edition.
‘This is what you wanted, isn’t it, Cora?’ he asked, as he tapped away on his laptop. ‘Real cutting-edge journalism. And what a follow up to last night’s story. The readers will love this.’
‘But aren’t you worried about upsetting Inspector McKinnon and the others?’
‘I am a responsible journalist, Cora. I am not in this forpopularity. It is my responsibility to present the facts to the reading public.’
‘But are you serious about saying there was police negligence?’
Calum heaved a sigh and swivelled round in his chair. ‘There is nothing personal in this, Cora. Torquil will understand that.’
‘But he looked sort of – well – uncomfortable.’ She wrinkled her nose. ‘As if you were betraying him, sort of.’
‘Havers, lassie!’
‘And PC McPhee looked so upset.’
‘A man in police custody was set free and is found dead hours later, Cora. If they had kept him he would be alive now.’ He pushed his wire-frame spectacles further back on his nose. ‘Look, I want you to help. While I am writing this up and setting up the issue I want you to go and interview Sergeant Driscoll at the station. She was the duty sergeant last night. While you are there, you can also make enquiries about what progress they have made about the break-in at the offices here.’
‘Do I have to?’ Cora pleaded. ‘Surely they won’t have any news.’
‘Of course they won’t. But that’s not the point, is it?’
‘And the point is?’
‘To keep them on their toes and show them that the Chronicle means business. Now off you go, I have a phone call that I need to make.’ He winked at her as he reached for his mobile. ‘It will do no harm to let Scottish TV know that we’re on to a big story.’
VIII
The yellow camper-van turned off the coastal road and took the dirt track up to the row of derelict, crofters’ cottages. It swung round behind them so that it was unseen from the road.
‘Come on, Craig,’ said the driver, the leaner of the two. ‘The sooner we get the stuff stashed the better.’
Once outside Craig cursed. ‘Huh! I’m not so keen on this place, Tosh. It’s us that takes all the risks.’
‘Don’t start that again. We do what the boss tells us to do.’
‘The boss! I’m getting fed up with him too.’
The crunch of a foot on gravel made them both spin round, their eyes open in alarm. Craig’s hand darted inside his jacket to the heavy object that he kept hidden there.
‘So you are getting fed up with me, are you?’ a voice snapped.
‘Craig was just joking, boss,’ Tosh replied with an uncertain grin.
‘As if I give a toss! Just tell me. Did you do it, and did you make sure no one saw you?’
Craig and Tosh glanced nervously at each other then the one called Tosh nodded. ‘Aye, we did it all right.’
Neither of them fancied telling their boss about their encounter with PC McPhee.
2 See The Gathering Murders
FIVE
I
Morag stared at Cora in dumbfounded amazement.
‘And Calum Steele told you to ask me that? Just how long have you been his assistant?’
Cora squirmed. ‘Er – since yesterday, Sergeant Driscoll.’
‘Since yesterday?’
Cora felt flustered and nodded apologetically.
‘Then I suggest that you should tell the editor of the West Uist Chronicle to do his own dirty work. If he wants a statement from the West Uist Division of the Hebridean Constabulary, he should go about it through the proper channels, instead of sending his new assistant.’
Cora bit her lip. ‘And – er – what are the proper channels, Sergeant?’
Morag smiled humourlessly. ‘He should make a formal request in person to the officer on duty – me!’
Cora was already backing towards the door. ‘I will tell him that, Sergeant Driscoll.’
She was about to reach for the door when she remembered the other task that he had given her. ‘Oops! Sorry! There wassomething else I need to ask you.’
‘Ask away then.’
‘Have you – er – any news on
‘This is what you wanted, isn’t it, Cora?’ he asked, as he tapped away on his laptop. ‘Real cutting-edge journalism. And what a follow up to last night’s story. The readers will love this.’
‘But aren’t you worried about upsetting Inspector McKinnon and the others?’
‘I am a responsible journalist, Cora. I am not in this forpopularity. It is my responsibility to present the facts to the reading public.’
‘But are you serious about saying there was police negligence?’
Calum heaved a sigh and swivelled round in his chair. ‘There is nothing personal in this, Cora. Torquil will understand that.’
‘But he looked sort of – well – uncomfortable.’ She wrinkled her nose. ‘As if you were betraying him, sort of.’
‘Havers, lassie!’
‘And PC McPhee looked so upset.’
‘A man in police custody was set free and is found dead hours later, Cora. If they had kept him he would be alive now.’ He pushed his wire-frame spectacles further back on his nose. ‘Look, I want you to help. While I am writing this up and setting up the issue I want you to go and interview Sergeant Driscoll at the station. She was the duty sergeant last night. While you are there, you can also make enquiries about what progress they have made about the break-in at the offices here.’
‘Do I have to?’ Cora pleaded. ‘Surely they won’t have any news.’
‘Of course they won’t. But that’s not the point, is it?’
‘And the point is?’
‘To keep them on their toes and show them that the Chronicle means business. Now off you go, I have a phone call that I need to make.’ He winked at her as he reached for his mobile. ‘It will do no harm to let Scottish TV know that we’re on to a big story.’
VIII
The yellow camper-van turned off the coastal road and took the dirt track up to the row of derelict, crofters’ cottages. It swung round behind them so that it was unseen from the road.
‘Come on, Craig,’ said the driver, the leaner of the two. ‘The sooner we get the stuff stashed the better.’
Once outside Craig cursed. ‘Huh! I’m not so keen on this place, Tosh. It’s us that takes all the risks.’
‘Don’t start that again. We do what the boss tells us to do.’
‘The boss! I’m getting fed up with him too.’
The crunch of a foot on gravel made them both spin round, their eyes open in alarm. Craig’s hand darted inside his jacket to the heavy object that he kept hidden there.
‘So you are getting fed up with me, are you?’ a voice snapped.
‘Craig was just joking, boss,’ Tosh replied with an uncertain grin.
‘As if I give a toss! Just tell me. Did you do it, and did you make sure no one saw you?’
Craig and Tosh glanced nervously at each other then the one called Tosh nodded. ‘Aye, we did it all right.’
Neither of them fancied telling their boss about their encounter with PC McPhee.
2 See The Gathering Murders
FIVE
I
Morag stared at Cora in dumbfounded amazement.
‘And Calum Steele told you to ask me that? Just how long have you been his assistant?’
Cora squirmed. ‘Er – since yesterday, Sergeant Driscoll.’
‘Since yesterday?’
Cora felt flustered and nodded apologetically.
‘Then I suggest that you should tell the editor of the West Uist Chronicle to do his own dirty work. If he wants a statement from the West Uist Division of the Hebridean Constabulary, he should go about it through the proper channels, instead of sending his new assistant.’
Cora bit her lip. ‘And – er – what are the proper channels, Sergeant?’
Morag smiled humourlessly. ‘He should make a formal request in person to the officer on duty – me!’
Cora was already backing towards the door. ‘I will tell him that, Sergeant Driscoll.’
She was about to reach for the door when she remembered the other task that he had given her. ‘Oops! Sorry! There wassomething else I need to ask you.’
‘Ask away then.’
‘Have you – er – any news on
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