Dyed in the Wool (7 page)

Sharon sat on the more stable-looking chair. "Has he called in?"

Nichol rubbed his ear. "Afraid not. No sick call."

"Are there any friends or family you know about?"

"Not that I'm aware of. Only relations he's got is that flatmate of his, Xander. Doesn't talk about his family, doesn't have a bird that I'm aware of and he only talks about his flatmate as an afterthought, you know, when they were going to the football."

Cullen shifted on the wonkier chair. "Was Mr Souness a Rangers fan?"

"He is, aye, son. Goes through to Castle Greyskull every second week, and to most away matches and all."

"Are you a fan?"

"I'm a Jambo, one of the few out this way." Nichol suddenly frowned. "Did you say 'was'?"

"I did. Mr Souness's body was found last night in his flat."

Nichol leaned back in his chair. "Jesus Christ. I was going to head round tonight and check on him after I'd locked up here." He took a deep breath. "I take it you pair are investigating his death, then?"

"That's correct." Sharon got out her notebook. "Do you know of anyone who'd want to harm him?"

Nichol chuckled but his eyes remained cold. "I'd have put myself on that list. Kenny was a good worker when he was hard at it but it used to take a good push to get him up to speed, if you know what I mean." He picked up a document from the desk and tossed it back down immediately. "He was always late, usually only about ten minutes but sometimes half an hour or more. It was particularly bad if there was a Champions League match on."

"You can't think of anyone?"

"Only one I could even think of to speak to is that Xander boy." Nichol scowled. "Should be Alex or Sandy, not Xander. Sounds like he's in Friends or something."

Sharon rolled her eyes. "Mr Aitken was found last night as well."

Nichol screwed his eyes up. "You're kidding me, right?"

"He was in a stolen Range Rover that rolled down one of the bings by Winchburgh."

"Jesus Christ." Nichol stared at the desk.

"Mr Souness was stabbed."

Nichol rubbed his forehead. "Are you having me on here?"

"No. Any ideas who might want to do such a thing?"

Nichol let out a deep breath and thought about it for a few seconds. "I can't. And that's the truth."

"You wouldn't happen to know anything about stolen cars?"

Nichol's eyes shot up. "What are you saying?"

"It's a simple question." Sharon gently brushed her hair over. "Do you know anything about stolen cars?"

"This is just a garage, I don't sell cars."

"I didn't say anything about selling cars. You've got a lot of men, a lot of equipment. You could do anything."

"Well, I don't. I run a legitimate business here. Besides, if it was a Range Rover that Xander was found in, I wouldn't be involved. The biggest we can do here would be a Picasso or a C-Max. You need special tools for SUVs. In case you hadn't noticed, I've got competition on that front in the town. We cut our cloth to suit ourselves."

Sharon nodded while she jotted a few things down. "Okay, I think that's about all from me. Anything from you, Constable?"

Cullen almost smiled at her use of his formal title. "No, I'm fine."

As they arrived back in the Incident Room, Cargill collared them. "I need to speak to the pair of you."

Sharon frowned. "Okay, what about?"

"In private." Cargill headed passed them towards the meeting room, Sharon following her.

Cullen followed, fearing an impending bollocking. What had he done this time?

Cargill stood outside a room just down the corridor. "In here."

It was one of the smallest in the station, four chairs around a circular table.

Sharon sat across from Cargill, giving Cullen no choice - he had to sit between them. He chose the seat away from the door - he could at least see who was being nosy and peering into the room through the floor-to-ceiling window.

"You're probably both already aware that DI Bain is no longer the Senior Investigating Officer on this case." Cargill shifted her chair forward. "This is a big case, we're under no illusion of that. DI Bain will operate as deputy, alongside DS Methven."

Sharon nodded. "We've heard."

"Good." Cargill licked her lips. "First, you two being paired up on an investigation is inappropriate given your relationship. I don't know why DI Bain did that, but I'm stopping it." She took a breath. "Second, everything is to go through myself primarily. Failing that, seek approval from both DI Bain and DS Methven. Nothing should go through either of them in isolation."

Cullen glanced over at Sharon, her eyes locked on Cargill.

"Third, I've got some actions for you both. Much as I hate to admit, they're in line with what DI Bain asked you to do. I want you to speak to the family of the deceased you were previously allocated. Sharon, you can have ADC Buxton to assist. Cullen, you can have DC Caldwell."

"Thanks." Sharon got out her notebook. "I'm not sure Kenny Souness has any surviving family."

"Well, if that's the case, we've got a dead end with one of the victims."

"What sort of approach are you taking to this?" Cullen folded his arms. "Are they separate cases or the same?"

Cargill smiled. "I'm treating them as both. Finding the second body in their flat is suspicious but it could just be coincidence. I'm keeping an open mind. They could be linked or they could be entirely unrelated."

"I just wanted to be clear on it."

"One final thing. Your relationship is your own. I want you to keep it that way. You're to collaborate only under strict instruction from myself or DS Methven. I need to have a clear audit trail with this and I don't want anything muddying the water. Are we clear?"

Sharon nodded. "Crystal."

Cullen had to concentrate hard to stop himself laughing. "Absolutely, ma'am."

*
*
*

"I don't know where she gets off. I really don't." Sharon prodded at her salad, skewering a cherry tomato.

Caldwell grinned. "She's probably just jealous of you, Sharon, what with you being shacked up with a stud like Scott."

Cullen looked up from his lasagne. "Do you really want to start talking about shacking up with people? Besides, she's probably more jealous of me shacking up with Sharon."

Sharon glared at him. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Well, she's gay, isn't she?"

Caldwell put a hand to her mouth. "You don't know that, do you?"

"She looks gay."

Sharon scowled. "Scott, are you being homophobic again?"

Cullen held his hands up. "I'm not being homophobic. I'm just saying, that's all."

Sharon shook her head. "You better not be away to use that 'some of my best friends are gay' line again."

"Well, they are. But besides, I'm not being homophobic. I'm just saying that she looks like a lesbian, that's all. Isn't she?"

Sharon put some mackerel in her mouth and chewed. "Well, as a matter of fact, she is."

"How do you know?"

Sharon put her knife and fork down on the plate and pushed it away, the salad half eaten. "I worked with her for a couple of years. Unless she's had some sort of epiphany, she's still gay."

Cullen clocked Methven heading over. "Change the subject. Didn't Shug Nichol say Souness had no family?"

Sharon glanced over her shoulder. "No, he told us Souness never talked about a family. Doesn't mean he didn't have one."

"Good point."

"You lot talking shop? Well I never." Methven stood by the table beside them, carrying a tray with a bowl of soup and some bread, hand jangling in his left pocket. "Got room for two more?"

Sharon frown. "Who's the other?"

A seriously thin woman appeared next to Methven. She had long dark hair and looked like she was in her early thirties.

"DS Catriona Rarity." Methven patted her shoulder. "This is her first day in Jim's team. This is DS Sharon McNeill, DC Scott Cullen and DC Angela Caldwell."

Sharon shuffled to the side. "Have a seat."

Methven sat at the end of the table, between Sharon and Caldwell, while Rarity sat opposite Cullen.

Cullen pushed his lasagne away. "Where have you moved from?"

"Central. I was based at HQ in Stirling."

"That's going to be the new HQ, right?"

"Maybe. It'll be Tulliallan until they decide."

"Do you know DI Cargill?"

"I worked with her on a couple of nationwide community outreach initiatives. They were pretty successful."

Methven dunked some bread in his soup. "Let the woman have some lunch, Cullen."

Cullen smiled. "Just being friendly."

"Yeah, well, your reputation precedes you."

Caldwell and Sharon laughed.

Cullen held up his hands. "Relax, I'm spoken for."

Methven took a spoonful of soup. "Doesn't sodding stop some people."

Caldwell shot daggers at him. Sharon tapped her on the wrist.

Rarity grinned at him. "Actually, I wouldn't mind having a catch up with you, Scott. DI Cargill asked me to keep an eye on how you're getting on with the Aitken investigation. I'm deputising for her in the post mortem at two, but I'll come find you after."

Cullen clenched his jaw. Someone else keeping an eye on him. "Sure."

They ate in silence for a few minutes.

Methven put his bowl back on the tray. "We'd better get back to it. DI Cargill wants a catch-up before the PM."

"I'll see you later." Rarity smiled at Sharon and Caldwell.

When they were out of earshot, Sharon piped up. "Where does he get off? We've not been working with him that long and I can't stand him already. Sanctimonious shit."

Caldwell smirked at Cullen. "Were you flirting with Rarity?"

"Hardly. I was just being friendly."

Sharon reached across and held his hand. "I don't think she was interested."

Cullen leaned back in his seat. "It wasn't that. I was fishing for information. That's another fucking DS that's come in. That's four. I'm fucked."

Caldwell rolled her eyes. "Here we go again. The career woes of Scott Cullen, detective constable for a whole eighteen months."

He scowled at her. "Is it pick on Cullen day or something?"

"Oh, come on, Scott." Caldwell folded her arms. "First, you get me to do your job for you this morning, then you're moaning that you're not getting promoted."

"Thanks for the sympathy."

Caldwell got to her feet. "Get over yourself, Scott."

"Cargill's put me in charge of you. I'll see you in the Incident Room in ten minutes."

"Great. I'll just get back to work and let you strategise." Caldwell walked off before throwing her tray onto the trolley.

Cullen turned to Sharon. "What's got up her?"

"DS Lamb."

Cullen grinned. "Very good." His expression darkened. "Since she got made a DC, she's been a right bloody princess. Bain was spot on with that nickname."

"Scott, she works hard. She's pretty good and she's going through a tough time, so let her get through it."

"Doesn't give her a remit to go around pissing everyone off."

Sharon shrugged her shoulders. "Maybe it does."

"We could do with an Incident Room out in West Lothian." Cullen kicked down to overtake a tractor, the Golf struggling to make it, the post-harvest fields around them reduced to yellow stubble. "I know this is an A Division gig, but I'm getting fed up driving out here all the time."

"I'm surprised your car's coping at all." Caldwell folded her arms. "Maybe you should get Shug Nichol to take a look at it."

"There's nothing wrong with it. It still works."

They drove through Ravencraig, busy with the lunchtime rush, the sun threatening to break out from behind the clouds. Greggs the baker had a queue almost round the block. A gang of school kids hung around in front of the Co-op.

Cullen indicated just before Nichol's Garage and headed down Mason Avenue, a street filled with semi-detached council houses, their harled exterior walls painted yellow. "Tina Aitken lives at the end of this one, I think."

The street was mostly empty and Cullen pulled into a space just in front of the three-storey block of flats she lived in. "Do you want to lead?"

"You owe me from earlier, I'll let you."

They walked up the path to the flat, the garden filled with dulled white pebbles and the sort of grey thistle Cullen always associated with municipal housing.

The door was eventually answered by a thin woman in her early forties.

Cullen showed his warrant card. "Mrs Aitken?"

"No, son, I'm her sister, Kerry. I'll show you through."

The house was in a state of disrepair, frayed carpet, peeling wallpaper, much worse than the flat her son had lived in - Xander Aitken had clearly gone up in the world.

The living room was small and packed with furniture - a three-piece suite in brown fabric filled the walls. A small portable TV sat in the corner, sound muted, showing an old Western.

Tina Aitken was sitting on an armchair, ignoring them as they entered, eyes focused on the floor. She was a few years older than her sister, her reddish brown hair thinning in places.

"Tina, the police want to speak to you."

She looked up, revealing sunken cheeks. Her eyes, surrounded by dark rings, barely acknowledged their presence. "Police have already been."

Kerry led them back into the hall, pushing the living room door shut behind Caldwell. "She's not taking this well."

"It's to be expected." Cullen loosened his tie - the flat was sweltering. "When were the police around?"

"A couple of young guys came this afternoon. I didn't catch their names. They were wearing uniforms, said they were from Ravencraig nick."

Cullen knew it should have been officers assigned to the investigation who were allocated to FLO duties - he'd have to check that out. "I need to ask her a few questions about her son."

"Okay, I'm not sure you'll get much out of it."

"I understand, but I need to try."

"I'll be in the kitchen. Give me a holler if you need me."

Cullen headed back into the living room, sitting on the settee nearest Tina with Caldwell perching on the other. "Mrs Aitken, I need to ask you some questions about your son."