Faith - Lesley Pearse [185]
‘Maybe,’ Gregor said. ‘But it couldn’t be proved now anyway.’
‘If it was the son of a senior police officer who was killed, you’d still be searching high and low for the panel beater that patched his car up,’ Stuart snapped.
‘Aye, you’re right there,’ Gregor admitted.
‘It seems to me the police in Fife are sadly lacking,’ Stuart said, and told Gregor about the Langdons and their car on the day of Jackie’s murder. ‘I don’t think the police even bothered to consider who else might have a motive to kill her. Laura was conveniently there, the knife in her hand, and on the say-so of a nosy neighbour who said he saw her arrive half an hour earlier, they banged her up and threw away the key.’
‘That’s a bit harsh, Stu,’ Gregor retorted. ‘Of course they investigated properly.’
‘Did you really believe she did it?’
‘I did.’ Gregor looked a little shamefaced. ‘But there was a lot of talk about her after you left for London. She mixed with some heavy-duty characters, and we had scores of complaints from her neighbours about noise and people coming and going. It was thought she was dealing drugs. Then after her boy was killed she was mad as a jar of wasps. I picked her up down in the Grassmarket one night; she had no shoes on and she didn’t know what year it was, let alone the time of day.’
‘Who could blame her for that?’ Stuart exclaimed. ‘And anyway, once she recovered from that she was as straight as a die for ten years. She ran a successful business, paid her bills and kept her nose clean.’
‘Us policemen only see people when they go off the rails,’ Gregor admitted. ‘I knew she got a shop out in Morningside, but I never ran into her.’
‘And now, after all the stuff I’ve found out? Do you still think she’s guilty?’
‘I don’t know,’ Gregor said defiantly. ‘I’d like to say that I don’t, for your sake, but I’m not entirely convinced.’
Stuart was deeply disappointed. He felt Gregor’s opinion was representative of the entire force in Edinburgh. ‘I’ve got to go now,’ he said, getting to his feet. ‘Thanks for delving around for me. She is innocent, Gregor. And I’ll find some way of proving it.’
Stuart walked back to the flat feeling tense and angry. In his mind, if the police had done their job properly at the time of the hit-and-run, Charles would have been charged and Jackie might still be alive today. Even if Laura won her appeal, that wouldn’t alter the general public’s mind about her, not until the real murderer was apprehended and brought to trial. But if Gregor’s attitude was anything to go by, the police wouldn’t make much of an effort to do that.
As he got into the flat he heard David talking on the phone in the living room. He thought he was speaking to Julia and he felt a pang of irrational jealousy. Everything was fine for David, whatever happened to Laura: his life would remain the same; his wife, kids, job and home would all still be there waiting for him.
David put the phone down. ‘Hello, Stu, didn’t expect you back so soon,’ he called out. ‘Goldsmith just rang, he’s found Jackie’s solicitor. He’s got an office in Portobello, wherever that might be.’
Stuart walked into the living room and he suddenly felt irritated by the mess. They’d had a takeaway curry the previous night and the dishes were still lying on the floor, along with empty bottles and dirty plates, cups and glasses.
‘It’s the seaside bit of the city,’ he said, bending to pick up some plates and cups.
‘You sound and look pissed off,’ David said.
‘I am, and the state of this place doesn’t help,’ Stuart snapped. ‘But then you’re used to Julia cleaning up after you.’
David just crossed his arms and looked at Stuart. ‘What’s eating you?’ he said.
Stuart piled up the plates and took them into the kitchen. The sink was already full and he thought they must have run out of clean china by now. ‘Give me the solicitor’s address – I’ll run down there now and cut his throat for him,’ he shouted back to David. ‘Maybe it needs another death to wake the fucking