What Will Burn by James Oswald (ebook reader web .txt) 📕

a record of that offence,’ he said. By the look on both Carter and Mrs Galloway’s faces, it wasn’t perhaps the best response.

‘Have you any idea how difficult it is to make a rape charge stick?’ Carter asked, not angrily but certainly aggressively.

‘I do. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to—’

‘It was a stitch-up from the start. Brian got himself some fancy lawyer who somehow managed to smooth the whole thing over. I was presented with an ultimatum. Divorce, the kids and the house. Plus a substantial payment to her if I persuaded Jenny to withdraw the allegations.’ Carter’s hands rested on the table, either side of her teacup, and she clenched them into tight fists as she spoke. ‘I didn’t give a damn about divorce or the house. But he was threatening to take my children away. I made a deal, but only if he agreed to keep away. No visiting rights. It wasn’t until after I’d signed the papers that I found out Jenny wasn’t the first. Who knows if she was the last?’

Mrs Galloway spoke into the silence that fell. ‘Like I told you before, Detective Inspector. Brian was an angry child, and an angrier man. He never could keep a control of his passions or his anger for long. That might have made him a good artist, I don’t know. But it made him a bad man. Maybe I could have done better by him. I tried my best.’

McLean let the words sink in, aware of both women watching him uncomfortably closely. A scream punctured the moment, followed by a loud splash as one of the boys managed a spectacular dive bomb on his brother. He could only hope the two of them turned out better than their father.

‘Does the name Gail Elmwood mean anything to you?’

Both women looked blank. Carter shook her head slowly. ‘No. Doesn’t ring a bell.’

So much for that link. McLean opened his mouth to ask the next obvious question, but Harrison beat him to it.

‘You said Mr Galloway got himself a fancy lawyer who stitched up this whole deal.’ She raised both hands to indicate the house and all it represented.

‘Aye, that’s right.’

‘You don’t remember his name, do you?’

‘Don’t think I’ll ever forget it. Horrible slimy man. Made me feel dirty the way he looked at me.’ Carter almost shivered as she spoke. ‘Fielding, he was called. Tommy Fielding.’

DS Harrison kept her comments to herself until they were once more in the car and driving back to the station, for which McLean was grateful. He could see that she was pleased with herself, and no doubt wanted to call him out on his earlier scepticism about the link between Galloway and Fielding. It didn’t change the fact that she’d stepped over the line.

‘I know it’s a bit speculative, sir. But am I the only one beginning to see a pattern here?’

‘You are? How?’

‘Well, see how Galloway’s wife divorced him, kept the house and the kids, aye?’

‘And he stayed out of prison thanks to Tommy Fielding.’

‘Aye, but that’s not what I’m on about. That chappie Steve Whitaker? That lad who burned himself to death? Seems his wife divorced him not so long ago, took the kid with her, no visiting rights. Same with Purefoy at the building site.’ Harrison waved her hand in the direction of Liberton Brae. ‘He had two wee boys, but his wife got sick of him playing away from home. And there was Christopher Allan too, now I think about it. You know? The guy Izzy kicked in the nuts so hard he’ll probably always walk with a limp now. His wife divorced him and took the kids to Australia.’

‘What? You think Fielding defended them all? Doesn’t say much for his skills as a lawyer if they all lost.’

Harrison shrugged. ‘Fair point. But like you said, Galloway could have lost way more. What if the same was true for the others? What if they all owe Fielding? What if they all have a grudge against women?’

McLean tapped his fingers against the steering wheel in thought. ‘Allan and Galloway both claimed they’d fallen down the stairs, but you reckon your friend beat the crap out of them, right?’

‘Aye, sir. Izzy was very clear about the damage she inflicted, and those two both ended up at A and E with those injuries not more than an hour or so later.’

‘And she claims they were put on to her by Tommy Fielding because she disrupted his conference?’

‘Reckon there’s maybe a wee bit more to it than that, but she was trying to lobby one of the MSPs at Holyrood about Fielding’s men’s rights activist organisation. Something about getting its funding cut or de-platforming it or whatever. That’s why she was in that part of town.’

McLean negotiated a roundabout, then floored the throttle as the road opened up ahead of him. No great surge of power pinned him into the seat, and the noise was more washing machine spin cycle than roar of untamed Italian horses.

‘I need to speak to her, to Izzy. Soon as possible.’

Harrison reached for her phone. ‘I can give her a call. Ask her to come to the station.’

McLean shook his head. ‘No. Best keep this unofficial for now.’

‘Well, she’s staying at my place right now, but I can bring her over to yours after work if that’s better.’

McLean considered it, then remembered the state he’d left the kitchen in that morning. Not that it really mattered. Izzy DeVilliers was a teenager after all. ‘Where did you say she was staying before she came to you? With Madame Rose?’

‘With Rose, aye.’

‘OK. There’s still plenty to get done before your shift ends. Give Izzy a call and ask her to meet us at Rose’s place. Eight o’clock should be fine.’

39

As he pulled it out of his pocket and tossed it on to his desk, McLean’s phone buzzed and its screen lit up. For a moment he thought he might have broken it, then he saw the name on the