Bottleneck (31 page)

"What are they speaking about?"

"Let's find out." Cullen buzzed the intercom.

"Hello?"

"Audrey, it's the police," said Cullen.

The door clicked open and they walked up to her flat.

Audrey stood outside the door. "What do you want?"

"I believe you've been on the phone to Alex Hughes," said Cullen.

"Aye, I have," Her eyes danced around the corridor. "Come on inside."

They went into the living room, Audrey taking her place on the futon. Cullen and Guthrie stood.

"I've had the task of going through Alex Hughes' call records for the period leading up to his death," said Cullen. "Your number was on there a number of times."

"So?"

"Care to explain it?" said Cullen.

"Alex and I both missed Jimi. That's all."

"Is that what you were talking about?" said Cullen.

"That amongst other things, I suppose."

"Like what?"

"Alex was a funny guy," said Audrey.

"I'm sure he was," said Cullen. "What did you talk about?"

"Stuff," said Audrey. "Things."

Cullen was fed up with her already. More than fed up. "You know he was into drugs, don't you, Audrey?"

"Drugs?" Her face seemed to spasm. "Drugs are bad, though."

"Alex was a drug dealer," said Cullen.

Audrey looked away. "I didn't know that."

"What did you talk about?"

"How things could have been," said Audrey.

"In what way?"

"Their record deal. If they'd got it, maybe Jimi would still be with us."

"You didn't know he was dead, though, did you?" said Cullen.

Audrey's eyes bulged. "No, we didn't."

"So, what did you mean about still being with you?" said Cullen.

"I thought Jimi had run away for a new life."

"What made you think that?" said Cullen.

"He disappeared," said Audrey.

"And what did Alex think?" said Cullen.

"Alex said the record deal would have made my brother stay."

"What record deal is this?" said Cullen, playing the daft laddie.

"A big record label was trying to sign Alex and Jimi's band," said Audrey. "I don't know the name."

"And what happened?"

"The record company took the contract away," said Audrey. "It was due to be signed. They'd agreed a lot of money."

"Do you know why that happened?" said Cullen.

"According to Alex," said Audrey, "Michael used his influence to get the deal taken away."

Cullen looked at Guthrie, his expression as blank as he felt. "Michael?"

"Michael," said Audrey, nodding.

"Why would Michael do that?" said Cullen.

"Jimi was obsessed with him," said Audrey. "He stole their song."

"Jimi stole one of Michael's songs?"

"No, the other way round." She started singing. "
Where have you gone?
"

Cullen frowned. "That's Expect Delays. Are you talking about Mike Roberts?"

Audrey nodded frantically.

Pieces slotted into place. Even Cullen had noticed the similarity between The Invisibles' song and the Expect Delays hit. Strang and Roberts had a solid friendship, at least according to Matt MacLeod. What happened between them?

"Alex says Expect Delays were going down the toilet and were about to get dropped. They ripped off Jimi's song. It was nothing like the rest of their stuff. You would hear it on the radio and everything. It was on an advert on the TV."

"How do you know this?" said Cullen.

"Alex told me."

"Just told you?" said Cullen. "Have you got anything to support this?"

"I've got some emails from him," said Audrey. "He sent them to me to make them safe."

"What sort of emails?" said Cullen, his mouth dry, hoping for hard evidence.

She woke up a sleeping laptop and twisted it round to show them. It was the poem. "Alex sent me this."

"What makes you think this is anything to do with it?" said Cullen, anger rising.

"It's obvious, isn't it?" said Audrey. She read from the poem.

In the end, I was reduced to it.

Stealing what wasn't mine, taking what didn't belong to me, coveting my neighbour's wife.

Betrayal is the hardest part.

Dishonesty, theft, hiding.

"That first part is from Michael's perspective," said Audrey. "He was reduced to stealing what wasn't his, coveting Jimi's song. Alex said he loved that song and he used to rave about it all the time." She sniffed. "The last two lines are from Jimi's perspective, how he felt betrayed. Mike was dishonest. He stole the song from him then stopped seeing him."

Cullen wasn't following this at all, but maybe she'd had insight into her brother's damaged mind as he wrote it. "How did he do that?"

"Michael cut him out of his life entirely," said Audrey. "Point blank refused to see him."

If what she was saying was true then Roberts had played a dangerous game. He'd stolen the song, had a hit single with it then excluded him from his life rather than sharing the success.

"Why were you phoning Alex?" said Cullen.

"Isn't it obvious?"

Cullen smiled, though rage burnt away in the pit of his stomach. He was struggling to contain it - so much had been hidden from them, just out of their reach. "It's not obvious to me."

"Alex had a dossier," said Audrey. "He had evidence pointing to Michael killing Jimi. He was going to confront him about it."

"Jesus Christ." Cullen rubbed at his face. "What sort of thing?"

"He sent me it," said Audrey. "I'll show you."

She took the laptop and went to another email, opened a file and handed it back.

Cullen looked through pages of musical analysis of the two songs, chord progressions and melodies analysed side by side. At most, there was only ever two or three notes difference from any chunk of music. Whether that was fact or simply the biased findings of Hughes' mind remained to be seen.

There was also a detailed analysis of Roberts' movements the day Strang was killed. The information had largely been culled from any associate of Roberts who would talk to Hughes. At the time in question, the closest Roberts had to an alibi was 'seeing a mate', something he'd told Neeraj, Expect Delays' guitarist. Nobody else saw him that evening.

Cullen's fingers tightened around the computer - McAllister and the other investigating officers could have torn the alibi apart, if only they'd known.

"Why didn't you go to the police with this?" Cullen handed the laptop back, having forwarded the emails to his own account.

"After what happened between Dean and me?" said Audrey. "Really?"

"What happened when Mr Hughes spoke to Mike Roberts?" said Cullen.

Audrey shrugged. "That's the thing. I've not heard from him since. He was going to see him last Wednesday."

Cullen left Guthrie going through a detailed statement with Audrey and proceeded to get stuck in Dundee rush hour traffic, spending the time trying to decide on the best course of action.

Everything led to calling Methven.

"Run that by me again?"

Cullen's eyes were locked on the car in front. "Alex Hughes prepared some sort of dossier on Roberts. He reckons he'd stolen a song off Strang. He thought Roberts killed him to cover it up."

"Mike Roberts?" Methven exhaled. "This is serious stuff, Cullen."

"I know," said Cullen. "Don't get me wrong, I'm not in the habit of accusing people without cause. It looks like Hughes confronted Roberts last Wednesday night."

"Oh, sodding hell," said Methven. "So, you're saying these are the same case? Roberts killed Strang then he killed Hughes?"

"This is from Strang's sister," said Cullen. "She doesn't seem to be a liar. She's not entirely on the same plane of existence as the rest of us, but I think it's worth checking out. The alternative is Bain pinning his case to a drugs murder and ours getting filed away with the cold cases when something new comes along."

The line was silent for a few seconds.

"What are you proposing, then?" said Methven.

"I'm heading to Glasgow now." Cullen started the engine as the car in front trundled forward.

"I thought you were ill," said Methven. "Alison had Bain on the phone complaining and wanting someone else sent through."

"I got a call from DC Guthrie," said Cullen. "I thought I should investigate it."

"You're playing games, aren't you?"

"I'll get some help from Bain's team."

"You're avoiding my question," said Methven. "I thought I told you about your behaviour."

"I've told you now," said Cullen. "That's progress, isn't it?"

"You're a cheeky sod," said Methven. "If this is a disaster, I'm having no part in it."

"Noted," said Cullen. "I'll get DI Bain's team to bring Roberts in then we'll question him."

"This had better be a much more thorough interview than yesterday's," said Methven. "I've seen the transcript. Not your finest hour, Sergeant. Sorry, Constable."

"Let me make up for it," said Cullen.

"Fine," said Methven. "Approved. Turnbull delegated authority to myself and DI Cargill."

"Thanks." Cullen was glad he couldn't see Methven's face. "I'd better go."

He ended the call and dialled McCrea's number, the traffic still crawling.

"Thought you were ill?" said McCrea.

"I told Bain I might feel better later," said Cullen. "It's later now and I'm feeling better."

"So, why not phone him?" said McCrea.

"I don't know," said Cullen, finally getting up past thirty.

"Well, I could take a wild guess, I suppose," said McCrea. "Anyway, why are you phoning?"

Cullen gave him the same briefing he'd given Methven. He knew he'd have to align notebooks with Guthrie later, depending on how it all went.

"This is pretty far out there, Cullen. Even for you."

"I'll put my career on the line over this," said Cullen. "We have to bring him back in for questioning."

McCrea laughed. "After the last time?"

"Yes," said Cullen.

"You're a brave man," said McCrea. "Fine, but we need to keep this under the radar. We got a kicking from the super about bringing him in. He shouldn't get phone calls from record label lawyers, he says, unless they're asking him to sing a duet with Miley Cyrus."

"This is a
murder case
," said Cullen. "We've got a suspect, we're going to bring him in."

"I don't disagree," said McCrea. "We need to keep it tight when we do. The first I want his lawyer to know about this is a phone call from Roberts in custody."

"Okay," said Cullen. "As long as we get him in for questioning, I don't care."

"Where are you?"

"Just leaving Edinburgh," said Cullen, lying his arse off. "I'll be there at the back of ten."

"Fine," said McCrea, "we'll meet you at his house. I think we've got the address on file. I'll text it across."

"Can you check his laptop?" said Cullen. "There should be some emails between him and Audrey Strang."

"Aye, will do."

Cullen ended the call just before he got to the roundabout at the end of Dundee. He was putting his neck on the line with this, that was for certain, but he felt like he was on to something.

He just hoped he wasn't smoking the same thing as Alex Hughes.

Cullen finally got to Glasgow just after ten.

Roberts lived in a Victorian pile in the Southside, large enough for two families rather than a single rock star.

Cullen parked on the road opposite Bain's purple Mondeo and flashed his lights. He walked over and got in the back seat.

"Here he is," said McCrea, "ready to steal the glory."

"If there's any glory," said Cullen, "I really don't care who gets it."

"Bullshit," said Bain.

Cullen was surprised to find only McCrea and Bain in attendance. "Where is everybody?"

"It's just us," said McCrea.

Cullen was getting worried. "You said on the phone you wanted it kept low key, but this is ridiculous."

"We ran it past the Super and he's happy with it," said Bain.

Cullen looked at McCrea. "Did you check on Hughes' laptop like I asked?"

McCrea looked away. "Aye. There was a calendar appointment for the night in question. 'Meet Mike'."

"Circumstantial," said Bain.

Cullen shook his head. "When have I ever been wrong?"

"Let's just hope your luck doesn't run out, Sundance," said Bain.

Cullen pointed to the house. "What's been going on here?"

"We think he's inside," said McCrea.

"Think?" said Cullen.

"We've just fuckin' got here, Sundance," said Bain.

"Has anyone been to the neighbours or anything?" said Cullen.

"Aye, just to next door," said McCrea. "There was a big racket last night about three in the morning. Loud music."

"He's probably not alone," said Cullen.

"Maybe not," said McCrea.

"You got a warrant, right?" said Cullen.

McCrea nodded. "Hope we don't need it, but we've got one."

"What's your plan?" said Bain.

"
My
plan?" said Cullen. "This is your operation."

"We're supervising here," said Bain. "Plan. Now."

"Arrest him, question him, charge him." Cullen shrugged. "I'd be a bit more comfortable with a couple of uniform to back us up."

"Relax, Sundance. This boy is all skin and bone, no danger he's getting away from us."

"Well, no time like the present." Cullen gestured towards the house.

"Just remember," said Bain, "if this fucks up, it's your fault."

"With no backup," said Cullen, "this is
your
fault."

"Just us," said Bain. "Politics, Sundance."

They got out. Cullen turned to Bain. "Do you want to stay back here just in case?"

"Fine."

Cullen and McCrea walked over, Cullen holding the creaking gate open before they hurried across the pebbled front garden. Cullen knocked on the door.

"No answer," said McCrea.

"I can see that," said Cullen. "Is he definitely in?"

"This is your fuck up, mate."

"Well, unless he answers the door," said Cullen, "we're absolutely snookered."