The Devil's Due: A Cooper and McCall Scottish Crime Thriller Ramsay Sinclair (ebook reader with internet browser txt) đ
- Author: Ramsay Sinclair
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âDid it make you want to murder Gavin Ellis?â Finlay used a low tone, one that frightened me, let alone the father suspected of murder. Finlay had already made his mind up. He wanted Jack to be the killer so desperately that he wouldnât tread lightly.
âMy client doesnât wish to answer your questionââ
âSTOP IT!â Jack shouted out in rage and thumped the table in an attempt to gain some form of control. âIâm not a murderer. I didnât kill Gavin Ellis.â
âWhen did you last see Gavin Ellis, Jack?â I intervened calmly, to diffuse the tension. I pushed a glass of water towards Jack, which he accepted gratefully.
âAt Emilyâs trial. When he was sentenced.â He ignored Finlayâs pants of irritation and talked directly to me. I took advantage of that to build up an element of trust between the two of us.
âThat must have been a hard day for you, as a father,â I observed. âI bet it still is.â
Jack nodded in agreement and shot a tight-lipped smile of appreciation my way. âThey said it would get easier with time. That the pain would slowly dissipate until all Iâm left with is grateful memories of her. They lied. It gets harder.â Jack sipped his fresh water. âHave you ever lost anyone, DS McCall?â Jack leant closer to me, praying I knew how it felt.
âIâll be the one asking questions here, thank you,â Finlay attempted to interrupt, not understanding that this was what I wanted. Some back-and-forth dialogue. Interaction. Enough to make Jack feel like a human being, instead of some rotten criminal. I had to show him we cared.
âMy mum, when I turned eighteen. It wasnât overly long ago, though it feels like a lifetime,â I reminisced, lovely memories of us as a family flashed through my brain momentarily. Finlay looked over at me in shock. Iâd never told him that before⊠or anyone else. âYouâre right, Jack. It doesnât get any easier. It never will. Iâm not like therapists or counsellors, I won't lie to you. Right now, Gavin Ellisâs mother is sitting at home, not understanding whatâs happened to her son. All she wants are answers, like you did with Emily...â I trailed off, noting how Jackâs eyes softened with grief and understanding.
âPoor woman, but Iâm sorry, I canât help you,â Jack said softly. âI didnât do it.â
Stubborn man. His gaze flicked between the two of us, sizing us up.
âWhy did you lie to us? You havenât worked at the medical centre for months. You ran away from our surveillance team in the hopes we wouldnât find you. Youâve branded yourself as guilty. Your scalpel was found with blood on at your home, roughly the same size as the mark of Gavinâs arm.â Finlay pointed to the photographs.
âAll circumstantial evidence, I see,â the solicitor pointed out. âUntil you have some truly incriminating factors, my client does not have to answer any further questions put towards him.â
âHe lied to us. Guilty men lie,â Finlay refused to accept the Lawyers intervention and acted exactly how Iâd expected him to. âYou ran to Catherine Jonesâs house, a patient which you broke contractual agreements for at your workplace. You committed a criminal offence then. Whoâs to say you havenât done it again? You were just lucky to get away with it back then.â
Even his solicitor could not argue with that valid point. I took my chance whilst it was available, knowing I could get somewhere with Jack Harper. Possibly wrangle a full confession from him.
âItâs not looking good for you, Jack,â I observed calmly. âIs there a reason you ran to Catherineâs? When we mentioned your scalpel at the house, you told Catherine to âshow usâ. What did you mean by that?â
âI didnât want to drag Catherine into my mess, but it was the only way youâd listen.â he shook violently, refusing to talk about her any more.
âWe know itâs the same person who committed both crimes, Jack, and all the fingers are pointing at you so far.â Finlay sighed impatiently. Neither of our tactics was achieving anything substantial.
âSo far? Do you mean to tell me the only reason my client has been forcefully brought in today is that you have no further leads? Yet another case of shoddy police work being taken out on a man who is clearly distressed.â Jackâs solicitor picked up on technicalities, grasping at thin air. She may be able to help him wriggle out of our âcircumstantial evidence,â but even she couldnât deny his forged statement and alibi. That was our one valid point, and we were determined to stick to it.
âYouâre condemning me to a crime I didnât commit,â Jack admitted quietly, uncertain of whether thatâs all he was allowed to say.
âHow are we supposed to know that if you donât tell us anything?â I said.
âI canât do that to Catherine. Not unless sheâs ready to tell you,â Jack Harper hid his head in his hands.
âYou know, Iâm starting to get fed up with you two,â Finlay tutted. âShe tells us to talk to you, and you tell us to talk to her. Weâre looping in circles here, and I, for one, am starting to feel very dizzy.â
Jack Harper seemed willing to speak up, but his subconscious was stopping him for some reason. He shuffled in closer and lowered his voice, starting to trust me. I noticed his solicitor sat still with pursed lips, clearly unhappy that Jack Harper trusted us, trusted me. But no matter how hard she had tried to advise him, Jack Harper was and would always be his own man. Strong-willed, hardworking⊠a grafter. He knew a reasonable deal when it had been offered to him.
We all waited in suspense for what Jack Harper
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