Kiss Her Goodbye (22 page)

Sally answered. "Cooper's still out."

Joe hung up and dialed Cooper's mobile. He didn't answer and Joe didn't bother leaving a message.

THIRTY-ONE

The girl answered the door with a cloth held over her face. The cloth looked like it had been used to mop up a spillage of red wine. Only the edges of the cloth retained the white of its original color.

Her eyes latched onto Adam's. His mouth twitched in the beginnings of a smile, but when her gaze switched to the lawyer, Adam let his smile collapse. Her voice was nasal. "What do you want?"

"You okay, Tina?" the lawyer asked.

"What does it look like?" She turned, leaving the door open. Brewer waited a moment, then followed her into the flat. Adam stepped inside, turned to glance down the empty corridor and closed the door after him.

In the sitting room the lawyer said, "Did Cooper do that?"

"How do you know?"

"Saw him getting into his car."

"Was he walking funny? I got him a pretty good kick in the balls." She moved the cloth away from her face. Dried blood clung to the rim of one puffed nostril. "I was about to give him another when he nutted me. Can't believe I walked right into it. You ever been headbutted?"

Brewer shook his head. She looked at Adam. He also shook his head.

"I don't believe we've met." She held out the hand that wasn't holding the cloth. Her fingers were cold and trembled in his grasp. For all her bravado, he suspected she was badly shaken up.

"You sure you're okay?" he asked her.

"I'm used to getting knocked about. This" — she touched her nose, tenderly — "is nothing."

"I wouldn't say that. Could be broken."

"Wouldn't be the first time."

"You should get it looked at." He was still holding her hand.

"What happened?" Brewer said.

"Still don't know your friend's name," Tina said to the lawyer while continuing to stare at Adam.

Adam told her his name. "I'm Joe's wife's cousin," he added. Her fingers dragged away and his hand hung in mid-air for a second before he let it fall to his side.

"What happened?" Brewer repeated.

"Sit down," she said. "Got to wring this cloth out again." She marched into the adjoining kitchen and turned on the tap.

Adam followed the lawyer. Brewer sat down on the settee and Adam sat next to him. Tina's flat was as pristine as a showroom. Maybe she was selling it. Keeping it tidy for prospective buyers. Adam scanned the carpet. Not a trace of blood. How the hell had she managed that? Bust nose, Cooper's shirt apparently covered in gore, but no sign of any here. "Nice flat," he said. "Very tidy."

"I don't really live here," Tina said. "I mean, I do — what I mean is I spend most of the time in my bedroom. You should see the state of that!"

Adam perched on the edge of his seat. Leaning back, he felt, might damage the cushions. He was about to ask Tina if she would explain why there wasn't any blood on the floor when Brewer said, "You sure you don't want to go to the hospital? Got the car outside. No problem giving you a lift."

Tina stepped back into the sitting room, holding the newly rinsed cloth in her hand. "I'm okay," she said. "Really. Where's Joe?"

Brewer looked at Adam. Adam stared back at him. "We don't know," the lawyer said. "We hoped he'd be here." An awkward silence descended, during which Tina dabbed her nose with the cloth and Brewer flicked imaginary fluff off his trousers. "Thing is, Joe's sort of disappeared," he said at last. "The police are looking for him. We need to find him. He's in a lot of trouble."

"So I hear." Tina opened the cloth, inspected it, folded it again. "I don't understand, though. I thought he was off the hook."

Brewer explained about the football fans who'd seen Joe at Cooper's flat. "When he was supposed to be with you," he told her.

"I hoped it wasn't true," she said. "Bugger. The police must know I lied. So now I'm in the shit along with Joe."

"I imagine they had their suspicions anyway," the lawyer said.

"No wonder Cooper refused to pay me."

"Cooper doesn't know about any of this."

Her eyes bored into Brewer's. "He does."

Brewer held her gaze. "If he refused to pay you, it must be for some other reason."

"He told me he wasn't going to part with any cash on account of the new witnesses. He told me what you just told me. I said I'd retract my statement. He told me to go ahead. See if he cared. He said Joe was well fucked. Past our help. I got the impression Cooper had come here to gloat. I offered him a cup of coffee. I was going to throw it at him. I think he knew, but he played along for a while. Came into the kitchen. I felt him creeping up behind me. I didn't wait for the water to boil. Just turned on my heel and kicked him in the balls." She demonstrated, swivelling, her right foot shooting out in front of her with sufficient speed to make Adam flinch in his seat. "Wiped that smug grin off his face."

"But how would Cooper know about the witnesses?" the lawyer said.

Tina said, "I couldn't say."

"I don't know Mr. Cooper," Adam said. "But I get the distinct impression that he's no friend of Joe's."

Brewer said, "No question, somebody set up Joe. It would have to be somebody close, somebody who knew Joe pretty well. Could be Cooper. I mean, there aren't too many candidates."

And it was somebody close to the family who'd raped Gemma.

"I could have done it," Tina said. "Jealous prostitute thing, you know? Sick of hearing Joe prattle on about his wife."

"Does that really happen?" Adam said.

She ignored him. "And I'm pretty mean with a baseball bat."

"Are you?" the lawyer said. "Look what Cooper just did to you."

"Get me a baseball bat. I'll show you."

Adam looked at her.

"You fancy some?" she asked him. "Want to try me?"

Adam grinned. "I'm sure you'd win."

"Cooper caught me unawares," Tina said. "You'd think I'd know better. Anyway, I doubt Joe's wife would have been as tough a proposition as Cooper."

"Let's say you're right." Brewer stood up and faced Tina. "You're now a murder suspect. Would you consider going to the police? Voluntarily?"

"I've had more than enough contact with them."

"One way or another you're about to have more."

"I'll wait, thanks."

"Even if going to see them got you off the hook for your false statement? And cleared you as a suspect?" He paused. "And if it helped put away the man who did that to your nose?"

Tina threw the cloth into the kitchen. It landed with a smack in the center of the sink. "What did you have in mind?"

THIRTY-TWO

It occurred to Joe that although he might not be able to reach Cooper, his lawyer wouldn't have the same problem. Ronald wasn't on the run and the police weren't going to arrest him if he appeared at Cooper's flat. And if Cooper wasn't at home, Ronald could wait at his flat until he turned up and nobody would bat an eyelid. Getting his lawyer to beat the truth out of Cooper might be a shade more difficult, but at least Ronald would be able to arrange a safe meeting place with Cooper where Joe could do the physical work himself.

Joe picked up the phone and called Ronald. He sounded flustered when he answered. "Problem?" Joe said.

"We were just talking about you. Where are you?"

"In your flat. Taking it easy. Just like you suggested."

"I called earlier. Where were you?"

"Popped out for a chat with my new best friend, DS Monkman."

"I hope you're taking the piss, Joe. Look, we need to see you. We have things to discuss. Stay there, please. We'll be right over."

"We?" Joe said, but Ronald had hung up. Joe considered calling him back, but decided not to bother. He'd see him soon enough. Along with whoever he was bringing along. Cooper, maybe? Joe felt a nervousness flutter in his stomach and spread towards his groin. Not knowing the truth was eating him up. He hoped the lawyer was bringing Cooper. He formed a fist with his right hand and smacked it into the open palm of his left. After a while he became aware of a low, rumbling sound. His eyes were wet at the corners. He let out a long breath. The rumbling sound stopped and he realized it had been coming from his chest.

A cigarette. What he'd give for a cigarette right now. Not to smoke it. Just to light it and hold it between his fingers and watch it burn down.

Some comfort.

That sound again. He gasped.

What he really wanted was to talk to Gemma. Find out how she was doing up in Orkney. Maybe he could ask her why she'd left. Something happened that had forced her to leave. Or so Ruth had said. Something Gem hadn't been able to talk about. And Joe had no reason to suppose Ruth was wrong. Why hadn't Gem said anything? He hated the idea of his daughter suffering. More than anything in the world. Well, one thing was certain. She would never suffer again.

He should ring Adam. Joe had the number somewhere. Shit, it was at home. Not a problem, though. He could get it from directory enquiries. Then he remembered that Adam was in Edinburgh and his landline number wouldn't be of much use. Ronald had left for a meeting with him, though. If anyone knew how to get in touch with him, it was Ronald.

Joe called his lawyer again, but Ronald's mobile was switched off. Joe would just have to wait.

They arrived fifteen minutes later. The lawyer and Tina and Adam. Tina had taken a thump on the nose. The swelling made her nostrils even larger than usual. It was strange seeing her in company. Joe couldn't remember that ever happening before. He nodded to her and she nodded back. Adam looked troubled, clutching a book to his chest.

"Adam," Joe said, "I didn't kill Ruth," hoping those few words would help put him at ease.

"Mr. Brewer explained," Adam said. "I'd like to believe you."

Ronald said, "Mr. Wright has something of Gemma's he wants you to have, Joe."

Joe put his hand to his mouth. His fingers pressed against his lips. Adam stepped forward and detached the book from his chest.

"This will tell you what you want to know." Adam held the bottom edge of the book with both hands. "Gem entrusted it to me," he said. "She didn't want it to fall into the hands of the police. It's her diary. What's in here is very private. Something happened to her, Joe—"

"You know about that?"

"I took the liberty of turning down the corners of the relevant pages."

"It's in there? What happened to her? Why she left?"

"Read it," Adam said.

Joe reached out, accepting the diary. He opened the book and saw her name written in red ink. He rubbed his thumb over it.

Adam said, "Maybe we should leave you alone."

"Let's go through to the kitchen," Ronald said. "I'll make coffee."

"Adam," Joe said to the retreating figure of his wife's cousin. "What I said about Ruth. It's true. Whatever you might think."

Tina placed her hand on Joe's shoulder as she passed.

THIRTY-THREE

The sitting room door was slightly ajar. The rise and fall of animated voices carried from the kitchen, although Joe couldn't make out any of the words. He looked at the passage he'd just read, and read it again. When he finished, he read it again. He placed the book on the cushion next to him and closed his eyes. When he opened his eyes, he picked up the diary and read the passage once more. It still made no sense, so he read it again.

He read it until he knew it by heart.

He flicked forward to the second passage Adam had marked. He read each sentence a dozen times before advancing to the next. The words made no sense. What they said, what he read into them, was overwhelming. He started with the first sentence again. Moved on to the next.
Just a rape, I tell myself.
His brain rejected the concept. He couldn't imagine Gemma being hurt like that. He moved further down the page, across to the next page. Gemma was reminiscing about that time he took her up Calton Hill to see a meteor shower. An insignificant event in his own life. Who'd have expected she'd…Joe's shoulders started to shake.

He moved on to the next passage. After a while he closed the diary. He was still shaking.

Maybe the whole thing was an elaborate hoax. Someone else had written the diary. Maybe Gemma had made it all up. It was a bad joke.

He knew it wasn't. No matter how hard he tried to deny it, he knew this had to be dealt with. He swallowed, picked up the diary and opened it again. His mouth was dry as paper. He forced himself to read through the marked passages once more. He tried to understand it. Gemma's words did not state that Cooper had raped her. No, not exactly. More of an indication. Someone had raped her, of that there was no doubt. Someone close to her. Someone who referred to himself as Daddy. Someone who called her Gem. Someone she suspected Joe would kill if she told him who it was. Someone in a position of trust. A man who was capable of doing a thing like that was certainly capable of murdering Ruth. But Cooper wasn't mentioned by name. Still, Joe knew it was him. No more proof than he had before, but the weight of circumstantial evidence was crushing. Only a fool would doubt Cooper's guilt now. And Joe was nobody's fool.