thanks.”
“Good. Subsequent to our last meeting something has happened at this end which I need to talk to you about. Could you please come through and see me tomorrow – with your grandson?”
“Certainly. What’s happened?”
“The body of Irina Vasilescu has just been hauled out of the Forth near Bannockburn. Forensics say she has been dead for about six hours and it is being treated as murder. Can I be sure that you will be through tomorrow? I can assure you that you’re not a suspect but we thought you might be able to help us.”
We looked at each other with horror and astonishment. I assured him we’d be there and switched off the phone and chucked it onto the table in disgust.
What in the hell had we got ourselves into…..?
Chapter 7
When Liam and I arrived at the police station the following morning we were greeted by a harassed-looking Sergeant MacLean. He welcomed us with some signs of relief and ushered us straight away into the same room as before.
“Coffee? Right. Be back in a minute.” And he disappeared.
He was back shortly with a tray of four cups of coffee, accompanied by a younger man whom he introduced as D. I. Ross. Ross was a neat and intelligent-looking man who looked as if he was in his early forties. He shook hands with us, thanked us for coming in and sat down at the head of the table in a business-like fashion. The pad he had been carrying was placed neatly in front of him. He took out a pen which he laid beside the pad and looked up at us.
“Gentlemen, I’ll start by saying that Sergeant MacLean here has informed me of everything that has happened concerning you both. Let me summarise what I know and you can confirm it.”
There seemed no need for us to reply so we just nodded.
“But first let’s get rid of one thing.” He addressed himself to me. “You are Mr. Robert Bruce and this is your grandson Liam?”
“Correct”.
He wrote the date and our two names at the top of the page.
“For the record, can you tell me where you were between the evening of the day before yesterday and yesterday midday? Liam?”
“I was in Edinburgh all that evening and yesterday morning I was driving back to my grandfather’s house in Letham. I was with my godfather Mike, my grandfather’s brother, all the time and he can confirm it.”
He noted this down and, at the same time, without looking up, asked me the same question.
I told him that I had been golfing at Kingsbarns and returned home and spent the evening and the following morning there. “I was with my half-brother Pierre all the time and he can confirm it.” He scribbled on. When he had finished he put the pen down and leant back in his chair.
“Now, here is what I understand. A couple of days after Liam’s overnight stay with us you came to see Sergeant MacLean because you’d seen a photograph of Irina Vasilescu in the newspaper. You asked him if there was any way you could get access to her to ask her a couple of questions about her boyfriend, whom Liam knew, but who had seemingly disappeared. The reason you wanted to find this man was that you suspected he had been pumping Liam for confidential information about a very valuable research project which his employers were working on. Is that right?”
“That’s correct.”
“As far as I’m concerned that is not my business. There is no crime involved. However, if it has any bearing on my investigation into this unfortunate girl’s death, then it is my business.”
He continued.
“Sergeant MacLean was bending the rules in allowing you to speak to her but I’m prepared to overlook that. What is more important is that you seemed to have learned something from her about the whereabouts of the man you wanted to find – a certain Rémy - and apparently you confirmed to Sergeant MacLean yesterday afternoon on the phone that you had manage to locate him. Am I still correct?”
Liam answered.
“Yes. We did find him, in Edinburgh, and he told us that he had
“Good. Subsequent to our last meeting something has happened at this end which I need to talk to you about. Could you please come through and see me tomorrow – with your grandson?”
“Certainly. What’s happened?”
“The body of Irina Vasilescu has just been hauled out of the Forth near Bannockburn. Forensics say she has been dead for about six hours and it is being treated as murder. Can I be sure that you will be through tomorrow? I can assure you that you’re not a suspect but we thought you might be able to help us.”
We looked at each other with horror and astonishment. I assured him we’d be there and switched off the phone and chucked it onto the table in disgust.
What in the hell had we got ourselves into…..?
Chapter 7
When Liam and I arrived at the police station the following morning we were greeted by a harassed-looking Sergeant MacLean. He welcomed us with some signs of relief and ushered us straight away into the same room as before.
“Coffee? Right. Be back in a minute.” And he disappeared.
He was back shortly with a tray of four cups of coffee, accompanied by a younger man whom he introduced as D. I. Ross. Ross was a neat and intelligent-looking man who looked as if he was in his early forties. He shook hands with us, thanked us for coming in and sat down at the head of the table in a business-like fashion. The pad he had been carrying was placed neatly in front of him. He took out a pen which he laid beside the pad and looked up at us.
“Gentlemen, I’ll start by saying that Sergeant MacLean here has informed me of everything that has happened concerning you both. Let me summarise what I know and you can confirm it.”
There seemed no need for us to reply so we just nodded.
“But first let’s get rid of one thing.” He addressed himself to me. “You are Mr. Robert Bruce and this is your grandson Liam?”
“Correct”.
He wrote the date and our two names at the top of the page.
“For the record, can you tell me where you were between the evening of the day before yesterday and yesterday midday? Liam?”
“I was in Edinburgh all that evening and yesterday morning I was driving back to my grandfather’s house in Letham. I was with my godfather Mike, my grandfather’s brother, all the time and he can confirm it.”
He noted this down and, at the same time, without looking up, asked me the same question.
I told him that I had been golfing at Kingsbarns and returned home and spent the evening and the following morning there. “I was with my half-brother Pierre all the time and he can confirm it.” He scribbled on. When he had finished he put the pen down and leant back in his chair.
“Now, here is what I understand. A couple of days after Liam’s overnight stay with us you came to see Sergeant MacLean because you’d seen a photograph of Irina Vasilescu in the newspaper. You asked him if there was any way you could get access to her to ask her a couple of questions about her boyfriend, whom Liam knew, but who had seemingly disappeared. The reason you wanted to find this man was that you suspected he had been pumping Liam for confidential information about a very valuable research project which his employers were working on. Is that right?”
“That’s correct.”
“As far as I’m concerned that is not my business. There is no crime involved. However, if it has any bearing on my investigation into this unfortunate girl’s death, then it is my business.”
He continued.
“Sergeant MacLean was bending the rules in allowing you to speak to her but I’m prepared to overlook that. What is more important is that you seemed to have learned something from her about the whereabouts of the man you wanted to find – a certain Rémy - and apparently you confirmed to Sergeant MacLean yesterday afternoon on the phone that you had manage to locate him. Am I still correct?”
Liam answered.
“Yes. We did find him, in Edinburgh, and he told us that he had
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