Against a Dark Sky (19 page)

Chapter Forty One

S
am walked Dani back to the Carraig, a short stroll across the market square.

              ‘You know what I’m going to say.’ Dani smiled and raised an eyebrow. ‘I don’t really need escorting home, I am a DCI.’

              ‘And I don’t know what guys you’re used to having dinner with, but in my book, you walk the gal home.’ Sam took her hand and gave it a squeeze.

              ‘You’re the second person who’s said that to me in the last couple of weeks.’

              The American turned to her, with a puzzled expression on his face.

              ‘Andy suggested I’d been going out with the wrong kinds of men. He was only joking of course, but it made me think.’

              ‘How is Andy?’ Sam asked this with genuine concern.

              ‘He’s doing a great job, but his behaviour is a little unpredictable. There are times when he can be downright insubordinate. He keeps contradicting my DS, who happens to be an excellent detective.’

              ‘It’s still very soon after his heart attack. I’m amazed he’s even back on active service, to be honest.’

              Dani made a face. ‘That’s because I vouched for him. I told the DCS he was ready. I knew how desperate he was to get back into the field.’

              ‘Well there you go. You’re just going to have to put up with him acting out of sorts for a while. As far as your DS goes, Andy’s trying to prove he could have done a better job. If it hadn’t been for his hospitalisation, Andy would be the DS now, right?’

              Dani nodded slowly. ‘I hadn’t considered that. Andy’s resentful of DS Driscoll. It simply hadn’t occurred to me. It’s like having to handle the moods of a teenager.’

              ‘Which I have more experience at than you,’ Sam added with a grin. ‘You’ve just gotta ride it out sweetheart.’

              They’d arrived at the entrance to the Carriag Hotel. It was before 10pm and several couples were exiting through the glass doors. ‘I meant what I said,’ Dani stated quietly. ‘You can’t stay here with me.’

              ‘I know,’ he replied, his eyes twinkling mischievously in the light emanating from the lobby. Sam leant over and placed a kiss on her lips. ‘I do miss you when we’re apart. I may not have made that completely clear up until now, but it’s true.’

              Dani was momentarily taken aback. She wasn’t expecting this kind of declaration. It really complicated things. Before she had a chance to respond, their conversation was interrupted. A figure was hurrying down the steps towards them. The lady’s face was in shadow, but as she grew nearer, Dani could see it was Joy Hutchison.

              ‘Thank goodness you’re back, DCI Bevan. Please come quickly, Bill has got himself into a bit of a predicament.’

              The three of them rushed towards the entrance. As Joy led them through the lobby she explained, ‘there’s a group of rowdy men in the restaurant this evening. They’ve been drinking a lot and causing a disturbance to the other guests. One of the men began making lewd comments to that lovely young waitress from Inveraray. Bill decided to intervene.’

              When they entered the dining room, Dani could immediately see the predicament that Bill Hutchison had got himself into. A heavily built chap with a closely shaved head was squaring up to him. Bill was standing his ground, but was clearly way out of his depth. The hotel manager was loitering uselessly beside them.

              Dani got out her warrant card. She and Sam strode towards the table. ‘Is there a problem here?’ She demanded.

              ‘Ah, Detective Chief Inspector,’ said Bill, his voice a little shaky. ‘These gentlemen have been causing a disturbance and intimidating the waitresses. I have simply asked them to moderate their behaviour.’

              The burly man puffed up his chest and took another step towards Bill. ‘We’re paying customers, too. It’s my mate’s birthday and we’re just having a good time. This fellow,’ he poked Bill hard in the chest with one of his thick digits, ‘doesn’t know how to have fun.’

              Dani automatically swept the man’s arm away from Bill and yanked it behind his back. ‘And that,’ she said forcefully, ‘was common assault. So I suggest that if you don’t want to spend the night in a cell, you’ll sit back down like a good little boy and when the waitress comes back to the table, you’re going to apologise, alright?’

              The man nodded, obviously in pain.

              Dani released her grip and turned towards the manager. ‘No more drinks for this lot, unless you want to lose your licence. And in future, when you’ve got a group of this kind in, don’t put your youngest waitress on the table. If you want their money, serve them yourself.’

              Bevan promptly hustled Bill out of the room. They made their way in the direction of the residents’ lounge. Joy helped her husband into one of the soft seats.

              ‘Are you okay?’ Dani asked.

              Bill nodded. ‘I’m sorry you had to bail me out. I thought I had the situation under control.’

              ‘Don’t worry,’ Sam chipped in, ‘they were a bunch of assholes. I’d have been tempted to take them on myself.’

              ‘But it wasn’t very wise,’ Dani added pointedly, looking daggers at the American. ‘You could have ended up getting badly hurt, Bill. For some of these men, picking a fight is an essential part of a good night out. You should have spoken to the manager, and if you’d got no joy from him, called the police.’

              ‘I realise that. I was too hot-headed. Sometimes I find it difficult to take a step back from these situations.’

              Sam patted him on the shoulder. ‘Don’t beat yourself up. No harm done.’

              Bill turned in Sam’s direction. ‘You must be Detective Sharpe. I’m very pleased to meet you.’ He put out his hand.

              Sam was surprised. ‘That’s right.’

              ‘This is Joy and Bill Hutchison. They have a connection to the case I’m investigating.’

              ‘I followed the trial of Richard Erskine very closely. You and DCI Bevan did a great job to catch him. It’s just a shame the so-called British justice system wasn’t able to finish the job.’

              Sam’s expression became serious. ‘We have the same problem in the States. Lawyers can discredit just about any evidence these days. The more smoke and mirrors they produce in the courtroom, the less likely we are to secure a conviction.’

              ‘Very well put. The way these barristers set out to destroy the reputation of witnesses and victims is quite scandalous.’

              Before the discussion had a chance to go any further Dani interrupted, ‘this is all very fascinating, but I really must retire to my bed. I’ve got an early start and Detective Sharpe needs to return to his guesthouse.’

              The couple stood up, taking their leave of Bill and Joy.

              ‘He’s an interesting guy,’ Sam said, as they reached the entrance lobby.

              ‘Oh, you don’t even know the half of it,’ Dani chuckled. ‘I’ll tell you the whole story when we’ve got more time.’

              Sam brushed his lips against her cheek. He smelt very faintly of soap and wood smoke. ‘See you tomorrow?’

              ‘Yeah, of course. Just come along to the incident room whenever you feel like it in the morning. I could actually do with your input on this investigation. I’ll ask DCS Nicholson if you can advise DC Kendal on a lead he’s chasing up which has a connection to the United States. That’ll give me a legitimate reason to involve you in the inquiry.’

              Sam beamed. ‘Great. I was beginning to think you’d never ask.’

Chapter Forty Two

D
etective Sharpe had dressed smartly. He wore a crisp white, open-necked shirt and dark chinos. His bulky form had a little more definition to it. Dani wondered if he’d been working out.

              ‘So, you’ve not got enough evidence to search this guy’s place. How about surveillance? Can you sit a couple of plain clothed detectives outside his house?’ Sam directed his questions to the officers gathered around the flip chart in the centre of the Town Hall.

              ‘Ford’s cottage is so remote he’d be onto us straight away. But we’re keeping in contact with his employer. Micky is carrying out his regular deliveries. Thanks to the company’s GPS system, we know where he is most of the time,’ Dani responded.

              ‘It’s what he’s getting up to in the evenings that would really be of interest to us though. He could be disposing of evidence and all sorts. It’s obvious he’s already had bonfires in his back garden,’ Andy commented irritably.

              ‘But you don’t have the authority to find that out yet. So you need to focus on what
can
be done,’ Sam said this forcefully and Dani thought she saw the flicker of a smile cross DS Driscoll’s face. ‘If you put an unauthorised surveillance on his cottage and the suspect clocks it, the case will collapse if it comes to court.’

              ‘I’m keen to see if it’s possible to make a connection between Micky Ford and the arson attack on Ronnie Sheldon’s property,’ Dani continued. ‘Ford lives less than an hour’s drive away. Jack Ford claimed that Sheldon made the lives of him and his wife a misery back during the Ardyle investigation in ’83. If we can ascertain a forensic link between Micky and the fire, we might just have enough to arrest him and get a search warrant. There were no forensic traces left at the Batras’ property, but in this case, we may finally strike lucky.’

‘So Bill and Joy’s son died in the original Ardyle tragedy,’ Sam reiterated, as he sat in the passenger seat of Dani’s car. The mountainous landscape rolled past the windows as they headed north-east to Crieff.

              ‘Aye. Neither Bill nor Joy dealt very well with their grief. Bill had a serious nervous breakdown about fifteen years ago. Since then, he’s been hell bent on bringing the bad guys to justice, in whatever form he encounters them.’

              ‘Was there anyone to blame for the tragedy then? The Fiscal ruled it as death by misadventure, didn’t he?’

              ‘That’s correct, but the more connections that develop between the deaths of Endicott, Goff and Batra and the events of thirty years ago, the more I’m beginning to wonder if the incident can have been as straightforward as it appeared.’

              ‘Perhaps Ronnie Sheldon was onto something back then. That’s why he wound up dead.’

              ‘But why did the information never come out in the intervening years?’

              Sam shrugged his shoulders. ‘Because it was too sensitive or there wasn’t enough evidence to make a proper case? You and I have both been involved in investigations like that in our time. We know darned well what went on, but we just can’t prove it.’

The market town of Crieff possessed a rather attractive main street, lined with dark-stoned, slightly austere buildings and with a pleasant church in the centre. Dani had arranged to meet the officer in charge of the arson inquiry at the remains of Ronnie Sheldon’s house on Aberfeldy Road.

              The place they were looking for was impossible to miss. There was a conspicuous gap in the pattern of the semi-detached Victorian villas which comprised this long street. The property adjacent to the void looked as if it had suffered a violent amputation. A smoke-stained wall dropped down to the ground on one side of it and piles of rubble lay beneath. Dani pulled the car up to the curb. She and Sam got out and surveyed the scene.

              ‘The structural damage must have been too severe to save the building,’ Sam explained. ‘The neighbours were lucky their house didn’t have to come down as well.’

              ‘It reminds me of photographs taken during the Blitz,’ Dani commented. ‘I suppose because the housing stock is Victorian.’

              As they cast their eyes across the detritus, Dani could identify small sections of floral wallpaper and the occasional charred item of furniture. Whilst they performed a solemn examination of what remained of the Sheldons’ lives, a car drove up fast behind Dani’s, screeching to a halt.

              A man in his thirties jumped out, slamming the door shut behind him. ‘DCI Bevan?’ He called across.

              ‘Yes, you must be DI Barr?’

              They shook hands and Dani introduced Detective Sharpe.

              ‘Sorry I’m late. We’re short-handed at the station.’

              ‘Not a problem. Can you fill us in on where you’re up to with the investigation?’

              DI Ewan Barr stood with his legs slightly apart and began to recount the evidence, like he was reading out a shopping list. ‘Ronnie was asleep in the bedroom at the upstairs rear of the house when the fire broke out. The techies now believe the blaze was started in the kitchen. The appliances and cupboards were doused in petrol and a lighted match tossed onto it. The assailant fled out through the back door. The flames took hold within minutes. Ronnie had a smoke alarm in the hallway but he’d taken out the batteries. We don’t know why.’

              ‘Perhaps it kept going off randomly, mine does that. I’m often tempted to take it down.’

              ‘Aye, maybe so. The fire started at about 2am. The pathologist reckons Ronnie was dead from the fumes by 2.45am. The neighbours raised the alarm at 3.15, when one of the householders saw smoke billowing past their bedroom window. The Fire Brigade and ambulance were outside by 3.30. The house was engulfed by then. Fire officers needed to get the blaze under control before anyone could enter the building. Ronnie’s body wasn’t brought out until nearly five. Obviously, he was long gone by then.’

              ‘Did you know Ronnie Sheldon?’ Dani suddenly asked, observing the man’s woeful expression.

              ‘I’m just about the only serving officer at my station who didn’t. Ronnie played golf with the majority of Crieff CID. His wife was well-known in the town before she died, too. Judy ran fund-raising events for the Police Veterans’ Society. This case has been extremely sensitive for us.’

              ‘Any leads?’ Dani prompted.

              ‘Not much in terms of forensics. We found a petrol can dumped in the waste ground a half mile over the back there. A couple of prints were visible, but they didn’t match anyone on the database.’

              ‘That could be useful when you do get a suspect,’ Dani suggested, glancing at Sam.

              ‘Yes, that’s right. We also have a witness who saw an unmarked silver-grey van parked in a layby next to the woods in the early hours of that morning. It’s not far from where the petrol container was dropped, so we believe this may be the attacker’s vehicle. It certainly matches with our theory that the man made his escape across the waste ground that these houses back onto, then through the wood and out onto the road.’

              ‘An unmarked van, you said? Is this witness reliable – have you got a signed statement?’ Dani took a step forward.

              Ewan Barr smiled at her eagerness. ‘Yes to both questions. The chap who reported seeing the van is a salesman who lives in Crieff. He was headed home from a trip to Oban, having reached that section of the road at roughly 1.45am. He’d never noticed a vehicle parked in the layby before. It made him suspicious. When we ran an appeal on local radio and T.V after the fire, he came forward directly.’

              ‘Good. His testimony may be crucial.’ Dani explained their suspicions about Micky Ford.

              ‘Like you, we’ve been struggling to identify a motive. If this Micky Ford had a grudge against Sheldon, it might just provide the breakthrough we need,’ Ewan responded hopefully.

              ‘But we’re still no closer to understanding why Ford would want to prevent Sheldon from speaking with me. Did you recover anything at all from the house after the fire?’ Dani held her breath, hardly daring to hope that any object had survived the inferno.

              Ewan broke into a grin. ‘I’ve got something for you in the car, hang on.’ The man jogged back to his vehicle and lifted a file from the backseat. ‘It’s really not much, but a few papers blew around the garden when the house was being pulled down. One of the neighbours kindly gathered them up a few hours later. He handed the pile to one of our DCs, when she was performing the house-to-house enquiries.’

              Dani took the bundle with trepidation, as if she were being handed a newborn baby. ‘Does it contain anything significant?’

              ‘I’m not sure Ma’am. I’ve had a good look through it, but it didn’t mean terribly much to me or my officers.’

              ‘Thank you, DI Barr. We’ll take it back to Ardyle with us.’

              ‘And I’ll fax you the statement about the vehicle. Our witness even provided a partial number plate. See if you can get a warrant issued on the strength of it. We’d want to search the van too, and if we could get Ford’s fingerprints thrown in, it would really make my day.’