laid out across the table.
‘Of course, I’ve several at home. I might even throw in a signed copy of my book whilst I’m at it.’
Chapter 20
D I Phil Boag was leading their briefing with the results of his research into Vicki Kendrick’s family.
‘Magnus Faulkner married Susan Lomas in the summer of 1962. Vicki was born in ’65 and Dale in ’67. There were no living grandparents except for Susan’s mother, Mauve Lomas, who died in 2008 at the age of 89. She’d been the guardian of Vicki since December 1976. They lived together on the Muirhouse estate until Vicki completed her schooling at The Monteith Academy for Girls. Then she studied at the College of Music and took digs in the city centre, where she has had her main home since the nineties.’
‘It must have been tough, living in a tiny council flat on the Muirhouse whilst attending such a prestigious school,’ Dani commented. ‘Vicki must have come from a very different background to her peers.’
‘She was a scholarship student,’ Alice added. ‘That’s just what it’s like when you get your fees waived because of a particular skill or talent. I suppose the child learns to see the situation as a fantastic opportunity rather than a burden.’
Dani immediately wondered if Alice were speaking from experience.
‘Well, Vicki certainly took full advantage of that opportunity,’ Phil continued. ‘She was named Scottish Musician of the Year in 1995 and toured the world in ’96 and ’97.’
‘What about other family members: uncles, aunts, cousins?’ Dani counted them off on her fingers.
‘There were a few cousins on the Lomas side, who lived in and around Glasgow. I spoke with one of them yesterday, a lady of a similar age to Vicki. She said they saw one another every so often when Vicki still lived with her gran, but when she became successful, they didn’t hear a dickie bird. This cousin suggested she may not even attend the funeral.’
‘What about the Faulkners?’
‘Magnus had two brothers, Joe and Keith. The younger one died in the eighties and the older more recently, just a couple of years ago. He was in his late seventies. Neither had any children.’
‘I suppose that if Vicki had cut off her own father, mother and brother so easily she was unlikely to have maintained a link to this particular uncle.’ Dani sighed.
‘There was certainly no evidence of it,’ Phil replied.
‘How are Sergeant Sharpe and DS Calder getting on in West Kilbride?’ Alice asked.
‘Apparently, the Faulkners owed money to at least one local heavy before they moved to Virginia. They never told their local friends that Vicki was staying behind either.’
‘I expect they were worried she might get targeted by their creditors if they did,’ Alice responded.
‘I suppose that explains their decision to leave the country and begin a new life,’ Phil concluded.
Dani turned to look at the evidence taped to the board. ‘Yes, but I’m struggling to see how it connects to Vicki’s murder. This crime wasn’t a theft that went wrong. Nothing valuable was taken. It may have been a revenge attack but then why now? Would you really inflict all those blows to such a delicate, defenceless woman over some money owed by her parents forty years ago?’
‘There has to be more to it,’ Alice asserted. ‘The grudge had to be more personal to Vicki and her brother. The forensic results suggest that this person wiped the place clean after the murder. There
‘Of course, I’ve several at home. I might even throw in a signed copy of my book whilst I’m at it.’
Chapter 20
D I Phil Boag was leading their briefing with the results of his research into Vicki Kendrick’s family.
‘Magnus Faulkner married Susan Lomas in the summer of 1962. Vicki was born in ’65 and Dale in ’67. There were no living grandparents except for Susan’s mother, Mauve Lomas, who died in 2008 at the age of 89. She’d been the guardian of Vicki since December 1976. They lived together on the Muirhouse estate until Vicki completed her schooling at The Monteith Academy for Girls. Then she studied at the College of Music and took digs in the city centre, where she has had her main home since the nineties.’
‘It must have been tough, living in a tiny council flat on the Muirhouse whilst attending such a prestigious school,’ Dani commented. ‘Vicki must have come from a very different background to her peers.’
‘She was a scholarship student,’ Alice added. ‘That’s just what it’s like when you get your fees waived because of a particular skill or talent. I suppose the child learns to see the situation as a fantastic opportunity rather than a burden.’
Dani immediately wondered if Alice were speaking from experience.
‘Well, Vicki certainly took full advantage of that opportunity,’ Phil continued. ‘She was named Scottish Musician of the Year in 1995 and toured the world in ’96 and ’97.’
‘What about other family members: uncles, aunts, cousins?’ Dani counted them off on her fingers.
‘There were a few cousins on the Lomas side, who lived in and around Glasgow. I spoke with one of them yesterday, a lady of a similar age to Vicki. She said they saw one another every so often when Vicki still lived with her gran, but when she became successful, they didn’t hear a dickie bird. This cousin suggested she may not even attend the funeral.’
‘What about the Faulkners?’
‘Magnus had two brothers, Joe and Keith. The younger one died in the eighties and the older more recently, just a couple of years ago. He was in his late seventies. Neither had any children.’
‘I suppose that if Vicki had cut off her own father, mother and brother so easily she was unlikely to have maintained a link to this particular uncle.’ Dani sighed.
‘There was certainly no evidence of it,’ Phil replied.
‘How are Sergeant Sharpe and DS Calder getting on in West Kilbride?’ Alice asked.
‘Apparently, the Faulkners owed money to at least one local heavy before they moved to Virginia. They never told their local friends that Vicki was staying behind either.’
‘I expect they were worried she might get targeted by their creditors if they did,’ Alice responded.
‘I suppose that explains their decision to leave the country and begin a new life,’ Phil concluded.
Dani turned to look at the evidence taped to the board. ‘Yes, but I’m struggling to see how it connects to Vicki’s murder. This crime wasn’t a theft that went wrong. Nothing valuable was taken. It may have been a revenge attack but then why now? Would you really inflict all those blows to such a delicate, defenceless woman over some money owed by her parents forty years ago?’
‘There has to be more to it,’ Alice asserted. ‘The grudge had to be more personal to Vicki and her brother. The forensic results suggest that this person wiped the place clean after the murder. There
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