Hamish Macbeth - Death Of A Dreamer Part 25

"Don't leave Brighton yet," said Hamish. "The winters here can be awful, long, and dark."

"Do you get much snow?"

"Occasionally we get terrible blizzards, but we're near the Gulf Stream, and that keeps us a bit milder than central Scodand. But it's a lonely life up here on the moors."

"I'm only a short drive from the village. If I stay, the first thing I'll do is get diat corrugated iron off the roof and replaced with tiles. When it rains, the noise just goes on and on."

When Hamish got back to the police station, it was to find Elspeth had arrived. Although he had locked up the station, Elspeth, like the locals, knew he kept a spare key in the gutter above the door.

"Right, Elspeth," he said. "Get out your notebook, and I'll tell you what I know." Hamish experienced a sudden guilty pang. He had promised Matthew the story.

Elspeth wrote busily. Hamish broke off to say, "Remember, you got this information from the hotel staff. You can say we're hunting for Betty Barnard, because her photo's going out to the papers tonight. Chust say she's wanted for questioning."

"Why did she do it?"

"I don't know if you can say this. Well, maybe you can say it's local speculation that she was in love with Jock Fleming. It was well known in the village that Hal took notes. He may have seen something relating to the murder and told Betty. I think she romanced him when n.o.body was looking and then phoned him diat night and arranged to meet him on the beach. She probably drove down to the far side of the loch and got into her diving gear in the shelter of the trees, dived into the loch, and swam across. He was so intent on staring up at the waterfront, waiting for her to arrive, that he didnae hear her coming."

"I'll say it's thanks to your brilliant deduction that they found out it was her," said Elspeth.

"No, give Jimmy Anderson the credit. He's been marvellous to work for."

"If you say so."

"Go into the office. You can use my computer, type it out, and email it across. I'll make up the bed in the cell. I'd give you my bed, but"-he hesitated and then went on defiandy-"die dog and cat aye sleep wi' me."

"The cell is fine, Hamish."

When Elspeth went off into the office, Hamish took the dog and cat out for a walk and then returned to get dinner ready. Archie had left six mackerel on the kitchen table. Hamish cooked one for Sonsie and then fried some liver for Lugs. He boiled potatoes, and when diey were nearly ready, he took two of the mackerel, gutted diem, dipped them in egg, rolled them in oatmeal, and fried them in the pan.

He dien put a bowl of oatmeal on the table and a block of b.u.t.ter.

When Elspedi came back in, he asked, "All done?"

"Yes, finished and sent over."

"Sit down and help yourself."

Elspeth speared a fluffy potato, rolled it in the oatmeal, and ate it with a lump of b.u.t.ter before tackling the fish.

At the end of the meal, the phone in the office rang. Hamish went to answer it.

"Liddesdale here," said the voice at the other end. "Remember me? I'm the editor of the Bugle."

"Yes?"

"Elspeth Grant has filed a great story, but we're nervous about using it before checking widi you first."

"Read it to me," said Hamish.

He listened as Liddesdale read it over. When he finished, Hamish said, "My, I don't know where she got all diat information from, but it's accurate. She always was the best."

"You sound as if you've forgiven her."

"We go back a long way. Look, if you give her her job back, I won't cash that cheque."

"You're kidding!"

"No, I mean it. I havenae cashed it yet."

"That's very generous of you. But it's already gone through the books. Just keep it. Do you know where Elspeth is?"

"She checked a lot of the facts with me. Strathbane will be sending you a photo of Betty Barnard. Elspeth's around and about. She's got her mobile phone with her. If you don't want her, she'll probably get herself a job on the Daily Record"

"She doesn't want to go to them," said Liddesdale. The Daily Record was their biggest rival. "I'll speak to her."

Hamish went back into the kitchen. "That was Liddesdale checking your story. I told him you were thinking of applying for a job on the Record. He's going to phone you on your mobile."

Elspeth's phone in her bag rang.

She took it out and went back through to the office. She was on the phone quite a long time. Then she came back.

"I've got my job back. Hamish, Liddesdale says you even offered to give them their money back if he re-employed me."

"Chust a thought," mumbled Hamish, rattling the dishes in the sink.

"After all I did to you, too. I don't know how to thank you."

"Let's talk about something else, Elspeth. You'll need to do a follow-up."

"I'll get up first thing in the morning and interview everyone at the hotel."

"I've still to make up the bed for you."

"I'll come and help you."

In the cell, Hamish said, "The bed's awfy hard. I'll put a quilt under you, if you like."

"No, I'm so tired and relieved, I'll fall straight asleep. Where are your beasties?"

"Gone to bed." He straightened up. "Well, mat's that. I'll give you first use of the bathroom."

Elspeth looked up at him and suddenly clutched his arm. Her grey eyes had turned silver. "What is it?" asked Hamish.

"Something bad, something evil. Quite near."

"You're tired, Elspeth. We all get fancies when we're tired. Let's go back to the kitchen and have a dram. I hope Jimmy's left me some."

They sat back at the kitchen table with gla.s.ses of whisky.

"Look at the cat!" said Elspeth.

Sonsie was standing at the entrance to the kitchen, fur straight on end, eyes blazing.

"What's up with the beast?" said Hamish. He half rose from the table just as the kitchen door crashed open and Betty Barnard stood there, a gun in her hand, her eyes glittering with anger.

She had dyed her hair blonde and cut it short and was wearing a pair of dark gla.s.ses, but Hamish knew it was Betty.

"You b.a.s.t.a.r.d," she spat at Hamish. "I'm taking you with me."

"Where?"

"The grave."

She levelled the pistol and took aim.

With one fluid motion, the cat sprang straight at her face. The cat was heavy, and the force of the spring knocked Betty backwards. Lugs came running in and sank his teeth into her leg. Hamish stamped on Betty's wrist and bent down and grabbed the gun.

"Off, Sonsie," said Hamish.

"Get it away from me!" screamed Betty. Sonsie was crouched on Betty's chest, staring into her eyes. The cat drew back her lips in a long hiss.

Hamish bent down and moved the cat. He twisted Betty round and, grabbing a pair of handcuffs from the dresser, handcuffed her hands behind her back.

She was now babbling with fear. "Keep the cat away from me. Keep it away!"

Hamish took off his belt and bound her ankles. He went through to the office and phoned Strathbane.

When he came back, he hoisted Betty upright and placed her on a chair. Elspeth left the room, muttering, "Got to phone."

Hamish looked at Betty sadly. "Why?"

"Mind your own business," she snarled, and refused to say another word.

It was half an hour before Hamish heard the welcome sound of sirens in the distance. The wait had felt like days.

Elspeth had come back into the kitchen. She stood in a corner, staring at Betty.

Just as Hamish heard the police cars draw up outside, the phone in the office rang. He went through and answered it. It was Liddesdale. "Mr. Macbeth, Elspeth has filed an extraordinary story about Betty Barnard trying to kill you."

"It's all true," snapped Hamish. "Print the d.a.m.n thing."

He went back just as Jimmy came into the kitchen.

"She was going to kill us," said Hamish. "That's the gun on the table." .-...

Jimmy charged Betty and told the police to take her to Strathbane. "You two had better come along as well," said Jimmy. "I'll need your statements. I'd think you'd want to be in on the questioning, Hamish."

At Stradibane, Jimmy sat in an interview room, flanked by Daviot himself. Hamish sat quietly in one corner. Once the interview tape was put into the machine, Jimmy began the questioning.

"We have you for the murder of Hal Addenfest and the attempted murder of PC Hamish Macbeth and Miss Elspeth Grant, so you may as well start by telling us why you killed Effie Garrard."

There was a long silence. Then she said harshly, "May I smoke?"

Jimmy nodded and slid a packet of cigarettes and lighter over to her. She lit one, blew smoke, and leaned back. "Funny," she said, "I gave these cancer sticks up years ago. Oh, why not?

"Jock and I had an affair. He said he loved me, and at that time, he was telling the truth. Then he began to cool. I told him unless he divorced Dora, I wouldn't represent him any more. Furthermore, I had lent him money for his gambling debts, and I said I would demand repayment. So he divorced Dora, but he kept making excuses. But the affair continued." Her voice suddenly trembled. "I was so terribly in love with him.

"Then I heard that Effie Garrard had flipped and was saying that Jock was going to marry her. I went to see her. I told her he wanted nothing to do with her. She told me he loved her and he'd had an affair with her. I knew Jock had pa.s.sing affairs, but it was when she said she was pregnant that I believed her. I knew she was a bit long in the tooth to get pregnant, but these days women have babies even in their fifties. I'd an awful feeling it might be true and Jock might feel obliged to marry her.

"I had a spare bottle of antifreeze in my car. I went into the hotel bar. It was empty that evening. I asked the barman to help me see if I had dropped my car keys in the car park. When he started to go towards the door, I took a bottle of sweet wine from the bar and put it behind a chair. Then I ran after him and said I'd found the keys. I went back to the bar widi him and ordered a martini. While he was busy mixing it, I got the bottle, took off my jacket, and covered the bottle with it. I drank that martini in one gulp.

"I ran into Jock on the road out. He said he'd spoken to Effie and told her he was off to Geordie's Cleft in the morning. I asked him where it was, and he told me. I said did Effie know where it was? He said sheepishly rfiat he'd told her and no doubt she'd be climbing up the mountain in the morning to haunt him.

"I wrote a note supposed to come from Jock saying he loved her and asking her to bring the wine up to Geordie's Cleft at midnight and they'd celebrate their engagement. 'You can start without me,' I wrote. 'I've already had a swig of it.' I opened the wine and poured most of it out and then poured in the antifreeze and screwed the cork back in. I left the bottle and note outside her door. Then on the road back to the hotel, I threw the antifreeze into the River Anstey.

"I climbed up to Geordie's Cleft the next night. I almost hoped to find she wasn't there, but she was dead and wearing that engagement ring. I took out my penknife and sawed it off and threw the ring in the heather on my way back. I put the suicide note in her pocket. I felt nothing. I felt I had really had nothing to do with it. Then that American came up to me with his notebook. 'I have it all here,' he said. 'I was looking in the window of the bar, and I saw you steal that bottle of wine. I think the police would be very interested.'

"I asked him what he wanted. He amazed me by saying he wanted to get married, that he was tired of living alone. He said he was lonely and he couldn't understand why n.o.body liked him.

"I said I'd meet him on the beach the following night at midnight and let him know my decision. I never thought he'd fall for it, but he did. Maybe because I said I was lonely, too, and that I'd like him to be a bit more romantic and the beach at midnight would be romantic.

"I flew down to Glasgow and got my diving gear, came back up, and hid it in the boot of my car. I drove over to the forest on the far side of the loch. I dived in and swam underwater across the loch.

"I saw him standing there like a b.l.o.o.d.y garden gnome staring up at the road. I crept up, picking up a rock as I went, and hammered him on the head. He fell backwards. I took the notebook. I dragged him by the ankles. I was going to take him with me into the loch. There's a sort of shelf down there, and I was going to lodge the body under it. Then I heard those two schoolboys. So I left him, waded in, and dived. I knew the police would be searching the rooms, and I thought of filling my diving suit with stones and sinking it down into the loch, but it was expensive gear. I knew about the storeroom because the porter had told me about the people who hadn't paid their bill and how their luggage was down there. I searched around the outside of the hotel with a torch until I found the right window. I shone the torch on that notebook and went through it. There was nothing about me stealing the wine."

Hamish's quiet voice interrupted her. "Why was I hit on the head in Glasgow? How did you know I was there? What was so important about that letter from Brighton?"

"I was always wary of you," she said. "I followed you when you left for Glasgow. I had to hang well behind before you got on to the busier roads. I saw you take the Glasgow plane. It was crowded. I bought myself a hat and dark gla.s.ses at the shop at the airport, bought a ticket, and took a chance. You never even noticed me. I followed you while you talked to people. Then I followed you back to Jock's flat. I was worried what you would find. I stood inside the door and watched you take diat letter from Brighton out. Jock and I went to Brighton for a weekend once. I stayed behind. I wrote him a pa.s.sionate love letter. Jock kept a baseball bat by the door. I whacked you with that and took the letter, went to the airport, and got the next plane back to Inverness."

"When Jock was in Brighton, he managed to have a onenight stand with Caro Garrard. How did he manage that?"

"He couldn't have...He wouldn't."

"Okay, maybe he met her and went back to Brighton later. But did you know Jock was still having s.e.x with his wife?"

"Liar. Not possible. He told me he was sick of her and she'd only followed him up here to get more money out of him."

"We have forensic proof that he did," said Hamish. "He said something about her having certain tricks."

Her eyes grew wider and wider, and then she began to scream and scream.

"Take her away," said Jimmy. "That's enough for now."

After she had gone, Hamish said, "Just as well she didn't know, or we'd have another dead body."

"Have you and your lady friend made your statements?" asked Daviot.

"She is not my lady friend, but yes, we have made our statements."