Death of a Chimney Sweep - M. C. Beaton [24]
Sonsie and Lugs were waiting outside the police station for him. He had forgotten to feed them before he left but he was pretty sure the pair of them would have gone along to the kitchen door of the Italian restaurant, where the staff spoiled them. They could come and go by a large cat flap in the kitchen door of the police station.
“They’ve been fed,” said a voice behind him.
He swung round. Angela Brodie, the doctor’s wife, stood there, her soft wispy hair blowing around her thin face. “They were eating like pigs outside the Italian restaurant. Lugs is particularly fond of osso buco.”
“I’ll make us some coffee,” said Hamish.
“How’s the case going?” asked Angela when they were seated at the kitchen table.
“Not well.”
“Been to see Elspeth? She’ll soon be past the infectious stage.”
“I’ll head up there later. What should I take her?”
“I think she would like something easy to read.”
“I’ll look for something. I’d better check that those four bastards have left the area.”
“Do you suspect one of them?”
“Yes, I do.”
“But why? I gather Davenport owed them all money, but they all seem to be pretty well off.”
“I think I’m dealing with a psychopath with an overweening vanity.”
When Angela had left, Hamish went through to the police office and called Jimmy Anderson.
“Jimmy, this is one hell of a long shot. It’s about that woman who helped our murderer abduct Philomena.”
“What about her?”
“I think she was in disguise.”
“Stands to reason.”
“I mean I think she had stuffed her face and body to make herself look fatter. The waitress said she spoke as if she’d just been to the dentist. And she said she was from Edinburgh.”
“What are you getting at?”
“Could you do me a favour? Could you get on to Edinburgh police and give them, say, the day after Philomena’s murder, or the day after that, and ask if there were any suspicious deaths in Edinburgh?”
“The damn city’s probably got a long list. Okay, I’ll let you know.”
“I’m going out to take my beasts for a walk.”
“Hamish, I probably won’t get back to you until this evening.”
“I’ll be waiting.”
Hamish put down the phone. He felt a draught on the back of his neck and went into the kitchen. The door was slightly open. He frowned. He was sure he had shut it. Sonsie and Lugs were nowhere in sight. He decided to go out and look for them. He locked the kitchen door, put the key up in the gutter above the door, and set off.
Betty crept out from behind the henhouse, where she had fled when she had heard Hamish put down the phone.
She quickly nipped up to the kitchen door, took the key down from the gutter, and let herself in.
Inside the police station office, Betty took a small, powerful tape recorder out of her bag and searched for a place to hide it. There was a shelf of files above the desk. She set it up there and let herself out, heading off up the back way, through Hamish’s grazing flock of sheep and made her way by a roundabout route back to the hotel.
She had read about Hamish in the Glasgow office. With any luck he might be on to something and she could steal the show from Elspeth.
Hamish found Lugs and Sonsie along the waterfront, took them back to the police station, and loaded them into the Land Rover. He collected a pile of old paperbacks and headed off for the Tommel Castle Hotel.
He was met by Dr. Brodie, who told him that it might be an idea to leave Elspeth alone for another couple of days although she appeared to be much better. Hamish handed him the pile of books and asked him to take them up to her.
He drove off towards the police station. Rain was smearing the windscreen. For once the wind of Sutherland had deserted the county. The waters of the loch lay still and dark, and the pine forest opposite was obscured by mist.
He parked at the police station. Lugs and Sonsie followed him in. Lugs gave a sharp bark, and the fur on Sonsie’s back was raised. Hamish stood inside the door, listening, waiting, and sniffing the air. There was a faint smell of perfume. He went back out to the Land Rover and collected