drugged her cocoa. She’ll sleep all night.”
Charles felt numb cold with fear. He knew that when this woman was reported missing, then the police would quickly learn she had been searching for him. But Olivia had threatened to kill him if he talked, and he was sure she would do it. He began to contemplate the idea of suicide.
Olivia drove up to the peat bog several miles up on the moors outside the town. “Get out!” she ordered her brother. “The brake isn’t on. Help me push.”
“But she wasn’t dead!” cried Charles.
“She soon will be! Push!”
There was an incline down to the peat bog. They both pushed hard and the car gathered momentum until the front pointed down into the bog and began to sink.
“Right,” said Olivia. “Let’s go. We’ll let ourselves into the house the back way so no one sees us. If they don’t have a body, they can’t do anything to us.”
But the front of the car struck a large rock sunk in the peat bog and stopped sinking.
In the boot, Hannah recovered consciousness.
Shepherd Diarmuid Burns, walking back across the moors with his sheepdog at his heels, heard a faint cry coming from the direction of the peat bog. He saw the car upended and heard cries coming from the boot. He knew if he went up to the car, he might sink in the bog. He took out his mobile and urgently called the emergency services, saying to bring ladders as someone was in the boot of a car in the peat bog. He then shouted to whoever was trapped in the car that help was coming.
Hamish got a message from Strathbane, roused Dick Fraser, jumped in his Land Rover, and set off for Braikie with the siren howling.
Charles Palfour, crouched at the end of his bed, heard the sound of that siren. He knew he should wake his sister. Olivia had taken a sleeping pill. Then the thought of actually being caught and arrested came to him on a wave of relief. He hoped against hope it was all over and he could be free of his sister at last.
When Hamish arrived on the scene, the Braikie fire brigade had put a ladder across the bog and a fireman was cautiously crawling along it to the car. The fireman popped the lid of the boot. On a rise above the peat bog, Hamish saw the white face of Hannah Fleming.
Another ladder was produced. Two ambulances had arrived on the scene. A paramedic crawled along the second ladder, and he and the fireman gently drew Hannah out of the car. Together, the ladders side by side, they carried Hannah to safety.
“What happened, Hannah?” asked Hamish, noticing the dried blood matting her hair.
“I was at the Palfours’,” she said. “I was trying to help you.” Then she lost consciousness.
Hamish dialled Jimmy. “I’m up at Braikie. Those Palfours have tried to kill Hannah Fleming. They hit her on the head, stuffed her in the boot of her car, and dumped the car in a peat bog. It didn’t sink. Send backup fast.”
It was a long night. Charles and Olivia Palfour were arrested and charged with the attempted murder of Hannah Fleming.
Then Charles confessed that they had murdered the Russian, Andronovitch, and they were charged with that murder as well.
Olivia said nothing. Her eyes were glazed. Superintendent Daviot said they should wait for the results of a psychiatrist before questioning her further.
Jimmy took Hamish and Dick aside. “Look, Hamish,” he said urgently, “you’re going to be in trouble. When Hannah’s judged fit enough to speak, Blair himself is going to interrogate her and it’ll all come out about you having spent the night with her. He’ll get you suspended for starters.”
Dick slid quietly away. He usually masked his intelligence under a show of lethargy, but now his brain was working overtime. He knew Blair was always looking for an excuse to shut down the police station. It would mean the end of the best job he’d had in his life. He loved his usually lazy days and the comfort of the police station. He phoned up the manager of the Tommel Castle Hotel.
Charles felt numb cold with fear. He knew that when this woman was reported missing, then the police would quickly learn she had been searching for him. But Olivia had threatened to kill him if he talked, and he was sure she would do it. He began to contemplate the idea of suicide.
Olivia drove up to the peat bog several miles up on the moors outside the town. “Get out!” she ordered her brother. “The brake isn’t on. Help me push.”
“But she wasn’t dead!” cried Charles.
“She soon will be! Push!”
There was an incline down to the peat bog. They both pushed hard and the car gathered momentum until the front pointed down into the bog and began to sink.
“Right,” said Olivia. “Let’s go. We’ll let ourselves into the house the back way so no one sees us. If they don’t have a body, they can’t do anything to us.”
But the front of the car struck a large rock sunk in the peat bog and stopped sinking.
In the boot, Hannah recovered consciousness.
Shepherd Diarmuid Burns, walking back across the moors with his sheepdog at his heels, heard a faint cry coming from the direction of the peat bog. He saw the car upended and heard cries coming from the boot. He knew if he went up to the car, he might sink in the bog. He took out his mobile and urgently called the emergency services, saying to bring ladders as someone was in the boot of a car in the peat bog. He then shouted to whoever was trapped in the car that help was coming.
Hamish got a message from Strathbane, roused Dick Fraser, jumped in his Land Rover, and set off for Braikie with the siren howling.
Charles Palfour, crouched at the end of his bed, heard the sound of that siren. He knew he should wake his sister. Olivia had taken a sleeping pill. Then the thought of actually being caught and arrested came to him on a wave of relief. He hoped against hope it was all over and he could be free of his sister at last.
When Hamish arrived on the scene, the Braikie fire brigade had put a ladder across the bog and a fireman was cautiously crawling along it to the car. The fireman popped the lid of the boot. On a rise above the peat bog, Hamish saw the white face of Hannah Fleming.
Another ladder was produced. Two ambulances had arrived on the scene. A paramedic crawled along the second ladder, and he and the fireman gently drew Hannah out of the car. Together, the ladders side by side, they carried Hannah to safety.
“What happened, Hannah?” asked Hamish, noticing the dried blood matting her hair.
“I was at the Palfours’,” she said. “I was trying to help you.” Then she lost consciousness.
Hamish dialled Jimmy. “I’m up at Braikie. Those Palfours have tried to kill Hannah Fleming. They hit her on the head, stuffed her in the boot of her car, and dumped the car in a peat bog. It didn’t sink. Send backup fast.”
It was a long night. Charles and Olivia Palfour were arrested and charged with the attempted murder of Hannah Fleming.
Then Charles confessed that they had murdered the Russian, Andronovitch, and they were charged with that murder as well.
Olivia said nothing. Her eyes were glazed. Superintendent Daviot said they should wait for the results of a psychiatrist before questioning her further.
Jimmy took Hamish and Dick aside. “Look, Hamish,” he said urgently, “you’re going to be in trouble. When Hannah’s judged fit enough to speak, Blair himself is going to interrogate her and it’ll all come out about you having spent the night with her. He’ll get you suspended for starters.”
Dick slid quietly away. He usually masked his intelligence under a show of lethargy, but now his brain was working overtime. He knew Blair was always looking for an excuse to shut down the police station. It would mean the end of the best job he’d had in his life. He loved his usually lazy days and the comfort of the police station. He phoned up the manager of the Tommel Castle Hotel.
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