Nine Ten Begin Again: A Grasshopper Lawns affair (21 page)

‘Jayenthi doesn’t have to, I’ll sleep here,’ Edge offered and Vivian laughed weakly.

‘You most certainly will not. You’ll be here as soon as you’ve had breakfast, bright-eyed and bushy-tailed after some sleep, to pick up our investigation.’

‘Not more murders, surely?’ Matron smiled down at her. ‘I’ve got a three-course early supper on its way upstairs. Double helpings, because I doubt I’d get William out of here with a crowbar, but I
am
going to chase the others out. You need to eat to get your strength back, but you also need a quiet evening.’

Edge hugged Vivian good night, told William he could go through, and almost danced down the stairs to where Donald was waiting.

~~~

‘This is the part where it would be nice to be smokers,’ he said idly as they lay curled together in a tumble of bedclothes, rosy in the soft radiance of the pink nightlight. ‘Blow smoke rings at the ceiling and feel complacent. I feel we rescued the situation in the nick of time. A few more days, and you might have regrouped for good.’

‘Oh Donald, you are
such
an idiot.’ Edge rubbed her cheek on his shoulder and ran her hand across his stomach, feeling the deep muscles contract under her touch.

‘About that.’ He trapped her hand. ‘I’d like to raise a tiny objection. I’m not crazy about your pet name for me.’

‘What pet name?’ She tilted her face up, surprised and he sighed.

‘That’s sort of the point. You only call me Donald, or idiot. Or, as now, both.’

She gurgled with laughter. ‘That’s your fault.
Months
ago I accidentally called you darling, and you ticked me off, and said you weren’t my darling and that I said it too often anyway. Which was fair comment, I know I do. Anyway, Donald
is
a love name. I love saying it. Donnnnnald. And you
are
an idiot. You proved that. You’ve made up for it very thoroughly, but you were.’

Donald smiled slightly. ‘Okay, I’ll admit I was wrong about the benefits side of our agreement. I did genuinely think it was for good times only and you wouldn’t want to be bothered. I think the whole agreement needs re-examining.’

She turned her cheek into his shoulder, laughter gone. ‘Well, I liked it, but I’ll listen. What did you have in mind?’

‘Do you remember our first night, when we talked about us, about how we would handle the relationship?’

‘Hmm, first night, first night—the leather club, right? Was that it?’

‘Funny.’ He shook his head reprovingly. ‘I’m being serious.’

‘Of course I remember. I remember every minute in perfect detail. When I’m gaga I’ll be embarrassing my carers by cackling lasciviously and insisting on telling them bits. As far as the agreement went, I said something tremulous about love and you said love wasn’t an option, we would take friendship to a whole new level. I didn’t know how we would do that, but you were right, we have.’

‘We were so good together, I was afraid of changing the way things were, but they have anyway. I wanted to say, if the love thing is still important to you, okay. I haven’t a clue where to start but if you still want that, I’m not going to insist on hanging on to the friends’ agreement.’

She propped herself up on her elbow to look into his face in the soft light, hesitating as she picked her words. Normal assumptions didn’t work with Donald.

‘You
are
my friend, and I value that more than anything. Our minds mesh, we’re in total synch, when we work together. You’re also the most exciting man I have ever met, the only man who has ever made me shake with longing, but we know now whether we have that or not, you were there, my rock, when things got tough.’ She paused, aware he was watching her intently. ‘Dear heart, I
am
in love with you. I thought you knew. Love is different for everyone. But if you feel any of that, you’re already in love too.’

‘Aye?’

She nodded, still smiling and he looked pensive, then quirked one eyebrow.

‘So you’re saying, let me get this right, you ignored my stated requirements from the beginning and without my permission, knowledge or consent, you dragged me into your coils?’

She nodded again, more vigorously and he abruptly rolled them both over, laughing aloud.

‘You sneaky baggage!’

The cat fled.

Chapter 12 - Tuesday
December 24th
Onderness Police Station

Sergeant Kirsty Cameron sat up smartly in her chair and smiled at Detective Inspector Iain McLuskie as he walked into the station.

‘This is a surprise. Snap inspection?’

‘Oh aye,’ he nodded. ‘Disciplinary actions all round, as a Christmas present. Talking of which, this is for you and Drew.’ He handed over a festively decorated bottle bag, and she grinned and dipped below her desk to produce one of her own.

‘You’ve saved me dropping it off at the house. Thank you, Iain. South African?’

‘Oh aye. I know your tastes by now. Okay, the wife does. She assures me it’s one you like. What time does your shift end?’

Kirsty glanced at her watch. ‘Twenty minutes.’

‘Well, if you want to go now, I’ve got a bit of stuff to do so I don’t mind holding the fort. Not as if anything’s going to happen, after all.’

He was interrupted by the young constable who leaned in through the door frame, looking excited.

‘Got a tip-off about six bad guys hanging about, sir. Some old bloke walking his dog spotted them, insists there’s going to be trouble. What do we do?’

Iain waved Kirsty off as he answered Stuart and she gratefully shut down her computer, locked away her Airwave and was pulling on her coat when Iain’s barked ‘What?’ halted her. She looked across as he turned on his heel to stare at her.

‘It’s the leather gang guys—and they’re at the Lawns.’

~~~

Edge was brushing her hair out vigorously after the morning class when the phone rang. She’d been waiting to hear when Hamish could see her, and pressed the speakerphone option, smiling. ‘Megan?’

‘Hello Edge Corner,’ a half-familiar voice said slightly maliciously, ‘are you still Mac’s best girl?’

‘Hi, Seb. Yes, I am. How’s Hugh?’

‘Indiscreet.’ She hadn’t imagined it, there was definitely a malicious note in Seb’s voice. ‘I
really
hope that series of yours is good, with all the money Mac is borrowing to invest in it. Hugh shouldn’t have told me, I know he shouldn’t, and I shouldn’t be phoning you, but you remember that little conversation we had about hurting him, don’t you?’

She straightened up, brush in hand, puzzled. ‘Seb, I don’t know what you’re talking about. Donald
isn’t
investing in the series, not at this point, although he’s trying to free up some funds. I’m putting in some of my capital, and he’s going to be the name on that because he’s got a good reputation for backing stuff, but that’s all. And anyway he never borrows to invest. He has a kind of gambling fund and win or lose, that’s his show money.’

She could hear Seb breathing as he thought about it. ‘Then why has he borrowed two hundred grand?’

‘What!’ She sat down abruptly. ‘That’s a hell of a lot of money, Seb!’

‘Yes, Edge, even I, living with a banker, think it’s quite a lot. Why, if not your TV series?’

Her head was spinning. It was
impossible
that Donald would do something so completely out of character, risk so much on the series. ‘Doesn’t Hugh know? I thought people had to specify what they were borrowing for as part of the application.’

‘He can’t see the details. Mac didn’t come to him for the loan. We did think if Mac was going to borrow huge chunks, he could have done it through Hugh, helped a pal.’

‘He would, Seb. No matter what he was borrowing it for, he’d have gone through him. Unless it
is
for the series, and he didn’t want Hugh to know for some reason, but I can’t believe he would borrow that much. Anyway, how could it have been signed off? When all is said and done, he’s effectively retired. He has no regular income to pay back such a loan, and no bank would consider an untried series an acceptable risk!’

Another pause, then Seb asked curiously, ‘Then what’s going on?’

‘I don’t know. Could Hugh ask whoever processed the loan?’

‘No. Mac went through that shit Simon Henderson, which itself was not a very nice thing to do, and which upset Hugh more than the loan itself. He’s pretty rattled at the moment anyway
—
there are pretty solid rumours flying the bank’s about to be taken over by one of the big houses. That always means a cull, and Sly Si’s been sitting at home on sick leave but actually processing loan applications and is suddenly looking like the golden boy of banking. Nearly twice as many deals as Hugh.’

Edge drew a deep breath. ‘That changes everything. Seb, can Hugh get a copy of Si’s list?’

He sounded alarmed. ‘He doesn’t know I phoned you. He’d kill me for passing on something he told me in confidence. And you
can’t
tell Mac.’

‘Seb, I have to. You’re not the only ones who think Simon is very dodgy indeed. And honestly, Donald is going to be very glad you phoned. He’ll think of some story for Hugh that gets round this. You’ve probably saved him a huge amount of trouble.’

‘Well, good. I live to serve,’ Seb said gloomily. ‘Tell Mac it has to be a good story, won’t you? Hugh’s quicker on the uptake than you might think.’

~~~

The second session hadn’t yet finished, although they were doing the final stretches. Edge slipped in, smiled at Hamish’s grandson who was whirling round the outskirts, jumping and kicking, and waited until Donald saw her, then pointed upstairs, and he nodded.

Hamish was on the phone and Edge waved, hesitated, then went across the landing to Frail Care, where William gave her a slightly annoyed look.

‘Go away. I’m telling Vivian a long and complicated story that’s supposed to send her to sleep but she’s being stubborn. Her eyelids keep drooping but I’m waiting for the first snore so I can stop.’

Edge smiled distractedly. ‘She’ll have to stay awake a few minutes longer. William, I wouldn’t ask you to break a confidence, but could you tell me if Donald has borrowed any money?’

‘Not that I know.’ His intelligent eyes rested on her thoughtfully. ‘But he once told me he has a horror of debt, so I’d be surprised.’

‘That’s what I thought. But according to Seb, Saltire Standard has lent him quite a chunk.’

‘How big a chunk? Your series shortfall?’ William looked a little stern, but Edge shook her head impatiently.

‘William, set up through
Simon
. Anyone else, I wouldn’t have said anything, but I thought if Donald arranged a loan through him, of all people, it could be because you and he were planning something.’

‘Is Hamish still here?’ Vivian asked sharply, and Edge nodded. Vivian threw back the bedclothes and reached for her dressing-gown. ‘Don’t let him leave, we can check from his computer.’

‘Vivian, we can’t ask Hamish to check Donald’s bank balance!’

‘Check all our bank balances. We’ve been racking our brains over what Jemima could have been up to. Don’t you see, she could have set up loans with Simon signing them off? Hamish is the only person who can check everyone’s accounts, with nearly everyone away on holiday. I haven’t been able to get to mine yet, and William’s not been advised of anything, but we
have
to check.’

‘Check what?’ Donald came in lightly on cue, zipping up his tracksuit top and Edge pulled him aside to tell him about the call from Seb as William and Vivian hurried across the landing to the office. His eyebrows shot up.

‘Donald, he says Hugh will never forgive him if he finds out,’ she finished anxiously and he nodded absently, herding her ahead of him into the main administration office. Katryn’s desk was empty, as she had already left for the Christmas break.

‘Everything looks normal.’ Hamish looked across slightly peevishly as they entered. ‘I’d checked already, you know. I’m running much later than I expected, but I was waiting, Megan said Edge wanted to see me. Where’s my grandson, Donald?’

‘Jayenthi and Olga took him off for tea and biscuits in the conservatory, they’ll keep him until you collect him,’ Donald said briefly. ‘I didn’t borrow any money. What kind of a check do you do, Hamish?’

‘As I was telling Vivian and William, I don’t like to peer at everyone’s bank accounts in detail. It’s a real invasion of privacy, so I set up a fancy link that pulls through the balance on every account, and compares it to the previous day’s balance. I’m re-running it, but every account that’s updated so far is within normal parameters. My system flags up anything that varied by more than ten percent, and I then check those accounts. Yours is normal. They all are.’

‘I certainly didn’t get an alert, but you’re very welcome to check the last few transactions on mine.’ William put his iPhone back in his pocket.