A Dark Shadow Falls (10 page)

              Calder nodded. ‘So, his subconscious mind comes up with this intruder theory.’

              ‘A theory that the evidence simply doesn’t back up, which means we need to assume that it’s false.’

              ‘Okay, that’s the most logical conclusion. But what do you think – after meeting the guy?’

              Dani sighed. ‘I can’t get this Dundee murder out of my head. My instincts tell me it’s linked to the Fisher killings.’

              ‘Then make sure that DI Alexander keeps you in the loop. If something crops up in his investigation that might connect it to the Dalkeith case, you can follow it up. Other than that, there’s not much else you can do.’

              Bevan knew this was good advice. She paused for a moment before asking, ‘I hope Carol wasn’t too upset with us the other day?’

              Dani noticed Andy’s cheeks redden. She’d never seen him blush before. He wasn’t the type.

              ‘It was nothing. Carol doesn’t usually bother about that kind of thing. She’s just got a lot on her mind at the moment.’ Andy shifted his weight forward, making to get up. Then he stopped and cleared his throat. ‘We’ve been trying for another baby.’

              Dani beamed. ‘That’s great news. How old is Amy now – coming up for two? It’s the perfect age gap.’

              Calder kept his gaze fixed on a piece of carpet somewhere near Dani’s feet. ‘I took a bit of persuading at first. With the heart attack and everything, I didn’t want to tempt fate. Carol was heavily pregnant when I nearly died. She and Amy could have been left all alone. I suppose I felt frightened by the idea of going through all that again.’

              ‘I can understand your fears. But there’s absolutely no reason to think that way. You’re so much fitter now than you were back then.’

              ‘I know, and I gradually came around to the idea. But now it’s taking longer than we thought it would. Carol’s becoming upset about it. She thinks something might be wrong with one of us.’

              Andy had never confided anything so personal to Dani before. She decided that he mustn’t have anyone else he could talk to about it. ‘Have you gone for tests? It might be that the drugs you’re taking aren’t helping the process.’

              Calder finally looked up. ‘That may be so, but they’re helping
me
to stay alive. I don’t want to come off my medication in order to give Carol another baby. I know it’s selfish. You hear of women who are told that to carry a baby full-term would probably kill them, but they do it anyway. It’s not like that for me. I’m happy with just the three of us.’

              Bevan was momentarily speechless. ‘I’m sure Carol must feel like that too. She’d never suggest taking an action which might damage your health. Once she’s properly considered the risks, I’m sure she’ll see it your way. You’ve got to
talk
to her about it, Andy.’

              His handsome face looked pained. ‘I’ll try, Ma’am. But it’s like she’s become fixated on having another child. I don’t think it’ll matter what I say.’ The man got slowly to his feet, walking solemnly out through the door, pulling it gently shut behind him.  

*

‘Poor Andy,’ Huw Bevan commented evenly. ‘When a woman is gripped by the desire to have a baby, it can be all consuming.’

              Dani walked over to the patio doors which led out to her tiny garden, holding the phone to her ear. This was the kind of topic she usually tried to avoid discussing with her father. ‘Did Mum ever want to have more children?’

              ‘Oh aye, but Moira was so ill after you were born that it was really out of the question. She loved having a baby. That was never the issue. It just seemed that her chemical make-up wasn’t suited to being pregnant.’

              Dani decided not to say any more on the subject. She knew that these days, with the proper medication and guidance, women who suffered from postnatal depression were able to go on to have more children. There was no point in raising this issue with her dad. He would only think she was blaming him for not doing more to help her mum back then. ‘How is the building work over near Jilly’s place coming along?’

              ‘They’ve started churning up the ground now. Goodness only knows how deep those foundations need to go. Jilly is convinced it will take generations for the wildlife to think it’s safe to return. I wonder if the disruption is really worth it, for four weeks of use throughout the year.’

              Dani suddenly had a thought. ‘Do you know which building company are carrying out the work?’

              ‘It’s emblazoned across all of their vans and equipment, but I forget the name now. Hold on, I’ll just take a look with my binoculars.’ Huw came back onto the line after a couple of minutes. ‘Bryant Construction.’

              ‘Hmm, that’s interesting,’ Dani responded quietly and her father spent the rest of the call talking about how his garden was displaying all the signs that spring was finally on its way.

Chapter 17

L
ouise Keene was busy laying dust sheets across the furniture in the living room. She’d asked her neighbour to take the boys to school, so she would be at home when the builders arrived.

              It was her husband’s idea to have the extension built. Their semi-detached house was in the heart of an estate a mile outside of Glenrothes town centre. Although very well appointed, it was a little small.

              The property was brand new when they bought it. Now the boys were getting older, the family had become desperate for more living space. Fergus had been putting in crazy hours at his insurance firm to secure a pay rise, which had finally been agreed the previous month. This meant that work could start on the ground floor extension they’d been planning.

              Louise’s parents, Joy and Bill, had offered to chip in some money to help pay for it, but Fergus was a proud man and didn’t want to go cap-in-hand to his in-laws. Louise would happily have taken the money, so that she wasn’t left looking after Jamie and Ben all on her own. Louise loved her boys to bits, but they were one hell of a handful. She was sure her mum and dad had been thinking along the same lines. They’d offered the money in order to help their daughter out. Her husband hadn’t seemed to appreciate that fact.

              A white van pulled up at the kerb, with the logo of the local firm they were using printed across the side. Louise opened the front door and let in the two men. One was in his fifties and the other significantly younger – late thirties she thought. The older man introduced them as Col and Davy.

              Louise immediately put the kettle on, reaching for the tea bags and packet of sugar she’d bought in especially. Whilst the water was boiling, Louise rested her hands on the draining board and watched the men carrying their equipment through the side passage and out into the garden. She decided that Davy was quite attractive. He was tall and muscly with a mop of light brown, wavy hair. Louise had noticed him looking at her when they arrived, as if he were assessing her prettiness. She’d got the sense then that he liked what he saw.

              Louise shook her sleek, dark bob and smiled, turning back to prepare the drinks. She was happily married and such thoughts were ridiculous. But Louise had missed having Fergus around these last few months, although the woman would never have admitted that she’d been lonely.

              Lifting a tray onto the worktop, she added the mugs of tea. Pausing for a moment, Louise decided to open a packet of biscuits, which she fanned out on a plate. Using her bottom to push open the kitchen door, the young mum strode cheerfully out into the bright morning sunlight.

*

Bevan received a phone call at her desk, just before she was about to rip open the plastic wrapping on a pre-packed sandwich. It was from DI Alexander.

              ‘I hope I’m not stopping you from going out to lunch?’ He asked kindly, sounding genuinely sorry to disturb her.

              ‘Not at all. Has there been a development?’

              ‘I’ve been liaising with the profiler that your department recommended – Dr McAllister. She’s been extremely helpful. With her advice, we’ve come up with a possible suspect. I wondered if you’d like to sit in on the interview.’

              Dani shuffled forward. ‘I’d like that very much, yes. When are you bringing him in?’

              There was an awkward pause. ‘One of my DCs is currently making the arrest. I hope to speak with the man sometime this afternoon.’

              ‘I’d better get a move on then,’ she added dryly.

*

The Detective Inspector had agreed to delay the interview until Dani arrived. Gordon Alexander appeared in a much better mood than when they’d last met. He held out one of his large hands as she stepped through a heavy door which led into the bowels of the police station. Dani shook it vigorously, imagining the man being quite at home on the rugby pitch, tightly gripping the patchwork leather of the oval ball.  

              ‘He’s in Interview Room 1,’ Alexander began. ‘I’m letting him stew for a while.’

              ‘What can you tell me about the man? I’ve not had chance to read the notes you e-mailed me yet.’

              ‘Dr McAllister suggested that the perpetrator would be male, aged between 25 and 40, and would most likely have a manual job requiring few academic qualifications. With the individual knowing the layout of the property and potentially being aware of Morna’s comings and goings, McAllister thought he might have been employed to carry out some work on the premises in the recent past.’ Gordon continued to stride along the narrow corridor, talking as they walked.

              ‘It sounds like a profile of Eric Fisher,’ she muttered to herself, before saying more loudly, ‘so whose name came up?’

              ‘Tommy Galt, aged 29. He was born in Perth but now lives in Dundee with his girlfriend. Tommy is an electrician. According to Lyle Murphy, the man re-wired the property about six months ago. When my DC questioned the guy yesterday, he admitted to having sexual intercourse with Morna Murphy on several occasions.’

              ‘Shit. Have
you
spoken with him yet?’

              Gordon shook his head. ‘This is the first contact I’ve had with the suspect.’

              They’d reached the door of the interview room. DI Alexander gave a perfunctory knock and led the way inside.

              Tommy Galt was seated at the table with his head resting in his hands. A duty solicitor occupied the chair next to him.

              Alexander took his time, placing down a large file and clearly stating the names of those present for the tape. ‘Mr Galt,’ he said finally. ‘I am questioning you in connection with a very serious crime. Do you know what that crime is?’

              The young man lifted his head, his sandy blond hair standing up in tufts where he’d been running his hands through it. ‘It’s about the murder of Mrs Murphy.’

              ‘That’s correct. Could you tell us how you came to meet Morna Murphy?’

              ‘They’d had some trouble with their electrics. The trip switch kept going off when Mr Murphy turned on his new TV. He called me up one Sunday evening. I said I could come round and take a look the next day, at 9am.’

              ‘Was Lyle Murphy present when you arrived at the house on that Monday morning?’

              Tommy shook his head, looking forlorn. ‘No, it was just Morna. She showed me where the fuse box was and left me to it. It didn’t take long to work out that the wiring was a mess. I said I could make it safe for now, but really, the whole place needed doing.’

              ‘What did Mrs Murphy say to that?’

              ‘She said she’d have to ask her husband.’

              ‘And he instructed you to re-wire the property?’

              ‘Yes, he called me that evening. I said I’d start in a few days from then, after I’d picked up all the stuff I’d need for the job.’

              ‘What was your first encounter with Mrs Murphy like?’ Dani enquired. ‘Was she friendly towards you?’

              Tommy’s cheeks flushed. ‘She was flirty.’

              ‘Did you respond?’

              ‘Yeah, I did. Morna was very attractive. But nothing happened during that first week. I’ve got a serious girlfriend. We’re getting married next year. I had a mate helping me out and we got our heads down and did the job.’

              ‘I’ll need the name of your
mate
,’ Alexander cut-in.

              ‘Sure, he was only there with me for a couple of days. When the job was finished, Mrs Murphy wasn’t in the house, so I had to pop back later on, in the early evening.’

              ‘So, there were times when you were left alone in the property?’

              He nodded. ‘Sometimes, yes. When I came back, she’d just got out of the shower and was wearing a towelling dressing gown. Morna was taking her time finding the cheque book. She said that Lyle would be out that evening and offered me a drink.’ He shrugged his muscular shoulders. ‘Things just developed from there.’

              ‘Where did you have sex with Mrs Murphy?’ Alexander looked at the man levelly.

              Tommy cleared his throat. ‘In the bedroom.’

              Bevan and Alexander exchanged glances.

              ‘How long did this sexual relationship continue?’

              ‘For a couple of months. Then we both got bored with it. That’s the God’s honest truth.’ His eyes darted from one officer to the other. ‘The sex was only a bit of fun. Morna initiated it. When she said the fling was over, I was perfectly happy about it. I’d been starting to worry that Lisa might find out. The last time I saw or heard anything about Morna was around Christmas last year - before she was killed and it was all over the news that is.’