Girls Of The Dark (20 page)

Three Months Later

D
ani’s tiny garden lay under a thin layer of snow. The DCI turned back from the window. ‘What’s the temperature like in Montego Bay?’

              James checked his smartphone. ‘27°’

              Dani smiled. ‘How lovely.’

              He moved across to stand behind her, slipping his arms around her waist. ‘Do you know if Calvin has settled in okay?’

              ‘Rhodri is flying out to visit him at the end of the month. We’ll find out then. But I expect so. I’ve seen photos of the beach house. It looks absolutely gorgeous.’

              James pressed his face into her neck. ‘I hope he’s blissfully happy there. He should have enough money to live very comfortably. But can it possibly make up for losing forty years of his life?’

              ‘No, it can’t. Calvin must be careful not to allow any feelings of bitterness and regret to ruin the time he has left. Rhodri will help him with that, I’m sure.’

              Dani twisted her head. ‘What about your dad? How is he doing these days?’

              ‘Not wallowing in bitterness and regret, thankfully. He and Mum are going on a cruise in a couple of weeks. Meeting with Calvin during the trial really helped him a lot. I think Dad realises now that there was no choice back in ’75 but for Calvin to plead innocent, because that’s exactly what he was. It turns out Sir Anthony Alderton wasn’t the insensitive clod we always thought.’

              ‘It shows how important a good legal defence really is. Sometimes the police get it wrong. Terribly, tragically wrong.’

              ‘Tell that to Sally. She’s gone all moralistic since this whole Suter affair. Did you know she’s dropped the Aaron Lister case?’

              Dani shook her head. ‘I didn’t know that. Why?’

              ‘Because she says he’s an arrogant, high-handed sexual predator. He used his position of authority to abuse the students in his care. Sally is refusing to represent him or discredit his victims.’

              ‘But he may not have done it. I’ll never be as sure now about someone’s guilt as I have been in the past.’

              ‘Well, if he is, another lawyer is going to have to put that case forward in court. They won’t be half as good at their job as Sally, that’s for sure.’

              ‘Oh, I nearly forgot.’ Dani slipped out of James’s arms and moved across to the kitchen, picking up the morning paper from the worktop. ‘Rhodri is quoted on the front page. He’s commenting on the arrest of the university sex attacker, saying that psychological profiling and good old fashioned police work led to his capture.’

              James placed his hand gently on her shoulder. ‘Has the man admitted to the attack on you in the library toilets?’

              Dani shook her head. ‘No. He’s denied knowing anything about it. But I’m not surprised.’ She looked her boyfriend in the eye. ‘It was Gregory Suter, or one of his hired heavies, who attacked me that day. He knew I’d been digging into the ’75 murders. He was probably having Calvin watched and knew I’d met with him and Rhodri. The attack was exactly as I believed it to be. It was a warning to stay away from the case.’

              James pulled her to him again. ‘He’s locked up now. Gregory Suter will die in prison. The whole thing is over.’

              Dani sighed. ‘I’m just thinking about Sarah Martin’s funeral. Her sister was there and Ed Callan and his wife. But her poor parents didn’t live to see their daughter buried. The same goes for several of the other victims. A few we haven’t even identified yet. He was free for too long, James. The police failed a lot of girls and families.’

              ‘The man was clever and well-connected. You said yourself that he spread out his killing sprees and remained dormant for years at a time. This made detection less likely.’

              ‘And reduced the number of victims. It could have been even worse.’ Dani touched his face. ‘They should have caught him in ’78 though. Sarah Martin was one of the secretaries who worked for Gregory Suter at his financial services company in the city. It must have been him she was meeting that night in the bar in Fenwick. He was only in his thirties back then and could attract young women easily. Sarah may have suspected that her boyfriend was seeing another woman during his trips away, so she began a fling with her boss. Sarah had no idea how unsafe this liaison would be.’

              ‘Was Gregory Suter questioned by police at the time?’

              ‘Yes, but only in the most perfunctory way. He had an alibi of course. Several witness statements said he was at his club in Glasgow on the night Sarah disappeared. We know now that those people would have been paid to lie.’

              ‘He was probably charismatic and plausible. I can imagine why he slipped through the net.’

              ‘I watched Gregory Suter very carefully during the trial. Actually, I thought he was strikingly ordinary. You would pass him in a crowd without giving him a second glance.’

              ‘Don’t they say that’s the hallmark of true evil? That in fact, the form it takes can be rather banal. Just look at Hitler, or Stalin.’

              Dani smiled and nuzzled his cheek. ‘I’d rather look at you.’

              He chuckled.

              ‘Are you content to stay here in Glasgow with a mere Detective Chief Inspector? Alice is bound to get promotion this month. She’ll probably progress faster through the ranks than I will now.’

              ‘Does it matter? I rather like things the way they are. Your boss didn’t turn out to be quite as much of a fiend as you first thought.’

              ‘No, he’s growing on me. But his most unlikely new pal is Andy Calder. The fact that Andy managed to connect the garage arson attacks to Gregory Suter and the Ford Anglia from the ’75 murders has been viewed as the moment the case was cracked. Douglas has been parading him around every newsroom in Glasgow.’

              ‘I bet Andy’s really enjoying that. He loves the press.’

              Dani laughed. ‘You’d be surprised how well Calder can turn on the charm when he needs to. I’m pleased for him. He deserved some credit for once.’

              ‘Then let’s take a step back and allow the others to soak up the limelight. I might take you away for a little holiday, DCI Bevan. A
proper
one this time.’

              ‘Okay, Mr Irving. That sounds great.’

*

I
t was impossible to describe the clear blue of the ocean that stretched out in front of him, so Calvin didn’t even try. He’d not written a single word since arriving in Montego Bay a few weeks before.

              He sat on the smooth yellow sand in his bare feet and allowed the sun to warm his face. He’d been there for some time when he felt something warm and wet nuzzling his toes.

              ‘I’m so sorry.’

              Calvin opened his eyes. A lady was standing with her back to the light, pulling a handsome dog away by its lead. ‘Not to worry, no harm done.’

              ‘He likes people, that’s all.’

              Calvin smiled. ‘It must be nice to have the company.’

              ‘Yes, it is. I’m on my own now. I always bring my friend here on trips. Some countries don’t like it, but Jamaica is very accommodating.’

              ‘We are a laid back people.’

              The lady tilted her head and eyed him closely. ‘Are you local? You’ve got a very strong Scottish accent.’

              Calvin laughed. ‘I was born here. Now I’ve come home to retire. What about you? Are you English?’

              She nodded. ‘Milton Keynes. Not the most beautiful location in the world, is it! That’s why I travel. I realised I’d not seen enough places. I’m staying at the Caribbean Beach Hotel, just along the shore. It’s very pleasant.’

              ‘Have you been to Jamaica before?’

              ‘Oh yes, several times. But I always stay in the resort. The tour operators say that’s best.’

              Calvin got to his feet. ‘Oh, that’s nonsense. All you need is a decent guide. This coastline is full of beautiful beaches and headlands. It’s a wonderful area to explore.’

              She hesitated for a second. ‘Perhaps you could show me some of these places? Sorry, I’m being very forward. It’s just that at my age you find there’s no point in wasting time.’

              Calvin nodded. ‘Don’t apologise. I’d love to show you the sights and I agree. We are in paradise. I have absolutely no intention of wasting a single moment.’

© Katherine Pathak, All Rights Reserved, 2015

The Garansay Press

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