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

run over a small distance. Sweat dripped subtly from his upper brow line. I half-convinced myself that it wasn’t sweat, but condensation. Nobody could ever act so cool after running from A to B otherwise. “How are things with the case?”

“Not that much different since we last met,” I answered blatantly and felt too short to stand so close to Sammy. I took a cautious step backwards, separating the two of us. “Just a quick one. We found some evidence in your equipment shed about two days ago, not long after recanvassing your site. We found a few things stolen from there, including some rope and a few matches. They were later found at another crime scene by the woods.”

“I heard about that,” Sammy agreed absentmindedly.

“Right,” I continued. “I just wanted to know where your keys are. Your shed lock wasn’t broken, you see. Someone had to have access.”

“You’d have to ask my cleaner, Mandy Smalls.” Sammy shrugged. His judgement clouded with worry at my expression.

“Where was Mandy on the night of Gavin’s death?” I pressed. “I don’t remember receiving a statement from her.”

“Mandy had been away all week, visiting her son. I let her have a week off. She works hard and never asks for more. Lovely lady. She keeps the keys to everything.” He noticed my dubious expression. “I’d trust her with my life,” Sammy vowed.

“Where would I find this Mandy Smalls?”

“In a small office, near the back of the building.” Sammy pointed out a series of directions. “Go easy on her though, DI Cooper. She’s like a grandmother to us boys down here.” He gestured at those bold as brass men braving the unpredictable water. Although Sammy had spoken politely, it rubbed me up the wrong way.

“I’ll do my job my own way, thank you very much,” a stern tone flooded out of my nearly blue lips. These young men were all well and good, but I cannae cope with weather changes.

I set off on a hunt for Mandy Smalls with a direction and heading clear in my sights. Sammy waved a tiny goodbye, knowing I wouldn’t reciprocate it. Time could not be wasted on such invaluable formalities. After all, we weren’t friends. Merely two people whose paths converged over one unfortunate incident. Gavin Ellis.

Footsteps pattered behind me, the unmistakable sound of McCall’s work shoes following me. I ignored her for a few minutes, irritating her on purpose. Eventually, I got fed up and stopped dead in my tracks. Only then did McCall decide to walk faster and overtake me. I stared at her moving figure with disbelief at how petty she could be. From behind, her ginger curls bobbed up and down with every step, her black suit grimy from our surroundings.

It was my turn to catch up with my work partner now. My body felt heavy and weary compared to McCall’s slimmer figure. Next year, I vowed to kick start my life into shape. This case had brought out the worst in me, but there was no point in starting a regime in December. Everyone knows you have to begin fitness on the first of January.

“What are you doing?” I hissed at McCall so no passers-by would hear us.

“Walking, DI Cooper. What about you, Sir?” She emphasised the ‘sir’ purposely to annoy me. All those previous years, she had called me Finlay, and I hated it. Now McCall acted professionally by calling me DI Cooper, but I hated that even more. A guy can’t win.

“Stop the act, McCall. I had a right to be annoyed at you. I looked ridiculous in that interview--”

She cut me off mid-lecture. “Just in the interview? I was under the impression that you look ridiculous all the time, Sir,” McCall sneered childishly.

This woman had ticked me off one too many times.

“I may be ridiculous, but at least I’m not parading around with a younger officer,” I reminded her of our stoic interaction outside the fish shop.

“Oh!” She laughed under her breath but not with humour. She laughed intending to bring me crashing down to earth. “You can’t talk. I could’ve sworn I saw you out for dinner with a girl no older than a teenager. Did she have to leave before daddy shouted at her for being late home?” McCall patronised, red in the face.

“She’s not a teenager. Don’t change the subject. You withheld important information from me—”

“Stop being such a whiny baby and deal with it. Did you get her number?” McCall wound me up about Abbey to distract me.

“So now you want to talk properly? I never know where I stand with women like you.” I huffed, trying to storm away faster than her.

“Women like me? Is that supposed to be an insult, Cooper?” McCall snorted. “Just because your snotty reporter didn’t kiss you don’t take it out on all the women in your life. I feel sorry for your mother. Imagine having a son who’s got a face like a slapped arse and a temper worse than the grinch on a good day.”

How rude. Uncalled for.

“Were you ever going to explain how serious you and DC Taylor are? Or are you hiding other things from me too? More evidence I should know about?” I fired back.

“Ah. I know what this is,” McCall changed into a softer tenor. She grinned a smug grin momentarily. “You’re jealous.”

“No, I’m not.” I played things cool. Most of my attention diverted to my feet, burying them into the mud out of ferocity.

“You’re jealous of DC Taylor and me. You can’t stand the fact that I have a life outside of work and you don’t. Is that why you went on your date?” She gaped in surprise, thinking she’d read me like an open book, but she hadn’t.

“It wasn’t a date,” I snorted.

“Are you sure she knew that?” McCall said.

“Stop changing the subject. The fact of the matter is, I can't trust you when you won’t tell me important information!”

A cough erupted from nearby, and we both snapped out of our argumentative daze