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Authors: Craig Robertson
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we learn, we keep it to ourselves for now. I’m not sharing any information with that wee shit Kelbie, whatever Shirley has to say. As far as I’m— Oh, for fuck’s sake!’
Narey and Winter followed Addison’s gaze and saw four or five young heads popping up above the cemetery wall, all adorned with baseball caps. They were either standing on something or on the shoulders of their mates. One young tracksuited gymnast was even sitting on the wall, his legs dangling over the edge.
‘Jesus! Rachel, get uniforms to patrol the cemetery perimeter and get those silly sods down. The last thing we need is them looking in here. I’m not having a repeat of the hunt for the Gorbals Vampire.’
‘We’re not going to be able to stop them all from looking.’ Narey raised her eyes and the two men followed her gaze, seeing the pair of blue and cream giants that towered over them. The Caledonia Road flats filled the skyline and offered hundreds of uninterrupted views onto the crime scene.
Addison stuck a two-fingered salute up at the tower blocks. ‘Stare at that.’
Chapter 9
Sunday afternoon
The hurriedly arranged strategy meeting in Pitt Street wasn’t held in the largest available room but rather in one where the smallest number of people were likely to be walking past. It had been done with as little fuss as he could; Alex Shirley was determined to keep as much of a lid as he could on news of the matching words on the stomachs of the two murdered women.
Every murder was a very big deal, even in a city like Glasgow, where it wasn’t exactly unusual. But this was different. It was what it was but it was also what it could become. There was both a brutality and a potential randomness about these killings that had even hardened detectives concerned. Shirley was shitting himself at the prospect of this being only the start of something.
Winter took a seat at the back as usual, all the better to see without being seen. He knew that it was only that he’d been there from the first victim being found on the Necropolis that saved him from being outside the scope of Shirley’s need-to-know policy. Two of his photographs were on the wall facing the rows of chairs that were swiftly being filled by the backsides of the force’s CID. They were his passport to the case and he revelled in the fact that they drew the attention of every cop in the room.
They were both close-ups of the faces of the girls, blown up, full and glossy but losing nothing from the increase in size. They were pixel-perfect in their grotesque beauty. Kirsty McAndrew, her blonde hair wet-dark and licking at her pretty features. Girl number two, as yet unknown but staring helplessly into the abyss, her mouth wide as if dumbfounded by what she saw.
Winter looked at the back of Rachel’s head as she sat in the front row, seeing her sitting so close and yet so far away. Just someone he used to know in a room full of people. There were ten bodies sitting in front of Winter by the time the door opened to allow Alex Shirley to march in and advance directly to the table that faced the rows of cops. The superintendent took his place under Winter’s photographs, flanked on either side by Addison and Kelbie. Among the ranks facing them were Jim Ferry from New Gorbals, DS Andy Teven, DS Rico Giannandrea, a handful of detective constables including Fraser Toshney and Rebecca Maxwell, plus Superintendent Jason Williams representing uniform. They collectively shut up as soon as Shirley got to the top table.
He stood facing them, examining papers in front of him with pursed lips even though he’d already read every word they contained. When he lifted his head again, he was ready.
‘Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for being here. I know some of you have had to change shifts to accommodate this and I’m grateful for that. For those of you who don’t know him, may I introduce DCI Denny Kelbie from New Gorbals. He will be assisting on this enquiry along with DS Jim
Narey and Winter followed Addison’s gaze and saw four or five young heads popping up above the cemetery wall, all adorned with baseball caps. They were either standing on something or on the shoulders of their mates. One young tracksuited gymnast was even sitting on the wall, his legs dangling over the edge.
‘Jesus! Rachel, get uniforms to patrol the cemetery perimeter and get those silly sods down. The last thing we need is them looking in here. I’m not having a repeat of the hunt for the Gorbals Vampire.’
‘We’re not going to be able to stop them all from looking.’ Narey raised her eyes and the two men followed her gaze, seeing the pair of blue and cream giants that towered over them. The Caledonia Road flats filled the skyline and offered hundreds of uninterrupted views onto the crime scene.
Addison stuck a two-fingered salute up at the tower blocks. ‘Stare at that.’
Chapter 9
Sunday afternoon
The hurriedly arranged strategy meeting in Pitt Street wasn’t held in the largest available room but rather in one where the smallest number of people were likely to be walking past. It had been done with as little fuss as he could; Alex Shirley was determined to keep as much of a lid as he could on news of the matching words on the stomachs of the two murdered women.
Every murder was a very big deal, even in a city like Glasgow, where it wasn’t exactly unusual. But this was different. It was what it was but it was also what it could become. There was both a brutality and a potential randomness about these killings that had even hardened detectives concerned. Shirley was shitting himself at the prospect of this being only the start of something.
Winter took a seat at the back as usual, all the better to see without being seen. He knew that it was only that he’d been there from the first victim being found on the Necropolis that saved him from being outside the scope of Shirley’s need-to-know policy. Two of his photographs were on the wall facing the rows of chairs that were swiftly being filled by the backsides of the force’s CID. They were his passport to the case and he revelled in the fact that they drew the attention of every cop in the room.
They were both close-ups of the faces of the girls, blown up, full and glossy but losing nothing from the increase in size. They were pixel-perfect in their grotesque beauty. Kirsty McAndrew, her blonde hair wet-dark and licking at her pretty features. Girl number two, as yet unknown but staring helplessly into the abyss, her mouth wide as if dumbfounded by what she saw.
Winter looked at the back of Rachel’s head as she sat in the front row, seeing her sitting so close and yet so far away. Just someone he used to know in a room full of people. There were ten bodies sitting in front of Winter by the time the door opened to allow Alex Shirley to march in and advance directly to the table that faced the rows of cops. The superintendent took his place under Winter’s photographs, flanked on either side by Addison and Kelbie. Among the ranks facing them were Jim Ferry from New Gorbals, DS Andy Teven, DS Rico Giannandrea, a handful of detective constables including Fraser Toshney and Rebecca Maxwell, plus Superintendent Jason Williams representing uniform. They collectively shut up as soon as Shirley got to the top table.
He stood facing them, examining papers in front of him with pursed lips even though he’d already read every word they contained. When he lifted his head again, he was ready.
‘Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for being here. I know some of you have had to change shifts to accommodate this and I’m grateful for that. For those of you who don’t know him, may I introduce DCI Denny Kelbie from New Gorbals. He will be assisting on this enquiry along with DS Jim
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