Bridge of Doom (27 page)

'Can I borrow one of your cigarettes, Jack?’ 

'Of course, although I didn't know you smoked, Guy.’ 

'I don't. It's just that this meeting is the big one. It's squeaky bum time and if I can't convince all of the investors that I’ve got everything under control, then the
Westlink
deal is dead in the water and I'm sunk along with it. And that’s without starting to worry about Henry and all the other crap that’s going on.' 

'It's as bad as that?' said Jack, immediately concerned that there might not be enough money left in Guy's biscuit tin to pay his fee.

They were standing outside the office of Guy's lawyer, where Jack and Annie were shortly to be introduced to the six principal investors as independent planning consultants, brought in to assist Guy with the fine tuning of the
Westlink
development. 

Before they went into the meeting, Jack took Guy to one side and said, 'obviously this kind of thing isn't really our game. I mean Annie and I will try to bluff our way through the meeting, but what if somebody starts asking us really awkward questions about
Westlink?’
 

'Don't worry about it, Jack. If anything tricky does come up, I'll handle it. In my experience, the highest paid consultants usually just sit looking down their noses at everybody else around the table, as if they're all talking complete rubbish.' 

'I can do that,' said Annie confidently, looking sideways at her partner. 'I've had plenty of practice.' 

The meeting began on time at two pm in cordial fashion, with coffee having been taken and copies of the agenda distributed around the table. Guy then formally welcomed everyone, before beginning a brief summary of the progress made on the
Westlink
project. However, he had barely got going and was still reading from the cover page of his notes, when Raymond Glenn an expensively dressed lawyer, who was sitting directly opposite Guy, tossed his copy of the agenda to one side and stood up.  

'I'm sorry to interrupt proceedings,’ said Glenn with a thin smile that suggested he was anything but sorry. ‘However, certain disturbing information has just come into my possession, which I believe casts a major doubt over the whole
Westlink
project. In light of this development, I am recommending that we scrap the existing agenda and concentrate solely on attempting to resolve this matter.’

The other investors around the table were naturally taken aback by this shock news and looked to Guy Brodie for a reaction.

Jack and Guy exchanged knowing looks, before Guy said, 'very well, this is highly unusual, Raymond, to say the least. But you've certainly got everyone's attention, so I suppose we better hear what you have to say and then perhaps we can get on.'

Speaking confidently, without reference to notes, Raymond Glenn began to outline his concerns. ‘As you are all aware, I have been an enthusiastic supporter of the
Westlink
project from the very first time I became aware of it. And because I have no expertise in managing a property development of this size, I was initially happy to go along with Guy’s vision.’

‘However, in recent weeks I have become increasingly concerned regarding slippage in agreeing completion dates with our contractors and also delays in obtaining all of the necessary building warrants from the City Council, amongst a number of other crucial issues. I’m sure you will agree with me that the devil is in the detail when managing a project of this scale. The person who is in overall charge has to have his eye firmly on the ball at all times, to ensure that progress is smooth and drama free.’

‘Regrettably, it would appear that Guy has overstepped his capabilities with this particular project and, crucially, has failed to ensure all necessary due diligence has been carried out. Specifically, legal title to a vital strip of land, where the main access road to the
Westlink
site is located, remains in private ownership. And I am reliably informed that the owner of the land is flatly refusing to negotiate a sale.’

‘Some of you may already be familiar with the term ransom strip and I am advised that, in the majority of such cases, if the matter is handled
properly,
a suitable sum of money changes hands and then the problem can usually be made to go away. That’s not happened here, putting all of our investment at risk.’

Jack could see from the stunned expressions on the faces of the other investors around the table that Raymond Glenn’s statement had shocked them to the core. He exchanged a further knowing glance, this time with Annie, acknowledging that the bait had been taken and the trap was sprung. Their fictitious story, fed through Henry, had clearly been seized upon enthusiastically by Raymond Glenn and was now being made public, in an attempt to discredit Guy and scupper the entire project.

Amidst the confusion and shouted questions that immediately followed, Jack scribbled a note and slid it sideways to Guy. It read,
‘Mystery over. As suspected, Henry is the mole. Raymond Glenn has been pulling his strings.’

With the scent of victory now in his nostrils, Raymond Glenn built up to a climax by declaring ominously, ‘it appears that Guy Brodie has been deliberately withholding details of this vitally important issue, from all of the other investors around this table, no doubt in the hope that the matter could be satisfactorily resolved. However, with only two days remaining before the original option to buy expires on the brewery site, Guy has signally failed to achieve this. Therefore, in the absence of a last minute miracle, I’m afraid that
Westlink
appears to be beyond redemption. Would you agree that is a fair and accurate assessment of the current situation, Guy?’

Guy Brodie stood up and tried to restore order. 'Gentlemen, please. If everyone would just calm down and listen, I will outline an alternative view of where we are on the
Westlink
project, which differs significantly from the alarmist and wholly inaccurate picture just painted by Mr Glenn.’

Guy now had the full undivided attention of everyone around the conference table, as he gathered his thoughts and said, 'look, most of you have known me for a long time and we’ve done a fair amount of business together over the years. So I'm hoping that counts for something. It’s perfectly true that
Westlink
has in recent weeks been plagued by a series of unusual difficulties and delays.’

‘However, it’s just become clear to me that most of these problems have probably originated from within this room. I am convinced that not everyone involved in the project has been pulling in the same direction. In fact, I now have proof that one of your number has been actively plotting to derail the development, I assume in order to take over control himself.’

There was uproar around the conference table, as questions rained in on Guy from all sides demanding that he should explain himself. Jack concentrated on observing Raymond Glenn, who was giving a convincing impression of merely being a concerned, confused investor.

‘Let me make it as plain as I can. For the avoidance of doubt, I want to give all of you my word that the statement you have just heard from Raymond Glenn, regarding a ransom strip of land, is completely, categorically untrue. Agreement to purchase all of the land necessary for the completion of the
Westlink
development was secured within the last few days and, subject to the approval of this meeting, we can now proceed on schedule to the next stage of the project.’

It was clear from the reaction around the table that Guy’s calm, unequivocal defence was beginning to turn the tide of the meeting in his favour.

Red faced, with white flecks of spittle evident at the corners of his mouth, the lawyer stood up quickly, knocking his chair over in the process, and made his way purposefully round the table to confront Guy. Jack tapped Annie’s arm to warn her to be ready in case things kicked off. 

‘Wait a minute, Brodie, are you accusing me of being a liar?’ snarled Raymond Glenn, as the smooth shark lawyer’s mask slipped, revealing a much darker side to his character.  

‘I am and I can prove it,’ replied Guy defiantly.

Raymond Glenn completely lost it at that point and lunged towards Guy, scattering papers and coffee cups across the table. 

Guy stood his ground and an unseemly brawl seemed certain, but Jack quickly stepped between the protagonists and stiff-armed Glenn away, with a gruff warning. 'You need to back off right now pal, before you do something really stupid and end up getting hurt. Understand?’

Guy Brodie's lawyer wisely adjourned the meeting at that point, in an attempt to defuse the situation and avoid the police having to be called.

It was clear that Raymond Glenn understood he was no match for Jack in a fight and he quickly stepped back muttering dark threats. With the meeting ending in uproar, Jack decided it was time to leave.

‘Annie, get Guy out of here right now. I'll bring his stuff and meet you both down at the car in a couple of minutes.’

As Jack gathered up Guy’s paperwork and briefcase, he saw that Raymond Glenn appeared to have almost regained his composure. The respectable lawyer mask was back in place and he was deep in a huddle with several of the investors who had remained behind. 

Annie had the Lexus waiting outside the front door of the meeting venue and as Jack climbed into the back seat, he handed Guy his briefcase. ‘I didn't realise that property development in Edinburgh was such a rough game, Guy.’ 

‘It isn't usually anything like this, thank God. Fortunately, Raymond’s older brother, Maxie Glenn, wasn’t here today. He came to one of the early investor meetings and he’s a scary character. Didn’t say a word, just sat and stared at me for two hours solid. Somebody told me later that he served time in jail for a serious assault. Today’s meeting was a complete shambles, but it might have been even uglier if
he’d
been in the room. I’m afraid the
Westlink
deal is definitely dead and buried now.’ 

'Look, it maybe doesn't have to be that way,' said Annie. 'Obviously what happened in there was extremely unpleasant, but maybe it was necessary to clear the air. I think we've just seen conclusive proof that Raymond Glenn has been trying to derail the deal all along, by forcing Henry to betray you.’ 

'Annie's absolutely right, Guy, you need to try and take the positives out of this situation. Think about it, all the speculation is over. Now you know exactly where you stand and what you need to do to try and fix things.'

'I do?' said Guy, who looked totally bemused.

‘Obviously you can’t work with Raymond Glenn any longer. But if you could somehow buy out his stake in
Westlink
and quickly rally everyone who's still on your side and reassure them that all the recent problems have been caused by him, then maybe it’s not all over. But you need to do this quickly, by phone calls and email. Within the next couple of hours at the latest, so it looks like you're still in control of the situation. After all you've been through, trying to get this deal over the line, it's got to be worth a try. If you need any help getting the word out, we’re both here to give you a hand.'  

'You're right. It would be stupid for me to just fold and run away at this point. But what should I do about Henry?'

'I would be astonished if he’s still around when we get back to Moray Place,’ said Jack. ‘He’s probably just had an extremely awkward phone conversation with Mr Glenn, so he’ll have worked out that we tricked him. But, on the off-chance he hasn't heard what went on at the meeting, he needs to be barred from your home immediately, with all his stuff packed up and gone. I can do that for you and then we’ll change the code for the alarm system, so he can't ever get back inside.'

As expected, when they returned to the townhouse there was no sign of Henry. However, his clothes and personal effects were still in his bedroom.

The next morning Jack was carrying out another routine check on the house security cameras, using the MacBook, when Annie came into the kitchen. 

'I've just spoken to Guy. He's had a phone call from the police about Henry.' 

'Don't tell me,' said Jack, looking up. 'He's just handed himself in and confessed to carrying out four hundred and fifty burglaries in Edinburgh over the last twelve months, so that he could pay off his bookies.' 

Annie shook her head slowly and then sat down. 'No it's not that, boss. Henry was found dead early this morning under the Dean Bridge by somebody out walking their dog. Apparently he'd fallen into the Water of Leith and his body was carried about fifty yards downstream, before getting caught up in bushes on the river bank.' 

'Oh shit. Poor old Henry. I was afraid something like this might happen.' 

'Guy said the Dean Bridge is a well-known local spot for suicides.'   

'Yeah, I've heard of it,' said Jack. 'Apparently it's where you go in Edinburgh, when you've really hit rock bottom and don't have enough money left for the bus fare out to the Forth Road Bridge. For the
really
big finish.' 

They both sat in silence for a few moments, trying to come to terms with the shock that always accompanies the sudden unexpected death of a close acquaintance. 

Jack stood up and went over to the window, before turning to face Annie. 'But there's only one problem with this story. Henry once told me he was absolutely terrified of heights, something to do with falling out of a tree when he was a kid and breaking an arm. So would he really have chosen to end it all by climbing up on the parapet of a bridge, before hurling himself off into oblivion? Doesn't sound quite right to me.'

'That's true, but maybe it wasn't
his
choice.' 

'Yes, that's exactly what I've just been thinking, Annie. We both saw how angry Raymond Glenn was yesterday afternoon at the meeting and, looking at it from his point of view, he does have a point. He bailed out Henry which, remember, cost him a lot of money, all on the understanding that he would be getting the inside track on this big property deal. But instead of him mugging Guy with the information about the ransom strip at the meeting, the tables were completely turned and he walked straight into
our
ambush. So on top of wasting a large sum of money, his reputation has also taken a hefty knock. I would imagine he's now viewed as damaged goods in the local business community. Word usually gets around pretty fast about these kind of things.’

‘From his end he'll be convinced that old Henry's double crossed him. And he didn't look to me like the kind of man who would accept a sincere apology and then just laugh it off over a stiff drink. I was afraid there might be
consequences
.’ 

The following morning, they received further information which only deepened their suspicions. Annie updated Jack with the latest news. ‘Guy was just on the phone to say that he’s heard a bit more from the police. They've carried out a post mortem and Henry's death is quote
unexplained
, which I guess means they think it's a bit iffy.' 

'Trust me, Annie, it's a
lot
iffy.' 

‘Apparently there was no alcohol in Henry's blood stream at the time of death, which is surprising, but there were trace levels of Rohypnol. You know, that horrible date rape drug that some creeps use to spike girls' drinks, when they can't get laid any other way. How weird is that?' 

'That's another big red flag for me. Henry wasn't a brave man, Annie, so I don't think that there's any way he could have topped himself by jumping off a bridge, without having a good drink in him. As for the Rohypnol, while I definitely wouldn't put it past him slipping it into a female's drink, there's no way he would willingly take that stuff himself. I mean why would he? No, somebody who was very, very angry with him had him drugged before he was tossed off the bridge.' 

'I think I'd like to see where it happened,' said Annie, after checking Google Maps. 'It's not very far from here. Are you coming?' 

The two partners walked the short distance from Moray Place to the Dean Bridge, an elegant four-arch bridge spanning the Water of Leith, which was the last major construction project of Thomas Telford. The distinctive crow-step gables of the Toll House guard the ‘city’ end of the bridge and the Rhema Christian Centre Church is located at the other end, where the main A90 road heads north towards Queensferry. 

The city-bound lane of the road was closed and a set of temporary traffic lights was attempting, unsuccessfully, to deal with a huge back-log of traffic, which had built up at both ends of the bridge. 

Jack crossed the road and approached one of the police officers attending the scene, who was in the process of removing barrier tape and plastic cones from around the spot where Henry had apparently gone over the parapet. 

'Morning officer, I take it you've had a jumper,' enquired Jack. 

'Why, what's it to you?' growled the policeman. 

'Just curious. I used to be a cop in Glasgow and I've been at a few of these incidents myself, when people took a header off one of the various bridges over the Clyde. Definitely wasn't one of my favourite jobs.'  

'Okay mate, sorry I barked at you,' said the policeman. 'It's just that I've been pestered all morning by idiots wanting me to help them climb up on the parapet, so they can take stupid selfies at the exact spot where the poor bastard went over. It's unbelievable the crazy shit that people get up to.' 

'Tell me about it,' said Jack smiling in sympathy. 'Do you know if there were any witnesses? I mean this is obviously a really busy road into the city centre.' 

'Not that I've heard, so far. We've got somebody's checking all the traffic cameras in the area to see if that shows anything, but there's no sign of an abandoned car nearby. So, best guess, it looks like the guy has probably walked here, or maybe even arrived by bus or a taxi, and then just went ahead and did what he came to do. It's beyond me why people do this kind of thing. Anyway we're nearly done here.' 

'Yeah, I'll let you get on,' said Jack.  

Re-joining Annie, they both stood on tiptoes looking down at the Water of Leith and the adjacent walkway, a hundred feet below the bridge. 

'Oh my God, I feel sick just looking down there,' said Annie. 'I can't imagine what it must feel like to climb up on the parapet and then stare down at the water.' 

'I know, Annie. The only good thing is that Henry probably didn't know much about it when he went over.' 

'Look it's no secret that I really couldn't stand Henry, with all of his bullshit patter and endless snobby jokes about Glasgow. But nobody deserves to die this way, getting chucked off a bridge like a bag of rubbish. 

'You're right, Annie. Poor bugger.' 

Annie brushed away a tear and stared fiercely at her partner. 'We deliberately fed Henry a lie, then he passed it on and it's got him killed. So it's all
our
fault, isn't it? There's no other way to look at it. Shit, I feel so bad.' 

Jack put a comforting arm round his partner's shoulders and said, 'come on, stop it … that's crazy talk, Annie. We were just doing our job and what got Henry killed was his own weakness and stupidity, nothing else. So get that into your head right now, because there's nothing we can do to change what's happened. I don’t know if it’s possible, but we could maybe try and help the police to nail his killer.' 

'Yes, that would be something, if we could at least do that.' 

‘Come on, Annie, I definitely need a drink. Let's head back up to Bert's Bar and we can say cheerio to old Henry, with a toast.’