The Devil's Due: A Cooper and McCall Scottish Crime Thriller by Ramsay Sinclair (nonfiction book recommendations TXT) 📕

5

It didn’t take long to reach our station in Dalgety Bay. Everything stayed reasonably close together here, fantastic for finding places to eat after long shifts. Goofy bunches of off-duty officers and sergeants milled around near the car park, bored to death. Inside Dalgety Bay station was a completely different situation. Chaos, would be the best word to describe proceedings.

Constables scrutinized us upon entrance, undoubtedly knowing what scene we’ve returned from. Gavin’s case would be heavier than CID were used to. Nothing much took place in Dalgety. Certainly not homicides. Of course, we had to deal with average crimes now and again. Knife crimes, rapes, drug busts. Most deaths in town were usually gang-related, which Gavin’s case outcome could support. Gavin involved himself in gangs around Dalgety, we had heard.

From the dampened faces of my colleagues, they shared an instinct. A vendetta to end any violence at once and keep their little girls, wives and mothers safe. Darker forces were at play here. And none of CID particularly liked it. We strode to eliminate that force immediately.

“Morning, sir. Ma’am.” Dora, front desk sergeant, welcomed us back. Anything Dora said had to be taken with a pinch of salt. At times she could be stern, others she could crack jokes to uncertain constables.

“Skip,” I acknowledged, and McCall responded accordingly. That wasn’t Dora’s official title, but she ran such a tight ship that everyone called her accordingly.

“Busy day?”

“You’ve no idea. Had a fella in the cells picking fights with all those protesters. Half his size,” Dora referred to some protesters holding impromptu marches recently. A few got out of hand when people showed up intoxicated, stumbling down the streets. “Turns out,” Dora leaned closer, sharing her interesting gossip of the day. Dora noticed and overheard everything within these four walls. “He fancied the little bloke and was too conventional to admit it. Although it’s too bloody cramped down there, I had to split them up. Didn’t want any… funny business.”

Despite our determined down to business attitudes, we always made time to chat with Skip. Dora was guaranteed entertainment. Behind the front desk, a phone rang loudly and demanded Dora’s undivided attention.

“What a handful,” McCall chuckled, excusing us.

The general hubbub rose the further we marched into CID. I pushed open our general office door to reveal our colleagues, dressed in formal suit attires. They sat productively at their desks, typing furiously at dozens of computers. Others condensed any evidence we had so far to create an evidence board thought process. From a short distance away, I read Kris Ellis’s name and accompanying photograph.

“Sir,” a detective constable called, stopping me in my tracks.

I turned to face him. It was DC Taylor, a younger man suspended in his late twenties. Having not worked with CID long, he was still learning the ropes. A smart lad, though not experienced enough for people to take him seriously. Complete with a mane of black hair, he rifled through piles of paper.

“DC Taylor?”

“Ben and Cillian started door-to-door enquiries,” DC Taylor informed, letting me know exactly where my team disappeared to. Having a smaller team meant allocating jobs carefully. “Half our guys are searching by the bay first, but then we’ll move out to surrounding areas. They wanted to search along Gavin’s road first, suss out his neighbours. Find out who his friends were.”

“We just came from there,” I sighed, not recalling seeing our team. “Make sure we get a statement from everyone. If any of them sound dodgy, inform us right away. I’m not taking chances with this case. I want those criminals off the streets.” I nodded curtly, knowing that compiling so many statements and matching alibis ourselves would prove one hell of a waiting game.

Trying to speak over the general ruckus proved to be a nightmare. The printer beeped endlessly from a paper jam, mugs clinked from officers at desks, keys clacked, and sheets from various case statements rustled. Enough noise to give anyone a headache. That and our ridiculously squeaky chairs. Budget cuts never allowed enough money for decent chairs.

Not all our officers could afford to work towards Gavin’s case. CID were tipped off about a drug deal at a dealer’s house last week, and all that paperwork needed filing before they went to trial. The trouble was, at least twenty different group discussions took place at once. DC Taylor tried to communicate properly, but I could not hear him at all.

“Everybody wheesht a minute!” I shouted, red in the face. It worked though, because the straggle of officers descended into shocked silence. DC Taylor cleared his throat awkwardly, hating that we were the centre of attention.

“Thank you.” I directed that last comment generally before focusing on what DC Taylor said. “Go ahead.”

“Erm, DCI Campbell wants to see you. His office,” DC Taylor reported, pointing in generally. Team members sniggered at DC Taylor’s apparent nerves, but the lad would have to stand up for himself at some point. Gradually, the office filled up with chatter and McCall joined us.

“Sarge, can I show you something?” Taylor queried, blushing bright pink at McCall’s open smile. She agreed politely. But first, I had instructions to swap over.

“Campbell wants a word. Would you debrief this stuffy nosed lot on Kris Ellis and back up her alibi? DC Taylor is probably the best to help. He knows what guys are already out there.” DC Taylor thanked me for the off-hand compliment. In all truthfulness, he is our only logical, free-thinking constable who follows initiative. He reminded me of… well. Me.

McCall was a people person and knew every CID officer personally. She would be their preferred port of call, whereas I was usually last. “Alright. I’ll round them up. Have a nosy into Gavin’s friendship groups too. Might as well, whilst forensics do their piece.” McCall already followed DC Taylor, talking as they left. I watched them sit at DC Taylor’s desk, viewing some information already uncovered.

6

DCI Campbell waited expectantly for me. No doubt, willing to