Shadows of Deceit (27 page)

“No, they probably stayed overnight somewhere. Perhaps the car was still causing them problems?”

Eileen turned away from the mirror,

“Before I go to work I’ll go over to Dermot’s hotel to discuss the cottage with him, and I’ll also check to see if he’s had any word from them.”

“OK love, I’d better make tracks now.”

“See you later Harry. I’m just so excited that we can buy our own place, perhaps even the cottage by the coast. Everything’s turning out so well. I do love you so much!”

“And I love you. I’ll see you at the Stuart later. I hope Dermot’s agreeable to selling the cottage to us. Now I really must go.”

The couple hugged each other and kissed before Harry went on his way.

The morning went fairly well for Harry; only two persistent rent defaulters that needed chasing. On his way to Andrew’s flat he stopped at the barber’s shop for a trim. It also gave him the opportunity to read a newspaper whilst he waited. Afterwards he walked to the flat. Weak sunshine had replaced the drizzly rain making the cobbled road surfaces shiny and reflective. The market stallholders were clearing away their tables and the remains of their produce.

At the flat he rang the bell but there was no response. He waited a few minutes and rang again. ‘He’s not in, damn it!’ Harry decided to let himself inside so that he could deposit the cash he’d collected into Andrew’s safe. As he climbed the stairs he noticed that the sitting room light was on.

“Andrew are you there?” he called. Again, there was no reply. He reached inside and switched the light off. He moved around the flat, quickly examining each room but there was no one at home. ‘He must have been here earlier because the lights were on?’ he thought.

He retraced his steps to the sitting room. There was something not quite right. Andrew was always fastidious in the way he dressed and kept his flat, yet the desk was now strewn with papers. Harry slowly approached the back of the settee facing the fireplace. His nostrils smelt blood and a second later his eyes focused upon the spattering traces of it in front of the fireplace. Looking over the back of the settee he stopped, to his horror he discovered Andrew; naked, gagged and bound. He had been castrated. Blood was still oozing from his mutilated body but he was still just alive.

“Jesus Christ!”

Harry rushed to the press cupboard for towels and packed them tightly around the wound. He then undid the gag and flex tying Andrew’s wrists and ankles. Andrew’s hands and face had been badly beaten and were now a tumid red pulp,

“Andrew, who did this?”

Andrew tried to open his eyes but they were sealed by bruises and dried blood.

“I’ll call an ambulance!”

“No!”

Andrew whispered, his voice making low bubbling noises. Andrew moved and gripped Harry’s arm,

“No…listen..first.”

His voice was now scratchy and weak.

“Listen…”

“You need hospital treatment Andrew, I need to call for help.” Andrew’s grip tightened,

“Go to….Dar…Darlath he’s in great danger…Harry do….”

Harry calmed down,

“OK Andrew I’m listening, where is Darlath?”

Andrew tried to turn his head towards Harry but the pain was too much. He groaned,

“Cottage I own...Dad’s...Darla...money…Darlath. Get to Darlath quickly...I own…”

“Andrew yes I’ll go but you need treatment, I’ll phone for some help.”

“Go and...go help Darlath now!”

Andrew’s words were unclear, the bruising and pain was too much for him to be coherent.

“Dad’s cottage…holiday..I own…cottage I own...sum…summer hol...money will be..under stairs..secret door …get the money … panel loose…holiday cottage…I own…Dad...”

He was becoming delirious.

“Andrew listen to me, can you listen to me, Andrew?”

Harry’s wrist was clasped even tighter,

“Yes…I hear you...” His voice was now barely audible.

“Andrew I’ll do as you ask but where do I go, which cottage, where?”

With great effort Andrew carefully formed the words to answer, “Papers…in suitcase…Inner…Innerleithen...Darlath waiting… for me.”

“Let me look Andrew.”

Harry was released. He quickly found the open suitcase by the desk and pulled out the clothes and shoes but there were no papers. He scanned the desk; all of the drawers had been turned out and their contents scattered. Documents and forms had been removed; all that was left was blank stationery with no reference to Innerleithen.

“Andrew, There’s nothing of any importance in the case or in the desk. I can’t find anything!”

Harry returned to the settee to discover that Andrew had slipped into unconsciousness. He tried desperately to rouse him then he noticed that the fresh towels he had applied were now already seeping blood.

“Christ, enough of this, I’m phoning.”

He quickly dialled for an ambulance and gave Andrew’s address and details before carefully wiping his fingerprints from the receiver and desk. He glanced back at Andrew who was now very pale, all colour on his unbruised skin had disappeared, and he wasn’t breathing. Harry felt for a pulse on Andrew’s neck and wrist, there was none, not even the weakest flicker.

“Oh no, Andy…”

There was nothing else he could do he realised, as he rapidly came to his senses. He couldn’t remain in the flat, and he knew that he just had to find Darlath. Harry stood up and ran out of the room and down the stairs into the street. Carefully pulling the door almost closed, he walked briskly away towards the city centre; as he did so he heard the distant bell of an ambulance approaching from the opposite direction.

Harry decided to go to the railway station and look at a map. He recalled that Andrew kept mentioning ‘Innerleithen’ and the ‘cottage he owned.’ He kept repeating the words he had heard over and over again in his mind. There was something vaguely familiar about the name of the village. Andrew must have mentioned it before but when and in what context?

At the station he found a large wall map of the railway network and quickly discovered where Innerleithen was. His eyes scanned the surrounding area for clues, The River Tweed, Cardrona Forest, Kings Muir, Peebles. Peebles! That was it! Peebles! What were the details of the conversation? Harry thought about it for a minute and then ran over in his mind what Andrew had actually said earlier. Cottage I own, Innerleithen, Dad, holidays. Holidays that was it. His Dad bought the cottage for holidays and as a joke had etched out a map to the cottage on the mirror tiles at a hotel they’d worked on at Peebles. Harry now knew where he had to get to. At the ticket office he tried to buy a single ticket to Peebles,

“Not today sir I’m afraid, there’s been a land slip at Stobo. I can get you to the station at Broughton. That’s about eight miles from Peebles. Will that do you?”

“Yes, I need to get there quickly. Yes that’s fine.”

Harry paid for the ticket,

“Tell me please I’m trying to meet someone at one of the larger hotels in Peebles but I’ve mislaid the details. It’s one that has a swimming pool and steam room. Would you know which hotel that would be?”

“That’s probably the Tartan Hydro sir.”

“Of course, thank you. Thank you for your help.”

As soon ‘the Hydro’ was mentioned Harry remembered the conversation with Andrew in full. ‘The map is in the steam room on one of the mirror tiles.’ His Dad had made a map to the cottage using the adhesive glue on the wall and only when there is sufficient steam does it show through onto the mirror. All the other tiles simply had five dots of adhesive, ‘Like a dice.’

‘That’s it!’ he thought.

Harry checked the timetable and found that he would arrive at Broughton at four fifteen. Then a taxi to the hotel, locate the map and then a taxi to Innerleithen. He should reach there by seven or eight and meet up with Darlath and the money. But first he needed to phone Eileen. He walked across the concourse towards the buffet. Outside were five telephone boxes and all of them were currently occupied. He waited until one became free then he dialled the Royal Stuart.

“Eileen’s not here just yet. Can I take a message?”

“Yes, please say that Harry called and that I will ring her later this evening.”

“Right, OK”

Harry replaced the receiver, ‘Damn. I needed to explain to her what’s happening. I probably won’t have time to get back tonight.’ He bought a sandwich from the buffet then made his way to the train. Very few people were travelling, probably because it’s not the full service to Peebles he thought. It was only when he sat quietly on his own that he had time to recall the significant events of the day so far, ‘Poor bastard, who could have done that to him?’ It didn’t take much thought to realise that Steve was probably the main suspect. He was always ready to pull a knife; he was the one that enjoyed bullying; he was Dermot’s favourite henchman.’ Harry’s eyes widened as the revelation focused in his mind. God that was it. Dermot must have found out that Andrew and Darlath were together and Steve would have been only too pleased to break them up. Dermot must have told Steve to stop them. But Steve, as usual, had gone too far.

The train started moving towards Peebles.

Eileen had left the Royal Stuart to visit Dermot at his hotel. She felt confident that her old friend would allow her to purchase Michael’s cottage. She was elated and happy with her life, as she made her way across town. Things had turned out rather well. She was engaged to Harry and they would now have enough money to buy a house or cottage outright, once that is, the sale of all the recent project goods were finalised. At reception she had asked where Mr Cassidy was this morning.

“He’s still in his room; he had his breakfast sent up there today.” the receptionist had told her.

“Shall I ring him to say that you are here?”

The receptionist had spoken to Dermot and it was agreed that Eileen was to be directed up to his room,

“Number twelve, Madam; on the first floor.”

When Eileen pushed the door open she found Dermot sitting by the window, his breakfast still on the tray untouched.

“Good morning Dermot, how are you?”

Dermot blinked his eyes and tried to turn his head towards her. He had been sitting too long in that position staring out of the window. Eileen realised that he was probably still in the clothes that he had worn the previous day. He smelt of urine, his hair wasn’t brushed; he was unshaven and overall he looked pitiful and sad. Eileen moved around and sat by the window facing him.

“You’ve obviously not had a good night Dermot, shall I get a Doctor to see you?” she’d asked, shocked by this sudden deterioration.

But Dermot had waved off her concern;

“No Doctor. I don’t need a Doctor. I’ve been sitting here all night thinking.”

“Thinking, what about?” Eileen asked.

“I’ve made a mess of my life in recent years and now I’ve turned Darlath against me.”

“Where’s Darlath now?”

“I don’t know. I’ve really messed things up for him now.”
“I don’t understand Dermot, what do you mean. Has Darlath returned from Kintyre yet?”

“That’s it, he’s not coming back. He and Andrew...they’re going away…going away.”

Tears began streaming down his cheeks.

“Dermot, I think I know what’s really making you feel this way.”

Dermot’s eyes angrily flashed wide as he stared at Eileen, “What do you mean, ‘you know’. How could you have known what’s been happening?”

“I’m afraid I did. Harry and I knew about the two of them, but we…”

Dermot sank back into the leather chair,

“I’ve been deceived. Deceived by my so called friends. I was the last to find out. How could you not tell me – you of all people!”

“That’s unfair Dermot. It was a difficult situation for us. They were the ones who should have told you. We just had to keep quiet and wait. I’m certain Darlath would have told you.”

“He did tell me about himself, but never mentioned the other one. It was Steve who told me about him. Steve’s the only one I can trust!”

“Dermot I can understand why you’re upset, but you must let them lead their lives as they wish. By putting pressure on them then you’re going to force them away for good.”

The old man ignored Eileen’s response,

“Harry as well eh, he knew all along as well? Where is he today?”

“He’s going over to see Andrew. I’m meeting him later. He’ll probably find Darlath there as well. I’m sure everything will be fine Dermot. Let them explain what their plans are. You don’t want to lose contact with Darlath, and remember Andrew’s the son of your old business partner. He’s helped you a great deal over the years with your Company. So please don’t be too rigid in your reactions it’s ..”

“It’s too late for that!” he spat.

“Dermot please see reason. Look, why don’t you get washed and dressed. We can then have something to eat downstairs and discuss it. You’ll feel better then.”

“No, I’ve things to do. You’ve told me enough Eileen. I’m not discussing it any more with you. You should have told me. You’re the one who’s let me down!”