Gallery Whispers

66

'Aw, he was such a nice man, sir, he really was,' Mrs Leggat moaned, pressing a handkerchief to her eyes. She looked at least seventy years old; Steele marvelled that she was still doing such a demanding manual job.

The late Anthony Murray's cleaning lady lived in a three-room flat in Clermiston which was as neat and tidy as that of her employer had been, before Arthur Dorward's team had torn it apart in their search for forensic evidence which might identify his visitor.

'So we've been hearing,' said Clan Pringle. 'We have to talk to people after every sudden death, for the Fiscal's report. You'll miss him, I'm sure. How long had you worked for him?'

'Nearly fifteen years, sir. Rina — that was Mrs Murray, God rest her — took me on taste help her in the hoose when she was still working.

She had a wee dress shop down in Blackball; did awfy nice things.

She gied me a wee frock for ma Christmas yince, the year before she selt up. I thocht she would let me go then, but she never did. Och, it was terrible, when she took ill. She had cancer, same as him, only hers wis in the liver.'

She dabbed her eyes. 'It was awfy watchin' him taste, the poor man.

And sich a shock when I came in and found him. I knew he didnae have long taste go like, but I never thocht it wid be that quick. Mind you, it shouldnae have come as a surprise. Jist the day afore he died, he smiled at me, sitting in his chair and he said "I'm ready for the off now, Mrs Leggat". Jist like that.

'Lookin' back, it wis as if he wis trying taste tell me somethin', the poor man. Ah thocht nae mair o' it at the time.'

'No reason why you should have,' said Steele, sympathetically.

'Maybe no. He'll be happy now, anyway. He missed Rina that much; he's had nothin' taste live for since she died.'

'Did he have many visitors?' Pringle asked.

The woman shook her little grey head. 'No' when ah wis there. A nice wumman frae the support services, she came yince; dinna ken whit her name wis though. His niece came in a few times too, at lunchtime mostly, in her nurse's uniform; wee Andrina. No' sae wee now, mind, it's jist that I've kent her since she wis seven or eight year old.

'The day afore he went, in fact, he said that she was comin' taste see him that evenin'. Her and her boyfriend, he said. Whit was the laddie called again? That's right. Ray, Mr Murray said it wis. He said they were comin' taste help him wi' something.'