Summoning the Dead (DI Bob Valentine #3)(45)

‘Got it in one. But that was his final utterance in print.’

‘How far have you got with the Columba House people on this?’ said Valentine.

‘Not far at all. They’re officially defunct, as you know, and the umbrella organisation, the charity group they were part of, consists of an answering machine. The one time I did get a reply they directed me to a group of lawyers, who directed me to a PR firm that said Columba House is no longer a client of theirs. There’s no files held, no records, no data. The story is they were liquidated, but in reality it’s like they never existed.’

‘OK, Phil, good work. It might not have led us anywhere, but I appreciate the yards you’ve put in,’ said Valentine. ‘Your next job is to get hold of Den Rennie, and I want it done on the QT, if you know what I mean.’

‘An off-the-record chat, sir?’

‘Well, given there’s bugger all written down on any of this then it would be pointless putting it on record.’ Valentine signalled to DS McAlister to indicate he was moving on. ‘Right, Ally, you’re up next.’

‘Well, I had the grim task of going over the cold-case files, as you know,’ said McAlister.

‘Nice wee break, was it?’ said Donnelly.

‘That’ll be right, Phil. Now, as I was saying, our favoured cold case involved two missing boys, Donal Welsh, who was eleven, and Rory Stevenson, aged ten. Donal, according to the files, was a Columba House boy, and Rory was the only son of an ex-miner from Cumnock who ran a bike-repair shop at the time.’

‘Seems a strange pair to get together,’ said DS McCormack.

‘Yeah, the Columba boys were pariahs – they didn’t mix with the lads from the town,’ said Valentine.

‘The case files highlight that too, sir. But there’s a lot of speculation from DI John Corrigan and not a lot you’d call concrete.’

‘They certainly didn’t have what we have, Ally.’

‘That’s for sure, sir.’ McAlister opened one of the files on top of the table and picked up a press cutting. ‘The boys went missing quite a while before the Columba House case too. This was 1984 that they were reported missing, and there’s no mention of abuse allegations in the case files – nothing linking the two investigations at all.’

‘What were the investigating officer’s conclusions?’ said Valentine.

‘Corrigan’s a bit vague on that. He takes a lot of stabs in the dark, but it’s clear the case was going nowhere.’

‘He must have had some kind of guess.’

‘He seems to edge towards a serial killer snatching, sir. We know there were a number operational in the area, or near to the district, that we learnt about later so it’s not the wildest assumption.’

‘And Corrigan, where is he now?’

‘Retired, sir. His file says he lives in Prestwick. I was planning to pay him a visit as soon as possible.’

‘Do that, Ally. And have the highlights of these files copied for all senior officers too.’

‘Will do.’

‘Now, this ex-miner with the bike shop?’ said the DI.

McAlister replaced the file on top of the pile and turned back to face the group. ‘Yes, Colin Stevenson. He’s still married to Rory’s mother, Marie, and they both live in the same council house in Cumnock. He was their only child. I can’t imagine how hard the grief has hit them over the years.’

‘It must have been painful,’ said Valentine. ‘And it’s about to get more painful. We’ll have to pay them a visit and ask them to take a look at what we think are some of Rory’s personal effects.’

‘Yes, boss. They won’t be able to identify him from his remains, that’s for sure.’





29

On the way down the stairwell the view passing the window was of grey and weary buildings. A thin line of roof stacks slanted towards the pink horizon in a rugged rut. The evening outside the station was of perfect stillness, pierced only with the hum of traffic and eerie noises of playing children. As he descended, thinking about the visit he must make to Rory Stevenson’s parents later, Valentine felt his thoughts swaying inside him. He didn’t want to hear the children’s voices – he wanted to block them out, and that wounded him because no matter how much he hated in the world, he knew there was always much to love too.

‘How do you want to play this, boss?’ said DS McAlister. His words were followed by the roar of a motorcycle outside.

Valentine turned. ‘What are you talking about – the visit to the parents or our next meeting with Keirns?’

‘To be honest, I’m trying not to think about the visit to Cumnock.’

Valentine continued down the stairs. ‘That’s probably best, Ally. Leave that to me. As for Keirns, we’re going straight for the jugular. I aim to put the fear of God into him, and failing that I’ll settle for the fear of being banged up on a double murder charge.’

The sounds of heavy heels clacking on the hard flooring echoed with them down the stairwell. At the interview suite the officers approached the desk sergeant and waited for Keirns to be brought through again.

‘How did his partner in crime depart earlier?’ said Valentine.

‘Are you on about Freddie Gowan?’ said the officer.