The Dark Fear (16 page)

              ‘I was intrigued to find a piece of local history that was new to me. Joy knows I can’t resist a historical puzzle.’

              ‘What did you discover?’

              Bill placed a plastic bag on the table. He pulled out a file and a couple of library books. ‘The boys were called William and Finlay Darrow. Their father skippered a fishing boat out of Port Seton. The boys were setting lobster traps for him along the bents on that afternoon in April when they were killed.

              Mr Darrow gave evidence that was transcribed in the records. He said the haar came down without warning at about 4pm. The boys were sensible and would have brought the rowing boat into shore as soon as the weather turned.’

              ‘When did the family discover they’d been shot?’

              ‘Not for a few days. At first, it was thought the boat was lost at sea. It took the division stationed at Langford Hall a good forty eight hours to release the bodies.’

              ‘It
was
wartime, I suppose.’ James prepared a pot of tea.

              ‘Yes, and that gave the soldiers an excuse to delay the involvement of the police. They had two days to get their stories straight. Despite newspaper censorship, there were still some questions raised in the press about the fate of the boys. The case even reached parliament. The youngest was only twelve years old, remember.’

              ‘But the Edinburgh detectives accepted the story of the division Captain, that they mistook the boys for German spies?’

              ‘Of course. There was no one to contradict them.’

              ‘But there couldn’t have been any motive for the army to kill them in cold blood? It was just a cock-up during a training exercise, wasn’t it?’

              Bill nodded. ‘The cock-up theory is more often than not the correct one. As I said before, it was a time of great fear. The German invasion was expected at any moment. I expect those poor soldiers were jumping at their own shadows.’ He took a sip of tea, scratching his balding pate. ‘It’s only that a niggling thought kept occurring to me, as I read through the testimonies.’

              ‘What was it?’ James knew that Bill’s instincts were very good. Dani had told him so on several occasions.

              ‘The soldiers’ stories sounded rehearsed. Too many of the same words and phrases cropped up repeatedly. It made me wonder what could have really happened that night. The soldiers deployed at Langford weren’t local to the area, so there couldn’t have been a personal motive involved. The possibility that did occur to me, was that those boys had
seen
something. They witnessed an event that they weren’t supposed to. It was a time of war. The soldiers may have been testing a new type of weapon on that beach – a piece of equipment that was top secret and classified. Or it could have been something more prosaic – black market dealings or such like. I don’t expect it will ever be possible to find out the truth now.’

              James was silent for a few moments. ‘I never even considered a scenario like that one.’

              ‘You haven’t got a naturally suspicious mind like Dani and I have. It’s refreshing.’

              ‘Naïve, you mean.’

              Bill looked offended. ‘Not at all. To always see the worst in people is a curse, James. I’ve only suffered from it since we lost our son.’

              James cleared his throat. ‘Yes, you’re right. Sorry.’

              Bill swilled the dregs of his tea around the bottom of the cup, staring at the contents, as if he were reading the leaves. ‘How is Dani settling into the house now? Joy and I sensed she was a little hostile to the purchase of Oak Lodge to begin with.’  

              ‘I’m hoping we’ve turned the corner. Now I’ve smartened the place up a bit, she seems keener.’

              ‘Give her time. DCI Bevan is like Joy and me. Since she lost her mother, it’s been difficult for her to put her faith in another person. The job distracts Dani from her demons. That’s why she throws herself into it.’

              ‘I realise that, but there’s only so long you can allow yourself to be kept at a distance. There are times when rejection is simply rejection.’ James got up to re-fill the pot. When he turned back, Bill’s expression was filled with abject sadness.

              ‘I desperately want you both to be happy.’

              James placed his hand on the older man’s arm and it struck him, not for the first time, what a very unusual character he was.

Chapter 30

D
CI Bevan stood at the head of the conference table. She could see her own face reflected back in its shiny surface. The effect was disconcerting.

              ‘The investigation into the murder of Alex Galloway has stalled. We can’t delay our decision any longer. I’ve asked DCI Lamb to join us today. Once he has answered our questions, we’ll be in a position to reach a judgment.’

              Sharon Moffett raised her hand. ‘I think we should allow Bob a couple more weeks. We’ve been tracing the vintage firearms angle and have come up with some new leads.’

              Dani shook her head. ‘Sorry, Sharon. We can’t allow the situation to drag on. It isn’t fair on Lamb or his family.’

              ‘Let’s just get it over with,’ added Pete Salter, the DI from Central.

              Robbins shot him a scathing glance. ‘I’m not sure you’d be quite so keen to hurry things along if it was
your
career on the line.’

              Dani raised her hand. ‘Now is the time to pull together. We will all get an opportunity to put our points to DCI Lamb.’ She lifted the phone and asked the receptionist to send in their witness.

              As he entered the room, Sharon noticed how Stuart had made a decent effort with his appearance. The five o-clock shadow was gone and his hair was neatly trimmed for the occasion.

              ‘Please take a seat, DCI Lamb.’ Dani gestured towards the vacant position next to her. ‘We have a number of questions to put to you. I want to make it clear for the record that you declined the offer of trade union representation.’

              ‘Aye, that’s correct.’ Stuart kept his gaze fixed dead ahead.

              ‘Nobody has any wish to re-tread old ground here,’ Dani said more gently. ‘This meeting is an opportunity for you to make your case. Please give us your account of the events surrounding the police raid of Forth Logistics on the 15
^th
July this year.’

              Stuart looked surprised. He was clearly not expecting this. ‘Right. Well, it’s exactly as I made clear in my statement. I was as surprised as anyone when we reached the warehouses and found them cleared out. I’d given months of time and energy to set up that operation. My team were devastated to discover the firm had been tipped off.’ He leaned forward. ‘When you work undercover, it’s a different kind of policing. For a decade, I’ve had to lie to my wife and kids about where I am. I’ve missed birthdays and Christmases. But it’s all worth it when we catch the bad guys. There’s no way I would jeopardise that.’

              ‘Then please explain the money that passed from Mr Galloway’s account to yours?’ Pete Salter’s tone was sharp.

              ‘I can’t. The truth is that I never noticed it go in. It was certainly not solicited by me.’

              ‘What about the phone call? Do you still claim you didn’t make it?’ Sharon said levelly.

              Stuart placed his hands flat on the desk. ‘The mobile went into the drawer of my bedside table as normal. I reckon I was asleep by eleven. The raid was planned for early the following morning. I was getting up at 5am. I never made that phone call. I swear on my mother’s grave.’

              ‘Your word is all we have,’ Dennis Robbins commented. ‘We need more than that, Stuart.’

              The man nodded sombrely. ‘I know. All I can tell you is that I’ve devoted twenty seven years to the police force. My record up to this incident has been exemplary. I can only hope that the word of a long-serving, dedicated cop stands for something.’

*

Dani sighed heavily, dropping her briefcase down in the boot room. She kicked off her shoes and padded into the kitchen. James had already poured the wine.

              ‘How long have you got to reach your verdict?’

              ‘We reconvene on Monday. I’ve got the conclusions of the other committee members. It’s up to me now to decide on the final charges.’ Dani slumped onto a chair, massaging her foot.

              ‘You’re going to find him guilty then?’

              ‘He’s lying about something. That much we all agreed on. But I found him likeable - honourable, even. It’s hard to envisage him getting into bed with a gangster purely for the money.’

              James set about heating up some pasta. ‘I suppose you don’t actually need a motive. The fact he tipped off a criminal is enough for him to lose his job.’

              Dani considered this for a moment. ‘That’s right, but a motive would help to explain things and it might allow for mitigation in the charges.’

              James turned to face her. ‘But he didn’t plead guilty. Lamb stuck to his claim of innocence. In legal terms, that means no mitigation is possible.’

              ‘But
I
might be able to exercise a little more flexibility than a court of law can.’ Dani caught his eye. ‘What honourable reason might a policeman have for accepting money from a known criminal?’

              James puffed out his cheeks. ‘I’m not sure there really is one. I suppose if Galloway was an informant too and he was feeding DCI Lamb information about other associates.’ He suddenly gasped. ‘That could explain why Galloway was executed. One of those associates found out about his connection to the police.’

              Dani nodded slowly. ‘That’s a definite possibility. The charges against Lamb would have made the other criminals aware of who’d been grassing on them. After that, it was just a matter of time for Galloway, before someone bumped him off. If that was Lamb’s motive it makes no difference, he’ll still lose his job and face criminal charges.’

              James set two plates of steaming pasta and tomato sauce on the table. ‘But Bob Gordon’s evidence pointed away from Galloway’s murder being a professional hit.’

              Dani tutted. ‘The evidence is leading us in circles.’ She took a mouthful. The sauce was rich and spicy. ‘Mmm, this is good.’

              ‘Thanks. It’s a recipe of my mum’s. One of the only things I can cook.’

              Dani let her fork clatter to the table.

              ‘You’ve not found a peppercorn have you? I thought I’d ground them all up.’

              She stood, moving swiftly into the boot room to fetch her laptop. ‘What motives do ordinary people have for breaking the law – other than money and furthering their career?’

              James furrowed his brow in thought. ‘Love, perhaps?’

              ‘ - or family.’ Dani powered up the machine, pushing aside the plates. ‘Stuart said something in the interview today that stayed in my mind.’ She tapped impatiently at the keys. ‘I wonder just how important family is to DCI Lamb.’

Chapter 31

C
alder leant over his boss’s shoulder, examining the information displayed on her laptop.

              ‘Back in 2004, Alex Galloway received his first arrest in connection with the supply of drug making equipment to a gang of traffickers. There wasn’t enough evidence to bring charges. Galloway’s lawyers got him released with a caution.’ Dani tapped the screen.

              ‘Was Stuart Lamb involved with the case?’

              ‘No, but Galloway was taken to the station in Knox Street. Lamb was a DI working out of that same station from 2002-2007.’

              ‘You think their paths might have crossed?’

              Dani dragged over a pile of printouts. ‘Stuart mentioned his mother in the interview yesterday. It was entirely unsolicited. Sometimes, when we don’t realise we’re doing it, we can’t help but reveal the stuff that’s really going on in our minds.’

              Andy looked confused.

              ‘Here,’ Dani selected a sheet. ‘Mrs Pamela Lamb, of Linklater Drive, Edinburgh, died of pancreatic cancer in July 2005. She was 54 years old.’

              ‘Stuart’s mother?’

              ‘DCI Lamb swore ‘on his mother’s grave’ that he didn’t make that call to Alex Galloway on the night before the raid. Maybe he didn’t.’

              ‘I’m not following, Ma’am.’

              Dani shuffled through various pieces of paper. ‘Pamela was treated at a private hospital in Haddington for three months, towards the end of 2004. Her condition must have been deteriorating. I called the place. According to their records, Pamela’s son made a series of complaints about his mother’s treatment, until the woman finally discharged herself at the end of November of that year. Mr Lamb told the staff he was going to look after her himself.’

              ‘But how was he going to get hold of the right drugs and equipment to nurse a dying woman?’ Calder stopped himself. ‘Ah, I see where this is leading now.’

              ‘I think it’s time to have another conversation with DCI Lamb. You’ve been to his house already so I suggest you drive.’

Chapter 32

I
t was Saturday lunchtime when Bevan and Calder reached Duns. It looked as if the whole family were at home.

              Dani leant on the bell.

              It was Kate Lamb who answered. She looked straight at Andy. ‘My daughter and her boyfriend are here, it really isn’t a good time.’

              It was Dani who replied. ‘I’m DCI Bevan, the officer in charge of your husband’s disciplinary case. I’m due to make a decision this weekend. I strongly suggest that he takes the time to speak with me.’