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‘Castle Huntly. I’ve heard good things about it, and it’s close to the missus. A key to your cell, cooking facilities and shit like that. I can’t stick another four years in this shite-hole. Twenty-three hours banged up a day, one shower a week, no gym, shite food and it’s getting too fucking dangerous with the Albanians in here.’
‘That bad?’ Leo pulled a face and couldn’t shake the thought that the younger Hardie wasn’t a patch on his missing big brother. No way would Tam Hardie have backed away from a confrontation with the Albanians. He’d have relished the battle, whatever the cost. The boys still had access to money, and he was still their lawyer.
‘Worse, and with Tam still missing, mine and Frankie’s influence has gone. It’s a nightmare, and the missus has made it clear that she’ll only wait for so long. Four or five more years of her visiting me here is too fucking long.’ Davie’s eyes dropped to the table again, and Leo could sense worry in the man.
‘You’ll still be in jail, Davie. Is it worth the risk of dealing with the cops? Max Craigie wouldn’t believe it for a minute, and he’d never leave you alone.’
‘At Castle Huntly you get weekends at home, Christmases outside, day release for work, all sorts of stuff. I could do enough to keep Elizabeth happy whilst I see out the next four years, Leo. I can’t be here much longer before some bastard napalms me. I’m not Tam.’
‘And what about Craigie?’
‘No Craigie. I won’t deal with that bastard. I’m still not convinced that he didn’t fucking kill my brother, it’s too much of a coincidence. You must have a contact in the force you can go to. Someone with clout?’
‘I have people I can call, of course, but are you sure?’
‘Aye. I’m positive. Make the call, but no Craigie. He can’t even know about this, or it’s all off. I can take the police to the spot where this person was buried, they’ll never find them otherwise.’
‘The cops are going to want to know how you know all this, and if they think you’re involved then you could be in a worse situation than you are now, you sure you want to take the risk?’
‘Dead fucking sure. I want an immunity deal. I know about the job, I’ve seen the proof and I can serve it up to the cops on a plate.’
‘You’ll get nothing if they prove you were involved. Are you sure you want to pull off that plaster?’
Davie nodded, confidently. ‘I didn’t kill her, but I know all the details. If you can get me immunity, I’ll tell them fucking everything, but otherwise I’ll say nothing, and she can stay in the ground forever.’
‘Her?’
‘Aye, her. Look for the missing person case of Beata Dabrowski.I know where she is, and I know who killed her, and more importantly, who wanted her dead.’
‘I remember. Polish girl who went missing after a night out. It didn’t make much of a splash, as far as I recall.’
‘No, it didn’t. She was a working girl, with no family or anything to make a fuss, but one of her punters was a big fish, who is much bigger now.’
‘You know they’ll suspect you of involvement, right?’
‘Obviously, but I have a cast-iron alibi, Leo.’
‘Which is?’
‘I was in Spain when she went missing.’
‘Fortunate. Can you prove it? They’ll check flight records.’ Leo began to scribble on his legal pad.
‘I didn’t fly. We took the ferry and drove, so it won’t be on flight records, but I’ll have proof, don’t fret.’
‘You’ll need it. Give me the abridged version, then.’ Leo’s pen was poised over the pad.
‘Pa subcontracted the hit out to a bad motherfucker from Glasgow via Jack Slattery. You remember that daft bastard? Bent ex-cop that used to work for Pa, now doing twenty-five years in Saughton.’
‘How could I forget.’ Leo scratched away on the paper, head down, the gold pen flashing in the harsh overhead lights.
‘Aye, well, he’s out of the picture, but the subcontractor is a right evil bastard who’s still out there, ex-army or something, but seriously connected all over and yet, somehow still well off the cop’s radar. He’s like a bloody ghost: arrives, does his thing and then leaves no trace. He’ll kill anyone for a bit of coin.’ Suddenly, Davie looked a little pensive, as he paused, the cogs almost visibly turning.
‘Davie?’ Leo looked up, noting the slight furrow on Davie’s brow.Definitely not his brother, he thought.
‘He used a couple of heavies, one to drive the van, the other suffocated her with a plastic bag whilst he watched.’
‘And you have proof of who killed her?’
