Murmuring the Judges

52

‘So what’s the set-up with King’s girl-friend?’ Skinner asked.

‘Maclean Farms Limited turned out to be her family business, Boss,’ said Mario McGuire, looking at the DCC across the conference table in Martin’s office. ‘She and her mother own it jointly. The father’s dead, and the place is run by a manager.

‘When we saw her there, we decided not to go in, in case she told King and he worked out what we were up to.

‘So instead, we pulled off the road and went round the side to have a look. There was another car there, a wee MGF sports car. We checked the number and it turned out to be his.’

‘That’s good,’ said Skinner. ‘I’d have been narked if you’d tipped our hand.’

Martin, in the chair at the head of the table, leaned forward. ‘How are we going to confirm that she is holding cyanide?’ he asked.

‘I’ve arranged for an Environmental Health Officer from the Council to pay a routine visit to the farm first thing this morning, sir.’ McGuire glanced at his watch. ‘He’s probably done it by now.’

The DCC nodded his approval, then turned to Rose and Neville. Both women sported healthy sun-tans. ‘So, ladies. How was the weekend on the beach?’

‘Productive, sir,’ the DCI answered, ‘as you’ve probably heard.’

‘Yes. . you’re both looking well on it, too,’ he added, with a grin. ‘Brian said that your man Beaton was meticulous in his identification, although he qualified it to an extent. How do you think he’ll be in the witness box?’

‘I don’t think that David will be flustered at all, Boss. As Brian said, he’s a careful sort of person. Now if it had been his partner, Donovan the skinny-dipper. .’

‘Eh?’ Neil McIlhenney burst out.

‘Ah,’ said Rose, ‘Mario didn’t mention him?’

‘He was the highlight of my weekend,’ Karen Neville volunteered, then added, ‘. . almost.’

‘Stick to the subject please, folks,’ Martin called from the head of the table.

‘Yes; sorry, sir,’ the DCI acknowledged. ‘Fortunately Donovan isn’t involved in our case, or I think we could have trouble with him in the box. David, on the other hand, will be fine. I think he’d even stand up to old Christabel, if it came to that.’

Skinner broke in. ‘All he has to say on oath is what he said to Brian. When we add that to my party friend Philip’s positive identification of King in the Reserve on the afternoon in question, we’ve got enough for the jury.’

He looked round the table. ‘Ladies and gentlemen, what do we have on Mr Norman King, QC?’ He raised his left hand and began to check-list items on his fingers as he spoke. ‘One; a threat to his inheritance: a strong motive to kill both of these old men. Two; a known and undisguised hatred of his father. Three; proximity to the scene of the first murder. Four; a positive identification at the scene of the second. Five; subject to confirmation, access to the poison used in the Archergait murder.’

The DCC gazed at Martin. ‘So, Chief Superintendent, what do you think?’

‘I think, sir, that as soon as we receive confirmation from Mario’s Environmental Health Officer that cyanide is kept on premises to which Norman King is a known visitor, we have sufficient reason to ask Lord Archibald’s permission to interview the Home Advocate Depute as the principal suspect in these murder investigations.’

‘My thoughts exactly, Andy.’ He glanced at his watch, which was showing 10:50 a.m.

‘I think you and I had better make ourselves available at around four o’clock. King’s prosecuting in a trial in Edinburgh today. I think Archie might prefer us to wait until the Court rises, rather than arrest him in the middle of proceedings.’