by Val Penny
“True, but I want to see what John says.”
Neil smiled. “Ready when you are, sir,” he said, and opened the door.
“Good morning, Mr Hamilton. Thank you for attending here today,” Oskar said, walking in.
“It wasn’t exactly an invitation that could be declined. Do you know my lawyer, Andrew Barley?”
“Only by reputation.” Oskar introduced himself, and he and Barley shook hands. Then he started recording the interview, introduced the parties present for the benefit of the tape, and the questioning began.
“John, a supply of marijuana was found in the bathroom in your flat. Does that belong to you?”
“I couldn’t say. I wasn’t there when it was uncovered. My guess is that it was planted by one of your men who dislikes me.”
“That seems unlikely. The weed is valued at over three-thousand pounds. Few members of Police Scotland could afford that. Especially not just as some kind of revenge. That is what you’re suggesting isn’t it?”
John nodded.
“And for the tape?”
“Yeh. That’s exactly what I’m suggesting. They all hate me at Fettes.”
“But it was hidden in the bottom of the cupboard under the sink. Your fingerprints, and those of one other person, were found on the bag. Are you dealing, John?”
“Me? Who? No, never have. Succumbed to a little weed and snow now and then, but never a dealer.”
“Who has access to your bathroom in the flat?” Neil asked.
“Funny you should ask. Anybody who comes in. Anyone could have put it there. Maybe my fingerprints got onto the bag when I was looking out a new bar of soap.”
“Who has been in your flat recently?” Oskar asked. “Say over the last month.”
“Only me, Katy, and Hector. Oh, and the birds he’s knocked about with. He’s not got anyone special just now. Maybe one of them left it.”
“I wouldn’t leave gear worth that much money in the home of a casual acquaintance. Would you, John? I’d need to know I could get in and take it back,” Oskar said.
“Well then, I can’t help you. I don’t know.”
“I think my client has answered as much as he can about the marijuana allegedly found in his flat, don’t you, inspector?”
“There’s no allegedly about it, Mr Barley. It was found hidden there. But let’s move on.
“John, there was a large amount of cocaine found in your kitchen in a container marked ‘sugar’. Is that yours? You have admitted to using cocaine. Do you deal to allow you to feed your habit?”
“I don’t need to. I’ve got a good job. I bet I earn a lot more than you do.”
“Maybe. But is the cocaine we found yours?”
“Of course not.”
“Then who keeps their supply of cocaine in the sugar container of your flat? Is that another of Hector’s female acquaintances?” Oskar asked.
“Perhaps your dealer forced you to hold on to it for them,” Neil suggested.
“I don’t know.”
“Then we’ll move on,” Oskar said. “Why did your girlfriend tell us she was just finished a nightshift, but you told us she worked at your office as an estate agent?”
“For fuck’s sake, what difference does that make? She doesn’t work with us. She’s a croupier at a casino. I thought it sounded better if I said she worked with us.”
“At last, an answer that makes sense. Do you like to gamble?”
“Now and then. So what?”
“Moving on. A small quantity of cocaine was found in your desk in the office. “Is that yours.”
“Yes. I had a little left over from the weekend. Enough for one cut.”
“Thank you. Now, there was a disturbingly large amount of cash found in the reception desk of your office. Almost ten thousand pounds. How did it get there?”
“A client paid a deposit, another paid a bill, and the rest of it was our petty. None of the single amounts are big enough to need a money laundering explanation.”
“Interesting. That’s not what I was told when we found it. No doubt your accounts will confirm what you say.”
“I don’t know. I don’t keep the accounts. Hector does that.”
“You don’t seem to know very much. Do you know how Hector’s fingerprints got onto the safe under the dining room floor in your uncle’s home?”
“No. Ask Hector.”
“We will. Just one last thing. Have you ever used the services of a dating agency?” Neil asked.
“What if I have? What’s that got to do with anything? It’s none of your business, is it, Mr Barley?”
“It does seem unconnected. Is there something on your mind we should know about, detective?”
***
Oskar arranged for John to be taken to wait in reception while Hector was brought through to the interview room. Barley took the opportunity for a break too. He told Oskar that he needed a fag and a pee because he wasn’t as young as he used to be. Oskar agreed that it would be fifteen minutes before questioning of Hector commenced.
***
Hector had never been in a police interview room before. He was horrified by how musty it was. It made him gag. The tables and chairs were metal, and bolted to the floor. There was a recording device on the table, and that was bolted onto it. High on the wall was a camera. He stared at it. Could somebody see him now, he wondered.
A policewoman stood by the door. Hector looked at her and thought, in other circumstances, he might have had a shot. She was quite pretty. He moved around on his seat to see the wall behind him. The only window was there, but it was too high up to see out of it and it had bars in front of it, as well as the cobwebs. He had never seen any that thick. They seemed to form a net curtain over the window. This place smelled bad too. He gagged again and sat with his head in his hands until Andrew Barley came back into the room.
Oskar and Neil walked back in shortly afterwards and thanked Hector for his attendance.
“I just want to get things sorted,” Hector said. “Ask me anything you want. I’ll tell you the truth.”
Oskar thought he was planning to ask what he wanted and that it would be a refreshing change to get honest replies, but he didn’t say so. He asked Hector about the weed in the bathroom cupboard.
“I don’t know if it’s John’s or Katy’s, but I know it’s not mine. I don’t do drugs.”
“John seemed to think it might have been left there by a friend of yours. Could that be right?” Neil asked.
“Unlikely. I rarely bring anybody back there. John and Katy make such exhibitions of themselves. You never know what you’ll witness. I wish he’d get his own place.”
“What about the substance we found in the sugar container in the kitchen? It looks more like cocaine than sugar. Is that yours?” Oskar asked.
“Bloody hell, not again. I’ve told him I don’t want that stuff in the house. You have extremely blue eyes, inspector. It’s rare to see such a distinctive colour.”
“Indeed. Now, John has admitted that the small amount of cocaine found in his desk at the office was his, but he was a little vague about how the ten thousand pounds came to be in the desk at reception. Can you help us with that?”
“A client wanted to pay a deposit in cash, but I said we couldn’t take that much without knowing where it came from. He left it with us while he went to get a certificate from his accountant.”
“Interesting. That’s not what John said. And an accountant’s certificate wouldn’t be enough for your professional money laundering requirements, would it?” Oskar asked.
“Maybe not. I was trying to accommodate a good client.”
“Another thing, Hector. You have an aunt and uncle in West Mains Road in Edinburgh.”
“Not for much longer. They want to move house. I’ve been in measuring up and giving them advice quite recently. Their neighbours are ghastly.”
“Your fingerprints were found on a safe under their dining room floor. How would they have got there?�
� Oskar asked.
“I put it in for them. The old man’s a bit fingers-and-thumbs now. They keep stuff in it for a friend, I think.”
“A friend? Who would that be?”
“It’s a funny name. I’d never heard it before. Marshmallow or something.”
“Mansoor?”
“That’s it, I think.”
“Fine. Lastly, have you ever used a dating app?” Neil asked.
“You think I’d need to use a dating app? Look at this face, this physique.”
“Even if you don’t need to, have you ever done it?”
“Don’t make me laugh.”
Chapter Thirty-One
Hunter arrived at the station even earlier than usual, but Charlie was already in place behind reception.
“Morning Hunter. Do you know it’s only nineteen pay checks until I retire?” the sergeant said.
“Best news I’ve had in a while. But what will you do when you have all that time on your hands?”
“Easy. Me and the wife are getting a motor home with the lump sum from my pension, and we’ll travel the length and breadth of this green and pleasant land.”
“That sounds good. I might join you.”
“Over my dead body. Speaking of which, a couple of reports came in from your fancy woman. I got Scott to put them on your desk.”
Hunter nodded, and climbed the stairs to his office. He set up his coffee machine and glanced at the reports. Meera had told him that the post-mortem reports on both the attacker’s earlier victims would be with him today, along with her comments on Eileen. True to her word, all three were there. He waited until he was able to pour his first coffee, then sat down to study the details.
First, he read through the post-mortem reports. Both women were white, single, and looking for relationships on a new dating app that had been established in the USA for a while, but only recently moved its franchise to the UK as well. They were both a bit older than Eileen, but he didn’t feel age was the factor for this man. He guessed both women were lonely and vulnerable, as Eileen had been.
Why did he feel guilty that he and Meera had been able to save Eileen’s life?
He turned his attention back to the first report. The woman who had been attacked in the woods near Ravelston had suffered a blow to the head. Meera thought a log or thick stick had been used because traces of moss and bark had been found around the wound. But the report indicated that although it would have stunned the victim, it had not immediately led to her death.
She had also been drugged. Traces of the date rape drug Rohypnol had been found in her blood. Although Hunter was well aware of the effects of the drug, Meera had stated the effects in her report because it was important that the whole team were fully aware that Rohypnol was a tranquiliser, much stronger than Valium. Although it started working after twenty to thirty minutes, its strongest effects were usually felt within two hours. It could continue for up to twelve hours. Meera’s report went on to state that, bearing in mind the amount of Rohypnol found in this victim’s body, it was likely she would have been seriously incapacitated.
Hunter sighed. Then he picked squinted at the report to be sure of what he was reading.
Meera had found a print-out from a dating website in the woman’s pocket. The woman had been matched with a man called Frederick. That was the name Eileen had whispered to Meera before they reached the hospital. Meera’s report indicated that she didn’t think this was a coincidence.
She also deduced it was quite likely, bearing in mind the removal of the woman’s eyes, that she had lain on the ground with her eyes open, able to observe her attacker and the events that led to her blindness, but was unable to move.
***
Hunter shuddered. That was disgusting. What a terrifying end of life experience. He was almost glad to read that, even if she had lived, the woman would have been unlikely to remember fully what happened because of the amount of the date rape drug found in her body.
He stared out of the window and noticed the sun breaking through. Eileen Maguire would never enjoy the sight of that again. Hunter poured himself another strong coffee and finished reading the report. It stated that the likely cause of death was a combination of shock to the body that resulted from the crude removal of the eyes from their sockets, blood loss, and hypothermia. The woman had been found in Edinburgh in January, the whole area, and especially the grounds of the woodlands, where she was found would certainly have been cold and wet, and if she could have moved, she’d have had no way to protect herself from the elements.
Hunter sighed and picked up the second report. It was much the same as the first, except that the victim had been found on a beach, and the implement used to knock her over the head appeared to have been a rock or a stone. Meera’s report mentioned that in the wound at the back of her head there was sand and traces of seaweed. Again, Rohypnol had been in her system. The removal of the woman’s eyes would have been relatively unhindered by her inability to struggle or move after the drug had been administered. Hunter was saddened to note that the causes of death were the same for this woman as for the first victim who had been found. This monster must be found – and quickly, he thought.
Then he turned to a shorter report. Meera had spoken to Eileen and asked if she would allow the hospital to release her medical notes so that she could compare Eileen’s injuries with those of the other victims. Meera stated at the beginning of her notes that Eileen had consented, on the grounds that Meera thought it would help catch her attacker. Hunter felt grateful to this brave young woman who had suffered such a devastating loss.
He read on. Eileen’s experience appeared to differ a little from those of the other women in that she had not been hit from behind to stun her. Perhaps her attacker had become more confident in his use of Rohypnol, and it had probably been administered earlier than to the other victims. Meera deduced this because Eileen remembered having to go to the ladies’ room, but had found herself dizzy and disoriented on her way there and back.
However, Eileen had been held in such a way that there were marks around her neck. Meera’s notes suggested she had been held in an upright position when her eyes were removed because the lift was too small for her to lie down and give the attacker easy access. Meera stated Eileen’s medical notes indicated that if she hadn’t been found so soon, Eileen would probably have lost her life too. The medical team at the hospital had given her fluids and bloods immediately to prevent her from going deeper into shock and to avoid her blood pressure crashing. They cauterised her wounds and stopped the bleeding, and tidied up the site of the attack to avoid further blood loss, and ensured she suffered as little pain as possible. The surgeons stated that the condition of her eye sockets had been appalling. It was as if someone had used a serrated knife, like a steak knife, to harvest the eyeballs.
Hunter turned the page and stared at a blank sheet of paper for a few moments. Then he switched on his computer. The report from the CSIs about Jamie’s neighbours was the first thing he saw in his in-box. That was all he needed.
He opened the email and read the numbered points. He would study it in more detail later.
1. Fingerprints found on the site included Jamie Thomson, John Hamilton, Hector Hamilton, Arjun Mansoor and Sir Felix Buchanan.
2. It looked as if someone wearing latex gloves had also been in the property as areas with otherwise clear fingerprints had elements of smudging.
3. Owners reported valuables, including jewellery stolen from the house and the safe under the dining room floor, but had been unwilling to itemise every item taken.
4. Third bedroom clearly used as office. Papers there relate to a business - I on U. Owners claim they’ve never heard of it. It’s not their concern. The business belongs to a friend who uses the room as an office.
Hunter shook his head. The Morrisons had never come across his radar before, but now he wanted to know more about them.
Chapter Thirty-Two
Hunter poured himself another
coffee and took his mug on a walk. He needed to gather up the team into the incident room for a briefing, but he found he didn’t have much gathering to do as they were all there, except for Oskar Krol who wandered through from his own room.
He called the meeting to order. “First, the important business. How did the meal go for Gillian’s birthday, Tim?”
“Fine thanks, boss.” Tim grinned. “We had a great meal. Could have done without John and Hector Hamilton poking their noses in, but apart from that, a good time was had by all.”
“I’m glad to hear it. Yes, we let John and Hector out on bail. They were bound to insist on having a solicitor present anyway. How did the interviews go, Oskar?”
“It was all most interesting. Neil and I interviewed John first. He blamed the weed found in the flat on an unidentified friend of his brother, and claimed to know nothing about the cocaine in the sugar container.”
“He now says his girlfriend is a croupier at a local casino and that he was embarrassed about it.”
“That’s why he told us she worked as an estate agent, apparently,” Neil said.
“Aye right,” Colin said. “That man wouldn’t know the truth if he saw a lie coming.” He bit down into his apple viciously, as if it were John Hamilton’s head.
“Is he gambling now?” Hunter asked.
“He says not, but the man did admit that the small amount of cocaine in his desk was his,” Oskar said.
“Only because he had no choice,” Colin muttered.
“But his story about the ten thousand pounds was not the same as his brother’s, nor did he give us a straight answer about whether he’d ever used a dating website or not,” Neil said.
Hunter nodded. “What did Hector tell you about the money?”
“That it was from the one client who went to get an accountant’s certificate to prove it wasn’t laundered cash,” Oskar said.
“What’s that got to do with the price of fish? It’s not good enough for his legal obligations on money laundering,” Hunter said.
“I know that you know that Hector knows that, but my feeling is it’s the truth. The waffle we got from John about it coming from different clients and being partly petty cash seemed a bit of a stretch.”