this evening. That became his main focus. The sooner he wrapped the case, the sooner he could get back to Caroline and get her to Edinburgh.
Angus decided to spend the night, but Harold, one of Duncan's other brothers, went back to his own flat. He currently worked for Angus. Angus started a garage a few years ago. He had always been mechanically inclined. His idea was to open a business where people could take their cars to be fixed, or rent space and tools to fix their own vehicles. He provided two bays with lifts and equipment where anyone could make repairs to their automobiles. In the other two bays, professional mechanics replaced worn out water pumps, brakes, timing belts, etc. The business took off, and now Angus had three locations.
Duncan's sisters lived elsewhere. Sophie was thirty years old, married with two daughters, and resided in London. Duncan visited her occasionally. His youngest sister, Lilly, was still single and lived in Australia. She went there on vacation one year and stayed. Lilly was twenty-seven years old. The youngest Dewar child, William, was nearly nineteen and on his gap year, visiting Lilly down under.
His mum asked what time he wanted breakfast. She still enjoyed pampering her eldest son, treatment Angus did not usually receive. Angus emptied the trash bins for his parents as Duncan climbed the stairs to his room. Once the door was closed, he immediately dialed Caroline's number on his cell phone.
"Hello," Caroline answered on the second ring and her voice made Duncan melt.
"It's me. How are you, Darling?" he asked.
They spoke for half an hour, just small talk and sweet nothings. They missed each other already. Duncan told her he wished he could kiss her good night. Angus entered the room as he signed off.
"Good night, Darling."
As soon as Duncan tapped his phone off, Angus said, "No I-love-yous?"
Duncan's state of bliss was too strong to be hampered by Angus's remark and he just smiled at his brother in reply.
"Why don't you give me the scoop on how you met this girl? Maybe I've been too hasty in my judgment of your relationship," Angus prodded him.
Duncan sighed, changed into his pajamas, and lay down on his bed as if ready to sleep. He snipped the wall lamp off next to his headboard and rolled over, no longer facing his brother. Angus sat upright on his own bed, switched his own light off and waited. He knew his older brother well.
Once the room was dark, Duncan began the story of how he'd met Caroline. This time it was the long version, including all the details of his time at Taye. When finished, Duncan was sure he heard the steady, shallow breathing of a sleeping Angus.
Chapter 4 - Theft and Discovery
Duncan ambled downstairs to breakfast in an empty house. He checked his mum's kitchen clock and was surprised to learn he had slept past ten o'clock. His body still hurt, but he looked forward to a day of work. A note on the counter revealed there was hot tea in the electric pot, eggs in the refrigerator and oatcakes on the table. He busied himself frying two eggs in butter. His dad and Angus had left for work hours earlier, and his mother must have been volunteering at the church. She mentioned something about collecting food and goods for Boxing Day last night.
He decided the kitchen table was just the right space for his work. His old desk might be fine for a child finishing a homework assignment, but he needed more room to spread out. Since he was alone for the day, he would utilize the kitchen. He popped open his briefcase and began organizing its contents. He placed his laptop to his right and folders with papers to his left. Duncan made neat little stacks, and put the portable printer on the counter behind him.
He opened his email program and groaned as the list of notifications grew, racing down his screen. He scanned the senders and selected a message from Robert Nolan, L and G's top forensic accountant, to read first.
Hello, Duncan. Per your request, I've completed my review of the financial transactions relating to case #30729. The estate and related businesses have not been on sound financial footing for years. Deceased close to bankruptcy the three years prior to his accident. No improvement in earnings since. Some ethically questionable, but not illegal, shuffling of assets, etc. The usual. Regarding your question about property insurance, it has always been paid by check. Full report to follow. Regards, Robert Nolan
Just as he had suspected, Stuart was desperate for cash. What jumped out at him was the property insurance information. If the man remitted his property insurance premiums with a check, the electronic transfer for life insurance premiums should have been noticed by someone.
He glanced around for his notebook. He wanted to make a notation. He checked his briefcase and reshuffled the paperwork on the table. There was no sign of it. He looked through everything again. Duncan assessed all his actions since he last wrote in his tablet. Someone had stolen his notes! Whoever brought his belongings down from the battlement, or had access to them then, swiped his tablet…. Pointless, since Duncan had an incredible memory.
He switched programs on his laptop and entered his thoughts on Robert's email, as well as the measurements he took at Castle Taye. Luckily, he knew exactly what dimensions and angles he recorded that day. He could see them, written on the lined paper from his tablet, in his mind.
Next, he flipped back to his email and opened the messages from his photo expert, Gerald Campbell. He grabbed some photo paper from a kitchen drawer, where his mum stored her office supplies, and placed it in the printer. As the printer hummed, producing glossy copies of Gerald's work, Duncan perused the expert's reports.
He opened attachments from Gerald containing three dimensional images of the scene. Duncan found the pictures, the measurements, and effects Gerald produced enlightening. For starters, the hunk of stone photographed atop Stuart was smaller than any of the merlons on the battlement. Its measurements did not match those Duncan had taken there. Since the remaining merlons' dimensions hardly varied from one another, Duncan concluded that the one found on top of Stuart did not come from the battlement! This was a major breakthrough.
He jotted calculations on a loose piece of paper and opened his Pocket Companion for Engineers, Architects, and Builders. It was an old copy of the book that he had picked up years before in a used book shop. He flipped through the well worn pages until he reached the Physical Properties of Substances section. He wrote down the specific gravities and weights of blue stone and limestone. Duncan set about determining the weight of an existing merlon and the weight of the one left on Stuart.
Limestone's density was 2,401 kilograms per cubic meter. The merlons appeared to be composed mainly of limestone, so Duncan worked with that number. With little to no variation, those atop the battlement all measured 85 centimeters, square. From Gerald's report, the measurement of the stone on top of Stuart was 54 centimeters, square. How could the police miss this discrepancy? Obviously, they had not measured the stonework o
n the roof of the castle.
After some rapid calculations, Duncan determined that the remaining merlons weighed 1,474 kilograms each, give or take a few grams. An item that large would be impossible for Peter to move without utilizing heavy equipment. Photos of the ground revealed no sign of that.
Duncan performed more calculations. The stone pinning Stuart to the ground weighed only 378 kilograms. Perhaps Peter and Julia moved that rock into place with a cart. Certainly, Stuart had sturdy carts available on the grounds for his garden business.
He found himself at a crossroads. He could deny the claim right now -- one of the routes available. This almost always led to a lawsuit against the insurance company, followed by a reduced settlement. Often, a claim denial of this sort led to law enforcement reopening the case.
The other course open to Duncan was to continue analyzing and collecting evidence until a more accurate scenario emerged. Then, he would turn everything over to Police Scotland and let them make arrests. Afterwards, he could deny the claim. Stuart's policy listed Caroline as primary beneficiary. His nephew and niece were joint secondary beneficiaries. If Peter and Julia, acting alone, caused Stuart's death, Caroline would still be entitled to his death benefits, per the policy.
Duncan dug the business card Chief Inspector Wallace had given him out of a pouch in his briefcase. He flicked one edge of the card, lost in thought. He had already asked Donald to keep an eye on Caroline. Now, he was worried that might not be enough. He'd left her in a vulnerable position. He dialed the number on Wallace's card and asked to speak to the chief inspector.
"Hello, Chief Inspector Wallace here," John Wallace answered.
"Hallo, this is Duncan Dewar with Lawful and General," he said before pausing to ensure the chief inspector remembered him. "I've been working on the Stuart Menzies insurance claim and we have found some irregularities."
Mystery: The Merlon Murders II: A Duncan Dewar Mystery of Murder and Romantic Suspense (Duncan Dewar Mysteries Book 2) Page 3