The man's boots made hollow echoing sounds as he headed down the stone steps. Okay. He'd have to risk leaving this place for a while. His own toolkit was locked inside the boot of his car.
He paused at the entrance to the close before setting foot on the Glasgow streets. There were calls to make this evening, but he could do that from the car. It was parked not too far away and it would be sensible to move it to another place before it was remarked upon by any nosey neighbours. Care and attention to detail had always been his watchwords and he wasn't going to neglect either now.
'Hello?' Marianne lifted the telephone from its hook after two rings. Never give your name, Billy had always dinned into her. After the last couple of years that advice had become second nature to the red-haired woman. And not just because her wee brother was a drug dealer, mixing with a strange assortment of folk.
The voice on the other end of the line was unfamiliar, an English accent that Marianne couldn't place.
'Hallo. Is Billy there?' the voice asked, in a tone that was friendly enough to make Marianne relax a little.
'Sorry, no, he's not,' she answered. 'May I ask who's calling?' she added politely.
'Oh, I'm a pal of Billy's from the old days. In Glasgow for a bit.
Thought I'd look him up,' the man added.
Marianne frowned suddenly. 'How did you get this number?'
'Billy gave me it. Said to ring if he wasn't at the flat.'
'Oh,' Marianne stood for a moment, wondering. That was okay, then, wasn't it? Billy never gave out any details of her number or whatever address she was using. So this old friend must be from his army days, someone who had no earthly idea of the Brogan family or their affairs.
'Haven't seen him since we came home together on leave that last time. Man, that was some night!' the man on the other end of the line chuckled.
It was a warm, friendly sort of laugh and Marianne found herself smiling. Its very normality made her feel good.
'Well, I'm sorry I can't help you… what did you say your name was?'
There was a long pause and no reply then an unintelligible voice that faded until she could make out the words line breaking up and the connection was dead.
For a moment Marianne looked at the receiver then replaced it on its stand. Pity, she thought. He sounded nice. But not nice enough to break her promise not to give out her brother's mobile number. Then she frowned. Why wasn't Billy at home?
Curious, she lifted the telephone again and dialled. As she listened to the unfamiliar ringtone, the woman sat down suddenly.
Now she knew why that man hadn't found Billy Brogan in his flat.
And if her suspicions were correct he would not find him anywhere in Scotland, never mind Glasgow.
He put the folded handkerchief back into his pocket, thinking hard. Either this woman really didn't know where he'd gone or she was lying to protect him. She hadn't sounded too put out. A pleasant, educated voice, someone he'd enjoy talking to in another time and another place. And who was she anyway, this Marianne whose name had been written in red ink and underlined?
A girlfriend? He didn't think so. There had been an absence of any sort of proprietorial tone to her voice. Maybe she was an ex? Hadn't seen Billy boy for a while. One way or another he had to find her, make her tell him what he wanted to know – the whereabouts of Billy Brogan. And his ten thousand pounds. CHAPTER 12 The slate blue sky was streaked with salmon pink clouds when Annie Irvine stood looking out from the balcony of her top-storey flat, a glass of wine in her hand. The Glasgow cityscape twinkled before her, though how long she might enjoy gazing at it was anybody's guess. Planning consent had been given for a multistorey building that would be constructed right in front of her block of flats but so far there was no sign of any start to the project.
So Annie was determined to enjoy the view while she could. Far ahead was the dark spire of the university, just visible on the edge of the skyline. The roads between were a blur of dark shapes punctuated by lozenges of lit windows, reminders of other lives out there, other people with hopes, dreams and fears like her own.
Once Annie's fears had included the monthly mortgage payment.
She'd bought her flat when property had been at a premium, worried sick by how far she had extended herself. But the credit crunch had taken the sting out of that, with interest rates tumbling down so that now the policewoman could enjoy a reasonable standard of living. She swirled the red wine round and round, though she doubted whether it made any difference to aerate a bottle of stuff this price. Probably not, she told herself, taking another mouthful. Ach, it tasted fine to her, anyway. For a moment she wondered what sort of fine wines Omar Fathy was used to drinking. With his expensive schooling and posh accent (not fair, Irvine, he's just a nicely spoken man! she scolded herself) he was probably accustomed to the sort of bottles that came all cobwebby from a real vintner's, not cheap supermarket plonk like this. The woman gave a sigh then leaned forward, resting one arm on the railing. She'd never fancied a fellow officer like this before. Maybe it was because Omar was a bit different. Well, a ot different, she admitted, giggling a little at her thoughts. Certainly he was drop-dead gorgeous and she was sure she wasn't the only female officer who couldn't take her eyes off him. But it was more than that. Annie had felt at ease with him, as if they could be good friends. Or more, a little voice whispered in her ear.
So far DC Annie Irvine had managed to work happily with her colleagues without being asked out on dates. Maybe her manner had been a trifle wary, giving out the signal that she wasn't up for that sort of stuff? Annie grinned. Doctor Brightman would no doubt be able to suss out that one, wouldn't he?
But would the good doctor be able to plumb the depths of her heart? A heart that had been sorely tried and that even now fluttered uncertainly as she contemplated a situation where she might be able to trust a man in her life again. Annie tipped her head back, letting the last of the wine slide down her throat, determined to blot out any glimpse of threatening memories.
Omar Adel Fathy flicked the remote until the programme reached his chosen channel. He had eaten a chicken ready meal out of the hoard that he kept in his tall fridge freezer, a stack of meals supplied by M and S. Fridge to oven, to plate to stomach. He sighed, watching the football teams run all over the green space on his plasma screen. It wasn't like the old days when he had been at home, cosseted by loving parents, given choice dishes by their resident cook. But then rebellion on his part had put an end to that sort of lifestyle, hadn't it? Joining the police force and making his own way in life had been his way of escape. `Ahr he cried aloud as someone missed a sitter, the ball ricocheting off the crossbar and back into the defence. His eyes were glued to the game but Omar's mind was half on his past and the ties he had chosen to cut. Nepotism had not been a dirty word in his family. On the contrary, it was expected that the children would follow their father's steps in his multi-million business. He could have been ensconced in a nice office job with a fantastic salary if he had toed the family line. Instead here he was in a bog standard flat eating the same dinner as hundreds of other single men as they watched television. And it felt great! 'Come on!!' he urged the striker who had gathered up the ball at his feet and was now running towards an open goal. `Yes!!' Omar stood up, still clutching his dinner plate, then sat down again, grinning. Here he was, free to pursue his own life, doing a job he loved. What happened tomorrow was unpredictable and that was one of the things he enjoyed about being a police officer. Would there be a development in the case he was on, perhaps? There was something strange about this murder, he mused. Why would an innocent man be gunned down on his doorstep in the middle of the night?