Against a Dark Sky (12 page)

Chapter Twenty Seven

W
hen Dani entered the incident room at 9am on the dot, she was immediately confronted by the unexpected presence of Bill Hutchison, sitting ram-rod straight on one of the plastic chairs in the centre of the hall.

              ‘Is everything okay?’ Dani asked as she walked towards him.

              ‘I’d like a word please, if you got the time, Detective Chief Inspector.’

              ‘Of course, follow me into my office. We’ll have a little more privacy in there.’

              Dani was annoyed at being caught off guard. She hadn’t even had the opportunity to settle behind her desk and enjoy the take-out cappuccino she’d just bought from the Wallaces’ café. ‘Would you like a coffee yourself?’ Bevan offered amicably, as she gestured for the man to take a seat.

              ‘Detective Constable Calder is already fetching me one, thank you.’

              He’d be loving that, Dani thought to herself and couldn’t suppress a wry grin. ‘Now, how may I be of assistance, Bill?’

              ‘My neighbour, Mrs McCulloch, told us you’d been speaking with her.’

              ‘Yes, it’s normal procedure. You were the person who discovered Daniel Goff’s body. We needed to check your alibi for the time of his death.’ Bevan kept her voice perfectly level, trying to assess Hutchison’s mood. ‘Can you confirm that you and Mrs Hutchison were at home in Falkirk during the weekend of Saturday, 16
th
October?’

              Bill’s mouth dropped open in surprise. He had clearly expected to be the one asking the questions. ‘Yes, of course. In fact, our daughter and grandchildren were visiting on the Sunday afternoon. She could verify that for us.’

              ‘Good. One of my team will give her a call this morning.’

              ‘Oh, fine. Only, am I a
suspect
?’

              Dani smiled as warmly as she was able. ‘We’re simply ticking boxes, Bill, that’s all.’

              ‘I see.’ He shuffled about in his chair, looking as if he was about to say something else when Andy burst into the room with a scowl on his face. He placed a cup of what appeared to Dani to be the contents of the washing up bowl down on the desk. ‘Er, thanks,’ Bill said instead.

              ‘I want to keep you in the loop, Mr Hutchison, but as you can imagine, we’re rather busy,’ she continued.

              ‘How did Daniel Goff die?’ The man blurted out.

              ‘I can’t tell you that.’

              ‘I think you should speak with the policeman who originally investigated my son’s death. He’s still alive, I’ve checked. His name is Ronnie Sheldon and he retired ten years ago. He now lives in Crieff. I’ve got the address here.’ Bill reached into his coat pocket.

              ‘Hold on a minute,’ Dani put up a hand. ‘Where on earth has this come from?’

              ‘We got to know Ronnie quite well back then. His wife counselled the families of the children who died. He was a good man. The thing is, he was a fanatic fan of the ‘Jags’ - Partick Thistle, I mean.’

              Dani wasn’t quite sure what she should say to this. ‘I know the team, yes.’

              ‘Their strip is very distinctive, with a thistle set on a red and yellow background. My wife, you see, she dreamt about the emblem last night. Joy wouldn’t normally be able to tell you one Scottish football strip from another, but the minute she woke up this morning, that was the image imprinted on her brain – a black thistle against red and yellow. As soon as she told me, I knew what it meant. I needed to contact Ronnie again.’

              Bevan sighed in exasperation. ‘Joy could have seen that logo
anywhere
, Mr Hutchison. These images imprint themselves on our subconscious mind all the time. We don’t have to be footie fans to notice them.’

              Bill leaned forward. ‘Then why that particular team and why now? It
must
mean something, Detective Chief Inspector. Can’t you see that?’

              Dani took several deep breaths and counted to ten in her head. ‘I will get in touch with Mr Sheldon,
when
I’ve got a spare moment. It might be worthwhile to see what he remembers from back then.’

              Bill Hutchison finally let his tensed up body relax. ‘Thank you, Ms Bevan. I’ll inform Joy straight away.’

Andy Calder rocked back and forth in his chair with laughter.

              ‘Be careful, or you’ll have another heart attack,’ Dani said dryly.

              The DC finally managed to control his mirth. ‘You know, I can’t decide if the guy’s a total fruitcake or if he’s very cleverly trying to put us off the scent.’

              ‘I think the couple are genuine. Bill certainly believes what he’s saying.’

              ‘They’d be better off with a few sessions of counselling than in digging up the case of the dead schoolchildren all over again. It’s like they’re deliberately torturing themselves.’

              ‘I suppose it’s difficult to know how people will react to the death of a child. I’m not averse to speaking with Ronnie Sheldon. He may have some tips on the best way to handle the Hutchisons. His wife was a police counsellor back then and spent a great deal of time with the bereaved families.’

              ‘It’s your call, boss.’ Andy shrugged his shoulders. 

              ‘How are you and Clark getting on with the CCTV motorway footage?’

              ‘We’re working through it, slowly but surely. There’s a list of names that Rick is currently checking out. It just takes time, that’s all.’

              ‘Can you spare me for a few hours this evening?’

              Andy looked at his colleague quizzically. ‘Yes, of course.’

              ‘Good. If you need me, I’ll be on my mobile.’

Chapter Twenty Eight

B
evan had very few items of smart clothing with her. She selected a simple, figure-hugging black dress which Dani occasionally wore with a jacket for meetings. She partnered it with a pair of simple red pumps and added a dash of crimson to her full, heart-shaped lips. The detective’s dark hair was styled in a low maintenance crop which required little effort for special events beyond a wash and blow dry.

              The journey didn’t take long. It was just before 8pm when Dani pulled up onto the gravelled driveway of the Irving’s house in Leith. It was certainly impressive from the outside. Dani parked next to a brand new Mercedes sports car, taking care not to bash the immaculate paintwork as she climbed out.

              It was a mild evening and the front door was wedged open to allow guests to come and go freely. Dani knew she was going to have to fight the urge to inform her hosts that even in such a salubrious part of Edinburgh, this wasn’t a great idea.

              Dani took in her surroundings, partly as a wide-eyed party guest and partly in the role of an organised criminal, checking out the premises for a future break-in, deciding on entry and exit routes and totting up what was worth stealing.

              James emerged from an enormous kitchen-diner into the main hallway, with an open bottle of champagne in his hand. ‘Dani! Come and grab a drink.’

              She brushed her lips against his cheek, allowing him to place his free hand at the base of her spine and direct her towards the rear of the property, where most of the revelry seemed to be taking place. A conservatory with doors wide open to the dark sky led out into a patio area where numerous small groups were gathered around blethering. Little chains of fairy lights had been strewn across the trees and hedgerows in the vast garden, making the scene look magical.

              A three-tiered cake sat in the centre of the dining table and an impressive collection of beautifully wrapped gifts surrounded it.

              ‘Oh, shit,’ Dani gasped. ‘I haven’t brought a present.’

              James laughed, ‘don’t worry. I really didn’t expect you to.’ He handed her a flute of bubbly and took her out into the garden, where a handsome grey-haired man in a stripy, open-collared shirt greeted them warmly.

              ‘This is my guest, Dani Bevan,’ James explained cheerfully.

              ‘Happy Birthday, Mr Irving,’ Dani said. ‘You have a very lovely house.’

              ‘Call me Jim, please. Now, my wife, Linda, has organised some entertainment. There’s a magician circulating around here somewhere and a lady in the summer house will tell your fortune, if you cross her palm with silver, of course! Perhaps you youngsters will enjoy it more than us old fogies.’

              Dani smiled gratefully as James found them a seat opposite a small ornamental pond.

              ‘I definitely approve of being referred to as a ‘youngster’,’ Dani commented, sipping her champagne.

              ‘Well, that’s what you get when you frequent parties full of seventy year olds. Now, if we were out together having a drink at the Liquid Room, we may not be perceived in quite the same way.’

              ‘We’d best avoid it then.’

              James chuckled. ‘Oh yes, my clubbing days are well and truly over.’

              ‘Are many of your family here?’

              ‘My sister and her husband are around somewhere. Grant is always the life and soul of any shindig. Sally’s probably helping Mum with the food.’ James glanced about him, but didn’t appear to be making any great efforts to locate them.

              ‘Have you got siblings?’

              Dani shook her head. ‘It’s just me and Dad. We’ve never been big on parties. If there’s a birthday celebration on Colonsay, we all just meet up in the pub.’

              ‘Sounds like a wonderful idea. My mother’s added ten years to her age organising this party. You’d have thought it was a royal coronation.’

              ‘But it’s really nice to be able to do something special like this. It’s just so,
normal
. Believe me, in my line of work that is the greatest compliment I can give.’

              Bevan started to feel chilled. She suddenly wished she’d brought a shrug or a jacket with her. James noticed her shiver. ‘Come on, I’ll take you back inside. Looks like the canapés are being brought out. I’ve been eyeing them up all day.’

              Sally and Linda Irving were in charge of the food. James’ sister was tall and slender and quite glamorous, but Dani would have said she was a good decade older than her brother. Linda was a more petite lady, who wore her ash-golden hair in a neat, shoulder-length cut. James introduced Bevan to them. Sally immediately shot Dani an inquisitive glance, but covered it up expertly with a beaming smile.

              ‘Lovely to meet you. We aren’t often permitted to get acquainted with James’
friends
. You must be special.’

              James’ cheeks seemed to flush-up, but Dani wasn’t sure if perhaps it was simply the champagne. Linda was struggling to lift a couple of trays laden with finger-food, so Dani offered to help. She took one from her hostess and proceeded to assist James’ mother in handing the canapés around.

              ‘Oh, you don’t need to do that, you’re a guest,’ Linda argued.

              ‘It’s okay. I won’t get a chance to chat with you otherwise.’

              The woman looked pleased. ‘What do you do for a living, Dani?’

              Bevan smiled. It was the question which usually spelt make or break for every new relationship she forged; friend or lover. ‘I’m a police detective.’

              ‘My goodness. James nearly specialised in criminal law, you know. Then he decided on corporate. He’d have been too soft for it, if truth be told.’ Linda appeared to have taken the news in her stride. But then the woman stopped walking. ‘Are you working on the Joanna Endicott murder case?’

              ‘Yes, that’s how James and I met.’

              Linda put down her tray and led Dani over to a small sofa at the far end of the dining room. They sat close to one another. ‘Jim and I have been wondering if James really is alright about Jo’s death. We keep asking him, but of course he puts up a brave front. You know what young men are like.’

              ‘It’s certainly been very difficult for him, especially with the death of Amit happening so soon afterwards. They were all close friends.’

              Linda frowned, obviously not being completely sure if she should say anymore. ‘It’s just that for the last couple of years, we’d thought James was very keen on Jo. You know how sometimes you can really tell, because of the way a person speaks about someone else. I was convinced they’d get engaged, sooner rather than later.’

              To her surprise, Dani felt her stomach tighten into a knot. It was a most unpleasant sensation and one she was not used to. ‘I didn’t realise their relationship had been a romantic one.’

              ‘Well, James is always extremely cagey with Jim and me about the ladies in his life. We never know for certain. But he and Jo took a holiday last year, to Madeira. They said it was because work had been so frantic they both needed complete relaxation.
I
thought it was the two of them seeing if they were properly compatible. Jo was like that, you see, very business-like. After they returned, all sun-tanned and full of beaming smiles, we were on tenterhooks, waiting for them to finally tell us they were an item.’

              Dani politely excused herself and walked out into the garden. She breathed in the cool air. It made her feel slightly better. Dani glanced back towards the house and saw James conversing animatedly with a male guest. To her horror she felt tears welling up in her eyes. James suddenly noticed her standing there, in the centre of the lawn, and began to make a move in her direction. Dani turned and dashed towards the summer house, determined to avoid him.

              Bevan didn’t notice there was anyone else in there with her until she backed against a table and some cards fell onto the floor. ‘I’m terribly sorry,’ she said to the woman who was sitting in the shadows, a tasselled shawl pulled tight around her shoulders.

              ‘Close the door and join me,’ the woman said. ‘He won’t follow you in here.’

              Dani did as she was told and perched on one of the garden chairs.

              ‘You’re upset,’ the lady said.

              ‘I’ve found out something about a man I thought I liked. I need some time to think about what it means.’

              ‘It isn’t just that though, is it? You’re feeling conflicted about your personal and private life.’ The woman reached forward and took her hands. Dani found the gesture oddly comforting.

              ‘Doesn’t everyone?’ She quipped.

              ‘But it’s different in your case.’ The woman paused, leaning into the light. ‘You do realise that she never blamed you?’

              ‘Who? What for?’ Dani was instantly on her guard.

              ‘For deciding to walk home on your own. She never for one moment believed that what followed was your fault.’  

              Bevan snatched her hands out of the woman’s grip, stood up shakily and wrenched open the doors of the summer house. James Irving was standing directly outside with a bemused and hurt expression on his face. Dani stormed straight past. Spotting a passageway running alongside the house, she jogged through it and out onto the floodlit driveway. Then she climbed into her car and sped swiftly away.