A sweeping darkness, p.1
A Sweeping Darkness, page 1
G R Jordan
A Sweeping Darkness
Inferno - Book 3
First published by Carpetless Publishing 2023
Copyright © 2023 by G R Jordan
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning, or otherwise without written permission from the publisher. It is illegal to copy this book, post it to a website, or distribute it by any other means without permission.
This novel is entirely a work of fiction. The names, characters and incidents portrayed in it are the work of the author's imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events or localities is entirely coincidental.
G R Jordan asserts the moral right to be identified as the author of this work.
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First edition
ISBN: 978-1-915562-24-1
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True success requires sacrifice.
Rick Riordan
Contents
Foreword
Acknowledgement
Novels by G R Jordan
Chapter 01
Chapter 02
Chapter 03
Chapter 04
Chapter 05
Chapter 06
Chapter 07
Chapter 08
Chapter 09
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Read on to discover the Patrick Smythe series!
About the Author
Also by G R Jordan
Foreword
The events of this book, while based on known areas in Scotland, are in an entirely fictional setting and all persons are entirely fictitious.
Acknowledgement
To Ken, Jessica, Jean, Colin, Evelyn, John and Rosemary for your work in bringing this novel to completion, your time and effort is deeply appreciated.
Novels by G R Jordan
The Highlands and Islands Detective series (Crime)
Water’s Edge
The Bothy
The Horror Weekend
The Small Ferry
Dead at Third Man
The Pirate Club
A Personal Agenda
A Just Punishment
The Numerous Deaths of Santa Claus
Our Gated Community
The Satchel
Culhwch Alpha
Fair Market Value
The Coach Bomber
The Culling at Singing Sands
Where Justice Fails
The Cortado Club
Cleared to Die
Man Overboard!
Antisocial Behaviour
Rogues’ Gallery
The Death of Macleod - Inferno Book 1
A Common Man - Inferno Book 2
A Sweeping Darkness - Inferno Book 3
Dormie 5
Kirsten Stewart Thrillers (Thriller)
A Shot at Democracy
The Hunted Child
The Express Wishes of Mr MacIver
The Nationalist Express
The Hunt for ‘Red Anna’
The Execution of Celebrity
The Man Everyone Wanted
Busman’s Holiday
A Personal Favour
The Contessa Munroe Mysteries (Cozy Mystery)
Corpse Reviver
Frostbite
Cobra’s Fang
The Patrick Smythe Series (Crime)
The Disappearance of Russell Hadleigh
The Graves of Calgary Bay
The Fairy Pools Gathering
Austerley & Kirkgordon Series (Fantasy)
Crescendo!
The Darkness at Dillingham
Dagon’s Revenge
Ship of Doom
Supernatural and Elder Threat Assessment Agency (SETAA) Series (Fantasy)
Scarlett O’Meara: Beastmaster
Island Adventures Series (Cosy Fantasy Adventure)
Surface Tensions
Dark Wen Series (Horror Fantasy)
The Blasphemous Welcome
The Demon’s Chalice
Chapter 01
Macleod swung his legs out of bed and stood up, stretching out with both arms. He felt the shoulder blades tight and somewhat sore, but he started to rotate his arms, first in small circles, then working up to bigger ones. At full circle he stopped and went backwards, tightening them in again until he finished where he’d started with his arms out straight, standing like a live version of the Angel of the North.
Having completed this, Macleod turned and looked down at the face smiling from the bed. Jane lay unashamedly bare, looking at him, smiling up and he felt her warmth. He was about to go back into battle, about to reach into the darkness again, but he needed this, this time alone, this time of being built back up. He hadn’t told her anything about the case. He hadn’t mentioned Gleary and she’d not asked.
It wasn’t over; no, it was far from over. There might even be darker times ahead. He listened to her talking about the markets intently, the bargain she’d picked up, how she’d occupied her time alone and without him. He wasn’t worried about her in that sense. Jane was more than capable of looking after herself, handling her time. He was more worried about how the job at times shut him off from her. He would talk to Hope more about it.
He’d recently talked to Clarissa, something he’d never really imagined himself doing, but this one had been tough; this one had stretched him to the maximum and inside his head, he was struggling, struggling with the image of the next child, the next killing. It was coming; he knew it was coming and he had to get there first. It was 6:00 a.m. and Macleod continued in his underpants towards the large window of the bedroom where he drew back the curtains. The dawn wasn’t up yet, hadn’t even begun, and he peered out into the darkness.
‘Do you mind?’ said Jane. ‘You don’t know what sort of perverts are watching the house. We’ve had news crews here before, remember?’
‘I remember,’ said Macleod quietly. ‘We left and I didn’t know if we were going to come back here. When it all blew over, would I want to be here? Would I want to leave Inverness? I’ve thought about it, Jane. I’ve thought about it all, quitting.’
‘You can’t quit,’ she said.
‘Of course, I can quit. There are always good detectives coming up behind. Hope’s going to be a fine one. She had her metal really tested this time, and had to work alongside Lawson. Ross nearly lost his cool at Lawson.’
‘Ross nearly lost his cool? Ross doesn’t lose his cool with anyone.’
‘No, he doesn’t, but they got to him this time as well. A child he was adopting, they actually tried to kill that child. I’m sure that was deliberate.’
‘It can’t have been easy.’
‘No, it wasn’t. Clarissa saved them—him and the child. Banged up, ready for her pension and she saved them. Who’d have thought it?’ asked Macleod ‘Who’d have thought Clarissa would come to the rescue?’
‘She’s sweet on you. Are you aware of that?’
Macleod looked over his shoulder to stare down at Jane. ‘You feeling a challenge?’
‘I didn’t say you were sweet on her. I said she was sweet on you.’
Macleod stared back out of the window contemplating the fact that his middle-aged partner was talking about a crush from an older middle-aged woman on her older middle-aged man. Seemed like the thing teens should be doing or at least newlyweds. Something akin to that age, not Macleod’s years. He needed to stop using that word, age. There came a point when you didn’t feel what age you were. Maybe age was just irrelevant because the body’s going anyway.
‘Are you okay, Seoras?’ said Jane suddenly. ‘You haven’t mentioned anything about it, not a thing.’
‘I can’t with this one,’ he said. ‘I can’t. Well, maybe one day. For now, I can’t.’
‘Make sure you’re talking to someone; you hear me, love? Make sure you’re talking to someone.’
‘I’ll talk to Hope.’
‘Not Jona?’
‘No, Hope. Hope gets me in a way that Jona doesn’t. Jona’s different when it comes to things like this. Even with the kids, she’s a pathologist. They just see bodies in a different way.’
‘I don’t think you give her enough credit,’ said Jane. ‘They’re not just bodies to them; they are people. It’s why they do it; it’s why they try to find out.’
‘I know,’ said Macleod.
‘Can you see anyone out there?’ said Jane.
‘No,’ said Macleod. ‘No one at all.’
He heard the creak of the bed and the pad of her footsteps and her arms were around his neck, hugging his body tightly.
‘You said you were worried about somebody looking in.’
‘It’s all right,’ she said, ‘I can cling nice and tight to you.’ And he let her, and they took a moment together just enjoying the embrace.
‘Do you think you’ll get them?’ asked Jane.
‘What sort of a question is that? If the press asked that question, I would tell them enquiries are continuing and we were doing our utmost to get them. Arrest the correct criminals, murderers, whatever.’
‘Press isn’t asking,’ said Jane. ‘I am. Will you get them?’
‘Yes,’ said Macleod with determination in him. ‘I’ll blooming well get them. We have to get them on this one.’ He felt her hands squeezing his and she pressed tighter to him again.
‘I believe you, Seoras; I trust you. Make sure you do, Inspector, because you won’t live with yourself if you don’t.’
Macleod had let Jane lie in after that, getting himself a couple of croissants and a black coffee before making the relatively short trip across the Kessock Bridge down to the Inverness Police Station. He sailed into his office just past seven and noted that Ross was already over in the far corner.
‘Coffee, sir?’
Macleod stopped. ‘What if I said no?’ said Macleod.
‘I’d take you across to Raigmore hospital, have you examined.’
Macleod gave a smile. ‘Coffee please, Ross.’
He walked into his office and sat behind his desk where he looked at some files that were on it and began reading through them. There were reports from Jona, and a message from the Assistant Chief Constable to contact him at some point this morning so he could run Macleod through the plan he had concocted the previous night as to how the media would be dealt with.
In truth, Macleod couldn’t care less. It was all about the case now. All about getting to this group, whatever, whoever they were, before they got to the kids. There was a rap at the door. Macleod, without looking up, called for the person to enter. He saw a coffee cup out of the corner of his eye being placed, but it wasn’t placed in the correct spot.
Ross always put it about six inches to the right of him and about four inches forward of where his hands would sit on the desk. This one was wider than that. Someone who wasn’t so particular about what they did. Maybe, he thought, maybe they are making me stretch for it, forcing me to look up.
Without doing so, he said, ‘Hope, how are we today?’
‘It’s good to have you back. I’ve told everybody to be ready in the next ten minutes. I hope that suits you.’
‘Does, indeed,’ said Macleod, and reached over, took the cup of coffee and began sipping it. Yes, he thought, Ross made this one. It was good.
‘Are you okay, Seoras?’ asked Hope. ‘You up for this?’
He glanced up at her, his face determined, and then he returned to his papers.
‘Good,’ she said. ‘Ten minutes.’
Ten minutes later, Ross filed through to sit at the round table in Macleod’s office, closely followed by Hope. Approximately a minute later, Macleod saw through the glass in his own office, Clarissa hobbling in and throwing a jacket up on the coat rack. She wasn’t wearing a shawl today. It kind of threw him. Then again, it had got completely soaked, and was probably off at the dry cleaners. The shawl, after all, was a work of art, not just some common item you picked up from a clothes shop. The door banged open and Clarissa hobbled through.
‘Sorry. Foot’s killing me. Had to go and get it taped up before I came in, but I’m fine. Thanks for asking.’
‘Sit down, you’re a minute late,’ said Macleod.
‘He’s on form, isn’t he?’ said Clarissa. ‘You’re certainly on form.’
‘Sit down. Look.’ Macleod pointed to a piece of paper in the middle of the desk, on which was written an address indicating the Spittal of Glenshee area.
‘This came from Gleary. Whatever we think of how he got it, it came from Gleary. He extracted it from his niece, who’d been running the knives. If I know Gleary for the utter sod of a man that he is, he would’ve extracted this in a harsh fashion. She would’ve begged to give it up.’
The team looked back up at him silently and then back down to the address.
‘I’ve got problems how we got to here, but here is where we are and that’s one of our leads. Ross, Clarissa, you’re on that address. We also need to look deeper into the Mackies. We’ve got two bodies. We’ve got Sandra Mackay raped and her child killed. She was raped by her twin brother. A violation, albeit one she was almost unaware of. How did the Mackies get to this point? Kyle Mackie’s flat needs looked at. I’ve contacted Jona to do that. Hope and I will chase down the Mackies.’
‘Why?’ asked Ross. ‘I don’t understand. We were charging along good lines before. Me and the sergeant, you and Clarissa.’
‘Bluntly, Ross. You’ve got two old farts here that need looking after. One thing I’m very aware of is that all of us have nearly died on this case whether we worked it inside, or on the outside. We try to stick together. You and Hope are the most able-bodied, Ross. You are probably the most able bodied now because of Hope’s injury in her arm. She’ll look after me. You’ll look after Clarissa.’
‘I don’t need no damn looking after.’
‘You complained about your foot when you came in. You almost drowned with me. I don’t care how street smart you are, you blooming well need looking after. Okay?’
Clarissa almost jumped back. ‘Okay, Seoras. No need to beat my head off.’
‘No, sorry, there probably wasn’t any need. But we look after each other, and we keep it tight. Okay?’
‘Okay,’ said Ross. ‘Sounds good, and we need to work quick. Remember Kyle Mackie’s warning? Killings are coming, more of them. We’ve been fortunate during recent investigations. Well, fortunate in the sense that no kids have been lost in the recent time frame. Can’t say the same about all of the bodies, can we? We’ve now got an expectation from the public.’
‘Ignore it,’ spat Macleod, deliberately. ‘The Assistant Chief Constable’s taking care of the media. We let him take care of it. All of it. You get anyone comes in asking for comment, you fire it to Jim. Jim’s going to give us all the backing we need. You get a comment about the former DCI, it goes to Jim. Everything goes to the Assistant Chief Constable. Is that understood?’
There was a general murmur about the table. Macleod knew they didn’t need another reminder.
‘We have a lead for the knives and we have a couple of dead brothers who have been involved in these killings. We know there’s twelve knives and they have been used four times. If you use a separate knife for each killing, that means yet more children are in danger. Let’s not forget, he talked about a big event. I really want to know how big an event that is. You’re tired, you’re exhausted, you’re half beaten up. We’ve been pulled apart on this one, hauled back together. Heads up. Be aware. I don’t want anyone walking in solo again and nearly getting killed.
‘It was dumb, but we’ve all been dumb at times on this one. It’s time to start being smart. It’s time to get there and close it off before even worse happens. You know what we’re to do. Does anybody want any further instruction?’ There was a general shaking of heads. ‘In that case, let’s go. Get out there; find what we need.’ Macleod watched the team stand, but Hope waited while the others cleared away.
‘You okay sending them to that address given what’s happened around obtaining it?’
‘They can go with police escort if they want,’ said Macleod. ‘It’s not a problem. I’m too close to that address, Hope,’ said Macleod suddenly. ‘I almost feel responsible for Gleary’s niece.’
‘Gleary’s responsible for his niece. You know that. That’s how this works. People who put knives into people, people who kill people, they are responsible, not anyone else.’
‘It’s an easy thing to say,’ Macleod returned. ‘It’s just too easy to say.’
‘Where do we start with the Mackies?’ she asked.
