Old bones lie, p.13
Old Bones Lie, page 13
There was no response to this. ‘Beats me too,’ Clare said. ‘But let’s keep it in mind.’ She glanced down at her notebook and went on. ‘Our two prison officers’ wives are still in Ninewells Hospital. I’m hoping they’ll be released for interview today. From what they said, it looks like they were abducted on Saturday night, maybe to force the husbands to co-operate with Paul’s escape.’ She scanned the room for Ben’s team. A couple of them nodded to indicate this was their understanding. ‘Anything from the search of the officers’ houses?’ she asked.
‘Nothing that helps,’ one of them said.
Clare let her glance rest on him for a moment. He could scarcely have said less. Was there something he wasn’t telling her? Keeping it all back for Ben’s ears only? The officer’s face was a mask and she decided to take it up with Ben later.
‘One more thing, before we leave Paul Devine,’ she went on. ‘Gavin Gates’s car. It’s not at the house and not at the prison. He didn’t lift-share with Alan Carter on Monday morning. Maybe he parked at Tesco, further up the road. Or one of the other car parks nearby. Either way, the CCTV suggests he arrived at the prison on foot. So why didn’t he travel with Alan and where’s his car?’
‘Lift-share with someone else?’ an officer suggested. ‘Maybe he drove to a friend’s house and left the car there.’
‘Could be. But so far we’ve not been able to find anyone. Jim has details of Gavin’s car. Make sure you know what you’re looking for.’
She glanced at her notes again. ‘Okay. On to Maggie White. Obviously Paul Devine is our chief suspect. But we can’t ignore the stash of money found in Maggie’s shed. It’s a little over twenty thousand pounds. Could that be anything to do with Paul Devine’s share of the robbery? It seems unlikely. I’m also looking into the possibility Maggie was dipping into the till.’
‘Surely they’d have noticed twenty grand going missing,’ Robbie said.
‘Depends how long she’s been doing it. She’s worked at the shop for two years. She could have salted a fair bit away in that time. But I agree it sounds unlikely. And most of the shop transactions would be card payments anyway.’
‘Has to be drugs,’ someone said. ‘That amount of cash.’
‘Normally I’d agree,’ Clare said. ‘But there’s not so much as a cannabis plant at Maggie’s cottage and no evidence she had a lock-up or anything like that.’
‘Remember the prints,’ Jim said.
Clare nodded her thanks. ‘As Jim says, we took fingerprints from the Jardines, owners of the jewellery shop. It is hard getting decent prints from polymer notes. But, if we found even a single print matching one of them, at least we’d know the money came from the shop.’
She looked round the room. ‘Anything else?’
Heads shook and she smiled. ‘Okay, that’s it. Keep in touch.’
Back in her office Clare checked a few news websites and was pleased to see the missing officers still featured prominently. She clicked on the photos of the two men. ‘Where are you?’ she said softly.
There was a tap on the door and Max came in. ‘Janey and Nita are on their way up to Ninewells to relieve the night shift. They’ll speak to the medical staff when they arrive.’
Clare frowned. ‘We need to interview these women urgently, Max. Let me know as soon as there’s any news. Anything else?’
‘Just checked the phone and bank records for the prison officers. Nothing new. No calls, no cards used.’
Jim’s head appeared round the door. ‘That’s the DCI arrived.’
Clare thanked him and rose from her seat. She looked longingly at Zoe’s cake and decided it would taste better once she’d updated Ben.
Chapter 17
It was just after midday when Clare heard the two women had been released from hospital.
‘We’re on our way back now,’ Janey said. ‘With you by one.’
Clare went to break the news to Ben.
‘That’s fine,’ he said. ‘I’ll see them.’
She hesitated. ‘I’d really like to be in the room. Max – my sergeant – too. I still think the two cases are linked. Plus, they know me from yesterday.’
He regarded her for a moment then he gave a slight nod. ‘Okay. But I’ll lead the questioning.’
She turned to leave then stopped, remembering how little Ben’s officer had disclosed at the briefing. ‘The search of Alan and Gavin’s houses – did it turn up anything useful?’
‘Not according to my team.’
‘And they’re clear to go back home again? Kim and Debbie?’
‘Yeah. All good.’ He smiled politely. ‘If you could let me know when the women arrive.’
Kim and Debbie looked better than they had the previous day. Although still in the same clothes they were noticeably cleaner, the colour back in their cheeks. But there was no mistaking the unease they felt at their surroundings. Debbie’s arms were wrapped round her while Kim’s eyes flitted across the room.
‘Where are Gav and Alan?’ Kim said when Clare greeted them. Debbie lifted her gaze and the pair waited for Clare to reply.
‘Right now, we’re not sure.’
The women exchanged glances. ‘You’re not sure?’ Kim said. ‘What do you mean you’re not sure?’
‘We’ll explain everything when we sit down to talk properly.’
Kim didn’t look convinced but Clare steered them towards the interview rooms, explaining they would be questioned separately.
‘Don’t see why,’ Kim muttered. ‘We’ve done nothing wrong.’
Clare hastened to reassure her. ‘Of course not. But it’s important we learn as much as possible about your ordeal and we often find two people recall quite different things.’ This seemed to placate them and Max was despatched to make coffees.
Clare stopped outside the interview rooms. ‘We’d also like your permission to take a DNA sample from each of you.’
The women exchanged glances.
‘Why?’ Kim asked.
‘It might help us secure a conviction. If we can link your DNA to the men who abducted you, or to the van they used, it strengthens our case; and we’ll destroy the samples when the investigation’s over.’
Kim shrugged. ‘Suppose,’ she said and Debbie gave a slight nod.
She installed them in separate rooms and went to find Ben.
‘Might be better if we see Kim first,’ she said.
‘Because?’
‘My guess is we won’t get much out of Debbie. She looks scared out of her wits. Kim seems more inclined to talk. If Debbie does clam up we can use some of what Kim tells us to prompt her.’
He nodded. ‘Makes sense.’ He rose from his seat, shutting down his laptop. ‘Let’s see them then.’
Kim’s face was set in a scowl when they entered the room. ‘I can’t believe you’re treating us like this,’ she said as Ben, Clare and Max sat down.
Ben smiled. ‘Kim,’ he began, ‘I’m sorry if it seems a bit formal. We do appreciate you and Debbie are the victims here. You’ve been through a dreadful ordeal and we’ll do everything we can to find those responsible. But we have to do things formally.’ He glanced at Clare for confirmation and she nodded. ‘If we don’t,’ he went on, ‘and this ends up in court, a clever advocate could run rings round you and make it sound like we didn’t question you properly. Any evidence you gave could be struck out. So we have to make sure everything’s done by the book.’ He indicated a digital recorder on the desk. ‘Unfortunately, that means we will be recording this interview. You can have a solicitor present if you wish but I must stress you are not here under suspicion. We simply want to find out what happened.’
Kim’s head drooped and the fight seemed to go out of her. ‘Sorry. It’s just…’
He gave her a moment to compose herself then he began. ‘Perhaps we could go back to before Saturday night. Could you tell us how you came to be in the same house that evening?’
‘We’re friends.’
‘You and Debbie? Or your husbands? How did you become friends?’
‘Through the boys’ work. Alan and Gav work together at the prison.’
‘Did they know each other before working there?’
‘No,’ Kim said. ‘That’s where they met. Must be nearly four years now. They’re about the same age and there’s not many staff live out this way. Most stay nearer Perth.’
‘So they struck up a friendship?’
Kim nodded. ‘Anyway, one night Gav and Debs invited us over for a meal.’ She smiled at the memory. ‘It was a good night. Had a few drinks, good laugh. So we started doing it once a month.’
‘At your house?’
‘No. We took turns. Just happened to be our house this time.’ She shivered. ‘Maybe if we’d been at Debs’…’
‘So, Saturday night,’ Ben went on, ‘Did anyone else know about it?’
Kim frowned. ‘Like who?’
‘Family, friends, workmates. People at the prison, maybe?’
‘I suppose. I mean I’m not sure. I don’t know if Alan told folk at work. Why would that matter? You can’t think it was someone from the prison? Alan’s always saying how careful they are not to mention anything about their families. I’m sure he wouldn’t have said, not in front of a prisoner. They wouldn’t even know where we lived.’
She doesn’t know, Clare thought. About Paul Devine. She doesn’t know why they were taken. She glanced at Ben, and he went on. ‘Maybe we could go on to what happened on Saturday night.’
Clare saw Kim swallow and she caught her eye. ‘Take all the time you need,’ she said. ‘There’s no rush.’
Kim wrapped her hands round the plastic cup of coffee and sipped at it. Then she put it down and took a breath in and out. ‘We’d ordered a takeaway,’ she began. ‘Chinese. It came just before eight. We started opening the containers and realised they’d forgotten my rice.’ She shook her head. ‘Like that mattered.’ She broke off and they waited a few moments. When she didn’t carry on, Ben prompted her.
‘What happened next?’
Kim looked down. ‘The door went again,’ she said, her voice small. ‘I thought it was my rice. Thought the guy had realised his mistake. I think I heard voices—’
‘Male or female?’
Kim frowned. ‘A man, I think. Must have been. Next thing, Alan’s coming into the room with a gun pointed at his chest.’
‘How many of them were there?’
‘Two. At least, two in the house.’
‘Can you describe them, Kim?’
‘Sorry. They had those head mask things on.’
‘Balaclavas?’
‘Yeah, that’s it. Black. And they wore jeans and black jackets.’
‘Blue jeans? Black?’
‘Erm, just denim colour.’
‘And the jackets?’
Kim closed her eyes, as if recalling then she opened them again. ‘Like black fleeces.’
‘Any logos?’
She shook her head. ‘Sorry.’
Ben smiled. ‘Kim, you’re doing brilliantly. You really are.’
She nodded. ‘I want to help. I want you to get them. Bastards.’
‘Think about Alan for a minute,’ he went on. ‘How did the men compare to him, height-wise?’
‘About the same, I think. Maybe a bit shorter.’
‘And how tall is Alan?’
‘Five eleven.’
‘So they might have been, say, five ten?’
‘About that. Well one was. The other was a bit shorter.’
‘What about build? Were they slim? Stocky?’
She thought for a moment. ‘Average I suppose. I honestly didn’t notice.’
‘Okay. I’m sorry to ask, but can you think about the man holding the gun, please?’
Kim shivered and wrapped her hands round the coffee cup again.
‘Were his hands bare or was he wearing gloves?’
She took a moment before answering. ‘Gloves, I think.’
‘You didn’t see his hands?’
‘No, sorry.’
‘What about shoes?’
She shook her head. ‘I’m sorry. I was looking at his face, at the gun. I didn’t notice his shoes.’
‘That’s fine,’ Ben said. ‘You’re doing really well.’ He hesitated then went on. ‘I need to ask about the gun now. Can you tell me anything about it?’
‘Like what?’
‘Was he holding it in one hand, or two?’
‘One.’
‘So it was a handgun? Not long, like a shotgun?’
‘Definitely a handgun.’
‘That’s good. After we’re done here one of the other officers will show you some photos of guns. You might recognise it.’
Kim nodded, and Ben continued. ‘What happened next?’
‘He made us all sit down and put our hands out in front. Then he said we – that’s me and Debs – that we’d have to go with them. Gav tried to stop them, but he waved the gun and said he’d use it, or something like that.’ She stopped for a moment, moistening her lips, then went on. ‘They pulled us up and tied our hands behind us.’
‘How did they tie them?’
‘Cable ties.’ Kim held out her hands and Clare saw the faint traces of marks left by the ties. ‘Bloody sore too. And they put something over our eyes.’
‘A blindfold?’ Clare asked.
‘Sort of. Maybe a scarf. I can’t remember. They led us out to the hall and one of them tapped on the front door. I heard another voice saying it was clear outside. So they took us out – Debs tripped on the step and bumped into me but the man must have caught her.’ She stopped, as if reliving it, then she went on. ‘There was a noise like a van door sliding. And I dug my heels in. Cos I thought if they got us into a van…’ She sipped from the coffee again. ‘Anyway, they lifted me in and Debs came in after me. Then a voice said if we made a sound they’d kick our heads in. So we lay there for a few minutes. I tried to listen. To hear anything. But it was all quiet. Then I heard the van doors slamming. Someone said “Go” and the van began to move.’
‘Were there seats in the back of the van?’ Ben asked.
Kim shook her head. ‘No, we kind of rolled around a bit. I tried to move myself so I was facing the engine noise. I thought if I paid attention to the direction they took I could work out where we were going.’
Clare smiled. ‘That was very quick thinking of you, Kim. Especially given how frightened you must have been.’
Kim’s face darkened. ‘I was angry by now. Debs, she was pretty upset. Crying, you know. But I wasn’t giving up without a fight. Problem was, I didn’t see the van when they put us in so I couldn’t tell which way it was pointing. But I know the roundabouts on the estate and I think they took us along the Craigtoun Road.’
Clare tried not to react. The van must have gone right past her house. What had she been doing between eight and nine on Saturday evening? Watching TV? Or out walking Benjy, perhaps. Had the van passed her?
Ben was speaking again. ‘Can you recall how long you were on that road?’
Kim wrinkled her brow. ‘I’m not sure. Maybe ten or fifteen minutes. After that we seemed to slow down with a bit of stopping and starting.’
‘As if you were in a town?’
‘Yeah. Exactly like that. But, by this stage, I was disorientated.’
‘And then?’
‘We must have left the town ’cause it speeded up again. Then it slowed down and turned sharply. I remember because Debs rolled into me. It was bumpy after that. We were shaken all over the place. That went on for a few minutes until it slowed right down and the engine stopped. I could hear the men talking and opening the van doors. After a bit they slid the side door back and I felt the cold air. One of them helped me out and took my arm, making sure I didn’t trip.’
‘What was the ground like underfoot?’ Clare asked.
‘Bumpy. I remember because I stumbled into him a couple of times. I heard a door open and he told me to step up. I thought it must be a house because it was suddenly warm. And, even with the blindfold, I could see it was lighter.’
‘What happened next?’
‘They put us in a room – Debs and me. They took the blindfolds off and undid our hands. They said they’d bring us something to eat then they went out and we heard the door being locked.’
‘Was there a window?’ Ben asked.
‘There was. But it was boarded up. And it was dark anyway.’
‘Okay,’ Ben said. ‘What about the room?’
‘Pretty basic. One of those Calor gas heater things so it was warm enough. There was a carpet on the floor too, but it was old, you know? A bit worn.’
‘Colour? Or pattern?’
Kim thought for a moment. ‘A sort of swirly pattern. Brown and orange, I think.’
Clare noted this down and Ben went on.
‘What else?’
‘There was a bed against the wall. A double with a wooden headboard. There weren’t any chairs so we sat on that. After a bit one of the men came back with a carrier bag. He said it was food and drinks for us and later on they’d take us to the toilet, one at a time. I was pretty pissed off by now. Debs was crying and shaking and I was worried about her. I told him she wasn’t well and he’d better do something.’
‘And did he?’
‘No. He brought us some blankets and said we’d get out sooner if we behaved ourselves. So, after we’d eaten and they’d taken us to the loo we lay down on the bed and tried to sleep. Debs fell asleep before me so I lay as quietly as I could, listening, in case I could hear what they were saying through the wall. But it was too muffled.’
‘And the next morning?’
‘Just the same. They brought us food, took us to the toilet. I asked why we were there, but the man said the less we knew the better and they wouldn’t hurt us unless we tried to get away. I asked how long we’d be there and they said a bit longer.’ She lifted the coffee cup and drained it. ‘They wouldn’t say any more than that.’
Ben nodded then said, ‘How long did they keep you there?’
‘I think it was five nights,’ Kim said. ‘Five or six. It’s hard to be sure with the window boarded up. After a while, you lose track. But I think it was five. Wait, is this Wednesday or Thursday?’
