Hold Hands in the Dark (12 page)

Chapter 27

‘W
hat happened to the McNeils’ stuff?’ Gabe perched on the edge of his boss’s desk. ‘They went missing in the fall of 2014. They’d quit their jobs and their lease was up. Someone killed them and stashed the bodies in the freezer in the basement, then padlocked it up tight. But what happened to their gear? They’d been the longest tenants resident in that place. After they disappeared, the landlord couldn’t get anyone to rent the joint for more than a few weeks at a time. Both houses next door have stood empty for months. So where are all their belongings? There should be photographs, books, clothes – furniture even?’

              ‘Could the killer have got rid of it all?’ Cassie suggested.

              ‘It would have been one hell of a job,’ Sam surmised. ‘Even in that scuzzy neighbourhood someone would surely have noticed. I can’t see the perp taking that kind of risk.’

              ‘Maybe there wasn’t much left to dispose of.’ Dani glanced at each of the American detectives in turn. ‘The McNeils were planning to leave Richmond. That much we know for certain. What if they’d already packed up and sent the majority of their stuff on to wherever they were headed. They may have had some hand luggage still to take on the journey, but that wouldn’t have been too difficult for the killer to get rid of.’

              Sam rose to his feet. ‘What are the main shipping companies that operate out of the city?’

              ‘There’s a big USA Freight building out near Highland Springs,’ Gabe said.

              ‘And there’s a UPS office in the centre of town,’ Cassie added. ‘My folks used it to send my gear on when I went up to College.’

              Sam rubbed his chin. ‘Yeah, Janie used UPS to get Nathan’s stuff down to the Virginia State campus last year.’

              ‘Then we need to check them all,’ Dani said decisively. ‘We’ll have to view their dispatch records for the first half of 2014. Just in case the McNeils had got ahead of themselves and sent on their belongings in advance. Some of these companies even store the luggage too, don’t they?’

              ‘Yes,’ said Sam, already looking up the contact details on his computer. ‘They sure do.’

*

Detective Sharpe had left Cassie and Gabe in charge of calling round the shipping agents of Richmond. He and Dani were heading out to the school where John McNeil had taught Geography for the best part of a decade.

              Dani’s father had been a primary school headmaster on the Scottish island where she grew up, but she knew next to nothing about the American education system. The downtown Richmond High School they were visiting was buzzing with activity. The halls were full of students who looked much older than their British counterparts. Dani thought this was because they weren’t in uniforms, but instead wore a colourful mix-match of jeans, sports sweaters and Nike sneakers.

              The principal was youngish. Dani decided maybe early forties at most. She let Sam take the lead with the questions.

              ‘Mr Wilson -,’ Sharpe began.

              ‘Call me Mike.’

              ‘Okay,
Mike.
We’re investigating a double homicide involving an ex-employee at your school.’

              The principal sat up dead straight. ‘
Holy smoke
.’

              ‘Mr John McNeil and his wife, Rita, were discovered buried in the back yard of the house they rented on the Southside. Their bodies had been frozen directly after death, sometime in 2014, and then interred within the last few weeks.’

              The man had gone deathly pale. ‘I knew we hadn’t heard from John after he left, but I had absolutely no idea…,’

              ‘Our forensic tests suggest that the McNeils were killed not long after quitting their respective jobs. Did you know where the couple were planning to go next? Did John have another teaching job lined up?’

              Wilson shook his head slowly. ‘No, I got the distinct impression they were both retiring. I believe John told me they were planning on doing some travelling before making any hard and fast decisions about where to settle down. I certainly wasn’t called on to write a reference for him. The couple had no children, no extended family to speak of. They were free to do as they wished. That’s why I wasn’t really surprised when I’d heard nothing more. I assumed they were seeing the world. It made me quite envious, as it happens.’ He gulped, looking suddenly nauseous.

              ‘Have you got John’s employee records on file?’

              ‘Of course, it was only two years ago. I’ll ask one of the secretaries to print them off for you. Will there be a funeral? I’d like to go. I know some of John’s ex-students would also wish to attend. He was much loved as a teacher. His subject knowledge was excellent and he clearly enjoyed sharing his enjoyment of the topic with others, you know?’

              ‘Yeah, I do know, Mike. I’ll get someone to inform you when the funeral can take place. You just might be the guy organising it. We couldn’t trace any other family or friends who showed an interest in paying their respects.’

              The principal regained his composure. ‘Then leave that with us. The High School will give John and Rita a decent send-off. God knows, it’s the very least we can do.’

Chapter 28

‘I
t restores your faith in human nature.’ Sam glanced across at his passenger as they drove towards the suburb of Midlothian.

              Dani grunted an acknowledgment, apparently engrossed in the files that the school secretary had given them.

              ‘I mean, the guy didn’t have to agree to organise a funeral.’

              Dani looked up. ‘But if Dale Faulkner had no family or friends, you’d have done it for him, even though he was simply your employee, wouldn’t you?’

              Sam considered this. ‘Yeah, but Dale was also my friend, so it’s hard to say for sure.’

              ‘If he was a member of your team you would have done. I know you would.’

              ‘Yeah, maybe so. You feel responsible, I suppose.’

              Dani turned and gazed out of the window, as one tree-lined block blended into another. ‘After we split up, there was this case back in Glasgow. It involved the disappearance of Andy’s uncle a few years ago.’

              ‘I know, I read about it.’

              Dani flicked her head back, eyeing him carefully.

              ‘I told you before. I was following your cases in the press.’ He remained facing dead ahead.

              ‘Then you’ll be aware that a young policewoman was killed in the process of the investigation. It was me who requested she join the team. The girl just wasn’t ready and I didn’t see it.’

              Sam nodded slowly. ‘It was the closest I’ve come to getting in touch again, when I read about that. I knew you’d be cut up. I wanted to tell you it wasn’t your fault. It was that
shithead
who mowed her down.’ He gripped the steering wheel tightly.

              ‘Why didn’t you?’

              ‘I was worried you’d moved on, wouldn’t take my call. That woulda hurt real bad.’

              ‘But you sought me out this time?’

              ‘There was this case to give me a reason. Besides, Joy and Bill wouldn’t stop nagging me until I’d picked up the phone and dialled the numbers.’

              Dani chuckled. ‘I can imagine.’ She leaned her head against his shoulder. ‘But I’m glad you did. However this situation turns out, I’m really glad you did.’

              Sam spotted the house and pulled up at the kerb. ‘This is where Toni Faulkner lives and where she and Dale brought up the kids.’

              ‘Nice place.’

              They both got out of the car and approached the front door.

              Toni answered after only a couple of seconds. She smiled warmly when she saw Sam, but cast Dani a more suspicious look.

              ‘This is DCI Dani Bevan from Glasgow. She’s the one who’s investigating the murder of Dale’s sister.’              ‘You’d better come in.’ Tony led them into the spacious sitting room. ‘I can’t get used to the idea of Dale even having a sister. That woman was my children’s aunt – a close blood relative. It’s tough to get your head around.’

              ‘It must be,’ Dani added.

              Toni turned to Sam. ‘Did you get a chance to speak with her before she died? What was Vicki like?’

              ‘She was clever, talented and very dignified. I’m sure the kids would have liked her. She would’ve been a great role model.’

              Toni sighed. ‘We’ve already watched a few of her performances on YouTube. I can’t believe that beautiful music was produced by a sister of Dale’s. He was practically tone deaf. You know what he was like trying to sing Christmas carols!’ She chuckled good-naturedly. ‘But I could see the resemblance – something about the eyes, I thought.’

              ‘Yeah, I could see that too,’ Sam replied softly.

              Dani was beginning to feel like a gooseberry. She subtly cleared her throat. ‘Toni, I know that Dale never revealed anything about his life in Scotland, but can you tell us what his parents were like. Did you know Magnus and Sue well before they died?’

              The woman turned towards Dani, almost begrudgingly. ‘Of course I did. They were the kids’ grandparents. Dale’s folks were quiet. They didn’t go out much, not like mine, who are members of every retirement club going. If Magnus and Sue had still been alive, I don’t think Dale would have left us. I know that sounds weird, but he adored them and it would have broken their hearts to see our family split up.’

              ‘But they’d allowed their own family to get split,’ Sam put in. ‘Magnus and Sue left Vicki behind.’

              Toni frowned. ‘I still can’t really accept that. You’ve never met a more family oriented couple than them. Magnus and Sue were old-fashioned. Divorce was a dirty word to them. My brother and I are both separated now and my folks just get on with it. That’s modern life, they say. But it would have broken Dale’s parents, I know it would.’

              ‘Sometimes people over-compensate,’ Dani offered. ‘If they’ve experienced a broken home themselves, they do everything in their power to keep their family together in the future.’

              Toni nodded. ‘Yeah, you could be right. Because there’s no doubt they left their little girl behind. I could see so much of the Faulkners in her.’ She tutted. ‘Imagine how Vicki would have felt, knowing about all the time and care Magnus and Sue took over our kids as they were growing up – they loved them just as much as we did. She’d have been heartbroken they never did the same for her.’

              Dani shuffled forward. ‘Perhaps
that’s
why Vicki never came to visit when she was in the States. We all have ways of protecting ourselves emotionally. It may have been far too painful to see Magnus, Sue and Dale getting on with their lives without her.’

              ‘Well, I can’t claim to know how Vicki felt,’ Toni continued. ‘But
I
certainly couldn’t have handled it.’

              ‘No,’ Dani said with feeling, ‘neither could I.’

Chapter 29

W
hen they returned to the police department, Cassie and Gabe were still busy making phone calls.               Dani sat down opposite Sam at his desk. ‘I don’t think Toni Faulkner liked me very much.’

              ‘She warmed to you towards the end. Toni’s okay, she’s just been through a lot these last few months. It’s hard for her to trust people she’s not met before.’

              ‘It was interesting what she had to say about Magnus and Sue. Up until this point, their personalities have been a mystery. I can imagine them now as doting grandparents, living a comfortable but quiet life here in Richmond. What I can’t imagine, is the Magnus and Sue who lived at Crosbie Farm, up to their eyes in debt, fleeing their creditors and leaving a young child behind in the process.’

              ‘Folks change. The couple Toni knew were decades on from that situation in Scotland. They’d reinvented themselves.’

              Dani quietly considered this, only glancing up when Cassie strode towards her boss, the flicker of a smile on her face.

              ‘I’ve got something.’ She dropped down into a seat, placing her notebook on the desk. ‘We tried all the big operations in the city. None had a record of the McNeils sending any shipments. So we started trying companies further afield. I’ve just come off the line from a firm in Norfolk who specialise in trans-Atlantic haulage. They say they’d run an advertising campaign in the Richmond area during 2013, that’s how the McNeils must have found out about them.’

              Sam shuffled forward. ‘What have you got?’

              ‘Norfolk-Atlantic had a record of sending a container full of crates belonging to a J.A McNeil of Richmond, VA in June 2014. It cost the client two thousand dollars and included six months storage at the other end.’

              ‘Where was the container sent to?’ Dani could feel her heart in her mouth.

              Cassie glanced back at her notes. ‘It travelled via Liverpool, arriving at the port of Greenock on the 2
nd
July 2014.’

              Dani whistled. ‘
Bloody hell
. The McNeils were going to Scotland.’

*

‘I suppose it makes sense,’ Sam said levelly. ‘John McNeil was always fascinated by his family’s roots in Scotland.’

              ‘Perhaps they were planning to travel around for six months before settling somewhere in the homeland.’ Dani had Cassie’s notebook in front of her and already had her mobile phone poised to dial. ‘That six month contract would have been up at the start of 2015, let’s hope to God we aren’t too late.’

              ‘We still need to try.’

              Dani nodded and hit the speed dial.

              ‘Morning, Ma’am, what’s up?’

              ‘We’ve had a major development, Andy. The McNeils were planning to spend their retirement in Scotland before they were killed. They sent a shipment of their belongings on ahead of them, which they placed in storage. The company the crates were delivered to is called Caledonian Removals Ltd. They’re on the Rutherglen Industrial Estate. I need you and Phil to go out there right now and check if they’ve still got the stuff. If they haven’t, find out what’s happened to it.’

              ‘Understood, Ma’am. I’ll get back to you later.’

              Dani ended the call, turning to the American detectives gathered around her. ‘I just hope the McNeils’ stuff hasn’t ended up in the sodding incinerator.’

              Sam placed a hand on her shoulder. ‘All we can do now is to wait for Andy to get in touch. But I’ve got a lot of faith in the guy to locate it.’

*

Phil was driving. The rush hour traffic was heavy. It took nearly an hour to reach the industrial complex in Rutherglen. Caledonian Removals was hard to miss. The company took up several hangars, each painted a deep, royal blue.

              Andy had called ahead to ask the manager to keep the office open for them. Phil pushed through the glazed double doors and displayed his warrant card.

              ‘DI Boag and DS Calder. We’re here about the McNeil shipment from the USA.’

              The manager stood up and offered his hand. ‘Aye, I’ve brought out the paperwork for you.’ He shook his bald, shiny head. ‘I’m afraid the storage contract expired on the 3
rd
January 2015.’

              Andy took a step forward, finding it hard to hide his frustration. ‘What exactly does that mean, sir? Where are the boxes now?’

              ‘Hold your horses, Detective Sergeant, that’s what I’m trying to pin down.’ He swivelled round a computer screen. ‘The items were booked in on the system on the 3
rd
July ’14, see?’

              Phil nodded dutifully, sensing they’d need to jump through some hoops before getting their answer.

              ‘Once the six months had expired, the system generated an automatic e-mail reminder to the client, either to extend the storage period or come and collect the goods.’

              ‘The clients were dead by that time, their frozen bodies stuffed in a freezer.’ Andy looked daggers at the man crouched before them.

              ‘Well, in the event of the reminder being pinged back to the server, a letter would then be generated.’

              Andy rolled his eyes. ‘How the hell long does that process go on for?’

              The manager turned back to the screen. ‘The last reminder was sent out in October. Then the client was marked unresponsive – see?’

              ‘Okay, so that was about five months ago, what happened then?’ Even Phil was struggling to keep his cool.

              ‘You’d be surprised how long it takes some of our customers to come and collect their property. If a house sale is dragging on, it can take months or even years. Whether we hold on to the stuff really depends on the capacity in our warehouses. Since 2014, business has picked up – what with the housing market getting a small bounce. But it’s still not enough to get us back to pre-2008 levels. That’s when we invested in the additional warehouse.’

              It was taking all of Andy’s willpower not to grab the man by his grubby collar and shake him senseless. ‘
Where’s the McNeils’ stuff?
’ He hissed instead.

              ‘I’ll have to get the warehouse manager to confirm, but judging by these dates, I would say the McNeils’ consignment will have been moved to the holding hangar, where it will await pulping. Whether it has already been pulped, remains to be seen.’

              ‘Just get the keys for the hangar, sir,’ Andy said through gritted teeth. ‘We’ll check if the boxes are still there.’

              ‘Oh, well, I suppose we could do that,’ the manager responded laconically, reaching into a drawer for a master set of keys.

              ‘If that guy doesn’t get a move on, the only thing getting pulped will be him,’ Andy muttered to Phil, as they followed the man out of the door.