Ken McClure - Eye of the raven

‘ Did Dr Lee himself get involved in the analysis of the scrapings?’ he asked.

‘ I think he did,’ replied Samantha, destroying what was left of the Dunbar theory. ‘I don’t think he was very good at DNA work but he liked to go through the motions and John was always on hand to keep him right.’

‘ What was the final outcome?’

‘ The scrapings confirmed David Little as being the murderer.’

Steven smiled at Samantha and said, ‘You have been a tremendous help. In fact, you’ve just told me everything I needed to know.’

Steven had a lightness in his step as he left the hospital and walked back to the car. He no longer had the feeling of trying to run in soft sand. Samantha Styles had told him exactly what he needed to know; that the material found under Julie Summers’ fingernails had confirmed the case against David Little. He could return to London with an easy mind.

Steven checked out of the hotel and drove to Edinburgh airport where he returned the hire car to Hertz before booking himself on the next British Airways shuttle flight to Heathrow. He was standing in the lounge looking out at the rain sweeping across the main runway when his mobile rang.

‘ Yes?’

‘ Peter McClintock.’

‘ And just in time to say good-bye,’ said Steven. ‘I’m at the airport.’ He expected McClintock to be pleased and come back with some kind of a joke but there was a short pause before the policeman said, ‘I thought you should know that Ronnie Lee’s gone missing.’

‘ Missing,’ repeated Steven.

‘ And his wife’s blaming you.’

‘ How in God’s name could he go missing? He didn’t look as if he could stand up let alone go missing.’

‘ His wife told Grampian Police that he was greatly upset by your questions yesterday and didn’t seem himself last night. When she got up this morning his bed was empty. She thinks he must have wandered off somewhere in his pyjamas in the middle of the night. The temperature dropped below freezing last night in the highlands. She’s been screaming harassment to anyone who’ll listen.’

‘ Who’s listening?’

‘ Luckily, no one at the moment but Grampian Police thought we’d like to be kept in the picture,’ said McClintock.

Steven considered for a moment before making a reluctant decision and saying, ‘I’ve just changed my mind about leaving. I’ll stay until they find him. Let me know as soon as there are any developments.’

Steven cancelled his shuttle ticket and went back to the car hire desk.

‘ Change of heart?’ asked the girl.

‘ Couldn’t bear to leave,’ said Steven, filling in the paperwork all over again. He saw no point in travelling back across town to the hotel where he had been staying so he checked into the airport hotel instead and called Sci-Med.

‘ Any idea where he might have gone?’ asked Macmillan.

‘ None at all.’

‘ But he was disturbed by your visit?’

‘ He was more angry than disturbed,’ said Steven. ‘I really wasn’t hard on him.’

‘ So where the hell has he gone?’

‘ I don’t think he was in any physical condition to go very far,’ said Steven. ‘I’m surprised he made it to the front door.’

‘ I don’t wish to pre-empt matters but did he strike you as the suicidal type?’ asked Macmillan.

‘ Far from it,’ replied Steven. ‘He was full of bitterness and resentment. He genuinely believes he got a raw deal when they forced him into retirement. According to him, everything that happened was just down to either circumstances or the fault of other people.’

‘ I think they call it “being in denial” these days,’ said Macmillan.

‘ If you say so,’ said Steven.

‘ And his wife?

‘ Standing by her man. She seemed to share his view. Neither seemed to acknowledge that being permanently pissed could be a drawback for a forensic pathologist.’

‘ This could get very messy,’ said Macmillan. ‘Let’s try to minimise the fall-out if this woman starts stirring things up all over again. I like to maintain good relations with our police colleagues wherever possible.’

Steven grimaced as he put the phone down. ‘Easier said than done,’ he murmured.

Steven remained on tenterhooks for the next couple of hours, not knowing what to do but feeling uncomfortable about doing nothing. He snatched up the phone when it rang. It was McClintock.

‘ They’ve found him. He’d dead.’

‘ Shit,’ said Steven.

‘ Apparently there’s a steep drop at the back of his house to the river.’

‘ There is,’ agreed Steven, thinking of the view of the Spey he’d admired from there.

‘ Some time last night he walked over it, only he didn’t make it into the water. He impaled himself on a sharp tree stump after falling fifty feet or so. The local plods are treating it as suicide. Seems like old Ronnie even fucked that up.’

‘ When’s the PM?’

‘ Tomorrow in Inverness.’

‘ I want to be there,’ said Steven. He wasn’t sure why but he didn’t feel comfortable with the idea of Lee committing suicide. A man like Lee would have seen that as letting the bastards win.

‘ Nothing I can do personally,’ said McClintock, ‘but I can give you the name of my Grampian contact. He’s DI Hamish Teal.’ McClintock gave Steven the telephone number.

‘ Thanks for your help,’ said Steven.

‘ Something tells me that a whole lot of shit is going to start flying,’ said McClintock ruefully. ‘I’d hate to be wearing a white suit.’

Steven could think of nothing reassuring to say. He took a moment to consider before calling Sci-Med to inform John Macmillan of Lee’s death. ‘I don’t think he committed suicide.’

‘ Anything to back that up?’

‘ Just instinct.’

‘ Well, it’s served you well enough in the past,’ conceded Macmillan. ‘What do you want to do?’

‘ I want to call a code red on it,’ said Steven. His request was that his inquiry in Scotland should no longer be regarded as unofficial but that he should be considered fully operational with all that entailed. In effect this would mean that he would no longer be reliant on the voluntary co-operation of individual police officers in his investigation but that his official status as a Sci-Med Inspector on Home Office business would oblige relevant police authorities to co-operate fully with any request he made. He would also be entitled to full back-up from Sci-Med who would see to it that he had everything he needed from simple information to weapons should they be necessary. He would have access to operational funds through two credit cards and access to a special phone line, which guaranteed access to a duty officer at Sci-Med at any hour of the day or night.

‘ Up to you,’ said Macmillan, as he usually did in this situation. The nuance in his voice however, suggested that Steven had better have a good reason in the long run for doing this. ‘Do you have your laptop with you?’

Steven said not. He knew that he’d need one for secure electronic communication.

‘ We’ll get one to you. Where are you staying?’

‘ The airport hotel at Edinburgh.’

Steven was called down to the lobby half an hour later. He was surprised to find McClintock standing there. ‘Room service,’ said McClintock holding out a notebook computer by the strap of its leather carry case.

‘ Should I tip you?’ smiled Steven.

‘ I came to tip you,’ replied McClintock. ‘Santini just about went through the roof when the Home Office directive came in. I think he’s considering putting out a contract on you.’

Steven smiled.

‘ Don’t laugh,’ said McClintock. ‘I’m the hit man.’