The Missing and the Dead

63

‘Here.’ Steel held out a plastic cup from the machine down the corridor. The smell of burned coffee and chemical creamer oozed into the air like a seeping wound.

‘Thanks.’ He reached up to take it. A line of dark-red bruising encircled his wrist, marking where the cuffs had dug in.

A nurse scuffed by, trainers making tortured squeaks on the green terrazzo floor.

Steel sank into the plastic seat next to his. ‘I would’ve been here sooner, but we were searching Dr Kidfiddler’s place. Found a digital camera in the garage with photos of the dead wee girl on them. Before she was dead, anyway. No’ to mention a stash of phenobarbital — same stuff they found in her bloodstream.’

‘Good.’ The coffee tasted every bit as bad as it smelled.

‘Denies it all, mind. Like that’s a shock.’ Steel had a good long frown at Logan’s clothes. ‘You should go home and change.’

‘Nearly dry now.’

‘Nothing’s going to happen if you leave her for half an hour. Go home, get something to eat.’ She put a hand on his shoulder, warm and firm. ‘I’ll stay and make sure everything’s under control.’

An old lady hobbled past, wheeling a drip on a stand, muttering to herself.

‘Don’t you have to go interview Gilcomston?’

Steel let loose a nasty little laugh. ‘His esteemed highness, Darth Finnie, has decided to do it himself. Thinks a more senior officer would have a better shot at bursting him. Sod took it away from me.’

Logan toasted her with his horrible coffee. ‘Welcome to my world.’

They sat in silence for a bit, as doctors and patients shambled by like something out of a zombie movie.

‘Logan …’ Steel looked off down the corridor. ‘That wrapper of heroin. You planted it, didn’t you?’

‘Me?’ He pulled the corners of his mouth down. ‘Nah, doesn’t sound like me.’

She lowered her voice. ‘If you hadn’t found it, we couldn’t have arrested him. He’d still be at home and we’d no’ be able to prove he had anything to do with that wee girl.’

A volunteer trundled by, pushing a trolley laden with clinking teacups and a big metal urn.

Steel waited until he’d disappeared down the corridor. ‘More importantly, Gilcomston’s no’ getting released on bail: he’s getting locked up till his trial. And if Charles Anderson really is on some sort of mission from God to bump off paedophiles — and he’s killed the other three in the ring — you just saved Dr Kidfiddler’s life.’

Logan stared down into the Brownian depths of his plastic cup. ‘Proud day for us all.’

‘Yeah.’ She stretched out in her seat.

The clock on the wall ticked off another minute of their lives.

Steel had a dig at the underwire on her bra. ‘While we’re at it: you want to tell me what happened with Graham Stirling?’

A shrug. More horrible coffee. ‘I got hit on the head a couple of times. It’s a bit fuzzy.’ Logan reached up and brushed his fingertips over the twin pads of gauze taped over the wounds. ‘He tried to drown me. I fought back.’

‘So all this stuff he’s saying about you holding him under the water …?’

A shrug. ‘Like I said: I fought back.’

‘Don’t sweat it. Everyone knows he’s a lying wee sod anyway.’ She closed one eye and really had a go at her cleavage, like a Labrador with fleas. ‘Pffff … Well, Catherine Bisset’s under observation for concussion. Brother David’s been wheeched off to Aberdeen with intracranial swelling. They’ve put him in a medical coma. Won’t get to charge him until … if he comes out of it.’

‘Shire Uniform Seven, safe to talk.’

Logan groaned. Took the Airwave from his fleece pocket. ‘Thump away, Maggie.’

‘Thought you’d like to know: the care home have got David Bisset on CCTV abducting Samantha. And there’s a fax in for DCI Steel. Results of a Stable Isotope Analysis she ordered on a section of thighbone?’

Logan handed her the Airwave. ‘For you.’

Steel stuck it to her ear. Stood. Marched off down the corridor. ‘What’s it say? … Uh-huh … Yeah … How long? … OK …’

A thickset nurse squeaked along the terrazzo floor and stopped right in front of him. He checked his clipboard. ‘You’re Sergeant McRae?’

As if Logan was going to be anyone else, sitting there in a damp Police Scotland uniform with sergeant’s stripes on his shoulders. ‘Is she all right?’

The clipboard got hugged against the nurse’s chest. ‘Right: so we’ve got Miss Mackie stable, but obviously there was a lot of water in her lungs. She’s developed pneumonia on the left side. And it was pretty manky water too. Because she already had a chest infection, we’re worried that this is going to exacerbate it. We’re pumping her full of intravenous antibiotics, but you need to know it’s very serious for someone in her condition.’

‘Can I see her?’

The nurse bared his teeth in a grimacing smile. ‘I’m sorry, but that’s really not a good idea right now. Probably better give it three or four hours.’

Logan sagged in his seat, let his head thunk back against the wall. Flinched as the gauze pads hit it. Blinked. Swore. Winced.

‘Are you all right?’

‘Not really. Is she …?’

‘We’re doing everything we can, believe me. She couldn’t get better care than she’s getting.’

Steel thumped back up the corridor and collapsed into the seat next to Logan’s. ‘What did I miss?’

The nurse squatted down in front of him. ‘You should go home and get some rest. You’ve got someone to look after you, haven’t you? You’ve had a couple of nasty blows to the head; need to make sure you’re not left alone in case you’ve got a concussion.’ A smile, broad and friendly. He patted Steel on the knee. ‘Maybe your mum will let you stay with her for a bit?’

Logan dumped his keys and phone on the coffee table, then slumped onto the couch. Yawned. Sighed.

Rain hammered the living-room window, the droplets turned amber by the streetlight outside, glowing against the raven sky.

So much for going out and celebrating.

A stilted trip to the pub, full of awkward silences, forced jovialness, and well-meaning assurances that Samantha was going to be OK. As if drowning someone in a minimally conscious state was going to be good for them.

Everyone dies in the end. The unlucky ones keep on breathing afterwards.

And Samantha couldn’t even do that on her own any more.

A small burp gurgled free, followed a breath later by a wave of fire, radiating up inside his chest and throat. Hadn’t even been nice fish and chips.

The rain fell.

Should really get up and close the curtains.

In a minute.

Cthulhu padded into the room as if she was wearing little fuzzy stilts. Hopped up onto his lap and dunked her forehead against his chest.

‘At least I’ve still got you.’ He rubbed her ear — she leaned into it, eyes closed, one long pointy tooth poking out the side of her mouth. ‘And the rest of the world can go screw itself.’

Graham Stirling was off to Fraserburgh station, to spend a night in the cells before the courts opened tomorrow morning. Where he would lie and wheedle and wriggle.

Should have drowned the little sod when he had the chance. Held him under the water till he stopped struggling and his face turned blue. Leave him lying dead on the bottom of the pool with the stones and the silt, staring up into whatever hell he ended up in.

Charles Anderson was right, some people didn’t deserve the law.

Logan picked up his phone, worked backwards through the call history till he got to Anderson’s number. Pressed call.

It went straight to voicemail — didn’t even ring. Probably no point leaving a message: not if Anderson had destroyed the SIM card as promised. ‘Aye, you’ve got Craggie, I’m no here, but leave your name and number and I’ll give you a call back when I can.’

Logan hung up.

Stared at the screen.

Cthulhu jumped down again and made for the bowls in the corner, crunching away with her tail in the air.

Helen’s number was right there.

His thumb hovered over the call button. What the hell?

It rang three times, and then her voice crept into his ear. ‘Logan?’

He cleared his throat. ‘Just wanted to make sure you got somewhere to stay.’

‘Are you OK? You sound … I don’t know.’ She sniffed. The words were strained, as if she was having to haul them up from somewhere dark and deep. ‘Sorry. Been a long day.’

‘I know the feeling.’

‘The girl in Gwent isn’t Natasha.’ Something broke, and the tears started. ‘They did a blood test and it’s the wrong type. I’m so stupid. I got my hopes up, I thought it was her, and now it’s all gone again.’

All that way for nothing. Helen could’ve stayed with him in Banff after all.

But that wasn’t the way the world worked.

Logan’s shoulders dropped another inch. ‘We found out who the little girl in the swimming pool was. They measured the stable isotopes in her bones and traced her back to Carlisle. She went missing four years ago. Her mum and dad are coming up to identify her tomorrow.’

‘That’s … good.’ A breath huffed down the phone, followed by another sniff. ‘I’m happy for them. They get to say goodbye.’

‘They were so grateful …’ A deep breath. ‘They’re wrong though. Someone tried to kill Samantha today. They drowned her, but the paramedics managed to start her heart again.’

‘I’m sorry.’

‘I thought she was dead. For fifteen minutes I thought she was dead. Hope hurts. It’s like a knife in the guts sometimes. But it’s better than that.’

Cthulhu finished crunching and hopped onto the coffee table. Settled down on Logan’s keys and washed her paws.

He huffed out a breath. Rubbed a hand across his eyes. ‘Anyway. Yes. I got Tufty to do some digging. You don’t need to worry about getting your hands on your ex-husband. Brian Edwards died two years ago in Middlesbrough. Hit-and-run.’

‘I see …’ The silence stretched.

‘Helen?’

What sounded like laughter got muffled. ‘I know it makes me a horrible person, but I’m glad. I’m glad he’s dead. I hope he suffered.’

‘He’d changed his name, got married again, had a couple of kids with a Spanish woman. He beat her up, so she kicked him out. Got sole custody of the children.’

A breath, then it must’ve clicked. ‘What about Natasha? Is she there? Is she OK?’

‘I don’t know, but I’ve got an address in Spain I can text you.’

‘Oh God, that’s brilliant news! Thank you!’ And the hope was back again, glowing in her voice like sunshine. ‘I’ll call the private investigator right away. Oh, Logan, what if she’s OK? What if my little girl’s not dead after all? Isn’t it wonderful?’

At least somebody could have a happy ending.

God knew it would be about sodding time.

Still …

He sagged back on the couch. ‘Helen, maybe you’d be better off finding someone else. Your PI didn’t even know Brian was dead. Doubt he could find his own bum in a kilt, never mind Natasha.’

‘Oh.’

Silence.

‘Look, I’m sorry. Forget I said anything.’ He let his head fall back and stared up at the pristine ceiling. ‘I’m having a bad day, that’s all. Sure it’ll be fine.’

The silence stretched.

‘Helen? You still there?’

‘Logan? Would you …’ She swallowed. ‘Would you like to come to Spain with me?’