Gently with Love (12 page)

‘It was just you and him.’

Earle broke off to stare. ‘What are you getting at now?’

‘While this was going on you were quite alone. Nobody was watching you from round the corner.’

He hesitated. ‘Are you saying they were?’

‘I am asking for your impressions.’

He looked blank. ‘I’m giving you my impressions. They were all tied up with busting Fortuny.’

‘Carry on then.’

He paused again, to continue with less bravado. ‘I punched that louse around and he scarcely laid a fist on me. I guess it went on for five minutes. He was getting blown and punched out. He was coming in with his hands lower and his chin hanging out like a line of washing. So I hit it; a right hook. He was cold before he reached the deck.’

‘Which way did he fall?’

‘He fell against the rocks and rolled over on to his face.’

‘Did you touch him after that?’

‘Like hell I did. By then I needed a breather myself. But he was alive, I can tell you that. He was out cold but he was breathing. And he was yards away from the cliff edge, so he couldn’t have come to and rolled himself over.’

‘How long did you remain there after the knock-out?’

‘I stood a minute getting my breath.’

‘You heard or saw nothing that suggested a witness.’

Earle shook his head. ‘It was just me and him.’

‘You realize how important that is.’

‘I surely realize it. If it wasn’t me then it was someone else.’

‘Fortuny was unlikely to have been unconscious for very long.’

‘I’m sorry, fella. I saw nobody.’

Which was provoking. It would have been a significant step if I could have established my third person’s presence. I tried to visualize all that Earle had told me about the configuration of the spot. The time element was critical. It was a fair hypothesis that the killer had arrived while Fortuny was unconscious. He would have come upon him as Earle described and plunged his knife into Fortuny’s exposed back. Then, with Fortuny still unconscious, and perhaps seemingly dead, he had hauled him to the parapet and dumped him over. The killer must have been very close during the fight. But until I had actually seen the place I could get no further.

‘When you talk of a minute is that about what you mean?’

Earle shrugged. ‘I didn’t put a stopwatch on it. But I guess it wasn’t any more. I just got my wind back and left.’

‘You returned directly to the Mackenzie house.’

‘Sure.’

‘Did you meet or see anyone on the way?’

‘Not that I remember. But you can see a long way, so there may have been people who I didn’t notice. I met old Mackenzie standing at his gate. I guess he was keen to know how I’d made out. He looked me over, weighing up the damage, then he slapped me on the back and said I’d do brawly.’

‘Who else was watching out for you?’

‘His wife was in the porch. Anne and the daughter-in-law stood at a window.’

‘Those were all the people you had seen at the house.’

‘Well, there was the maid. I saw her later.’

‘But no other men.’

Earle’s shoulder twitched. ‘Not till the son came in with the news.’

‘How soon was that?’

He frowned. ‘It couldn’t have been more than half an hour afterwards. They took me into the parlour and gave me whisky and the old lady and the maid bathed my bruises. I was shaky. The old man was bubbling over. Anne just sat looking pale and staring at me. I wanted to talk to her, but I couldn’t. I guess I was somehow feeling ashamed. I wanted to grab her and hold her tight but I just couldn’t get out a word. I felt that what I’d done had altered everything and that I could only wait till she made her move.’ He wet his lips. ‘The son came in. He gave me a queer look. He said: “There’s a body down the cliff. I’ve got the men going after it. It looks like Fortuny.” Nobody said anything for a moment.’ Earle turned his face aside. ‘Anne jumped up. She shouted: “Oh lord, you’ve killed him!” They all looked at me. And I couldn’t speak.’

‘That was a natural reaction.’

‘They believed I’d done it, fella. Especially Anne.’

‘But you would have thought the same if you had been one of them. It’s the first conclusion you would have jumped to. The news was a shock. These people feared for you. Anne’s fear was stronger than the rest.’

‘I wanted the ground to open.’

‘She was terrified for you. You might have put yourself in deadly jeopardy. And she was conscious of being in part to blame. Her first reaction was inevitable.’

He sat hunched over the chair. ‘That was the worst moment. I never, never want to live it again. I don’t care who believes what now. She believed it then. She’ll never be certain.’

I gave up. The experience was probably still too close for Earle to begin to see it objectively. It was perhaps just as well that his arrest had prevented him from attempting an
éclaircissement
with Anne. Clearly he was shaping a grudge against her. He needed time to understand that it was unjust. Her cry had come from her fear; she had not been disloyal. She would find bitter enough censure in her own thoughts.

‘You would have been too absorbed in your own emotions to notice the reactions of the others in greater detail.’

He chewed his lip. ‘So maybe I didn’t. I guess you’ve never been accused of murder.’

‘What was James Mackenzie’s attitude?’

‘The devil knows.’

‘Did he express regret at getting you into a jam?’

‘He said something about it being no canny and that we’d best watch out what we said to the pollis.’

‘And Iain Mackenzie?’

‘He said he’d rung the police. He said he’d warned the men to keep their mouths shut.’

‘About what?’

‘About me, I guess. Everyone seemed to know what had happened.’

‘Iain Mackenzie knew it.’

‘He acted like he did. Nobody had to give him any explanations. When he came in he was looking round for me. I guess they have bush-telegraph up there.’

They would also have the common, everyday telephone: I made a note to check if there was one on the quay.

‘What happened then?’

‘Well, Iain Mackenzie bolted out again, and the rest of us followed him. A lot of other people were running up the road from the village. At the top of the cliff there was a crowd. The fishermen had set up a tripod with a block. They had lowered a man down to the rocks and he was fixing a bowline round the body.’

‘They were Mackenzie’s men?’

‘I guess so. The trawler was moored down at the quay. Iain Mackenzie was giving orders and leaning over shouting to the man below. They attached a steadying line to the body to stop it swinging as it came up. They were just pulling it over the wall when the police car arrived.’

‘Where were you?’

‘I was leaning against the rocks, looking green.’

‘Who spoke to the policeman?’

‘The old man principally, with the son putting in a word. And Alex, of course.’

I paused. ‘Alex?’

‘He was up there on the cliff. I guess he had just arrived. He would have seen the crowd and left his car along the road.’

‘Did he speak to you?’

‘No.’

‘What was he saying to the police?’

‘I didn’t hear. Perhaps about Fortuny. He could tell them more about him than anyone.’

‘Anne was with Alex?’

‘She was near him. She was crying and carrying on about it being her fault. So of course the policemen began to take an interest. I guess Alex had filled them in on the situation.’ He drew one of his deep sighs. ‘I hadn’t dared to go over to her, I could feel it would only provoke an outburst, but suddenly that seemed just crazy, I had to be there, to be beside Anne, to stand up with her. And when that red-haired copper started to bully her something clicked. I couldn’t help it.’

‘You went across and hit him.’

Earle hung his head. ‘That was the end. They took me in.’

‘You did knock his tooth out.’

He nodded. ‘I heard the next morning in the Sheriff’s Court. But fella, that was nothing. They were on to me directly. I don’t know who spilled the dirt. It didn’t seem to matter, not with Anne turned against me. So I just told them what they wanted to know.’

I made a face. ‘Did you have legal advice?’

‘I saw the duty solicitor when I went to court.’

‘But that would have been after you’d made your statement.’

‘What’s the difference? I was going to get if off my chest anyway.’

I was silent. We had talked it to a standstill, and yet still there seemed something to be asked, some seminal question the answer to which would produce a glint of illumination. But I could not devise it. I had, I was sure, as clear a picture as Earle could give me. I believed he had withheld nothing from me, or nothing I had asked, or that his common sense had prompted. And yet my instinct was uneasy. I felt I had not got to grips with the problem. I was seeing more and more of the surface but I was not convinced that I had got far beneath it. I have learned to respect premonitions of this kind because I have often found them to be preludes to a breakthrough, but though I tinkered with the present one it yielded no inspiration and I was left merely to acknowledge it in my mental notes. I threw out a last feeler.

‘Is there anything else you think I should know?’

His grey eyes met mine uncertainly; there was a flush on his bruised face. ‘You’ll be talking to Anne, won’t you?’

I had tensed slightly; now I relaxed. ‘We shall be in Kyleness this evening. I will be happy to take a message.’

‘Do you think I killed him?’

‘No.’

His eyes dropped. ‘Thanks. You had better forget how I sounded off. I’m goddamn lucky to have you bother with me.

‘I don’t think Anne will need to be told.’

‘But you’ll tell her, George – you will tell her.’

I nodded. ‘Anything else?’

‘I’m not worth her old boots. But tell her I love her.’

I
RANG THE
bell and the constable entered to escort Earle back to his cell. When Sinclair reappeared he was carrying a fresh tray on which was a pot of tea. I made to vacate the comfortable chair, but he nodded me to keep seated. He poured the tea, sat, and lit his pipe; there was a lurking gleam in his eye.

‘That was a most perceptive session you just had.’

I sipped my tea and said nothing. It had never occurred to me that my interview with Earle would not be eavesdropped. Between the office and reception there was a hatch; I had watched it silently, imperceptibly open. It had remained ajar about half an inch and I thought that once I had heard the scuffle of a pencil. Then it had as silently closed again when I pressed the button on the desk. The next thing that happened to Earle after I left would be a rigorous amending of his statement.

‘Aye,’ Sinclair mused. ‘A Judas he calls you. That was an unkind thing to be saying. And you twisting his arm out of pure benevolence. I fear the laddie has an uncharitable nature.’

‘I trust your monitoring arrangement was adequate.’

‘I heard every word.’ Sinclair drew on his pipe. ‘And may I say it was an object lesson. It deserved to be recorded for the edification of the ignorant. But your theory’s gone, man. You could not fetch in the knife. We are no further forward than when I last sat here. I will allow that you drew out more detail, but that’s just embroidery without the knife.’

I sipped tea. ‘The knife came in later.’

‘Aye, I was certain you would say so. But there again we have a hypothesis in no way supported by a fact.’

‘You still believe that Sambrooke is lying?’

His eyes twinkled. ‘I have not said that. And if you will have the precise truth of the matter, I have not much doubted the laddie from the start.’

I stared. ‘You didn’t give that impression.’

His big mouth hoisted into a grin. ‘I was not exactly for putting my cards on the table – not till I had seen what the Englishman was up to.’

I sipped more tea. ‘And now you know it?’

‘Now I know it I’m placed in a queer sort of quandary. I have a notion that you could be a great help to me. But I’m not that sure of the wisdom of asking you.’

‘You mean you don’t trust me.’

‘Ach no, I would not put it just like that!’

‘But I do have bias.’

‘I ken you’re a policeman. I can count upon you on the article of duty.’

He puffed solemnly, and I sipped. I thought I could guess what he was after. He removed his pipe a couple of times, but then replaced it and continued smoking. At last he reached for his neglected cup and took a long, cautious sip.

‘How well do you know these Mackenzies? I’m thinking you will not have seen so much of them.’

‘I knew the son, Colin. I met the others at his wedding.’

‘You have not visited Kyleness before?’

‘I have never been further north than Edinburgh.’

‘That’s a sad thing to be admitting, man.’

‘I must confess to a narrow education.’

He drew a few more wary puffs. ‘You will not be exactly close to them, then. In fact, if the downright truth is spoken, you are a stranger both to them and the country.’

I allowed a nod.

‘But you’ll be welcome, I’m thinking. A man like you at a time like this. And they’ll not forget you were a friend of the son’s, and stood his man when he was wed.’

‘They impressed me as warm-hearted people.’

‘Aye, they are, and none more so. But a good friend can be a bad enemy, and that’s a lesson you may learn hereaways. Where you are going is a far country. There was never coach or train seen there. It is a place at the end of a chancy road and a long twenty miles from the next habitation. On Tuesdays and Fridays there is a mail-bus, but it ceases to run with the first snow. After that it’s by boat or helicopter that folks come and go from Kyleness. And this you ken. The Mackenzies have lived there since the days of the Union and before. There is not a fisherman or crofter in Kyleness that is not a Mackenzie or calls them cousin. They own the land, they own the Biggins, they own a braw new modern trawler. It is Mackenzie’s Kingdom out there, man, down to the last tile of peat.’

He drew hard on his pipe: his eyes behind it were assessing me. I helped myself to some more of the tea and kept my face a complete blank. Sinclair whirled his large hand.