Not even vaguely.
The back garden was big enough for a swing set, a slide, and a Wendy house that looked as if itd been built by a drunken chimpanzee. Lichen flecked the patio slabs. A gas barbecue and a set of plastic furniture lay abandoned in the middle of the grass.
Off in the middle distance, a tractor rumbled along the edge of a field. Rapeseed flowers glowed violent yellow, as if someone had taken a highlighter pen to the landscape. A pigeon whrrrrooooed in the thick leylandii hedge.
All very bucolic.
Logan shaded his eyes against the sun. So he drank, he smoked dope, and he dumped her?
Well. . they were always doing that. Storming out, Ill never speak to you again, you lying bastard. Screw you, you mental bitch. And next thing you know theyre tying each others tonsils in knots with their tongues. Even when hes cheating on her.
Chalmers stopped scribbling in her notebook and stared at him. And Agnes is OK with that?
Oh, she makes him pay for it, but basically: if Tons happy with it, she is too. Tell you, hes had dogs less loyal than her, and Im talking Alsatians. Duncan made a little circular motion with the tip of his cigarette. You hear about her tattoo?
And youre sure theyve not been in contact? No missed calls, or texts?
Nah. Tons like that though: man of mystery. Doesnt like being pinned down. Duncan checked his watch, took another puff. Bastards should be here by now. Got another couple to show round at half two.
Logan moved across the patio, so the sun was warm against his back and not blazing in his eyes. Any idea where theyd go? Ever talk about escaping somewhere else? Down south, maybe?
A frown creased Duncans thin face. Then he swept a hand outwards at the fields and trees. Whyd you want to escape all this? Its, like the best place in the world.
They never talked about leaving Aberdeen?
Sometimes, when hes stoned, Ton bangs on about how great San Francisco is, but. . Duncan leaned forward and dropped his voice to a whisper. There were some Chinatown Triad guys after him: thats why his mum and dad had to pack up and do a runner over here. The way Ton tells it, theres this big gunfight behind some restaurant and he caps two of them, but they get his cousin. Bang, right between the eyes.
Chalmers moved a step closer. He told you he killed two people in San Francisco?
Pffff. . Nah, shot them in the leg and that. Totally self-defence.
And you believed him?
Yeah, well. . Tons my main man, you know? Duncan shifted the schedules from one armpit to the other. Dont know what Im gonna do if he dont come back.
Logan passed the brown paper bag over, then settled down on the bench. Sunlight beat down against his cheeks, the sharp salty tang of the sea mingling with fresh-cut grass. Three huge offshore supply vessels were lined up a mile from shore, probably waiting their turn to slip into harbour.
The grass dropped off in a steep incline down to a tarmac path, then a railing, then another steep drop concrete this time, then a wide strip of pale-gold sand. A mother lumbered along it, following a pair of wee girls that giggled their way to the waters edge, then scurried away squealing as the waves tried to eat their bare toes.
Chalmers rummaged about inside the bag and came out with a couple of fries. Thanks.
Did you notice?
She chewed, swallowed. Theyre a pair of nutjobs and they deserve each other?
Apart from that. Logan unwrapped his cheeseburger and took a bite. Talking as he chewed. No one mentioned Agnes taking drugs. It was all him.
Chalmers rummaged about inside the bag and came out with a couple of fries. Thanks.
Did you notice?
She chewed, swallowed. Theyre a pair of nutjobs and they deserve each other?
Apart from that. Logan unwrapped his cheeseburger and took a bite. Talking as he chewed. No one mentioned Agnes taking drugs. It was all him.
Her dad did.
Yes, but did he actually see her do it? Or did he just smell the marijuana on her? Maybe the weed was in her house because she was holding it for her boyfriend.
Her boyfriend the complete scumbag. An onion ring disappeared in two goes. He gets high all the time, plastered too, he cheats on her, and shes still running around after him like a lovesick puppy. . More fries. Makes you vomit, doesnt it?
Takes all sorts. Another bite of burger. Chewing, staring out at the glittering blue sea. We need to chase down this Stacey he was seeing on the side. Might still be at it.
One of the wee girls turned to run away from the North Sea again, tripped, went sprawling on her face in the sand, and was swallowed by a tiny wave. Cue screaming and bawling.
Logan helped himself to one of Chalmerss onion rings. Why are they hanging about Aberdeen, though? If youre going to run away, you run away, you dont stay in the same place where people are going to recognize you. . He dipped a couple of chips into a dollop of mayonnaise. What about the diary?
Next on my to-do list. Spent most of the morning going through CCTV footage. Chalmers tore the top off a sachet of salt and sprinkled it into her brown paper bag. When I was little, Dad would load us all in the car and down wed come from Inverness for a long weekend during summer holidays. Play on the beach. Go to Duthie Park. Eat ice cream and rowies.
Maybe theyre not running away at all. Maybe theyre hiding?
Do they still have that petting zoo out by Hazlehead?
What if Anthony Chung isnt just into smoking dope? What if hes been selling it too?
Chalmers stuffed more fries into her mouth. I used to love the llamas. Like mutant sheep on steroids.
Run a PNC on the pair of them when we get back to the station.
Already did it. She sooked her fingers clean, then pulled out her notebook and thumbed through the pages. Here we are: Anthony Chung, done for drunk and disorderly behaviour twice, no jail time, just fines. One charge of driving without a valid tax disc. Two warnings for possession of a controlled substance, but they didnt find enough weed to do him for intent to supply.
Agnes?
Choirgirl, compared to him. She was given a warning the week before she went missing local production company filed a complaint about her breaking into their film studio. A Mr Alexander Clark from ClarkRig Training-
Wait: Alexander Clark. Zander Clark?
His names on the complaint. They had to get security to eject her three times, then she broke in.
Why was she breaking into a porn studio?
16
Porn? DCI Steels mouth twitched at the corners, nostrils flaring, eyes widening. Seriously?
Got thrown off the set three times. Then she broke in. Logan hung his jacket on the back of his chair, then settled in behind his desk. Some sod had dumped a big pile of interview transcripts in his in-tray, as if he didnt have anything better to do. .
Steel clapped her hands together. Well, dont just sit there: get us a pool car and well go a-visiting!
Logan stared at her. Being a DIs no about running around-
Oh, dont be such a whinge. You said this Andreas a suicide risk, right?
Agnes. Do you ever pay any attention to anything I-
Be derelict in our duty if we didnt follow up on an important lead that could save a young womans life. So get your arse in gear. Ill come along and. . supervise.
I dont need you holding-
No, no, she held up a hand, I insist. A good senior officer knows when to step in and lend a hand with the troops.
How very team-spirited of you. He didnt move.
Steel bounced up and down on the spot, like a horny terrier. Porn, porn, porn, porn, porn!
Like working in a kindergarten.
He hauled himself up and pulled his jacket on again. If youre going to do that all the way, youre going in the boot.
Porn! She did a little hop-skip, then turned and trundled down the corridor. Been ages since weve seen the chunky monkey. Think hell still remember me?
Logan closed and locked the office door. Wish I didnt.
I heard that. But she didnt stop.
He followed her down the stairs, through the stations rear doors, and out onto the rear podium car park. It was bordered on two sides by the concrete bulk of Force Headquarters, the mortuary on the third, and the back side of King Street, turning it into a sun trap.
A couple of uniforms were lounging against the little dividing wall that ran along the ramp down to road level, faces turned to the sky, sunglasses glinting, their bare arms going an angry shade of Barbie pink.
Steel hauled out her cigarettes and popped one in her mouth. Then patted down her pockets. Arsebiscuits. . She looked at Logan. Well?
Thought youd given up.
Quitting is for wimps. Besides, if Im going to be stuck with your miserable mug all afternoon, Ill need a wee nicotine buzz going. Its this or the whisky. She cupped her hands around her mouth in a makeshift loudhailer. Hoy, Chuckle Brothers, either of you got a light?
Someone tugged at Logans sleeve. Guv?
He turned, and there was PC Sim, blinking in the sunlight. She sneezed a couple of times, like a shotgun going off in a bath. Then wiped her nose. Sorry. Another sneeze. A blink. Pause. Big Gary says youre not allowed out till youve seen your visitor. Sir.
I dont have any-
Sorry, Guv, its. . She screwed up one side of her face and then the sneezing was back.
Logan left her, doubled over by a battered police van, and hauled out his phone. Punched in the number for Sergeant McCormack. What visitor?
Aye, and hello to you too. Sim get you?
She was still at it sneezing and sneezing and sneezing.
What visitor, Gary?
The visitor whos been waiting in the reception room for the last twenty minutes.
He stared up at the building, looming in black and grey over the car park. You couldve bloody said! Ive been in my office for the last-
Your guests getting a wee bit tetchy, by the way. Might be an idea to come see them before you sod off with old Wrinklechops.
Who? Whos waiting for me, Gary?
A pause. Youll see.
By the time Logan had reached reception, Big Gary was standing behind the desk, a huge fat smile on his huge fat face. He grinned through the safety glass, then pointed off to the right. In there.
The reception-room door was shut. Logan keyed his passcode into the pad mounted on the wall beside it, then stepped inside. .
Sod.
Hissing Sid was sitting at the little grey table, arms folded across his chest. Shirt and suit jacket immaculate beneath the scowl. The lawyer checked his watch. I have been waiting here for precisely twenty-two and a half minutes. Do you have any idea how inconvenient this is? A sniff. There isnt even a wireless network for visitors.