Against a Dark Sky (3 page)

Chapter Six

I
t took several minutes for Amit Batra to join them. By which time, Philippa Graves had fixed up a pot of coffee.

              From the briefing that Dani Bevan had received, she already knew Batra was 36 years old and lived in Loughton, Essex with his wife and two young daughters. He worked as an IT manager for a bank in the City of London. The Asian man who was shambling down the narrow flight of stairs towards them now was quite noticeably overweight. Bevan was immediately surprised he was able to keep up with Endicott and Goff during their ascent of the mountain. On first impressions, Dani would have put money on Batra being the one who trailed behind.

              As soon as he’d lowered himself into a seat, James Irving placed a protective hand on Batra’s shoulder and Philippa slid a cup of strong coffee under his nose.

              ‘Perhaps we could have a word with Mr Batra in private?’ Andy suggested.

              ‘Oh, of course,’ James replied, and the pair promptly carried their steaming mugs to some other part of the tiny building, where if they wished to listen in, there wasn’t much the detectives could do to stop them.

              Bevan eyed Batra closely. His face was glistening with sweat. The room
was
incredibly warm but nonetheless, Dani sensed the man’s discomfort was caused by stress. She went over to one of the thickly glazed windows and wrenched it open.

              ‘Mr Batra,’ Andy began. ‘Could you describe to us exactly what happened after your group became separated from James Irving and Philippa Graves?’

              ‘None of us were talking much. I didn’t really know Jo and Daniel all that well. I was just determined to make it up the mountain.’ He caught Andy’s eye. ‘It was my first Munro, you see. I’d kind of told everyone back home that’s what I was going to do this holiday. I was planning to post a photo of me on Facebook, once I’d reached the summit.’

              Andy showed no indication that he recognised this concept.

              ‘Anyway, that was why I was pushing myself. It was Joanna who was taking the lead. She seemed totally confident. Even when the mist came down her manner was unchanged, Jo kept up the exact same pace. When it started to get really dark, I was nervous about where to put my feet ‘cause I was genuinely concerned I’d go over the edge of the ridge. That’s when I sensed there was something else going on.’

              ‘What do you mean?’ Andy asked.

              ‘Well, I couldn’t understand why Jo hadn’t mentioned the fact the weather had turned so awful. I knew it wasn’t right. Then I suddenly got it – she and Goff were playing some kind of game. Like, who was going to crack first and mention how bad things were.’ Amit paused to sip his coffee, peering at the detectives to see if they were showing signs of getting his drift.

              ‘Why didn’t
you
say anything, Mr Batra? You could easily have suggested turning back. Did you think to check that Irving and Graves were okay?’ Bevan subjected him to her best schoolmistress glare and then immediately regretted it. Batra looked as if he might be about to cry.

              ‘The conditions were really worsening by then. I
tried
to call James, of course I did, but there was no signal.’ He sighed heavily and rested his head in his hands. ‘I should have spoken up but I was scared. I knew I needed Jo and Daniel to get me off that mountain alive. They kept glancing at one another – teasing, almost sexual looks. I didn’t know how to break into that silent understanding they seemed to have developed. Then, at about 3,000 feet up the ridge, it was suddenly as dark as night. I had to lean right into the mountainside to stop myself being blown off by the wind. That’s when I shouted to Jo that I wasn’t going any further. She acted like I’d never even spoken.’

              ‘Did Joanna and Daniel Goff carry on without you?’ Andy said.

              ‘Oh yes. The two of them just strode off ahead, into that black fog. We had no idea if it was solid rock or thin air that we were about to set our feet down onto. For them to keep going was utter madness. Within minutes, I could no longer see them at all. From that moment, I was on my own.’               The man shivered, hugging his cup for warmth. ‘I edged my way back down the ridge, pressing myself up against the rocks and just praying I didn’t lose my footing. There was a section where the wind wasn’t quite so strong. I stayed there for maybe twenty minutes. The cloud was gradually lifting but by then I was completely lost. By nightfall, I’d reached lower ground but knew it wasn’t the same place we’d started out from. I found a dip that provided me with some shelter and hunkered down for the night. Not that I really slept. I was wandering around this huge area of featureless scrubland from first light. That was where James and the search team found me.’

              ‘And you didn’t see Joanna or Daniel Goff again, after they left you on the western face of Ben Lomond?’ Bevan clarified.

              ‘No. I saw no sign of human life out there until I was rescued the following morning.’

              ‘Thank you, Mr Batra. You’ve been very helpful.’

‘What do you think?’ Bevan asked Calder, as the police 4x4 took them along the winding trail back to Ardyle.

              ‘My first thought is that Joanna Endicott and Daniel Goff were a couple of over-privileged thrill-seekers who, like so many before them, believed they could take on the Scottish mountains and the Scottish weather and win. Perhaps, when he realised they were in real trouble, or that the whole game was just a tease and Jo had no intention of succumbing to him, Goff turned on her, venting all his anger and frustration, wringing her neck with his bare hands.’

              ‘That’s our most likely scenario, I agree. Goff then disappeared into the wilderness, finding somewhere to lay low for a few days. If that’s the case, we’ll flush him out eventually. But did you believe the others?’

              Andy paused to consider this. ‘I did wonder why Irving hung back with Philippa Graves. He looks far more the outward bound type than Batra. Do you think he fancies her?’

              ‘She’s not his type,’ Bevan responded; quick as a flash.

              Andy eyed her curiously.

              Bevan chuckled. ‘I haven’t got any kind of insider knowledge. It’s just he said he liked Joanna so much because she was independent and self-reliant. Irving hinted that was his sort of woman. Graves, on the other hand, has the word ‘needy’ practically tattooed across her forehead. I got the sense she irritated him.’

              Andy nodded. ‘So why did Irving hang back?’

              ‘I think he’s just more sensible than the others. Irving had grown up in Scotland and was an experienced mountaineer. He understood the need to respect the weather conditions. Besides, he had less to prove than the rest. Batra wanted to bag a Munro and Goff wanted to bag Joanna. I think James Irving just wanted a quiet holiday.’

Chapter Seven

T
he Carraig Hotel in Ardyle was part of the Great Glens chain. A tour party of over-fifties were currently staying on the premises, meaning that the dining room and lounge were packed out at all times of the day. But Bevan and Calder counted themselves lucky to have got rooms there at all.

              Bevan quickly assessed there would be no chance of them battling the crowds to the breakfast buffet in the mornings. She spied out a local bakery instead, where they could pick up a cappuccino and a pastry to take with them to the Town Hall.

              The detectives reached the mocked up incident room by 9am. Driscoll was already there, leaning over a couple of young DCs who were sifting through papers on what looked like an old school desk. Dani strode across the zigzagged parquet flooring to check on their progress.

              ‘Any sightings of Daniel Goff?’ Was her first question.

              ‘Not yet, Ma’am,’ Driscoll replied. ‘I’ve stood some of my officers down from the search. The mountain rescue guys say Goff couldn’t have survived three cold nights out there in the National Park, so if he’s alive, he must have found proper shelter. We’ve got an all ports warning activated and officers at every train and bus station in central Scotland.’

              ‘So if he
is
still out there in the hills somewhere, it’s a dead body we’re looking for.’

              ‘That’s right.’

              ‘What have you got on Goff’s background?’

              Driscoll gently nudged the young DC sat beside him.

              ‘Daniel Goff is 34 years old,’ the lad began falteringly. ‘He was born in Coventry, England, in 1980, attended his local Comprehensive and went to Exeter University to study History in 1998. He stayed on post-graduation to gain an MA in Medieval Studies.’

              Bevan pulled up a chair next to the DC, looking closely at his neatly transcribed notes. ‘So Goff is highly educated. He must be intelligent then.’

              The lad nodded. ‘Aye, but he seems to be one of those permanent student types. Following his MA, he gained a qualification to teach English to foreign students. He remained in Exeter to do it. After that, he taught in various cities around Europe for a decade. He never settled long in any one place. Goff’s been in London for the last two years.’

              ‘Had he ever lived in Scotland?’

              ‘Not that I’ve discovered so far. These Language Schools tend to employ people on temporary contracts, making it difficult to pin them down on who was working where, when.’

              ‘Okay, keep at it and good work.’ Dani glanced back up at Driscoll. ‘What about Joanna?’

              ‘Her background was more conventional. She was born in ’83 and was an only child. Her parents were called Charles and Mandy Endicott and lived in Chiswick, West London. She attended a fee-paying girls’ school and read History and Politics at Exeter. That’s where she must have met Goff, who would have been studying for his MA when Joanna was an undergraduate.’

              ‘Where did Joanna Endicott do her legal training?’ Bevan interrupted.

              ‘At the College of Law in London. It’s near Gower Street, I believe. My niece studied there a couple of years back,’ he added for clarification.

              ‘Joanna was from a different social class to Goff. I wonder if that affected their friendship in any way.’

              ‘I wouldn’t have thought so these days, Ma’am. Youngsters mix with all different types at college. My daughter’s going out with an Asian lad at her university. No one bats an eyelid anymore. My old dad would have hated it, but I don’t dare mention that. It’s just not acceptable, is it?’

              Bevan was impressed by the Sergeant’s candour. ‘No it isn’t - especially not for a serving police officer.’               But at the same time, she thought to herself how this group; Joanna, Irving, Goff, Batra and Graves, were closer to her own age. They were mid-thirties or thereabouts, not in their early twenties as Driscoll’s daughter must surely be. Dani knew full-well that class tensions still existed when she was a student. It was an issue she wasn’t fully prepared to dismiss at this stage.

              ‘Mandy Endicott died of ovarian cancer in 2009,’ Driscoll continued. ‘Joanna’s father passed away from a liver disorder two years later. Joanna inherited her parents’ property in Chiswick which she still owned and rented out. The rest of the bequest she used to pay off the mortgage on her flat.’

              ‘We’re talking about a tidy sum there. Who will inherit it?’

              ‘Joanna’s aunts and uncles are her next of kin. I assume it will be split between them. I bet the girl hadn’t made a will.’

              ‘I really can’t see the money being a motive for murder here. But I’m willing to wager you’re wrong about a will. Joanna was a lawyer and a canny type. We should check with her family solicitors.’

              ‘I’ll get onto that immediately, Ma’am.’

              ‘If you don’t mind, Driscoll, I’m going to ask my Sergeant back in Glasgow to do some digging into the lives of Irving, Graves and Batra. I don’t want to tread on your toes, but he’s a wiz at that kind of thing.’

              ‘Not a problem,’ Driscoll said with a laid-back smile, which Bevan thought was genuine.

              ‘Good. I’ll give Phil a call now.’

Sergeant Driscoll insisted on taking Bevan and Calder for a drink in one of the local pubs at the end of the day. Dani was tired and would rather have retired to their hotel, but she didn’t want to upset the regional force. Bevan needed to show the DCS that she could pull together a team, generating loyalty between different divisions. This was almost as important as getting a result.

              The bar was old-fashioned and full of middle-aged men. It wasn’t one of the family-friendly gastro-type establishments which now dominated these little tourist towns. The three detectives took their drinks over to a corner table. Driscoll leaned towards them conspiratorially.

              ‘There was something I wanted to tell you about, away from the local lads,’ he said quietly, holding a full pint glass level with his thin lips.

              ‘Oh, aye,’ Andy responded with interest, having allowed himself the rare luxury of a half of 70 shilling ale.

              ‘This case, it’s going to shake up some bad memories around here.’ Driscoll glanced about him. ‘You may recall the incident. Your parents certainly would. Thirty years back, a party of kids from the Primary School here in Ardyle had a day trip into the Lomond National Park. It was their last year before going up to the High School. Most were aged ten. The expedition was very well organised and took place just after the Easter break, at the beginning of April. There were twenty kids out there on the hills and five staff. They’d split into groups and each one was collecting a different kind of data. Then, all of a sudden, about mid-afternoon, the weather took a turn for the worst. Within the half hour, sleet was falling and the temperature had dropped by a least fifteen degrees.’

              ‘I think I’ve read an article about it, although I hadn’t clocked on it had happened here,’ said Dani. ‘Some of the children got lost, didn’t they?’

              Driscoll sighed. ‘Aye. Three of the groups were rounded up almost immediately, but one lot had wandered away in the wrong direction. The teacher lost his bearings in the low cloud. The search continued all through the night and into the following morning. Police, townsfolk and parents were all involved. By midday, the party were finally accounted for. Three were dead; a girl and two boys, all ten years of age. They perished in the terrible cold of that night.’

              ‘It must have had a profound impact on the town,’ Andy added gravely, thinking about his own wee girl, only a year old.

              ‘In many ways, Ardyle is still grieving. One of the DCs on this case, Sammy Reid, lost his older sister that night. You’ll find that most people in the town have a connection to the children who died in some way or another. It’s a small place.’

              Bevan took a gulp of her orange juice. ‘Going out to search for the missing walkers the other day must have brought back painful memories. No wonder so many locals offered to help the mountain rescue guys.’

              ‘The legacy hasn’t been all bad. Local groups run talks in the nearby schools to teach safety on the hills. It’s the tourists now who tend to get into trouble. Everyone’s an expert in outdoor activities these days. As soon as they’ve bought the kit, they think they can take on a Munro.’ Driscoll shook his head, downing the remainder of his pint. ‘Another?’

              ‘No, thank you, David. I’d like to head back to the hotel and think this through. It looks like the case is going to be a tricky one. I’ll have to come up with a pretty good strategy if I’m going to keep the people of Ardyle happy during this investigation. Let alone catch the killer of Joanna Endicott.’