Against a Dark Sky (5 page)

Chapter Ten

J
ames Irving opened the door and looked surprised. He ran a hand over the stubble on his chin, thinking that he’d have made more of an effort if he knew it wasn’t going to be DC Clark who was kipping on their sofa tonight.

              ‘To what do we owe this pleasure,’ he asked with a grin, stepping back and allowing Bevan to enter.

              ‘I’ve got paperwork to catch up on. My team deserve a decent night’s rest. It’s been a busy couple of days.’

              James was impressed, although he suspected that the DCI would be observing them all very closely over the course of the evening. ‘We’ve already eaten, I’m afraid.’

              ‘Don’t worry, so have I. Just let me have a quiet corner to work in and you’ll barely notice I’m here.’

              Bevan took up a position at the kitchen table, setting down a file which contained the documents sent by Phil earlier in the day. Philippa Graves was moving about in the preparation area, filling the dishwasher and making coffees. Dani sensed the woman was fidgety and a little nervous. As the natural light gradually receded, Philippa flicked on the overhead spotlights, solicitously ensuring the detective could see what she was doing. Dani assessed Philippa as someone desperate to please others. She wondered to what lengths the girl would go in order to please a person she really cared for.

              Amit and James were seated next to one another on the sofa in the sitting room, impassively watching the TV, with glasses of red wine in their hands. Irving noticed her glancing over. ‘You’re welcome to have something stronger than a coffee, Detective Chief Inspector. I realise you’ll say no, but it would be rude not to offer.’

              Dani smiled. ‘A coffee is fine, thanks, but the offer is duly noted and appreciated.’

              About halfway through the evening, Batra stepped outside the kitchen door to call his wife on a mobile phone, explaining the signal was better out there. From what Bevan could observe of his body language through the window, the conversation wasn’t an easy one. Dani imagined that Tanisha Batra was becoming exasperated by her husband’s absence, left to look after a toddler and baby on her own. Whenever Andy Calder was called away on a case, Carol’s mother came to stay in their west-end flat to help with the baby. Bevan had become quite used to appreciating the ins and outs of a household in which there were young children. She knew there could be extreme stresses and strains, especially if both parents were working. Dani believed she would crack under the pressure if it were her. She was surprised more couples didn’t.

              The man eventually stepped back into the kitchen, his mouth set in a grim line. ‘The baby’s got a cold. Tan hasn’t slept in two nights.’

              Bevan nodded, resisting the urge to point out that a young woman was dead and perhaps they should be counting their blessings. She knew it would be unfair.

              The household had all retired to bed by half past eleven. Philippa Graves had now taken the bedroom which used to be occupied by Goff, not wishing to be the only one sleeping downstairs.

              In her quiet solitude, Bevan read carefully through the reports of the schoolchildren’s deaths in April 1983. There were photographs of the unfortunate three, in their school uniforms, looking sweet and innocent. It was a heart-breaking accident, made much of by the tabloid press at the time. The coverage continued for weeks afterwards, the image of those poor weans staring out from the front page obviously shifting thousands of copies. Family members and local residents were interviewed, but the articles were blissfully free of thinly veiled attempts to attribute blame. The teachers all did what they could. The parents were broadly satisfied with the actions of the police and mountain rescue. It was simply a terrible tragedy.

              Dani felt herself beginning to doze off, her eyes were losing focus on the words and her head was resting more heavily on her hand. Then, she sensed a presence behind her and this made Dani jolt upright again.

              ‘I didn’t mean to startle you,’ whispered a male voice. ‘I couldn’t sleep.’

              She turned around to see James Irving, in a T-shirt and pyjama trousers, standing at the foot of the staircase. He padded across the room and filled the kettle. ‘Do you want one?’

              ‘Yes, please.’

              ‘What’s that you’re reading?’

              Dani hesitated before replying, but then decided it had no real bearing on the case and was information entirely within the public domain. ‘These are copies of newspaper reports about an incident that happened here in the glen, thirty one years ago.’

              James moved across and scanned one of the articles over Dani’s shoulder. ‘I hadn’t realised something like this had happened here before. Well, obviously it isn’t quite the same, but you know what I mean.’

              Dani did know. ‘Climbers get into trouble on Ben Lomond every year. It’s important not to read too much into the two events.’

              James set a couple of mugs down on the table. ‘We were only very young when those schoolchildren were killed, but I bet our parents remember it.’

              ‘It happened at a similar time to the death of my mother. Our family were still living in Wales.’

              ‘Oh, I’m really sorry, I didn’t realise your mum had passed away when you were so little.’ James looked at Bevan closely, an expression of genuine sympathy on his face.

              ‘It was a very long time ago. My father and I moved to Scotland not long after. I grew up on Colonsay.’

              ‘Oh well, you really are a country lass, then.’

              Bevan smiled, taking a sip of the pleasantly hot tea.

              James pulled the papers across the table towards him. ‘I suppose it shows how easy it is to get lost in the National Park in bad weather and how quickly it can set in. It doesn’t matter how experienced you are, Nature always has the potential to catch you out.’              

              ‘In the case of Joanna, there was also human wickedness at play. I’m just not sure yet whether her death was a spur of the moment thing, or this whole murder was carefully pre-meditated; the trip, becoming separated from the rest of the group and then getting trapped on the mountain.’

              ‘If anyone had been guilty of planning it, it would have been Jo herself. She was the one driving this entire adventure. Jo couldn’t have been scheming to murder herself.’

              ‘Did you ever get the sense Joanna was being led by somebody else - that there was a force behind her decisions?’

              ‘Some sort of passive-aggressive side-kick you mean?’ James sighed and thought about this carefully. ‘Joanna was probably the most single-minded individual I ever met. She was definitely a leader and not a follower.’

              Dani was about to ask another question when they both heard a noise outside. They remained absolutely silent. Then there was a loud clatter, which sounded like a bin being kicked over by a person moving about in the darkness.

              Dani rose to her feet. She stalked across the room and pressed herself flat against the wall next to the kitchen door, slowly turning the key in the lock. ‘Stay here,’ she whispered to Irving, who was frozen to the spot.

              The sky wasn’t completely black. A half-moon illuminated the hillside behind the bothy, but in the passageway between the stone cottage and the ruins of a small outbuilding, it was difficult to make out anything at all. Then Bevan spotted a flicker of movement. Someone had disappeared round the side of the building. They were definitely trying to get in. Dani doubled-back; not wanting the intruder to reach the kitchen door before she did.

              As she careered around the corner of the bothy, a large form charged at her from out of the shadows, knocking her to the ground. She instinctively sent a strong kick upwards towards her attacker and caught him somewhere on the shin. He stumbled backward against the stone wall.

              ‘Stop, police!’ she called out firmly, springing to her feet and standing her ground. The dark figure lunged forward once again, barging into her shoulder and pitching her off balance. This time, he sprinted away up the hillside. Bevan watched his retreating form, knowing she had no hope of chasing him down in the darkness. Besides, she couldn’t leave the others unprotected.

              Dani re-entered the cottage. Amit Batra and Philippa Graves were standing in the centre of the living room, looking as if they had hastily dressed. James was leaning against the door frame with his arms crossed over his chest, a look of anger and confusion on his face. The atmosphere between the three of them was decidedly chilly.

              ‘I went upstairs to warn Amit we had an intruder,’ James explained. ‘But when I went into our room, he wasn’t there. So I thought I’d check on Philippa instead. Low and behold, there was Amit. The two of them were doing the wild thing in Philippa’s bed. They didn’t even notice I’d entered the room for a good five minutes.’

              Dani looked at Batra. She was disgusted to note the man actually had tears running down his cheeks. ‘Put the kettle on again would you Mr. Irving? I think this is going to be a very long night.’

Chapter Eleven

A
police van was outside the bothy. Uniformed officers were busy searching the surrounding countryside. Beams of torchlight occasionally flashed through the windows of the kitchen, briefly illuminating the tired faces of those seated around the table, as if an interrogation lamp were being randomly directed at them. The effect was strangely disconcerting.

              ‘Just how long has this been going on?’ James Irving’s face was red with rage.

              Bevan sat back in her seat and allowed him to continue, the man was doing a pretty good job of questioning Batra on his own.

              Amit hung his head in shame. ‘A few months.’

              ‘Right, a few months eh?’ James did some sums in his head. ‘Don’t tell me you were sleeping with Philippa at the time your wife was having a baby?’

              Amit looked straight at his friend. ‘No, it started after that, I promise.’

              Bevan observed Philippa Graves during this exchange. She sat silently next to Batra with her hands clasped in her lap, almost as if she was at prayer. Dani could have sworn there was just the tiniest hint of a smile on her face.

              ‘Do you know what really rankles?’ James continued, ‘is that you used me to set up this dirty weekend for the two of you. I happen to like Tanisha a great deal and I’m truly pissed off that you involved me in your plan to royally stitch her up.’               

              Bevan decided to intervene. ‘Did either Daniel Goff or Joanna Endicott know you were having an affair?’

              Amit shook his head vigorously. ‘No, we’d played it really cool this holiday. Just spending time together rather than actually having sex.’

              James snorted. ‘That’s not what it looked like to me!’

              Bevan shot him a warning glance.

              Philippa shuffled forward slightly in her seat, not uttering a word until all eyes were upon her. ‘Actually, Joanna did know about it.’

              Batra’s mouth dropped open. ‘What?’

              ‘I told her, a few days before we came here. I thought she could help arrange for me and Amit to have some time alone together. I knew Joanna wouldn’t judge us.’

              ‘What
was
Joanna’s reaction to this news?’ Bevan asked the young woman, watching her face closely.

              ‘At first, she laughed. Joanna said she’d always suspected most marriages to be a sham. It kind of vindicated her life choices. Then, Jo offered to let us use the bedroom. Under the cover of darkness, she’d go out and sleep on the sofa, while Amit slipped into my bed.’

              Dani immediately wondered if Jo was really planning to spend a cramped night on the couch or if she envisaged herself creeping into Daniel Goff’s bed instead. By James’ reaction, she was pretty certain he wasn’t in on the sordid little arrangement. Clearly no one had been sneaking between
his
sheets this week.

              Amit appeared confused. ‘But you never told me this – and we didn’t actually do that, Philippa. Tonight is the first time we’ve been together since we got to Scotland.’

              ‘I’m saying that’s what Jo and I
discussed
, I’m not suggesting we’d got around to putting it into action just yet.’ The woman looked indignant.

              James put his hand up, as if obtaining permission from the teacher to speak. Dani humoured him by nodding her assent. ‘I’m sorry, Philippa, but that doesn’t sound like something Joanna would do. I know she’d had a few different boyfriends over the years, but she was actually quite moralistic in lots of ways. A married client of ours, very good-looking and well-off, was coming on to Jo for months. He sent flowers and chocolates almost every day. Jo was very definite about not getting involved with him. She said cheating on your wife was the pits. It gives me no pleasure to tell you this, but Jo didn’t actually like you very much. You were her lodger and she felt sorry for you not being able to find a job after qualifying. I simply don’t believe she’d have orchestrated this set-up on your behalf.’

              Philippa sprang to her feet, pushing the chair back so that it scraped across the stone floor. ‘Well, that’s where you’re wrong!’ She declared, storming up the stairs. Several minutes later a distant door slammed shut.

              ‘You do realise that this changes everything?’ Bevan’s question filled the silence.

              Batra stared down at his lap. ‘I just didn’t want my wife to find out.’

              ‘Do you think it could have had something to do with Jo’s murder?’ James asked.

              ‘I certainly can’t rule it out.’

              As Bevan stepped outside the cottage, to check on the progress of the search, she left James Irving gaping at Amit Batra with a mystified expression on his face. The reality was obviously dawning on him that he wouldn’t be able to trust his old friend ever again.                              

*

DS Driscoll was jogging down the hillside towards her as she crunched across the gravel drive.

              ‘Any luck?’ Bevan called ahead.

              Driscoll shook his head. ‘No sign of him, Ma’am. We’ll get the helicopter out at first light.’

              ‘Damn it!’ Bevan exclaimed with considerable feeling.

              ‘You were right not to go after him. It wasn’t feasible without back-up. Do you think it was Goff?’

              ‘I didn’t see the man’s face but he was tall and strong, I think we have to assume so.’

              ‘What was he doing back here? It was a huge risk for him to return.’

              ‘Maybe he thought his stuff would still be at the bothy. Or perhaps he knows there’s something still here that belongs to him.’

              ‘You should get some rest, Ma’am. We’ll need you to give a detailed statement about what happened.’

              ‘Oh, the intruder’s only the half of it, Dave.’

              The man looked puzzled.

              ‘Leave a pair of uniforms to guard the place and send the remainder of the search team home for a couple of hour’s kip. We’ll meet back at the incident room at 8.30am for a briefing. I’ll fill you in on all the sordid details then.’