Dumfries (2 page)

Chapter Two

  Flora Connor lay the steaming bowl ae homemade chicken broth in front ae her baby, before taking her seat opposite him at the table.  She looked across at her only son.  She could tell he’d been greeting, as his eyes wur red-rimmed and puffy.  He’d hardly come oot ae his bedroom o’er the past week.  She reached o’er and gied his haun a wee gentle squeeze.  Robert looked up fae The Stirling Observer and gied her a wee appreciative smile.  It wis the same smile as he’d first gied her a few days efter he wis born prematurely in the bedroom that he noo slept in.  When his father hid suddenly died ae a heart attack in the middle ae the night when Robert wis thirteen-years-auld, she’d moved oot ae the bedroom and moved Robert in.  She couldnae bring hersel tae sleep in the same room that her man hid passed away in.  It hid been difficult bringing Robert up oan her ain efter that.  He’d always been a sickly child and hid been aff school fur long periods.  She’d always been terrified ae losing him, especially efter being telt by the Gynaecologist soon efter, that she widnae be able tae hiv any mair weans. That fear hid increased dramatically no long efter his da, God bless him, hid been taken fae her.  When Robert’s bullying by aulder pupils and teachers hid goat worse, efter gaun up tae secondary school, she’d deliberately kept him at hame fur long periods, despite being threatened by the authorities.  She’d goat in touch wae her local MP, Neville Graham-Worthington,
aboot Robert’s situation at the time, bit he’d been jist as useless as the school authorities.  Tae make matters worse, he’d taken their side against her.  Fae his early days, Robert hid spent a lot ae time oot and aboot wae his da when he’d been aff school due tae his various ailments. His da hid run his ain wan-man plastering business and although Robert hidnae touched his da’s tools in the two years between God taking his faither away and Robert leaving school at fifteen, she’d encouraged and supported her son tae go through tae Glesga during the school holidays tae work wae wan ae his father’s friends, a part-time entertainer, who ran a wee plasterer’s business during the day in the city.  When Robert hid finally managed tae escape his school persecutors at fifteen, he’d spent a full three months in Glesga, daeing a crash course in plastering, before returning hame in triumph.  She knew a lot ae people…local gossipmongers…thought her son wis a wee bit touched in the heid, bit he’d proved them aw wrang.  Within a year ae him leaving school, the Connor Slating and Plastering business hid been reborn.  She’d goat her husband’s wee van put back oan the road.  Because Robert hidnae been auld enough tae get his driving licence, he always made sure that any labourers he employed wur able tae drive.  It hid been wan ae the proudest days ae her life, the day he arrived back fae his driving test, wae a big smile splashed across that face ae his and a pass certificate in his haun. That hid been ten months earlier.  Since then, he hidnae needed tae be dependent oan employing any ae they useless wasters fae the village tae drive him oot and aboot.

  “It means aw the money earned will stay wae us, Ma, and anyway, Ah prefer tae work oan ma ain,” he’d said.

She couldnae fathom oot why people wur noo trying tae harm him, take him away fae her, efter everything her and Robert hid been through.  Noo they wur trying tae frame him fur being involved wae the disappearance ae some wee trollop fae the village who’d obviously run away wae somewan.  She felt the fear clutch her chest, jist thinking aboot the past week.  The polis hid commandeered the van before gaun oan tae ransack her hoose the day efter the Broon slut hid gone missing.  They’d also taken away aw his clothes, including his work overalls, fae his bedroom and her laundry basket.   Despite aw the harassment, Flora hid managed tae get the van back earlier that day, bit no before spending a fortune oan hiring a solicitor fae Stirling.  Robert hid admitted that he’d spoken tae the wee tramp the day before she’d gone missing.  He’d telt the polis, o’er and o’er again, that he’d spoken tae her in front ae The Bruce Memorial Church efter she’d missed the school bus in the morning.  So fae trying tae dae her, and the school authorities, a favour, by offering tae gie her a lift tae school, they wur noo demanding tae know how plaster dust that matched the dust oan his overalls hid managed tae get oan tae the wee tramp’s school blazer.  Tae make matters worse, some evil-minded busybody hid claimed that he’d seen Robert trying tae block the lassie’s path oan the pavement, when they’d obviously been jist fooling aroond ootside the church.  Despite Robert telling the polis aw this, they hidnae believed him.  When she’d found oot doon at the station that Robert hid admitted chatting tae the lassie, her worst fears hid been realised.  She knew it wid come tae this someday, bit she thought it widnae be fur a number ae years in the future.  She couldnae cope if some trollop took her wean away fae her.  How wid she manage oan her ain?  It wis obvious tae her that Robert and the Broon lassie hid been seeing each other behind her back.  It made total sense noo when she thought aboot it.  He’d be a good catch fur somewan.  He wis young, handsome and wae a lot ae hard work, and her support, he’d be quite wealthy someday, if the business really took aff.  She knew he’d been lying when he telt the polis that he’d been in the hoose fae aboot six o’clock oanwards oan the night the wee slut hid disappeared.  It hid been nearer ten by the time he’d arrived hame.  While waiting fur the lawyer tae arrive at the polis station, he’d telt her that he’d wanted tae finish aff a plastering job that he wis working oan, jist in case he couldnae get tae the job the next day, because ae the early snow that hid caught everywan oot across central Scotland.  The fact wis, that it wis a cash-in-haun job, and he’d telt her he didnae want tae tell the polis the truth, because they’d investigate aw his other work, and he’d end up being put away fur tax fraud.  She’d confirmed, withoot hesitation, that she’d hid her son’s tea oan the table by the time he’d arrived hame roond aboot six o’clock that evening and that he hidnae left again until seven o’clock the next morning, when he left fur work.  They’d nae choice bit tae release him fae the polis station in Stirling.  Oan the way oot ae the station wae their lawyer, Inspector Barron, the man in charge ae the investigation, hid warned her that they’d be back.  Well, let them, Flora telt hersel.  She’d be waiting fur them.  Anywan wanting tae take her baby away fae her wid hiv a fight oan their hauns.  She’d never let that happen.

  “That wis lovely, so it wis, Ma,” Robert said, smacking they lips ae his, staunin up and drapping his soup plate and spoon in tae the sink.

  “Dae ye want some mair, son?  There’s hauf a pot left.”

  “Aye, that wid be great, bit Ah’ll leave it fur a bit.  Ah hiv tae nip oot fur a wee while.  It shouldnae take me long.  Okay?”

  “Bit whit aboot aw they polis who ur oot and aboot, son?”  she replied, fearfully, “They might try and arrest ye.”

  “Ach, don’t ye worry aboot the plods, Ma.  They know fine well that Ah’m innocent ae anything.  They’ve nothing oan me,” he retorted defiantly, lifting his jaicket fae the back ae his chair and heiding fur the door.

  Robert wis glad that Auld farmer Mack hid been oot and cleared the track doon tae the main road earlier or he widnae hiv been able tae get the van up tae the hoose efter collecting it fae the cop shoap.  He turned right oan tae the main road and heided towards Stirling.  He felt elated.  He’d read in the Stirling Observer earlier that the search fur Ann Broon wid continue, despite nae trace ae her hivving been found, even though polis tracker dugs and local volunteers hid been scouring the surrounding area.  The newspaper hid also said that the polis hid spent a day and a hauf ferreting aboot up at the quarry and at Hayford Mill, tae nae avail.  The only thing that hid bothered him o’er the past few days hid been the struggle ae trying tae pish through the permanent hard-on he wis carrying aboot in the front ae they Y-fronts ae his.  The burning sensation oan his knob eased if he semi-squatted doon o’er the lavvy pan and let the pish run oot freely withoot trying tae apply pressure.  He shifted uncomfortably in his seat as he thrust his right haun doon the front ae his tight troosers and shifted his stiff dick across tae lie in the crease between the tap ae his left leg and groin.  No long noo, he smiled tae himsel, feeling a hot thrill shoot through his body.  He made sure tae double back oan himsel a few times wance he goat intae the city tae ensure he wisnae being tailed.  He clocked whit he wis looking fur and pulled o’er.  He glanced at the luminous dial ae his wristwatch before exiting the vehicle.  Seven forty five.  He wis oan time.  The call wid always be taken between seven and eight at night.  Any time before or efter that and he couldnae be guaranteed the receiver wid be lifted up at the other end.  He pulled open the phone box door tae be greeted by the waft ae stale pish.  The phone rang at the other end fur four rings before he wis able tae push the ten pence coin fully intae the greedy slot.

  “Hello?” a known voice rasped suspiciously.

  “It’s me…Robert,” he stammered, failing tae contain that excitement ae his.

  “Whit hiv a Ah telt ye aboot names, fur Christ’s sake?” the voice at the other end snarled.

  “Oh, right, er, sorry, sorry, Ah furgoat,” he stammered.

  “So, whit hiv ye goat then?” the voice finally asked efter a wee pause.

  “A live wan,” he squealed, squeezing his knees thegither, feeling his jeans tighten against his hard-on.

Silence.

  “How fresh?” the voice oan the line finally asked.

  “Fresh…as in fresh.”

  “Hiv ye touched her?”

  “Er, naw,” he replied hesitantly.

  “Is it the wan that’s been oan the news?”

  “Aye.”

  “His she been getting some water?”

  “Aye, alang wae some breid.”

  “Okay.  Right, Ah’ll ask ye again.  Hiv ye touched her?”

  “Naw…well…jist a wee quick feeling up.”

  “Right, well, listen up and listen good.  Stay away fae that bitch until we arrive.  Hiv ye goat that noo?”

  “Er, right, aye, fine.”

  “Good.  Ye’ve done well, so ye hiv.  Ah’m right pleased wae ye.  We’ll meet at the same place as the last time before heiding up thegither.  Don’t be late,” the voice oan the other end said before the line went deid. 

  “Good evening.  My name is John Turney and these are the news headlines in Scotland tonight.

  Blinding Snow and strong winds are hampering efforts to find the BEA Viscount airplane that disappeared off the radar yesterday after taking off from Glasgow Airport for routine operational purposes.  Police and rescue teams have been scouring the countryside near Aberfoyle and Balquhidder in the Trossaches…  

  An eighteen-year-old youth has been sentenced to life in prison after being found guilty of the disappearance and murder of fourteen-year-old Ann Brown on the 9
th
of November 1972.  Robert Connor lived with his elderly widowed mother on the edge of the village of Cambusbarron, Stirlingshire, where the teenager disappeared last year.  Despite the schoolgirl’s body having never being found, a jury in the High Court in Glasgow unanimously found Connor guilty after only forty minutes deliberation today.  There will be more on this story later in the programme…

  Also in the North Court of the same building, eighteen-year-old James Baxter was found guilty and sentenced to be detained in a young offenders institution for nine years by Lord Campbell of Claremyle, for his part in a bank robbery at the Clydeside Bank on Maryhill Road on the
9
th
of November last year, in which two police officers were blasted with a double-barrelled shotgun…

Police have uncovered a horde of weapons including shotguns, Second World War rifles and handguns and what is believed to be a small amount of explosives in a house in Bridgeton.  The building was evacuated by the Fire Brigade and residents had to hang about in a nearby orange hall for five hours whilst bomb disposal experts arrived on the scene…

  A twenty-two-year-old man, who was found to be dead on arrival at Glasgow’s Western Infirmary after being slashed in the neck on the corner of Garscube Road and Possil Road last night, has been named as Timothy McPherson. Another unnamed youth, who was later released from the hospital for the affects of shock, has been ruled out as a suspect in the murder. Local Possilpark Inspector Duggie Dougan has appealed for any witnesses to contact…

  Another post office was held up in Burmulloch in the north of the city, the second in two weeks, with a substantial amount of money stolen.  No one appeared to be hurt in the incident.  Springburn Police Inspector Paddy McPhee has appealed for witnesses to come forward…

  A father of seven has been let off with a warning after his second appearance from custody in as many weeks at Glasgow Sheriff Court for assaulting his common-law-wife.  James Petrie claimed his wife, forty-four-year-old Annie Small, assaulted him first, after he returned home after a night in the pub. Procurator fiscal, Glenda Metcalfe, appeared to express concern at the lenience of the sentence and a statement later issued by David Broderick, Head of the city’s Procurator Fiscals Service, denied that Miss Metcalfe’s views differed from Sheriff Clifford Burn’s views on domestic violence sentencing, by the controversial sheriff over the past few months…

  A Blackhill man who escaped from Low Moss Prison in Bishopbriggs is lucky to be alive tonight.   After cutting himself whilst escaping over the prisons razor-sharp barbed wire, twenty-six-year-old, Joseph Louden, then lost his way in a snow blizzard before being struck by a train near his home in Blackhill.  Seemingly, it had taken the prisoner thirteen hours to reach Blackhill, five miles away.  Louden will be returning to Low Moss to complete his sentence after he is released from Glasgow Royal Infirmary, where he is being treated for frostbite to the toes in both feet…”