Girls Of The Dark (2 page)

Chapter 3

T
he atmosphere in the city morgue was sombre. Dani supposed it always was, but there was something about the pathetic state of the Kerrs’ bodies that made those present particularly subdued.

              ‘There is significant scarring to the oesophagus, stomach and duodenum, as you can see. This was caused by the corrosive nature of the chemicals consumed.’ Dr Culdrew paced up and down beside the metal table upon which Janet Kerr’s body was laid out. ‘Mrs Kerr didn’t manage to consume as much bleach as her son, so death was more prolonged. There is bruising evident to the arms and shoulders, where she writhed about on the floor before falling unconscious. From the scene photographs, I surmise that Mrs Kerr struck the coffee table several times as she thrashed about.’

              ‘Is it possible that a third party caused the bruising?’ Dani pressed the mask close to her mouth.

              ‘Anything is possible, as you know. In this case I’d say not. The bruises are consistent with the blunt corners of the solid wood table. There are no scratch or punch marks, which we would expect with a physical attack. As the body ages, the skin becomes thinner and bruising more apparent. Mrs Kerr is simply a person who bruised easily.’ Culdrew pulled off his plastic gloves and led the officers out into the corridor. ‘My
post-mortem
in both cases supports a finding of suicide. I’ll pass the report onto the Fiscal’s office. It will be up to them to reach a final judgement.’

              ‘Thank you, doctor.’ Dani shook the man’s hand.

              Andy lingered for a moment. He’d worked with Culdrew before and knew he could be persuaded to speculate beyond the brief. ‘Have you ever come across a case like this before, Rob?’

              Dr Culdrew began to walk with them towards the wash-rooms. He sighed. ‘Sadly, yes. It was many years ago now. A young girl accidentally swallowed household bleach. Her father had stored it in a lemonade bottle in the garage of their house. It was one of those terrible, tragic misfortunes.’

              ‘Were the wounds in that circumstance consistent with what happened here?’ Andy held the door open for his colleague.

              ‘Yes, largely similar. The girl had not intended to kill herself of course. Her stomach was pumped at the hospital she was rushed to. Sadly, too much damage had been done to her internal organs to save the poor thing. Her heart gave out under the strain.’ Culdrew went quiet as he scrubbed his hands under the tap.

              Andy felt bad about bringing the memory back. However, they had a job to do. ‘And was there bruising in the case of this girl – did she writhe about?’

              Culdrew knitted his brow. ‘Not that I recall. I’d have to dig out the notes again. Off the top of my head I’d say no.’

              ‘Did the tox screens show anything of interest with the Kerrs?’ Dani interjected, unsure of where Andy’s questions were designed to lead the pathologist.

              ‘There were moderate levels of alcohol in both systems and traces of barbiturates in Ray Kerr’s blood sample. I’d put it down to as little as a sleeping tablet consumed the previous evening.’

              ‘Can traces of a sleeping pill remain in someone’s system for that long?’

              ‘Oh yes, up to forty eight hours.’ Culdrew wiped the water off the length of his arms with paper towels. ‘If that’s all detectives, I really need to write up my notes?’

              ‘Certainly, we’ll leave you to it. Thanks again for your help.’

*

‘What’s with all this interest in the bruising?’ Dani glanced across at her partner, as he drove them back to Pitt Street.

              ‘I just think it’s odd. Why would one person thresh about so wildly and another simply conk out on the sofa, in the exact same position they were in when they downed the bleach?’

              ‘Culdrew’s scenario explained it. Janet Kerr hadn’t consumed enough to die straight away. She had time to struggle. It must have been an awful way to go.’

              ‘Maybe the alcohol and barbiturates in Ray’s system made him more docile.’

              ‘We’d need to have a proper look at the toxicology results. Culdrew didn’t make it sound as if there would be enough for that. Ray was quite a big guy. Working at the garage had obviously kept him fit.’

              Andy nodded, saying no more. He and Alice had been at the scene and his boss hadn’t. There was something about what they witnessed there that possessed all the hallmarks of a violent crime. Calder knew this was just a gut reaction. If the evidence didn’t fit, he’d have to shake the idea. But something was making him think there was another individual involved. Not just a voice at the other end of a phone.

Chapter 4

L
isa Abbot was listed on the electoral register for her district as being thirty two years old. According to Janet Kerr’s sister, she’d claimed to be twenty eight. This was just one of the many lies that Abbot had spun over the previous few months.

              Alice and Dan sat in an unmarked car outside the flat on Raven Hill Road that Ray had bought for them. Abbot hadn’t yet emerged through the front door.

              ‘Are both their names on the mortgage?’ Dan asked casually.

              ‘Yep. Abbot will probably get to keep this place whatever happens.’ Alice lifted a flask from the cup holder and unscrewed the lid. ‘Want some?’

              ‘What is it?’

              ‘Hot chocolate.’ Alice poured a small amount into the plastic beaker.

              ‘No thanks. I’m watching my weight.’

              Alice laughed. ‘What the hell for?’

              ‘I’m sitting on my arse on surveillance jobs most of the time these days. The big-bottomed look isn’t a good one in men.’ Dan shifted about uncomfortably.

              The DS twisted round to face him. ‘Have you got a new bloke?’

              ‘There’s a guy I’ve been talking to at the Lime Tree. He seems quite keen. But he’s a body beautiful type.’

              ‘Great. I never meet anyone.’

              ‘Come on Alice, you’re not interested. Half the men at headquarters would go out with you like a shot. You’re focussed on getting ahead. I just wish I had your ambition.’

              ‘Are you going to take the sergeants’ exam again? There’s another set coming up in January.’ Alice sipped her drink, carefully balancing the flask between her knees.

              Dan sighed. ‘I suppose so. I don’t want DCS Douglas to think I’m a total numpty. I can’t believe I failed it the last time.’

              ‘The DCI wasn’t around to motivate you. She was busy on that disciplinary thing in Edinburgh.’ Alice nudged her partner’s arm. ‘Bevan isn’t going to be with us forever. In a few months she’ll have moved upstairs and won’t be there to hold your hand. You’ll have to start being more proactive about your career.’

              Dan was about to answer when the communal door to the block of flats opened. A woman in skinny blue jeans and an oversized hoodie jacket emerged. Sunglasses were obscuring most of her face.

              ‘Is it Abbot?’

              ‘I think so.’ Alice turned the key and started the engine, waiting until the woman was a good distance away before crawling along behind her.

              ‘I’ll get out and follow on foot.’ Dan grabbed his walkie-talkie from the glove compartment and shoved it into his pocket. ‘There you go, Sarge. That’s me being pro-active.’

Abbot had headed for Anniesland station and took a train into the centre of town. The carriage was busy and Dan was able to follow her with ease. She finally stopped at a gastro pub in the west end, where Abbot joined a man seated by the window.

              Dan took up position at the bar, ordering a bottle of beer. He wanted to blend in with the other lunchtime drinkers. Whilst keeping half an eye on his quarry, the DC considered Alice’s words of advice. His heart hadn’t been in the promotion to sergeant. He didn’t know why Nicholson had put his name forward. He’d cocked up during a case several months before and a young colleague was killed as a result. Dan supposed if he was honest with himself, he’d have to admit he sabotaged his own chances in that exam. He barely revised for it and got hammered in the pub the night before.

              The couple in his peripheral vision had raised their voices. The man was of early middle age and wore a nice suit. Abbot leaned in close to his face and was saying something under her breath. She finished her drink and stood up, leaving him at the table before storming out.

              Dan let her go. He knew that Alice was poised to pick up her trail when she stepped into the street. Instead, he lifted his bottle and moved over to the seat their suspect had vacated. The man opposite stared at him in surprise.

              Dan held up his warrant card. ‘My name is DC Clifton. I’m with the Serious Crime Unit. Can you tell me what your business was with the lady who just left?’

              ‘Sara? What’s that got to do with the police? She’s a personal friend of mine.’ The man smoothed his shirt irritably. ‘I really need to get back to the office.’

              Dan could tell he was worried. ‘That woman, who you know as Sara, is in actual fact Lisa Abbot. She is being investigated by our unit on several counts of fraud and deception.’

              The man shot to his feet. ‘This is outrageous!’

              Half the pub turned to look at him.

              Dan tilted his head. ‘Has she asked you for money?’

              The man remained standing for a moment longer before slumping back down again. ‘Yes.’

              ‘How much?’

              ‘Four thousand pounds. But we’ve argued about it. I can’t release those kinds of funds without my wife becoming suspicious.’

              ‘Why did Ms Abbot tell you she needed it?’

              ‘I can’t get used to her being referred to in that way. Sorry, she needs it for her treatment. Of course I understand and I sympathise, but we only slept together a couple of times. I don’t really see why I should be responsible for her healthcare bills.’ He looked Dan straight in the eye. ‘Does that make me an awful person?’

              ‘No, sir. It does not.’

Chapter 5

‘I
’d say she’s desperate. Lisa Abbot must know we’re investigating her, yet she’s still up to the old tricks.’ Alice took the lead in the de-brief taking place in DCI Bevan’s office. Dan was perched on the sofa behind.

              ‘Who is this man and will he provide us with a signed statement?’

              ‘His name is Nick McKenna,’ Dan pitched in. ‘He works for an insurance company in the city centre. McKenna met Abbot at a bar six months ago. She told him her name was Sara White. They’ve slept together a few times in hotels near McKenna’s work.’

              Dani looked up from her notes. She beckoned to the DC. ‘Come closer, Dan. Sit at the desk and tell me the details.
You
interviewed the guy. Don’t skulk about at the back of the room.’

              He moved forward, suddenly self-conscious. ‘
Sara
informed Mr McKenna a couple of weeks ago that she was going to have a biopsy on a mole on her back. According to White, the docs said it was malignant. The cancer had spread and there wasn’t much they could do. She then claimed that there was a new treatment for malignant melanoma being trialled in the United States. The drug programme would cost £4,000 pounds and she asked him to loan her the money.’

              Dani frowned. ‘Abbot must have been sleeping with this McKenna chap whilst she was carrying on with poor Ray Kerr.’

              Alice spotted her opportunity to take up the story. ‘It doesn’t sound like Mr McKenna suspected the illness was bogus. But he was concerned that if he didn’t give Ms White the cash, she would tell his wife about their affair. He stressed that Sara appeared desperately upset by her diagnosis. She even showed him the mole, which he thought looked abnormal.’

              ‘Well, the man’s no doctor, is he?’ Dani rolled her eyes. ‘This woman is a real operator. Will McKenna testify to this in court?’

              Dan shrugged his shoulders. ‘I’m still working on it. Right now, the man believes he’s had a lucky escape. He does not want his wife to find out about the relationship. McKenna kept asking if we had other witnesses. I think he’s hoping we won’t need his testimony.’

              ‘Did you inform him that our two other witnesses died a long, agonising death and their bodies are currently stretched out in the city morgue?’

              ‘I did mention it, Ma’am, although perhaps not in those terms.’

              ‘Well, I may need to have an uncompromising chat with our Mr McKenna. But in the meantime, keep evidence gathering. Ms Abbot is just too good at this. I bet she’s been conning the more gullible folk of Glasgow for most of her life.’

*

The restaurant was on the top floor. Their table was positioned next to a bank of windows providing a panoramic view of the city. The lights of the buildings twinkled far below, under the darkening sky.

              ‘We would never have been seated somewhere like this a couple of months back.’ Linda Irving swept a napkin across her lap. Her tone one of incredulity.

              Her son grinned. ‘I know. Quite the little miracle, isn’t it?’

              ‘James simply encountered a peril far greater than his fear of tall buildings,’ Dani added, sipping from her glass of wine, ‘- a man pointing a gun at his chest. It tends to cure all the less rational of phobias.’

              ‘It focusses the mind, that’s all.’ James sat back while the waiter laid down his starter. ‘Are you okay, Dad? You’ve been very quiet since we arrived.’

              Jim Irving dragged his eyes away from the view. ‘Oh, yes. I’m fine. It’s just been a tiring week, that’s all.’

              ‘Sally has got your father helping her out on a case she’s defending. He’s been ploughing through papers well into the night. I’ve told him to slow down. He won’t listen.’

              ‘What’s the case?’ James asked.

              ‘Defending the indefensible,’ Linda muttered into her gin and tonic. ‘Just the kind of case Sally likes best.’

              ‘It’s the trial of Aaron Lister. The music professor accused of sexually abusing his students. It’s been in the news a lot,’ Jim clarified.

              ‘The charges came out of operation Nightingale,’ Dani explained. ‘I know one of the officers who made the arrest. High profile convictions for historic abuse bring forward victims of other sexual predators. That’s why the police get accused of witch hunts. We suddenly find ourselves inundated with allegations against all sorts of public figures.’

              ‘It’s the job of the detectives and the justice system to weed out the bogus claims from the genuinely injured parties.’ Jim polished off his drink, gesturing to the waiter to produce another round.

              ‘So that’s what you’re helping Sally with - finding the genuine victims amongst the time wasters?’ James prompted. 

              ‘Something along those lines, yes.’

              James looked at his father’s face closely. He thought he certainly did look tired, ill, even. ‘Great. The main course is arriving. Let’s forget about work for now – especially if it’s not even ours! – and enjoy this lovely food.’