Before the Devil Knows You're Dead by Owen Mullen

Author:Owen Mullen [Mullen, Owen]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781912175093
Publisher: Bloodhound Books
Published: 2017-03-20T19:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

Across Glasgow, DS Geddes stood on the pavement at the bottom of High Street, outside the city mortuary, waiting for Constable Lawson to bring Anthony Daly’s sister to identify his body. To his left, the blue face and gold hands of the Tron clock told him it was ten minutes to three in the afternoon. The horrific scene at the bridge felt weeks rather than hours ago. It had been a long day, and it wasn’t over.

Lawson had stayed with Cissie and performed well. Being near somebody who had lost a loved one was difficult but Geddes’ cautionary words to the young policewoman had found their mark. The world could be an ugly place where people did terrible things to other people and to themselves. Learning to detach wasn’t just a question of being professional; it was essential if you were going to survive in the job. On the phone, the officer calmly reported the early stages of grief and agreed to meet the DS at three. Geddes was impressed. Lawson was going to be all right.

In the car, Cissie Daly looked out at Glasgow and saw nothing. She’d stopped crying and sat silently playing with her fingers. The police car turned left at the cathedral, headed down the hill and stopped at the lights on Duke Street. Cissie Daly did her thinking out loud.

‘I’ll have to give his season ticket away.’

She turned to the constable.

‘Do you ever watch football?’

‘Not really.’

‘Don’t you have brothers?’

‘No. Just sisters.’ Lawson had two brothers; both Rangers supporters.

‘So it wouldn’t be any use to you?’

In the circumstances, it was a silly conversation to be having. Cissie was trying to make sense of life without Tony. At the mortuary, the constable helped her out and Geddes joined them.

‘Sorry to ask you to do this today. It won’t take long.’

‘Has to be. Better to get it over with.’

DS Geddes had been to the city mortuary more times than he cared to remember. It wasn’t the way they showed it on television. Nobody would be drawing back a white sheet to reveal the deceased. The viewing room was small, a few chairs in front of a screen set into the wall. Cissie Daly stood between the officers as it flickered and filled with her dead brother’s face. Cissie tensed. For a moment she swayed. The constable laid a steadying hand on her emaciated arm.

‘That’s him. That’s Tony.’

Geddes led them back to the car. ‘Are you up to giving us a statement, Miss Daly?’

Cissie was confused. ‘A statement? What about?’

‘It would help us piece together your brother’s movements prior to his death.’

She hesitated. ‘I suppose so. If you think it’s necessary.’

‘We could go to the station and do it just now. Get you a nice cup of tea.’

Why did everybody keep giving her tea? She wanted to be left alone to come to terms with the fact that Tony wouldn’t be coming home. And to search for the missing Buckfast. Lawson took her to an interview room and waited for the DS to arrive.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.