A Dark Shadow Falls (15 page)

              Mrs Bannerman led them into a living room which smelt of stale cigarette smoke, but possessed a very pleasant view out across the countryside. ‘What do you want with Mark?’ She asked bluntly.

              ‘Does he live here with you?’ Tait demanded. ‘We couldn’t find another address for him.’

              ‘Not any longer ‘e doesn’t.’

              ‘Where is your husband today?’

              ‘’E’s dead.’

              ‘Oh, I’m terribly sorry.’ Mike Tait silently cursed himself. They’d not thought to do a check before they left the headquarters. ‘When did Mr Bannerman pass away?’

              The woman ducked into the kitchen and came back out with a packet of cigarettes. She lit one before replying, ‘it was six months ago. Gus was fitting a new front door for one of our neighbours when he clutched at his chest and turned beetroot. He was dead in minutes. The ambulance didn’t reach him for half an hour, not that it would have done any good to arrive sooner.’

              ‘And your son?’ Dani prompted.

              ‘I’ve not seen ‘im for over a year. He didn’t even come back for his Dad’s funeral. Sodding waste of space.’

              ‘Do you have any idea where Mark may have gone?’ Alec Webber found himself rapidly losing patience.

              ‘Off with one of his women, Gus said. He took a phone call from Mark. Apparently, this one was serious and he was leaving to set up home with her. Gus didn’t really mind too much because Mark was always shagging the clients’ wives. He was a bloody liability.’

              ‘And you’ve heard
nothing
from your son since?’ Tait looked incredulous. ‘Not a Christmas card or an indication of where he now lives?’

              She shrugged her shoulders. ‘We weren’t the sodding Swiss Family Robinson. There was no money to inherit when Gus fell off ‘is perch. I wouldn’t expect Mark to be back in touch, there’d be nothing in it for ‘im.’

              ‘Have you at least got a photograph of your son?’

              She frowned, which made her face criss-cross with a myriad of spidery lines. ‘Yeah, I think I’ve got a couple. I’d like them back mind,’ she added sternly.

              Dani marvelled at the woman’s strangely contradictory behaviour as they waited for her to fetch the snapshots from upstairs.

*

DCI Carmichael didn’t appear happy. She was forced to take a back seat to DI Tait during the briefing, because she wasn’t up to speed with any of the facts. If looks could have killed, Bevan would be six feet under. But Dani was all too aware that Eric Fisher’s trial started in two days. Annie Carmichael’s dented pride wasn’t really her priority.

              Tait was pointing to a photograph pinned to one of the boards. It had been enlarged by the techies. ‘We showed this picture to Annette Walker. She identified Mark Bannerman as the person she’d seen with Peggy at the travel agency. I believe we can be confident that he was Peggy Fisher’s lover.’ Tait took a step forward, warming to the task. ‘Mark Ian Bannerman is 36 years old. He is 6’2’’ in height and of a muscular build. As you can see from his photograph, Mark has light brown hair which, according to his mother, he usually wore to his shoulders.’

              ‘Peggy has been dead now for a year. If Mark took off with a fancy woman, it certainly wasn’t her,’ Carmichael put in fiercely.

              ‘No, but Mark was a one for the ladies, Ma’am. Either he left with one of his other squeezes sometime before the Fishers’ were murdered and is now living happily ever after with her, or it was Mark who killed his lover and her children, going to ground straight afterwards.’

              Carmichael sighed bitterly. ‘We need to circulate this photograph and check all the airports, bus stations and ferry terminals to see if Mark Bannerman left the country in the days and weeks following the murders.’ She slammed her hand down on the desk in front of her in frustration. ‘I’ll need to speak with the DCS and the Fiscal’s office. With this new information, Eric Fisher might be walking free without even setting foot in the dock.’

Chapter 26

T
he next few hours seemed to pass painfully slowly. After filling DCS Nicholson in on the latest developments, Bevan decided to leave Annie’s team to it. Nicholson was so enraged by the cock-up that he was threatening to pull DCI Carmichael off the case and put Dani on it in her place. Bevan had told him she’d certainly take the investigation over if he wanted her to, but he should give the woman a chance to make amends first.

*

Dani was waiting for news with Sally Irving-Bryant in her mother’s kitchen in Leith. It seemed only fitting to be with the person who’d introduced her to the case in the first place whilst they anticipated hearing the fate of Eric Fisher.

              Linda Irving got up to prepare their second pot of coffee. ‘I still don’t entirely understand,’ she said. ‘Even with this other man having been on the scene, it certainly doesn’t mean that Eric Fisher didn’t murder his wife and children. It actually provides him with a motive, doesn’t it?’

              ‘Yes, but the entire process has been flawed from the very beginning, Mum.’ Sally slipped her elegant fingers around a china mug. ‘The police investigation failed to pursue crucial leads in the run up to Eric’s arrest. If this evidence was available to the Procurator Fiscal back then, Eric may never have been charged. The existence of this person, Mark Bannerman, is too important to be disclosed to the defence team only 48 hours before we get to court. The Fiscal will either call for a suspension or he’ll dismiss the trial altogether.’

              ‘Do you and Eric get any say in the matter?’ Dani asked.

              ‘Thankfully, yes. I’ve submitted a letter setting out the mistakes made by the police and prosecution team as I see them. It also points out how Eric Fisher has spent an
entire year
either on remand in prison or handcuffed to a hospital bed. If the trial is delayed indefinitely, with no guarantee that Bannerman can be located after all this time has passed, then he’s been effectively imprisoned for a crime without trial. In a civilised state, we cannot allow this to happen.’

              Dani made a mental note that if she ever needed a lawyer, Sally would be the one to call.              

              Linda came back over with the fresh coffee pot. ‘But what if Eric is guilty of killing that woman and those poor children? Is he simply going to walk free?’

              Jim Irving entered the room at this moment, wearing a casual shirt and jeans. ‘If that is the case, darling, then it’s the police who are to blame. Their total ineptitude has caused this case to collapse.’

              Linda shot Dani an embarrassed glance.

              ‘Mr Irving is right. The original investigating team were far too narrow in their approach. They had Eric Fisher as a prime suspect from the start and refused to widen the inquiry to look at the lives of Peggy and the children. The victims are usually the first people we consider in a homicide case.’

              ‘How did it go so badly wrong?’ Jim took a chair next to the DCI and helped himself to a cup of coffee. The ex-lawyer was clearly very interested to know.

              ‘I believe it was because the SIO was sidetracked by the concept of family annihilation. She brought in an advisor from the States who pushed the team down a very defined path. Don’t get me wrong, I can see exactly how it happened. The murder scene made the case appear clear-cut. But a detective must never close their mind to other possibilities, however far-fetched they may seem.’

              Jim nodded sagely.

              Bevan turned towards Sally, determined to change the subject. ‘Did you know that Grant’s company are restoring an old bothy not far from my dad’s place on Colonsay?’

              ‘Yes, I do recall him mentioning something. It’s a lovely spot.’

              Dani edged forward. ‘You see, the bothy lies on the edge of a clan battle site. There’s a historic cairn positioned within the area designated for development. My father and some of the local residents would really like to meet with Grant, so that they can discuss the issue with him. Then, they might be able to reach a compromise without having to get the planners involved again.’

              Sally appeared disconcerted. It was clear she didn’t often find herself drawn into her husband’s business affairs. ‘Oh – I’m really not sure -’ she stammered.               Their awkward discussion was halted by the trilling of Sally’s mobile phone. She lifted it out of her pocket and listened in silence.

              The others waited expectantly.

              Sally ended the call and laid the phone down carefully on the table. Her expression was unreadable. ‘That was the Fiscal’s office. All charges against my client have been dropped. Eric Fisher will be released later on today.’

Chapter 27

‘D
oes Sally Irving-Bryant know where he’ll go?’ Andy Calder asked, in a neutral tone.

              ‘The house in Dalkeith is still leased to Eric. But I can’t see him going back there in a hurry, not when people think he’s most likely got off on a technicality. Sally has advised him to rent a flat in the city, somewhere anonymous. He should receive compensation for the period he spent in prison, although it will be several months before he sees any of it.’

              Andy tutted. ‘I’m not sure I agree with him getting money from the tax-payer. His innocence hasn’t
actually
been proved.’

              ‘And whose fault is that?’ Dani snapped.

              ‘Those numpties at City and Borders,’ he responded, quick as a flash.

              She sighed heavily. ‘It’s a real shame. They’re going to get crucified by the internal review board. I feel sorry for Annie.’

              Calder raised his eyebrows, indicating he thought her sympathy was misplaced.

              Dani glanced at her watch, noting it was nearly six. ‘Why don’t you head off home? You can catch Amy before she goes to bed.’

              A shadow fell across the man’s face. ‘Yeah, I suppose so.’

              ‘Have you spoken to Carol yet – about the stuff you mentioned the other day?’

              ‘No. To be honest, I’m not really looking forward to shattering my wife’s every hope and dream.’

              ‘It may not actually be as serious as that. You won’t know until you talk to her.’ Dani stood up and opened her office door. She strode across to Calder’s work station and retrieved his jacket, returning to hand it to him. ‘Off you go. Pick up some flowers on the way home and have a proper conversation over dinner.’

              He took the crumpled jacket and pulled it on, grunting something inaudible before shuffling away towards the lift, looking like a man resigned to his fate.

*

A band of fierce weather had battered the west coast of Colonsay for a week. During these inclement periods, Huw Bevan tended to hunker down in his bungalow and wait it out. He was an obsessive follower of the radio forecast and always knew when a stormy patch was due. This meant he could stock up on food and fuel in the village well in advance.

              On this particular morning, the clouds had finally lifted, revealing a welcome shimmer of gold that lingered along the horizon. Huw went immediately to the kitchen and roused Gill from his basket, grabbing the lead and pulling on boots and a coat before the favourable conditions had an opportunity to change.

              Gill practically dragged his master across the field towards the beach. Huw released the dog from its lead and was required to pick up a brisk pace in order to keep the animal in sight. They were heading rapidly towards Jilly O’Keefe’s place. As Huw drew closer, he could make out some kind of disturbance taking place up the hillside.

              The developers had been nowhere near the bothy whilst the weather was so awful. Something told Huw that today they must be back. He whistled to Gill, who returned to his side at a sprint. Slipping the lead back on, they proceeded in the direction of all the commotion.

              The vision which greeted Huw almost made him laugh out loud, until he saw the trickle of blood on his neighbour’s forehead.

              ‘What on earth is happening here?’ He demanded, marching to the top of a grassy hillock, where Jilly O’Keefe was standing in front of a mini-digger. The rumbling piece of machinery was attempting to shift the pile of stones which constituted the Macfie cairn.

              A big bruiser of a man leapt out of the cab. ‘This old boot threw herself in front of my bucket. She’s damned lucky to still be alive.’

              Jilly crossed her arms over her chest defiantly, her white hair blowing in the breeze. ‘You have no right to destroy this ancient monument. Its preservation is currently the matter of a legal appeal.’

              Huw wasn’t sure this was strictly true.

              ‘It’s the first I’ve heard of it darlin’,’ the man bawled over the sound of the engine. ‘I’m just here to do my job, pal,’ he said to Huw. ‘As far as I’ve been told, the planners have signed off on everything.’

              Huw raised his arms, trying to calm the situation down a little. ‘The plans were agreed before anyone knew the significance of this place. Can I ask you to delay your clearance of the area, just until I’ve had a chance to make a few phone calls?’

              The burly man put a hand up to his stubbly chin and scratched. ‘Och, I don’t know about that…’

              Huw took a step nearer, observing his face more closely. ‘
Dougie Beath
?’

              The digger driver shifted about awkwardly. ‘Aye, that’s right, what of it?’