Cullen.
"As if I didn't have enough babysitting to do," said Bain. "Where are you?"
"I'm back at the distillery," said Cullen.
"Thought you were off seeing this Stanhope boy?"
"We saw him, but I wanted to check a few things out with Fraser Crombie."
"Aye?"
"Turns out that Iain met a girl at Glastonbury," said Cullen. "That's why he stayed on."
"Right."
"You don't seem particularly pleased."
Bain laughed down the phone line. "Do you want a fuckin' round of applause, Sundance?" he asked. "When you get back here you'll get one of them ones where someone starts clapping and then the whole audience joins in like in some fuckin' film."
Cullen decided to ignore him and just ploughed on. "It was in the official report that Frank Stanhope prepared at the time," he said, "but nobody else mentioned it." He waited for a response but could almost hear the tumbleweed rolling. "Fraser Crombie knew about it," he continued. "He told Stanhope, but he didn't tell his father."
"That's a bit fishy," said Bain. "Any idea why?"
"Turns out that Iain was married."
"Think we should speak to her?" asked Bain.
"I was going to," said Cullen. "Sounds like they had a fiery marriage."
Bain made a clicking sound with his tongue. "Good," he said. "Anything else?"
"Fraser Crombie thinks that suicide is a distinct possibility for his brother," said Cullen.
"Like that boy in the Manic Street Preachers?" asked Bain.
"Eh?" Cullen knew of the band, but didn't particularly like them or know anything about them.
"Some boy that played guitar in them ran away," said Bain. "He was never found and they put it down to suicide." He snorted down the line. "I liked their first couple of albums."
The more he learned of Bain's music taste, the harder Cullen found to pin it down. He seemed to have the archetypal catholic taste - though never with a capital C when Bain was concerned.
"Okay," said Cullen, "that's pretty much what Fraser Crombie was saying. Assuming that it's not Iain in the barrel."
"Are they still sticking to that line?"
"Aye," said Cullen. "They're all betting on it being Paddy in there. How's the hunt for him going?"
"Fuckin' slow," said Bain. "That Murray boy could show a fuckin' tortoise a thing or two about slowin' down, I tell you. He's just got back from Paisley, tail between his fuckin' legs." Cullen heard Bain take the phone away from his ear. "Aye, I'm talking about you, Stuart," Cullen heard before Bain laughed. "Cheeky bastard said that the tortoise beat the hare."
Cullen didn't want to get into another discussion with Bain. "So you've not found anything more about Paddy?"
"No, Murray has not," said Bain. "I've got him looking into some of the disappearances from 1996 and 97. I'm not a hundred percent convinced that the body was put in there when they said it was."
"We've been over this," said Cullen. "I thought we agreed it doesn't sound reasonable."
"Course it fuckin' is," said Bain, "I said it."
"Anything else?" asked Cullen.
"Anderson has turned up here," said Bain, "turns out his fuckin' laptop has run out of battery so he hasn't done the report. They've finished findin' fuck all at the distillery, anyway."
"That's a decent excuse to get close to you," said Cullen.
"Don't even go there, Sundance," said Bain. "Deeley's sent his goons over, too. Wants to get the body out of the barrel and shipped out."
Cullen heard a grinding engine approach from the main road. He half-suspected it to be a tractor for the farm, but it turned out to be a dark blue Audi 80. It flew across the car park and pulled into Doug Strachan's space.
"Strachan's just turned up," said Cullen. "I'll call you back."
"Aye, fine," said Bain. "I knew you were just fillin' time."
He hung up and hurried over to Strachan's car, just as he was struggling out of the driver's door.
"Mr Cullen," said Strachan, with a nod.
"Mr Strachan," said Cullen, "I need to speak to you about your relationship with Iain Crombie."
sixteen
"Paddy Kavanagh was a real
"As if I didn't have enough babysitting to do," said Bain. "Where are you?"
"I'm back at the distillery," said Cullen.
"Thought you were off seeing this Stanhope boy?"
"We saw him, but I wanted to check a few things out with Fraser Crombie."
"Aye?"
"Turns out that Iain met a girl at Glastonbury," said Cullen. "That's why he stayed on."
"Right."
"You don't seem particularly pleased."
Bain laughed down the phone line. "Do you want a fuckin' round of applause, Sundance?" he asked. "When you get back here you'll get one of them ones where someone starts clapping and then the whole audience joins in like in some fuckin' film."
Cullen decided to ignore him and just ploughed on. "It was in the official report that Frank Stanhope prepared at the time," he said, "but nobody else mentioned it." He waited for a response but could almost hear the tumbleweed rolling. "Fraser Crombie knew about it," he continued. "He told Stanhope, but he didn't tell his father."
"That's a bit fishy," said Bain. "Any idea why?"
"Turns out that Iain was married."
"Think we should speak to her?" asked Bain.
"I was going to," said Cullen. "Sounds like they had a fiery marriage."
Bain made a clicking sound with his tongue. "Good," he said. "Anything else?"
"Fraser Crombie thinks that suicide is a distinct possibility for his brother," said Cullen.
"Like that boy in the Manic Street Preachers?" asked Bain.
"Eh?" Cullen knew of the band, but didn't particularly like them or know anything about them.
"Some boy that played guitar in them ran away," said Bain. "He was never found and they put it down to suicide." He snorted down the line. "I liked their first couple of albums."
The more he learned of Bain's music taste, the harder Cullen found to pin it down. He seemed to have the archetypal catholic taste - though never with a capital C when Bain was concerned.
"Okay," said Cullen, "that's pretty much what Fraser Crombie was saying. Assuming that it's not Iain in the barrel."
"Are they still sticking to that line?"
"Aye," said Cullen. "They're all betting on it being Paddy in there. How's the hunt for him going?"
"Fuckin' slow," said Bain. "That Murray boy could show a fuckin' tortoise a thing or two about slowin' down, I tell you. He's just got back from Paisley, tail between his fuckin' legs." Cullen heard Bain take the phone away from his ear. "Aye, I'm talking about you, Stuart," Cullen heard before Bain laughed. "Cheeky bastard said that the tortoise beat the hare."
Cullen didn't want to get into another discussion with Bain. "So you've not found anything more about Paddy?"
"No, Murray has not," said Bain. "I've got him looking into some of the disappearances from 1996 and 97. I'm not a hundred percent convinced that the body was put in there when they said it was."
"We've been over this," said Cullen. "I thought we agreed it doesn't sound reasonable."
"Course it fuckin' is," said Bain, "I said it."
"Anything else?" asked Cullen.
"Anderson has turned up here," said Bain, "turns out his fuckin' laptop has run out of battery so he hasn't done the report. They've finished findin' fuck all at the distillery, anyway."
"That's a decent excuse to get close to you," said Cullen.
"Don't even go there, Sundance," said Bain. "Deeley's sent his goons over, too. Wants to get the body out of the barrel and shipped out."
Cullen heard a grinding engine approach from the main road. He half-suspected it to be a tractor for the farm, but it turned out to be a dark blue Audi 80. It flew across the car park and pulled into Doug Strachan's space.
"Strachan's just turned up," said Cullen. "I'll call you back."
"Aye, fine," said Bain. "I knew you were just fillin' time."
He hung up and hurried over to Strachan's car, just as he was struggling out of the driver's door.
"Mr Cullen," said Strachan, with a nod.
"Mr Strachan," said Cullen, "I need to speak to you about your relationship with Iain Crombie."
sixteen
"Paddy Kavanagh was a real
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