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‘Less of your cheek, DS O’Halloran.’
‘What?’ he said, as she whacked him on the arm. ‘I’m joking, so I am.’ They walked to the end of the street where Shona’s Audi was parked.
‘Well, at least we have a name, poor fella,’ said Murdo when they were seated inside. ‘Isla Corr’s death. Do you think it’s linked?’
Shona pulled back the hood of her jacket. ‘I don’t know, Murdo.’ She adjusted the rear-view mirror and tried to smooth the strands of dark hair, rapidly curling in the damp atmosphere. Then she sat back, staring through the windscreen, the drizzle turning the street outside to a wash of blurred lines. ‘Two unexplained deaths. Whatever we have here, this isn’t suicide or an accident, is it? This is murder, I feel it in my bones.’
Chapter 17
In Dumfries CID room, the two unidentified victims on the whiteboard now had names. Isla Corr and Sami Raseem. But how were they connected? For a long time, Shona stood before the photographs and scraps of information searching for links, but nothing fitted.
Murdo and Ravi had gone to tap their local contacts. Kate was putting in calls to the Police Scotland National Human Trafficking Unit and the Home Office and had even begged a favour from an old university pal, now with the Modern Slavery Helpline. She’d also demonstrated the value of her geography degree, talking Shona through the potential trafficking routes and points of entry. Shona called one of the specialist officers with the UK Border Agency operation at Stranraer Port to check if he had any leads. He promised to get back to them. Shona could only wait and pray all this effort would lead somewhere quickly. The time they could operate under Baird’s radar was limited. Going over his head to Mars Bar Munroe wasn’t an option. This close to retirement, her chief super wouldn’t rock the boat with his favoured successor. Kate appeared at her side. It was late. She was off home, maybe Shona should go too.
Arriving back at High Pines she found a furious Rob sitting at the kitchen table, glaring at his phone. ‘Didn’t you get my texts?’ he demanded.
‘Yes, but I was already on my way. I wasn’t going to stop to answer them.’ She pulled open the fridge door, hoping for a meal to reheat, but found nothing. Rob often texted her with stuff that was sorted by the time she arrived home. God, she was sick of bread, but it would have to be another sandwich. ‘What’s the problem?’ She took a packet of ham and dropped it onto the countertop.
‘Becca’s been excluded from school for a week.’
‘You’re kidding.’ She turned to Rob, indignant. ‘What do the school think that will achieve? She had nothing to do with the drugs. We’ve already grounded her. And when did excluding someone from an education improve anything?’
‘It’s not the drugs. She was fighting. Had some lass up against a wall, choking her apparently.’
‘What?’ Shona gapped at him. ‘Jesus. At this rate I’ll have to ASBO my own daughter. Where is she?’
‘In her room.’
Shona tore up the stairs, hunger forgotten. She threw open the door to find Becca on the bed, her pale defiant face lit only by her phone screen.
‘Right, I’ll have that for a start.’ Shona grabbed the phone from her. To her surprise, Becca didn’t protest.
‘You may as well, everyone’s slagging me off anyway.’ She glared at her mother.
‘I’m not surprised if you go around assaulting people,’ Shona replied.
‘Oh, that’s right, judge me,’ Becca yelled back. ‘They called Ellie and me names. Racist and homophobic abuse. They started kicking Ellie, taking her stuff.’ She pointed a finger at her mother. ‘You, you of all people shouldn’t condemn me for defending someone and standing up for what’s right.’
With stab of guilt Shona saw herself at the hospital, protecting Isla, beating Gringo to the ground. She winced at the unconscious bullseye her daughter had scored. ‘I’m not judging you, but violence is never the answer.’ She sat down on the edge of the bed. ‘You were right to protect Ellie from these bullies, but look where your action’s got you. Excluded and a black mark on your record. You should have reported this to the school, let them deal with it.’
Becca scoffed. ‘Mum, you’ve no idea. They just ignore it, couldn’t care less. Ellie came here with her family from Poland when she was three years old. She’s white, so the school can’t see the problem.’ She leant forward, meeting her mother’s gaze. ‘This isn’t like London. They haven’t a single black or ethnic teacher. You just don’t get it.’
‘I do get it. I’ve had Ravi give the dedicated campus police officers a talk on just this issue. It’s a first step and will help.’
Becca gave a weak smile. ‘Yeah, Ravi’s cool. If we had teachers like him, maybe things would change.’
‘They will change, with more pupils like you.’ Shona was surprised to feel tears of pride forming at the back of her eyes. She swallowed them down. ‘Be patient, you’ll get there.’ Becca’s motives might have been instinctive and sound but putting herself in the firing line was something she mustn’t repeat. Shona knew the penalties of that approach. She hoped her daughter would learn this lesson and spare herself the inevitable consequences.
‘About tomorrow? Am I still grounded?’ Becca asked, tossing back her long dark hair in nervous gesture that Shona recognised from her younger self.
Tomorrow was Wednesday. Rob was off to the train station with B&B guests. Dental appointment? Other random family stuff? ‘What about tomorrow?’
‘Glasgow Uni open day. You were gonna take me?’ Becca’s eyes widened. ‘Oh my God. You forgot!’ Her accusation was tinged with glee at catching her mother out.
‘I didn’t,’ Shona lied, quickly weighing up the pros and cons. She’d already cleared her schedule of meetings. Murdo could update her on leads. ‘Okay, we will go to Glasgow. But Becca,’ she took her daughter’s hand and squeezed it, ‘I want you to think seriously about what you’ve done. You need to understand your actions have consequences. You could jeopardise your future. No more smacking folk.’
‘I won’t, Mum. I promise.’ Becca nodded seriously.
Shona returned to the kitchen and sat down heavily at the table. Rob gave her a questioning look. ‘Sorted?’
