Dark of Night by Oliver Davies

Author:Oliver Davies [Davies, Oliver]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2021-01-17T22:00:00+00:00

Sixteen

Caitlin

We left Davie Baird and Dougie searching the area between the place Conall had seen what we all believed was our murder weapon, hung up in the brambles, and the flatter stretch of land opposite the Ramsay farm. Davie said we could borrow Jamie, to go and see what Walker and Mills had found. He was quite happy with just Dougie to assist him until the new team arrived.

Those two were already checking along the edge of the bramble patch when we left them, looking for signs of any misguided attempt by our culprits to retrieve the flagrantly exposed bat. Those brambles were monsters. Maybe the ridge itself was only twelve feet high, as Jessica had told us, but the tangle of growth, from our level, rose to over twice that height. I was sure I could see a couple of scrub oaks buried among the reaching tangle of thorny, arching stems.

We circled the overgrown ridge and headed up the east slope, three abreast, carefully checking the ground as we walked, finding nothing. Walker and Mills were waiting for us at the lower edge of the copse and, one by one, they showed us the places they’d tagged, numbered from one through to seven, with Jamie taking further pictures at each location from a few paces away. Then, leaving the SOCO lad to get on with his job properly, we all went to admire the clear view down to the Ramsay farm from the edge of the trees, keeping well to the right of where the evidence suggested our suspects had positioned themselves. The large farmhouse, Gareth’s cottage, and the outbuildings were all in plain sight from here. Even after dark, you’d be able to watch vehicles coming and going, and see different lights going on and off in any of the buildings.

“You two did a great job of it up here,” Conall told Walker and Mills, after he’d had a good long look down at the farm. “Thorough, careful work. Maybe the pair of you should think about going over to Davie Baird’s team? I’m sure he’d be happy to take you on.”

They both grinned sheepishly, and Walker even flushed a little. I saw Conall’s slight, fleeting frown as he noticed that, but I don’t think he’d twigged. More likely he was worrying that maybe he’d not been giving them enough positive reinforcement lately, which was not the case. Conall never hesitated to offer any of his DCs a verbal pat on the back when they’d earned one.

“And leave you, Sir?” Mills pulled a face. “Voluntarily? When Great Birnam Wood next walks, maybe.” Conall just looked over at me and rolled his eyes.

“Well, educated little smart alecs, the DCs we get these days, aren’t they, Sergeant Murray?”

“Well,” I allowed, “if he’d just said, ‘and pigs might fly’ instead, you’d probably have suggested sending them off to the Air Support Unit, knowing you.” More happy grins. “So,” I asked him, “what are you going to do with them now?”

“I suppose

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