by Val Penny
“You didn’t think to ask any questions?” Oskar asked.
“Who brought you the eyes, Mr Morrison?” Hunter asked quietly.
Chapter Forty-Four
Linda was already with Eileen when Rachael arrived at the hospital.
“Where are Noah and Rory this morning?” Rachael asked.
“They’ll be here soon. I’m going to move into a rehabilitation centre in a day or two. I’ll get used to looking after myself and I have to learn to go out and about with Rory to guide me.”
“You’re doing really well already, sis. I’m amazed.”
“To be honest, I’ve amazed myself. I’ll be quite glad to get out of here. The nurses are lovely, but the food is boring and I’m always too hot.”
“I think, if you are complaining about the food, you are ready to leave hospital.” Rachael sat down on a chair beside Eileen’s bed and took her hand. “There is something I have to ask you.”
“Oh dear. Is it something bad?”
“No, but it is something you could do for us to help find your attacker, although only if you feel up to it. You must say no if the idea is too upsetting for you.”
“What on earth is it?”
“If we recorded the men under investigation saying ‘darling’ and ‘Eileen darling’ and ‘darling Eileen’ would you feel able to listen to them all and tell us if you recognised any of the voices as being Frederick’s?”
“Yes. Yes of course. That’s a brilliant idea. I really could help that way.”
Linda frowned. “Eileen, this is a fine idea, and I know you want to help, but it could also be immensely stressful and scary to hear that man saying those things again. You must say no if you don’t feel up to it.”
“I know, Linda. But I do. I know it will be spooky hearing his voice again, but this is a way I can help and not just sit around like a couch potato, or worse still, a victim. I don’t want to be a victim; I want to be me.”
“This is such good news. You’re the bravest person I know, Eileen,” Rachael said.
“So much of the time I just sit about feeling low and wondering why this happened to me. What terrible thing must I have done in a past life to justify losing my eyes. Not just my sight, my eyes. I must look dreadfully ugly now.”
“You really don’t,” Rachael said quickly. “I’ll be honest, just after your operation, your eye socket looked red, and you had swelling and bruises too.”
“I’m not surprised after all my poor eyes sockets had been through.”
“Exactly,” Linda said. “It’s much better now. Do you think you’ll get prosthetic eyes fitted?”
“I’ll see what the doctors say, but unless it’s to keep the shape of my face, I don’t think there’s any point. I still won’t be able to see. Because of the damage to my face around my eyes, I think I’ll get a larger pair of dark glasses. Not so much for me, but so that I don’t frighten people who have to look at me.”
“That’s your choice, Eileen, but you must never blame yourself for that man’s wickedness,” Rachael said.
“These boys aren’t frightened of you, lady,” Noah walked into the room. He let Rory’s leash go and the dog ran to Eileen, wagging his tail. “Don’t be fooled, that’s not love. I told him you have dog treats.”
Eileen reached towards her bedside cabinet, opened the little door at the front and took out two bags. She felt them and put the bag of chocolate eclairs back before taking a couple of treats out of Rory’s bag.
“Here you go, boy. Good dog. Another one? Oh, go on then.” I’m glad you chose Rory for me. He’s lovely.”
“Were you talking about dark glasses as I walked in?” Noah asked.
“Yes, I thought I’d get a larger pair to cover up most of the disfigurement around my eye sockets.”
“It’s a good idea for a couple of other reasons too.”
“What are they?” Eileen asked.
“You have to remember that if you go outside without prosthetic eyes, the skin and scars in your eye sockets will be very tender and susceptible to sunlight. The last thing you want is to get that part of your face burned.”
“Gosh, I never thought of that,” Linda said. “You will have to be careful, sis.”
“The other reason is really as a warning to others that you can’t see. If you walk around in a supermarket or a shopping mall, people tend to look at eye level. They may not immediately notice Rory, or a white stick if you use one but you can draw attention to your lack of sight by wearing dark glasses. It often helps keep you safe, especially if the place you need to go is crowded and you might bump into other people or things.”
“What you say all makes good sense, Noah. I’ll do that.”
“Now, enough of this gassing. Let’s go for a little stroll outside with Rory. You’ll learn to use his harness soon enough, but for now, I’ll take your arm.” Noah touched Eileen lightly on her left arm and she put it through his. “Hold the lead in your right hand and keep Rory on a short leash inside. If Rachael walks ahead of us and Linda a couple of steps behind, you will have your security ring around you.”
“Who would have thought a short walk in the hospital grounds could be this exciting?” Eileen giggled. “Did I tell you my work phoned today?”
“No, what did they say?”
“Instead of having incoming calls going to any phone that’s free, they’re going to streamline things and have a telephone receptionist who can answer minor queries or put the calls to the correct person as appropriate.”
“That sounds like a good use of resources,” Rachael said.
“And I’ve been offered the job of telephone receptionist as soon as I’m well enough to go back to work. I even get a pay rise.”
“That’s excellent,” Noah said. He patted her hand that was folded around his arm. “But you do know that it will take some time to adapt to your new life, don’t you?”
“Yes. But I’m so pleased to have a job to look forward to. And I liked my colleagues, or at least I was used to them.”
Rachael laughed. “I hear you, Eileen,” she said. “Your life going forward will be different to the way you expected it to be, but it will go on, and I have a feeling that you’re going to be fine.”
Chapter Forty-Five
Hunter banged the desk with his fist. “Let’s get down to business. We are so close to nailing this monster that I want it done. Oskar, can you report on our meeting with Mr Morrison yesterday?”
“Yes. I can do that, Hunter. Mr Morrison told us a lot. Not all of it was true, but he said a lot.” The Polish DI smiled at his new colleagues before he continued. “Steven Frederick Morrison, born in Glasgow, September 10th, 1978.”
“Frederick?” Colin asked.
“He’s not as old as he looks,” Mel said.
“You’d look older if you lived with Mrs Morrison, believe me.” Tim joked.
“Look at Meera. I heard she’s only twenty-six, but with all the time she spends with the boss, she could easily pass for ten years older.” Bear chuckled.
“Go on, Oskar. Ignore them,” Hunter said.
“He told the boss and me a long story about Mansoor and how his relationship with him grew and the interest Mansoor took in his work. Now, I haven’t met Mansoor, but all I’ve read about him and heard about him from all of you, Mansoor is interested in two things, money and power. If he appeared interested in Morrison’s work, it had to be useful to him for one of those purposes.”
“I agree, and let’s face it, the story we were told was wildly complicated. My thoughts are that no more than half of it is true.”
“But which half?”
“I may be able to help with a bit that wasn’t true,” Nadia said. “You asked me to check the register held by The General Optical Council, Oskar. And surprise, surprise, our friend Steven Frederick Morrison has never been on it.”
“What?” Hunter looked at Nadia in surprise. “He works for a most respected optician. The company operates all over the country.�
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“Yes, he does. But he never qualified.”
“And nobody ever checked?”
“Oh, I don’t doubt he has some kind of certificate, but he probably forged it.”
“Now that would make sense. If Mansoor found out about that, it would give him power over Morrison. Good thinking, Oskar, and well done, Nadia.”
“There is one more thing, boss,” Nadia said. “After that result, I contacted the U.K. Guild of Taxidermists. Mr Morrison joined two years ago after completing a course in the craft at The British Academy of Taxidermy.”
“All that waffle about the interest in taxidermy being his father-in-law’s was just hogwash,” Hunter growled.
“If that’s what he said, it seems to have been untrue,” Nadia said.
“Apart from the fact that Morrison is a liar, what else have we learned?” Hunter asked.
“What did he say about Hector helping him to move all that stuff from his old house to Mansoor’s flat?” Tim asked.
“Bugger, I forgot about that. We didn’t ask.” Hunter looked sheepish. “But as we’re going to arrest him now, we can ask him then.”
“He did admit to preserving eyes that were brought to him, but I doubt now there’s much truth in that.”
“Who did he claims brought them to him?” Mel asked.
“He coughed up Hector Hamilton’s name,” Oskar said.
“I wouldn’t be surprised. After all his brother John’s a bad lot. And that CCTV photo Nadia and I got at the hotel could very well be Hector, but I can’t be sure. I wish it were clearer,” Colin said.
“And Morrison is such a nice guy, to drop his own family in it,” Oskar said. “But Hector’s coming in this morning to answer more questions. It may be just what we need for the family members to turn against each other and get the truth that way.”
“I have good news,” Rachael said.
“Excellent, that’s what we need,” Hunter said.
“Eileen has agreed to listen to tapes of the voices of the different men, she is confident she’ll be able to recognise Frederick that way.”
“Great. I’ve got the tape of Morrison saying the agreed phrases. Oskar, you and Neil interview Hector when he comes in and get him to repeat them and Tim, will you and Bear go out to speak to Felix and get him to repeat them?”
“No can do, boss. I’m taking Gillian to the airport today for the first leg of her journey to Kiev.”
“Sorry, Tim. I forgot. Bear, you and Mel make arrangements to go out to Sir Felix, will you?”
“Yes, boss. No problem. Is there anyone else still in the frame?”
“No, but just for comparison, Colin, you and Nadia go out to Saughton and get Mansoor to say the words. Ask him about his eye-sight too, will you?”
“Yes, boss.”
“Rachael, are you going over to spend time with Eileen again today?”
“Yes, boss. She’s moving from the hospital to the rehab facility where she’ll learn how to live as a blind person. She’s excited about it, but nervous too.”
“I’m not surprised. Imagine just waking up one morning and such a fundamental sense has been taken from you. I’m delighted she’s willing to listen to the voices.”
“She’s brave and thrilled to think she can truly help. That we’re not just making this job up for her. Oh, and her work have told her she has a new career with them as soon as she’s well enough to go back. That made a real difference to her mood too. She wants to be useful and look forward.”
“Don’t we all?”
***
Bear looked into Hunter’s office. “I phoned the Buchanan estate and McKellar answered. But when he went to get Felix, he said I’d just missed him. He’d gone out.”
“Did you say why you wanted to see him?”
“Not specifically, just that we needed a few more details from him. It was too complicated to explain why we wanted him to repeat a few phrases.”
“Did McKellar say where he’d gone?”
“No boss, just that we’d missed him.”
“Okay, Bear, keep trying. Do you have Felix’s mobile number?”
“No, but I think Tim does.”
“Terrific. Phone young Myerscough and see what you can do.”
***
More bloody interviews. I have spent enough time being grilled by police officers. I try not to lie, but I can’t tell the whole truth. Enough really is enough. What else can they possibly want to ask me?
I needed out, away from here. After all, I’ve done some bad things, but it wasn’t really me. I had no choice. It was never my idea. I was made to do it, and how could I know they would die? Actually, it might be better if they’d all died.
And that stuff in the house. Why, oh why, was it not moved on to Mansoor’s house sooner? Why leave it to the last minute? Why let anybody else know about it? Fucking idiot! I really am a fucking idiot!
I should never have agreed to Mansoor’s terms. But I did, and now it feels like there’s no way out. I need to get away. East Lothian may not be far enough.
Chapter Forty-Six
When Tim arrived back at the house, Gillian’s luggage was in the hall. There was so much of it that he immediately knew he would have to take his big BMW. The Mercedes was built for speed, not moving so many of Gillian’s belongings.
He found her in the morning room deep in conversation with his father. They had never been particularly close but had clearly found common ground today.
“No, I won’t forget you, Sir Peter. Anyway, my contract is only for a year. I’ll be back sooner than you know.”
“Are you ready to go? You don’t want to miss your flight,” Tim said.
“Yes, I’m ready, Tim. But this one’s only to Heathrow. I have a few hours before my flight from London to Kiev?”
“Why leave so early?” Sir Peter asked.
“I have to change terminals, and I don’t want to rush when I’m travelling on my own.”
“Safe journey, dear,” Sir Peter said. He kissed her lightly on the green flash in her hair and smiled.
Tim turned back to the hall. “Is all this your luggage? How much excess do you have?” He laughed.
“None, you bought me a first-class ticket with benefits, remember? And I better give this back to you.” Gillian handed the black, limitless American Express card to Tim.
“No, just keep it in case you need it, pet,” he said.
“I’d feel guilty about taking it with me. What if I lost it, or it got stolen? Please take it back Tim.”
“Then it will be waiting for you when you return. And I can always get a new card issued for you if you do need it. Just let me know.”
“You’re a good man.”
“Enough of all that, let’s get you out of here. Kenneth, could you help me with the luggage.”
Tim smiled as Kenneth appeared as if from nowhere and lifted two of the smaller bags.
“I’m not as young as I used to be,” he said.
Tim’s father dragged a stuffed roller bag onto the drive beside the car, and Tim carried two cases that were deceptively heavy. “What on earth have you got in here? Is Alice in one of these cases?”
“Indeed, I am not, Master Timothy. My old bones wouldn’t fold up into that little space anymore.” The cook came out to wave Gillian off. “Stay safe and enjoy your new post, Miss Gillian,” she said.
Goodbyes and good wishes exchanged, Gillian climbed into the car and looked at Tim.
“I didn’t think this would be quite so hard,” she said.
Without saying a word, Tim put the car in gear and began the drive to the airport. He parked in the multi-storey carpark and found a trolley to allow him to push the luggage across to the airport terminal.
“If you find you’ve forgotten anything,” he began.
“I’ll buy it there.” Gillian smiled. I’m going to Ukraine, not Mars, Tim.”
“I know, I know.”
***
He stood back and watched her load
her luggage onto the conveyor belt. He knew she was already checked in. Heather at the travel agent’s had seen to all that.
“Checked in all the way to Boryspil International Airport,” Gillian said. “That’s a relief. Shall we have a coffee before I head for security?”
“I’d like that.” He walked beside her to the Café Nero. It was the only coffee shop he could see landside at the airport, although he suspected there must be others. The coffee really didn’t matter, time with Gillian before she left did.
There were several tables available. They stopped at one in a secluded corner where they would not be easily seen.
“Bonus. It’s been cleaned,” Gillian said.
Tim worked out that they were well hidden and could have a quiet chat and a kiss before Gillian left. He was going to miss her.
“What can I get you?”
“Cappuccino for me, Tim, with lots of chocolate.”
He smiled. “Old habits die hard.”
“It’s harder to get a really good coffee over there,” she said. “I tend to drink the tea. It’s usually better.”
Tim went up to the counter. He decided to get two cookies to go with the coffee. Just then he felt a tap on his shoulder.
“Hello, Tim, I thought it was you. I arrived far too early for my flight, so I thought I’d just stop for a coffee before I catch my plane to Dublin. Another gig, you know.”
“Hi Felix. Dublin. Great city. It’s too long since I’ve been.”
“You should come along to my gig. I could show you around.”
“Not this time. I’m only here to see Gillian off on her way to Ukraine. She secured a teaching post there for a year. Leaves today.”
“I remember that she said she was going soon when we met up at the Pompadour. It occurred to me that we might be travelling on the same day. May I join you?”
Tim couldn’t think of a polite way to say no. “Sure, we’re at that table there.” He put their coffees on his tray.
“Good. I’ll come over,” Felix said. “Oh, where are my manners? Let me get these. Leave the tray and I’ll put mine on there too. I’ll get this.”