He didn’t answer the question. ‘Jade’s fine. She’s here, with me.’

‘That’s good. I’m glad.’

‘Are you?’

Fin’s voice rose. ‘Of course it’s good. Jesus, if she wasn’t with you she’d be in the same spot as your mum now.’

‘You’re talking about my mum now? She’s in some state, I don’t think she’ll ever be making the finals of Mastermind, her brain’s scrambled.’

The raised voice subsided. ‘I hear she’s in hospital, best place for her I suppose.’

‘Better than where Niall is.’

‘I suppose.’

The sound of a ferry’s horn blared in the background. ‘Fin, tell me what happened, I mean in your words.’

Fin looked out of the guest house window, the passenger boat was docking at Brodick pier. He tried to think what to say to his friend but couldn’t locate the words. He paced the room, looked at the bed, the rucksack, the pile of money.

‘Fin, what the hell happened?’

‘Well, what did Jade say?’ he sounded coy.

‘She hasn’t said much that makes any sense.’

‘Well what makes you think I can add to that?’

‘She said that Tulloch got what he deserved.’

Fin lowered himself onto the bed, the room was too warm and the over-complicated pattern on the wallpaper blurred. ‘Did she tell you about …’

‘What?’

‘About the … Christ, I have no right telling anyone. Ask her, God Almighty, man, this has been hard enough for me, I don’t need this from you too!’

Darry’s voice came slow and calm. ‘She told me she’s pregnant, if that’s what you mean?’

‘It should never have happened.’

‘No, it shouldn’t, Fin. You were supposed to be minding her. I was still on tour, I couldn’t get home even if I wanted to. I trusted you, you were my friend and what was it you said, I’ll look out for her, I’ll keep an eye on her.’

‘Darry, if you only knew what I’ve been through for her, for you too.’

A laugh, deep and guttural. ‘My heart bleeds for you, mate.’

‘It wasn’t meant to be like this.’

‘Oh, no. I bet it wasn’t. I misjudged you, I thought you would never let me down but it turns out I never knew you at all. I’m wondering now what I should read into those stories you told me about what Tulloch did in Helmand.’

Fin spat, ‘Stories. You think I made that up?’

‘How am I to know? Maybe the army knew something the rest of us didn’t when they dumped you both.’

‘I can’t believe I’m hearing this. You were there when I spoke out, you saw the mess I was in. Bloody hell, Darry, they flung me out the army for reporting him, for speaking out against what he did. Do you really think I could make that up?’

‘I don’t know what’s true and what’s false anymore, Fin. All I know is my sister is up the pike, her young life ruined, and my mother is looking at the rest of her life in a padded cell because you brought that bastard to our home.’

Fin flared, ‘He trailed me home, came looking for me, I never brought him. He was a psychopath, he wanted to make me pay. Jesus, he blamed me for ruining his career, his life.’

‘Then why did he ruin mine?’

‘I don’t know. Because you were the closest I had to family, because he wanted to see me burn, because he could. Because he was nuts.’ As he stopped screaming into the phone, Fin realised he was brushing away tears.

‘That’s not going to help you, crying.’

‘Darry, if you knew the things I’d done for you … and Jade.’

‘Don’t make me laugh.’

‘I mean it. I put my neck on the block to give her a clean break after Tulloch …’

‘After Tulloch what?’

The phone line fell to silence.

For a moment, Fin stared at the screen willing himself to end the call but something stopped him. Darry needed to know, too. ‘After … he raped her.’

They’d been friends for a long time, they’d grown up together, joined the army together. His mind was awash with memories of when they were children, the fights, the football, the girls. He returned to the phone, panic rising. ‘I have money, lots of money. I took it for Jade, to y’know, help her get it sorted, you can have it.’

Darry stalled, the gap between them widening. ‘We don’t want your money.’

‘Don’t be stupid, think about what you’re saying.’

‘There’s something I need more.’

‘What, revenge? Is that it? Well you can’t have it, he’s gone, dead.’

‘He might be, but you’re not. Not yet anyway.’

‘Darry, talk sense, man, please.’

‘I’m perfectly sensible.’

‘Come on, stop this …’

‘Goodbye, Fin.’

The line died.

‘Darry … Darry …’

41

DI Bob Valentine didn’t bother to knock on Kyle Brogan’s door this time, he merely turned the handle and walked in. DS McCormack closed the door behind them as Brogan appeared in the hallway, hands up like he was pleading with them not to shoot. He retreated two steps for every one the detectives took, talking all the while, without any coherence.

‘Come on, Bob, I mean you’re all in this together aren’t you?’ he said.

‘I’m going to let you sit down and gather your thoughts before I say much more, Brogan.’

‘What? I thought we were cool. I thought we’d sorted this out, I don’t get this.’

McCormack had lost patience with Brogan too. ‘Sit down and shut up. You’ll speak when you’re spoken to and if you don’t say what we want to hear it’ll be the last words you speak this side of a prison wall.’

Brogan eased himself into the sofa, dislodging the overloaded ashtray as he went. A landslide of cigarette ends fell to the floor. He reached out a hand, tried to stop the ash mountain in progress but his efforts had no effect, he sat back dusting his hands before finally resting his trembling fingers on his knees.

‘That’s better, Brogan,’ said McCormack. The suspect’s eyes flitted left and right, he seemed confused by the DS’s change of persona, like he was suddenly without support in the room. Even the flickering television, pitching surreal shadows at the walls, was on the officers’ side.

‘Now, what was that you were saying about giving a message to my wee pal … ?’

‘Now look Mr Valentine, I’m sorry if I said the wrong thing.’ Brogan’s look spelled out his perplexity.

Valentine laughed aloud. ‘I bloody well bet you are.’

‘I wasn’t trying to be wide with you, just y’know, having a bit of patter.’

‘Oh, was that it? I see now. You’ll have to forgive me, because the way I heard you say pass it on to my wee pal, I thought you must be …’ he paused, then roared, ‘assuming I was one of the bent coppers you’re so familiar with.’

Brogan looked away. His Adam’s apple rode up and down in his thin throat. He appeared to have lost some layers of skin, only an exposed and desperate soul was left.

‘I’m not wrong, I see.’ Valentine reached out for Brogan’s vest and raised him from the sofa, his hands were two tight fists pressing on the thin man’s chin.

‘You’re hurting my face.’

‘Get used to it, the place you’re going will make a sore face your best mate, you’ll be begging for it just to get a break from having your arse split in two. Now I’m not messing here, Brogan, I’ve already told you this is a double murder investigation and I will run you in for it if you don’t give me whatever it is you’re holding, starting with the name of my wee pal on the force.’

‘I can’t … I told you everything I know.’

‘That bullshit about the punch-up round the back of the Meat Hangers? How much bloody use is that going to be to me? I already have Tulloch and Finnie on my radar and I know why they were booted out the army so that amounts to squat all in my book.’

‘Mr Valentine, you don’t understand, this is bigger than me, I’d be on your books too if I say any more. I shouldn’t even know what I do.’

The DI drew back a fist, he seemed ready to use it but McCormack stepped in, grabbing his arm. ‘Let me take him down, sir. He might see sense in the cells.’