Haunting shadows, p.9
Haunting Shadows, page 9
“Good evening!” she exclaimed. She smiled at Archie. “Are ye here tae have dinner with yer mam and dad?”
I felt my face burning. I glanced at Paterson and saw she too looked equally embarrassed.
“Nae, we are detectives!” Archie answered.
The woman giggled. “Oh are ye, eh? Ye have tae be the best detective I’ve ever seen!”
Archie jutted out his chin proudly.
I cleared my throat and produced my badge. “Actually, we are detectives. I’m DSI James Glover here with DS Ella Paterson.”
Ella showed her badge with one hand as she squeezed Archie’s shoulder with the other. “This is ma bairn. We are here tae ask a few questions, but I had tae bring him with me.”
“Oh, I see!” the waitress exclaimed in surprise. She turned behind her and beckoned the woman behind the bar over. Once the woman was by her side, she pointed at Archie. “Dae ye mind keeping Scotland’s youngest detective busy while I speak tae the detectives?”
The woman smiled at Archie happily. “I’d be glad tae!”
I expected Archie to complain and state he wanted to be with us, but his eyes lit up at the sight of the attractive barwoman. He happily took her hand and went off with her.
Paterson chuckled awkwardly after they went, then looked at me, speaking in a quiet tone so only I could hear her. “Archie likes the attention of pretty lasses... just like his father.”
There was a coldness to her tone that hurt me to hear, but luckily I was saved from replying when Paterson directed her attention to the waitress.
“Is yer manager in by any chance?” she asked.
The waitress shook her head. “Nae, sorry. It’s just me and Britney in tonight.”
“I don’t suppose you were in yesterday, were you?” I asked.
The waitress nodded. “Aye, I was meant tae be off, but ended up working a double.”
“So, were ye here last night?” Paterson asked.
The waitress furrowed her brow. “Are ye here tae talk aboot that couple?”
Paterson looked surprised. “Potentially. How dae ye ken that?”
The waitress laughed dryly as she gestured around. “Let’s just say it was as busy here last night as it is tonight. We only had the one couple in, and they both left pretty quickly.”
“We are here because the woman who was here last night fears she is being stalked. She believes she saw her stalker outside of this bistro,” I answered. “I don’t suppose the camera at the front of this building actually works?”
The waitress gawped in surprise before she nodded. “Aye, it does. I take it, ye want access tae the footage from last night?”
“Aye, that wid be a big help,” Paterson answered gratefully.
The waitress chewed her lip. “Only the manager is able tae get into that room. If ye want I can call them and see if they can send it tae ye?”
“That would be great, thanks,” I responded. “What can you tell us about last night? Did you see the man outside?”
The waitress shook her head. “Nae, sorry. All I saw was the lass suddenly gett’n worked up out of nowhere, but by the time I realised she wisnae just arguing with her boyfriend it was tae late.”
“Why did ye assume they were arguing?” Paterson queried.
The waitress rubbed her neck awkwardly. “The two were having a bit of a tense conversation, looked like they were on the verge of breaking up, so when the lass started tae react strongly… I thought it was because their conversation haedna gone well.” She sighed. “If I’d been paying more attention, maybe I’d have seen who was outside.”
Paterson and I looked at one another curiously.
When I’d met Grace, I sensed a certain level of coldness toward Malcolm, and now it seemed as though that was because the two weren’t in a good place. Had they simply had an argument, or were there much deeper issues that none of them had told us about?
“Were they arguing?” Paterson asked.
“Nae, not exactly,” the waitress answered cautiously. “I wisnae exactly eavesdropping so I didnae hear their conversation, but they both looked very serious, so I kent whatever they were talking aboot wisnae exactly pleasant.”
“So what happened after you saw them potentially arguing?” I asked.
“One moment they were having a tense conversation, the next I heard the guy asking her what was wrong. Then he charged over and paid the bill, saying they had tae leave right away,” she responded with a slight shrug. “At the time I didnae have a clue what was going on, but now that ye’ve mentioned someone was outside it makes a lot of sense.”
I nodded, my thoughts still stuck on Malcolm. Something about him had caught my attention the moment I saw him, and, now that I knew the two weren’t exactly in the best place, I couldn’t help but wonder if he knew more about the stalker than he was letting on.
Malcolm seemed obsessed with Grace and wasn’t able to leave her alone when she was being questioned. At the time I thought this was him being overprotective, but now I couldn’t help but wonder if he wanted to be close to her as he feared what she had to tell us.
Was he so desperate to be with her that he’d gone out of his way to make it look like she was being stalked so she felt as though she needed him? It would be extreme, but in my long career I’d seen everything. Desperate people often did desperate things.
I was pulled from my thoughts by the sound of the door opening behind us. I turned to see a woman who looked to be in her early forties entering the bistro. She had brunette hair flecked with grey tied back in a tight bun, and her features were etched with concern.
The woman stepped around us and looked at the waitress. “Hannah, what’s going on? Briony just called me tae say the polis were here?” She looked at me and Paterson. “I take it ye are the polis?”
I showed her my badge. “DCI James Glover... and you are?”
The woman nodded. “Amber, I’m the manager of this place.”
Hannah stepped closer to Amber. “I was going tae call ye after these two had finished questioning me. They want tae see the CCTV footage from last night.”
Amber nodded cautiously. Her eyes flitted around the bistro and she looked relieved when she saw they only had one customer. “Very well, I can show that tae them now.”
Hannah looked at us. “Dae ye have any more questions fur me?”
“No, that’s everything,” I answered. “Thank you, Hannah.”
She walked away, and Amber gestured for us to follow her. The moment she led us through a door at the back, she turned to face us. “May I ask what this is all aboot?”
“A woman who was here last night believes she saw a man watching her from outside,” I answered as we continued walking. “Since then, she’s received a couple of notes and someone threw a brick through her window.”
Amber’s blue eyes widened. “Christ! Let’s hope we can help ye then.”
Amber took us to a back room and showed me their security setup. It was far from state-of-the-art, but for a small bistro it was likely all they needed. There was one screen that showed four images, three were from inside the bistro and one was from the camera outside. Amber sat down in front of the screen and got to work pulling up the footage from last night. Once I saw Grace and Malcolm arriving at the restaurant, I asked her to slow the footage down. We watched them talking on the main camera, and although the camera only showed them from a distance, I quickly realised Hannah was right. The two looked oddly tense as they spoke. We then watched as Grace’s focus was directed outside, and the way she panicked when Malcolm tried to get them out.
“Can you rewind the camera from the front so we can see what she was looking at, please?”
Amber nodded.
We all watched the footage carefully, and I held back a groan when I saw that it was impossible to know who was looking at her. They were surrounded by darkness.
“Can we get a copy of these tapes, please?” Paterson asked.
“Of course,” Amber answered. “I hope they’ve helped in some way.”
They hadn’t, but I was too polite to tell her that. Instead I thanked her, and once we had the footage, we grabbed Archie and made our way toward the exit. Once we were outside, I turned to Paterson.
“You get Archie settled in the car, I’m just going to have a quick look around.”
Paterson looked curious, but she nodded and walked off with a happy Archie, who was excitedly telling her about how he’d made the pretty woman laugh.
While Paterson took Archie to the car, I grabbed my phone and called Gamble, who luckily answered right away. I asked him to work with the tech team to find cameras close to the pub, and he instantly agreed.
I pocketed my phone and approached Paterson’s car, hoping we would get lucky and the mystery man would show up on another camera. If we were able to get him on some CCTV, this case could be closed quickly.
And with Arnold’s murderer still out there, a quick case was just what I needed.
14
By the time I’d got back to mine, Katie and Max were both fast asleep in bed. I set an early alarm, and it felt like I’d barely closed my eyes before it was screaming at me to wake up.
I groaned as I got ready, then had a rushed breakfast with Katie before we both had to get to work. I made it to the station quickly, and I was surprised to see that every member of the team was already there. My eyes fixed on Gamble’s car, and I hoped he’d had some success when looking into the cameras. I didn’t truly believe he would, but it never hurt to keep positive.
I made my way to the department, and I wasn’t surprised when I saw DSI Murray there. He was gazing around at the team, and I could tell they had quickly filled him in on the stalker case. I noticed his brow was furrowed, so I could tell he wasn’t happy about what he was hearing.
Once I closed the door behind me, Murray’s eyes shot in my direction.
“Fancied a lay in this morning, eh, Glover?”
I glanced at my watch and saw it wasn’t even eight. I went to tell him this, but after seeing my serious expression he chuckled.
“I’m only messing with ye, lad! Good morning.”
I faked a laugh in return. “Morning, sir.”
Murray jerked his thumb over his shoulder toward the others. “Yer team were just filling me in on yer stalker case.”
“Yes, we need to spend a lot of time today delving into Grace and her life.”
Murray tapped me on the shoulder. “I winnae keep ye. Give me a shout if ye need anything, alright?”
I was slightly surprised that he didn’t seem to want to stay, but I nodded.
Murray looked at his watch. “I have a lot on today, but if ye dinnae mind, Glover, bring me a coffee after ye’ve set the team tae work.”
I noticed the pointed look in his eyes, and my heart dropped. He was signalling to me that he wanted to speak in private... and there was only one thing that could be about.
“Sure thing, sir.”
He left, and as I glanced around at the team, I was grateful that none of them had picked up on Murray’s behaviour.
“Are you needing more time this morning to look into the CCTV, Gamble?” I inquired, catching his sleep-deprived eyes immediately.
“Nae, sir. I stayed on with the tech team and we went through all of the CCTV close tae the bistro.” He bit his lip. “We were able tae catch who we thought was the man walking past a couple of other places, but as he was dressed all in black and kept close tae the shadows, it was impossible tae tell.” He looked pointedly at Paterson. “DS Paterson has given me the footage that ye got from the bistro, so I’m going tae go through it with the tech team to see if there is anything we can pick up on.”
His tone suggested his disbelief, but I still nodded to him gratefully. After a quick trip to the kitchen to make two coffees, I made my way toward Murray’s office. As I walked, my breathing was laboured, and I tried to keep myself calm.
I knew I’d done what I had to at the scene in order to save my own life, but I just didn’t know if Murray’s superiors would see it that way.
I made it to Murray’s office, and I was glad to see he’d left the door slightly ajar. I called through the crack. “Sir?”
“Aye, come in, lad.”
I used my foot to push open the door, then walked in with the mugs. Murray smiled at me gratefully and gestured for me to put his cup down on a coaster to his right. Once the drinks were down, Murray asked me to close the door, and as I shut it, I struggled to push down my dread.
It felt like I was shutting myself in a trap I’d never be able to escape.
I took a seat opposite Murray and pulled my coffee closer to me. I waited patiently as Murray took a long sip of his own, smacked his lips contentedly, then looked at me.
“I’m sure ye ken why ye are here?”
I nodded, hoping I didn’t look as shaky as I felt. “I take it you have heard back from your superiors?”
Murray winked. “And this is why ye are a DCI, Glover. Ye dinnae miss a trick.”
I smiled awkwardly at his sarcasm, hoping his unusually high spirits were a sign that things went well.
That, or he was happy he was about to be shot of me.
I waited impatiently as he drank more of his coffee. Eventually, he put it down and placed his hands on the desk. “Well, let’s just get straight tae it then, shall we?”
“I’d appreciate that, sir.”
“I want ye tae understand that the moment ye got back here and told me yer side of the story I went straight tae them with the information,” Murray said calmly. “I made it clear tae them that I supported yer call, and even told them I’d have made the same one if I’d been in yer shoes. I told them Jamie was a dangerous man, and although I wisnae happy he was dead, he wisnae exactly a loss tae the world either.”
I gently nodded along to his words, feeling slightly surprised to know that Murray had been as blunt with his superiors as he was with us. I’d seen how the man had acted around Boyd Senior—his superior from years ago—and he had seemed a lot more reserved and eager to please in his presence than I’d ever known him to be. I’d always assumed that was how he was with people who either were, or once had been, above him, so it was a pleasant shock to know he’d stood up to those above him in order to defend me.
However, the more Murray spoke about how much he’d tried to defend me, the more I was left with a hollow feeling in my chest. Had they still decided my choice to kill Jamie was unacceptable and wanted to fire me over it? I tried to figure out how to reply, but part of me was too nervous to speak.
Luckily, Murray decided to continue. “Ye’ll be glad tae ken that after a limited amount of deliberation they agreed with me.” He smiled. “They ken ye did what ye had tae dae.”
I visibly sagged with relief in my seat. “That’s great news, sir! Thank you.”
Murray winked. “I kent the outcome couldn’y be any different tae that, lad. They ken ye are a good detective and an even better asset tae the team, they’d have been fools tae decide any differently.”
I was finally able to relax and enjoy a mouthful of my coffee. Once I took a large gulp, I pushed my head back in my seat and sighed. “I’m just glad it’s all over now.”
Murray didn’t respond right away, so I tilted my head toward him and saw he was wearing a sheepish expression.
“It is over now, right?” I pressed.
Murray rubbed his head then edged his seat closer to his desk. “There is just one more thing, James.”
I didn’t know what surprised me more, the edge to his tone or the fact he referred to me by my first name. I knew without a shadow of a doubt that Murray would only be doing that as a way of softening the blow...
But what did he need to soften?
“What thing, sir?”
Murray fixed me with a serious expression for a couple of seconds. “While ma superiors are happy fur ye tae not be reprimanded fur yer choice, they are still concerned over yer choice and feel—”
“Concerned?” I interrupted irritably. “I didn’t have a choice, sir! It was either him or me!”
Murray put up a gentle hand to stop me. “I ken that, lad. They amn’t concerned over what ye did, but they’re concerned over how it could have affected ye.” He paused. “They want ye tae see one of our counsellors.”
My mouth gaped in shock. “A counsellor?”
Murray nodded.
“With all due respect, sir, that isn’t necessary,” I responded. “I worked in London as a DCI for a long time and dealt with a lot of horrors there which didn’t require counselling. I definitely don’t need it for this.”
Murray furrowed his brow. “Unfortunately ye dinnae have a choice in the matter, lad.” He saw me getting ready to argue and put up both of his hands defensively. “I’m on yer side here, James, and I told them I didnae think ye needed it... but they were very insistent. They said taking a life is nae wee feat and they want tae see evidence ye are seeking professional help, otherwise they will be putting ye on temporary leave.”
I rubbed my face in dismay. “I can’t believe this.”
There was an awkward silence between us for a few seconds, but Murray eventually broke it.
“Look, I ken it isnae ideal, but all ye need tae dae is just book some appointments with a counsellor, they can send their notes proving ye’ve been, then it can all be over with,” he said gently. “It winnae be that bad, mate.”
I sighed defeatedly, knowing I had no choice. “Very well... I will look into it.”
Murray smiled weakly. “Good lad... now, ye best get back tae the others and tell them the good news, eh?”
I nodded. “Thank you, sir.”
I left Murray’s office and tried to ignore my feelings of annoyance. I tried to focus on the fact that I wasn’t being reprimanded for what happened that night, but now that I knew I wasn’t yet able to completely move on from what had happened, it was hard to see the positives.
The human hunter case was meant to be behind me by now, but knowing I would be forced to dredge it all up with some shrink was far from a good feeling.
I just had to hope I could get it over and done with quickly.
