Windchill (25 page)

"It's the truth, pal." Falconer shrugged. "He must be a kind-hearted soul."

"This is what you're stating for the record, right?"

"Aye."

"Very well."

Chapter 62

"You're not going to like this, sir." Cullen pulled the meeting room door behind them - Angela sat alongside Methven, working on a laptop.

"What is it?" Methven shut his eyes, the lids flickering beneath his monstrous eyebrows.

"Simon, you tell him."

Buxton cleared his throat. "Falconer's given the same alibi as Dean Vardy. He's saying he was with Darren Keogh."

"Sodding hell." Methven closed his eyes fully. "Sodding, sodding hell." He reopened them, bloodshot whites encasing tiny pupils. "Is this on the level?"

Cullen shrugged. "We've got uniform picking Keogh up from his work just now."

"Christ, Constable, you can't just do that!"

"Why not?"

"Because he's not done anything!"

"Keogh's lying to us, sir."

"How?"

"He never told us Falconer was with him and Vardy."

"But we know Vardy and Keogh were there, correct?"

Cullen folded his arms. "Aye, well, according to the bar man in Teuchter's."

"Right. So nobody's said there was a third man with them, correct?"

"Correct."

"You did ask?"

Cullen shut his eyes. Shite. "I don't think so."

"Sodding buggery!" Methven shut his eyes, fingers rattling change and keys in his pocket. He took a deep breath and reopened them. "Why not?"

"An oversight, sir."

"So Kenny Falconer could very well have been with them?"

"No way, sir. No way can he have been drinking with them."

"Why?"

Cullen looked around, reaching for some reason and coming up short. "He just can't. This is too much of a coincidence."

"We don't have to like the alibis we receive, Constable, but if there is one then we can't hold the suspect without cause." Methven smoothed down his eyebrows.

"Nobody's actually confirmed Falconer was there. Keogh, Vardy, Weir. We need to speak to Keogh again."

Methven nodded. "Okay. Do it."

Angela held up her hand. "Once you two have stopped butting heads, I've just got off with Lothian Buses. Falconer did get a bus into town that night."

"You're serious?" Cullen frowned. "Where did he get off?"

"CCTV shows he got off near Haymarket, start of Shandwick place."

Cullen thought it through. "He could easily have walked to Fountainbridge from there and killed Andrew Smith."

Angela shrugged. "Or he could've gone to William Street like he says."

Methven got up and inspected the whiteboard, shaking the pen between two fingers. "Right, Cullen, go and speak to Keogh again." He held out a finger. "But go easy on him, okay?"

"Will do." Cullen took his eyes off the dancing pen. "What about the fact he's lying?"

"Find the holes in his story and tear it apart, okay? Then we'll discuss what to do with him. But not before. Am I making myself clear?"

"Aye, you are." Cullen got up to leave. "Are you going to release Kenny Falconer?"

"We'll keep him in for the time being." Methven glanced at his wrist. "We've got another seventeen hours or so."

Cullen walked over to the door. "Fine."

"I know this is frustrating, Constable, but we need to do this by the book, okay?"

"Fine, sir. No cowboy antics from me this time."

"That's what I like to hear."

Chapter 63

"I'll say it again, Mr Keogh, you're under no suspicion of any crime yet." Cullen stared at the digital recorder at the side of the interview room table, its red light winking. "The reason we're interviewing you is straightforward. We need to validate the statement you gave on the thirty-first of December in light of recent evidence."

"Okay." Keogh gave a flicker of a smile, a deep frown etched on his forehead. "How can I help?"

"Can you confirm whether you were in Teuchter's bar on William Street on the night of the thirtieth?"

"We've been over this, haven't we?"

Cullen gestured at the recorder. "Please, again for the record."

Keogh scowled, eyes darting between Cullen and Buxton. "As stated before, I was there that night, aye."

"Who were you with?"

The frown deepened. "I was with Dean Vardy."

"Dean Vardy?"

"Aye." Keogh blinked a few times. "Look, shouldn't I have my lawyer in here?"

"Not unless you're lying to us." Cullen sat back, hands clasped behind his head. "Are you?"

"No, no it's the truth."

"Good." Cullen rocked forward in his chair, leaning on his right fist. "So, let me get this straight. You were with Dean Vardy?"

"Aye."

"And not with Kenny Falconer?"

"Oh, sorry. Yes. I was."

Cullen sighed - what was he playing at? "So you weren't with Dean Vardy?"

"No, I was."

"So you were with both of them? Kenny Falconer and Dean Vardy?"

"Aye. They're good pals of mine." Keogh swallowed, eyes locked on the table. "Good mates."

"We've reason to believe Mr Falconer was elsewhere at the time."

"Oh?"

"Mr Falconer's our prime suspect in the murder of one Andrew Smith."

"Kenneth was with me at the time."

Cullen raised an eyebrow - Kenneth? "He was with you all night?"

"Aye, well, till closing time. Back of eleven, I think."

"Mr Keogh, can I just remind you that providing a false alibi is a serious offence?"

"I'm well aware of that." Keogh wiped sweat from his brow. "This is the truth."

"If it's the truth, why are you sweating?"

"No reason."

"People don't sweat for no reason, Mr Keogh."

"It's hot in here."

"It's the middle of January. It's not hot."

"I'm not comfortable speaking to the police, that's all. That's why I want my lawyer."

"Wouldn't be because you're lying about your whereabouts, would it?"

"Look, I swear I was with both of them."

"Let's see how this sounds then, shall we?" Cullen smoothed down the margin of his notebook. "On the thirtieth of December, two people were murdered. In both cases, alibis were given. In both cases, the alibi is they were drinking in Teuchter's with you."

Keogh shrugged. "Aye."

"We spoke to you on the thirty-first about Mr Vardy."

"Aye, I remember."

Cullen slammed a fist against the table, pain jolting up his arm. "When we spoke to you on Hogmanay, why didn't you tell us you were with Kenny Falconer as well?"

"You didn't ask."

Cullen snarled, tempted to reach across the table and grab Keogh by the throat. "How do they know each other?"

Keogh frowned. "They don't."

"Yet you were with both of them?"

"I'm mates with Dean and I'm mates with Kenneth." Keogh shrugged. "I'm the common link. It does happen."

"So who was first?"

"Eh?"

"Did you arrive at Teuchter's first?"

"Aye. About half an hour before Dean."

"I see. And when did Kenny turn up?"

"A bit later."

Cullen shut his eyes. "When?"

"I don't know. I'd had a few pints by then. That Brewdog stuff's pretty strong."

"What was Mr Vardy drinking?"

"Same as me. He runs a pub, you know? Likes his beer."

"Brewdog Punk IPA?"

"Aye."

"And Kenny?"

"I can't remember what Kenneth was drinking."

"Was it lager?"

"Can't remember."

"Ale?"

"Maybe."

"What kind?"

"I. Can't. Remember."

"So you never went to the bar?"

"Dean knew the bar staff in there and we were getting table service. He just had to click his fingers and we got another round delivered."

"Sounds delightful."

Keogh scratched the back of his neck. "If I recall correctly, I was just going to the toilet when Kenneth turned up." He looked away, focusing on the far wall of the interview room.

Cullen leaned forward, arms on the table. "You expect us to believe this, do you?"

"I do. It's the truth." Keogh held up his hands. "Look, can I get back to work?"

Cullen leaned forward. "Interview terminated at fifteen eighteen."

Chapter 64

Cullen stormed into the meeting room, making his way to the whiteboard, Buxton following. He slammed the door behind them. "Sir, Keogh just told us Kenny fucking Falconer
was
in Teuchter's with him and Vardy."

"What?" Methven stood at the whiteboard, frowning. He huffed and looked over at Cullen, setting the pen down before digging his hand into his pocket, rummaging around for change. "And what do you think of that?"

"I think it's a load of bollocks. There's no chance those three were there together."

Methven marched over and put a hand on Cullen's shoulder. "Constable, can I ask you to calm down?"

"Calm down?" Cullen pushed the hand away. "I can't just calm down, sir. We're being fed a pack of lies by that wanker."

"You're absolutely sure there was no-one with them?"

"Aye." Cullen rubbed his neck. "Well..."

"You do have the statement from the thirty-first to back this up, though, correct?"

Cullen looked away as he thumbed behind him. "When Simon and I spoke to the bar manager on Hogmanay, we didn't ask who was with Vardy and Keogh."

"So you're saying there could be independent confirmation of Falconer being with them?"

"I think that's what I'm trying to say, aye."

Methven stood for a few seconds, lost in thought, hand jangling the keys. "Let's get that checked out then. We need someone to go over the bar manager's story with him, preferably in a darkened room."

"Sorry about this, sir."

"It's fine. This sort of thing happens. Just try to minimise the number of times it occurs."

DC Chantal Jain entered, carrying a tray laden with coffees. "Sorry, Scott, I've not got you one."

Cullen scowled at her. "Cheers for that."

Jain distributed the drinks, Angela smiling as she accepted hers, still rapt on her phone call. Buxton took a sip through the lid as Jain handed Methven a coffee.

"Thanks." Methven took the lid off the coffee, eyes on the wall clock. "Oh, sodding buggery, I'm late. Cullen, I'm leaving you in charge." He dashed out of the room, coffee swilling over the cup.

"What a man." Jain sat down, crossing her legs and fussing with her hair. "So, what's the drama now, Scott?"

"We've just re-interviewed Darren Keogh. He reckons he was with both Kenny Falconer and Dean Vardy on the night in question."

"Bloody hell." Jain took a sip of coffee. "And they were definitely there?"

"That's what we need to find out."

"Take it you fucked up, then? I heard Crystal moaning. You didn't ask if there was anyone with them?"

"No." Cullen tilted his head from side to side, eyes burning into Jain's coffee cup. "We know for certain Vardy was there."

"Aren't you a superstar?"

Buxton cleared his throat. "I just got checks done on Keogh. As we thought, he's clean as a whistle."

"Seriously?" Cullen shook his head. "He's supposedly drinking buddies with a knife dealer and a guy who owns a bookies, a taxi company and a pub, and he's clean?"

"Nothing on him." Buxton raised his hands. "It's like he's from another walk of life from those two."

Cullen folded his arms. "It's because he is."

"What do you mean by that?" Jain took a drink of coffee, peering over the rim of the cup.

"Well, for starters, Keogh's something like fifteen years older than the guys he was allegedly drinking with. Keogh reckons he's Vardy's uncle, sort of."

"Sort of?" Jain was frowning.

"Used to go out with Vardy's aunt or some rubbish." Cullen scowled before checking the whiteboard. "Have we spoken to the aunt?"

Buxton kept his focus on his notebook.

Cullen cleared his throat. "Simon?"

Buxton rubbed his neck as he looked up. "Yeah, having a bit of bother there, ain't I?"

"How come?"

"Can't get hold of her. Got a name, though. Alison Vardy. I'll keep trying."

"This doesn't feel right." Cullen felt his stomach rumble from the smell of coffee. "With the Lyle case, we were under the assumption Vardy got a cab up there to kill him." He grabbed a pen and drew a line from six p.m. to midnight, marking the arrival and departure times. "Even if he got chips at half past, Vardy's still got an hour before Pauline gets home. Plenty of time to kill Lyle."

Jain scowled at the board. "Assuming Ms Quigley's telling the truth."

Buxton nodded. "She's Vardy's girlfriend. She might be an accessory to murder."

"Precisely." Cullen added a note alongside
Pauline
. "Have we got anything to suggest she's lying to support Vardy?"

"Nothing, really." Buxton shrugged. "Remember, our suspicions were in the opposite direction - that she was shagging Lyle."

"Simon, fuck's sake. 'Shagging'? Really?" Jain scowled at Buxton, making Angela giggle. She looked at Cullen again. "What have you got on Falconer?"

"His fingerprints are on the knife that killed Andrew Smith."

"That's it?"

"Aye. Why?"

"I'm wondering if Keogh's lying to protect Falconer. It's like he's added Falconer to the alibi. It's gone from two men in a pub to three."

Jain tilted an eyebrow. "Nothing to do with you pair not asking?"

"No."

Jain scowled. "So, what do you want us to do,
sir
?"

Cullen bristled - cheeky sod. "Chantal, Angela, can you get back in with Keogh and go over his statement?"

"Will do,
sir
."

"Cut that out. I'm just trying to provide some leadership here."

"Sure thing,
boss
." Jain scowled as she made a note. "I was going to ask who died and put you in charge, but I don't even get the pleasure of going to Crystal's funeral."

Cullen frowned at Angela. "Once you've done that, can you get background checks done on everyone else?"

"Aye, will do." Angela nodded as she patted her swollen belly.

Jain nodded at Buxton. "What about you and your wee sidekick?"