One Shot: A DI Sutherland Scottish Crime Thriller Read online

  One Shot

  A DI Sutherland Scottish Crime Thriller

  Oliver Davies

  Contents

  Prologue

  Chapter 1

  2. Dominic

  3. Dominic

  4. Dominic

  5. Dominic

  6. Dominic

  7. Dominic

  8. Dominic

  9. Dominic

  10. Ray

  11. Dominic

  12. Dominic

  13. Dominic

  14. Dominic

  15. Dominic

  16. Dominic

  17. Dominic

  18. Bonnie

  19. Dominic

  20. Dominic

  21. Dominic

  22. Dominic

  23. Dominic

  24. Dominic

  25. Dominic

  26. Ray

  27. Dominic

  Epilogue

  A Message from the Author

  Prologue

  The restaurant still felt familiar.

  All of it. The kick of aromas that hung prominently in the air mixed with the usual sweaty undertones that were almost an afterthought. The chatter that came from the surrounding customers. But most importantly, him, sitting there with his swaggering confidence and his boisterous certainty that some people mistook for cockiness. Actually, everyone did. He’d chosen his usual table, slap bang in the middle of the restaurant.

  He hadn’t changed. Not one blasted bit. He still sported the same old infuriating smirk, crooked teeth included, and the broad shoulders that appeared somewhat larger underneath his trench coat. Vintage, naturally. He rarely moved with the times, but the sense of nostalgia hit me like a ton of bricks. If I were an emotional man, it might have choked me up.

  Being back here reminded me of stepping into the wrong side of the mirror. It’s somewhere you failed to imagine yourself going, a place that is hard to envisage being visited or revisited, in my case. Everything was backwards here, moving in reverse, and I’d stepped into the very heart of it all. I’d been thrust into the past, ten years later.

  “Ray Aikman. This is a sorry sight,” I referred to the curry stain that dripped down his chin from his animalistic method of eating and the mere quarter of his pint that was left.

  “Nothing sorry about it, Donny boy.” He glanced up calmly. “If it was law to spend every weekend 'having curry and a beer, there would be no such thing as a criminal. That, my friend, is what you’d call contentment.” He dipped the remainder of his naan bread into his sauce and wolfed it down, taking in my altered appearance. “An’ it’s still DCI Aikman, last time I checked. Haven’t given into the world of house arrest and care homes yet.”

  “Could’ve fooled me. You’re starting to look like the seat.”

  His grin widened drastically. The scraping of chair legs against the tiles followed, and neither of us could disguise our chuckles. DCI Aikman stood up enthusiastically to give me a sharp pat on the back, which was quickly returned.

  “That’s enough of that soft nonsense. Get yourself seated. ‘Scuse me, love,” he called to a passing waitress. “Two more pints. And another round of the red stuff, double the rice this time. There’s another mouth to feed, though he’s tardy as ever. There’s a doll.”

  My eyes rolled of their own accord at his patronizing choice of pet name, especially in this day and age. The waitress, however, blushed, then lisped a quiet ‘certainly, sir.’ She rushed away hot on her feet, overloaded with orders from merry customers and clamouring children alike.

  Resting my elbows on the table, I realized that the lost years between us were barely noticeable. I still regarded him as my superior, and I remained his faithful, if obstinate, Inspector. We had a unique bond that had stood the test of time, and we often managed to pick up more or less where we’d left off. We challenged each other more than anybody else I’d met, and we’d learned a helluva lot from one another. Although I had begun to notice that he wore plenty of wrinkles I hadn’t yet accounted for.

  “Haven’t you had enough to eat?” I frowned dubiously. “You already stink of spice.”

  “No. I haven’t,” he barked good naturedly. “The smell comes naturally. It’s my speciality; sex appeal, masculinity and magnificence, all rolled into one. Speaking of--” He pulled out a pack of cigarettes from his coat pocket and offered them.

  I refused. “You can’t smoke in here.”

  “Back in the day, everyone would’ve been smoking in here.” He shrugged and started to light up. “In fact, they were. I saw it with my own eyes. The same guy still owns this place, and we go way back. I’m sure he wouldn’t mind too much. I’ve had no complaints from him so far. He’s not impartial to a bit of nostalgia, reminds me of myself.”

  “That’s the reason why lung cancer is more prominent in people from your... generation. I bet the ash has partially blackened your lungs. It’s a wonder you can still breathe.” I shook my head.

  “Last I remember, you weren’t impartial to one or two yourself. Then again, you always did enjoy acting all high and mighty on us. I’ve said it once, and I'll say it again, London certainly suits you. The uptight city lifestyle matches your looks, all those starched collars and ridiculously tight trousers.”

  “Careful, Chief. That almost sounded like a compliment.” I took a sip of the drink that our waitress had carefully placed upon the table, foam coating my lips. She looked as though she was about to complain about the smoke when DCI Aikman threw her a wink. A kindly wink by all means, but it seemed to have the desired effect. She wound up saying nothing.

  “I haven’t given them up entirely,” I continued when we were alone again. “Just the occasional one here and there these days. Chain-smoking got boring after a while, and I found myself missing out on the rest of life whilst I was puffing away on a stick of tobacco.” I pointedly raised my eyebrow.

  “Fine.” He determinedly stubbed it out on a spare plate. “You’ve been back here for less than two minutes, and already I’m changing my habits to please you. You never were happy unless I was miserable. I know a few women who remind me of you.” He paused, watching the sparks diminish in a reflective daydream. “Do you know how long it’s been since somebody called me Chief the way that you just did? With sincerity and respect. I was rather fond of that nickname.”

  “If you say it out loud, I’m afraid it’ll make me sound old.”

  He sighed. “If you’re old now, then I’m practically ancient. I’m struggling to hide it too. The world is moving on, Dominic, and they’re grinding the axe for men like me. Officers like me. When you moved away, things changed for us folk here.”

  “Well, everything seems the same to me. This restaurant, the streets, heck. Even you. It’s ridiculous,” I scoffed in a strange sort of amusement. “If you were to tell me to...to jump in front of a car to save the life of a DC on your team, I would. Without hesitation. I’d still do whatever it took to make you proud of me. Stupid, isn’t it?”

  DCI Aikman nodded. “Aye. It is. The saddest thing is, I’d think about doing the same for you, too. You taught me more than anyone I ever knew. I knew nothing but the basics of modern policing. But you, you were miles apart from the rest of them. Even your mistakes were honourable. Plenty of them there were too.” He swigged from his glass, wincing at the bitter aftertaste. “And if you mention to anyone what I just said, I’ll come and find you in your swanky house in London. Don’t you doubt it.”

  “I’ll blame it on the alcohol,” I convinced him. “Though we both know you could drink George Best under the table and still stagger home with a kebab in one hand in time for the evening news.” br />
  “George Best? I was thinking more along the lines of Alexander the Great,” he sniffed. “I always fancied knocking the smug git down a peg or two. Three would suffice. Aikman the Great has a much better ring to it.”

  “You know what, Chief?” I gladly accepted a couple of plates of steaming food that we were handed. “I think I should be glad that you haven’t changed. In this crazy, hectic world full of ego and pride, I can still rely on you to be brutally honest with me.”

  “Who said I wasn’t full of ego and pride?” He seemed offended that I would suggest anything but.

  “Yes, but you have all of those things and more. At least, I think you do. The DCI that I once knew did.”

  “Is that why you wanted to come here tonight?” He rubbed at his overgrown stubble. “Why you were the one to extend the invitation to catch up and refused to let me meet you halfway between here and that daft city you call home?” he tucked in with gusto. “Anyone would think you missed your old stomping ground. That you couldn’t resist the temptation to return, and to look down upon the things you left behind, the people you left behind, eh? I’ve news for you, Donny boy. We’re coping fine without you. The world moves on, as it always has done. It doesn’t wait around for any of us.”

  “It isn’t that,” I refused, and motioned with my fork as we spoke. “That nostalgia you were talking about? Well, this is where it all started, where everything started. There are memories that belong here, ones that can’t be replicated anywhere else. Ghosts, too, ones that haunt me. This place is alive. It breathes stories of the men we used to be. Where my life now began.”

  “It's not all it’s cracked up to be, huh?” DCI Aikman snorted. “Having a wife to care for. And knowing yours personally, I can certainly say from experience that she’s a handful. I learned that the hard way. Except you’re a couple that has kids to care for too. That’s a whole other story.”

  “I love my kids, Ray.”

  “DCI Aikman,” he fired without hesitation.

  “Chief. I love my kids more than life itself. More than the force even.”

  He chewed slowly. “Blimey. Whatever this is, it’s serious, isn’t it? I know that face too well to have you hiding things from me. But look, you know this restaurant is my happy place. If you ruin the mood for me, I’ll have a hard time forgiving and forgetting that.”

  I took that as an indirect cue to spill my guts. “Do you remember our youngest boy, little Adam? He asked me a question the other day.”

  “Ah, the kicker!” DCI Aikman banged on the table with his palm. “He’s got strong legs, that one. I’m telling you, it’ll be a mistake if you don’t get him signed up for footie as young as he can. He has a better chance of getting signed with a club if he grows up learning the sport. If you’re in need of a manager, you know where to find me.”

  “I’ll keep that in mind,” I said dryly. “Can we try to focus?”

  He licked his greasy lips. “Alright. Don’t start throwing your toys out of the pram already. I’m listening.”

  “Little Adam had a talk at school on the same afternoon. The primary school classes had a couple of fire safety officers come in and give them a presentation. About saving lives and all that stop, drop and roll stuff. The basics.” I took a mouthful of curry. “They got to see the fire trucks and equipment in person, and the officers did a demonstration for them. They loved it.”

  “Huh,” he grunted with a distracted frown. “Our cars are much better than theirs.”

  “When Adam came home from school that day, he came to find me. I’d gotten home from an early shift, dog tired and more exhausted than I care to admit. I was shaving in the bathroom when he walked inside.” I chewed slowly, thinking. “He looked up at me with his light green eyes that look exactly like mine, except his only held innocence, and he asked me outright. He said, ‘Dad. Are you a good man? Like the firemen that save people? Is that what you do when you’re at work? Do you save families like ours?’”

  DCI Aikman set down his pint, graver than I’d expected.

  “Well?”

  “I couldn’t answer him,” I muttered candidly. “Bonnie assured me that I was, of course, she did, but why would she want to be the one to tell me the truth? She’s emotionally involved. We both know that she wouldn’t want to upset the kids. Anyway, it got me thinking. I guess I needed clarity, a chance to step back and to take a look at myself, including the parts of us I’d forgotten about. The parts of me that only existed here.”

  He hummed under his breath, taking in the sight before him. If there was anyone to come to when an officer required pulling up to his feet or a sharp pinging of his braces and dusting off to bring him back to reality, it was DCI Aikman. He took in my uncertainty, the newfound hesitation that I hadn’t felt in ages. Not since I had decided to take the leap and upheave our small family across the Scottish borders. Down to a city that thrived, that bustled, that would give us all new opportunities and a fresh start. Somewhere that didn’t hold too many ghouls. Yet somehow, it didn’t have the same heart that this place did. In fact, it didn't hold a candle to Inverclyde.

  “You want me to tell you what an irritating bugger you were, is that it?” He leaned back in his chair. “I stopped thinking that way when I realised it was an impossible question to answer. We’re all made up of good and bad parts, Dominic, and decisions that could’ve been executed in a better manner. But if you really want to know what I think, I don’t think a truly corrupted man would begin to question their moral compass.” He shrugged. “Take a look at some of the bastards we’ve had locked up. I don’t see them questioning themselves, doubting themselves. If that doesn’t give you what you were searching for, you can always try an alternative method.”

  I pouted with intrigue. “What’s that?”

  “Drink yourself halfway to oblivion, wake up in an alley somewhere and question the meaning of life. It’s moments like that when you understand how miniscule we are in comparison to the rest of civilization,” he chuckled, the sound rich and hearty.

  “I think those days have long passed me by,” I joined in gladly, staring at the golden band on my ring finger. “With marriage comes great responsibility and a promise not to get drunk at the weekends whilst she stays home with the kids.”

  “I remember being forced to agree to deals of that sort before my marriage broke down. I felt like I was making deals with the devil. It took me a few months to recover after I signed the divorce papers, plus a few strip clubs and a couple of pals that were on hand to set me right. I’ll be damned if I let myself be held down by a woman again. I value my freedom far too much for that. Some men are built for marriage, whilst others aren’t.” He set about bestowing what little wisdom he had on the topic. “I got hitched far too young, you see. I felt myself choking on the physical constraint before I’d even reached my late twenties, and so did she. She ended it when I turned twenty-eight. Things were different then.”

  “They must have been,” I agreed. “You would’ve been what? A constable?”

  “Sergeant. Only a few years later, I moved up to your rank. I was an inspector for a while, and my first job was gorier than any of us had expected. Stabbings, multiple wounds to the chest and the groin too. Nasty business. It was a young kid and his girlfriend on the receiving end of the blade.” He was an old war hero recounting the stories of his own battlefield, every bit as tumultuous and scarring as any. “A group of pissed-off dealers broke into their home. They killed those kids who were on their patch, swiped the drugs and cash, then scarpered. The couple were far too young to die like that. They should’ve lived until they were old and grey. Reminds me of that young lad during your days--” He trailed off.

  “Tommy,” I agreed. “You can say it out loud. I won’t freak. It’s been a long while.”

  “That’s the one.”

  I sighed and felt my appetite diminish. “That’s what made me think I wasn’t such a good man after all, not after what happened to him. I sacrificed a lot of
people during that investigation, and for what? What good did it do in the end?”

  “It was for the benefit of others,” DCI Aikman said sternly. “It’s not an easy job, and anyone would be delusional to think it is. We make sacrifices. That’s just what we do.”

  “And how many times are we expected to sacrifice our lives, our relationships and our dignity for everyone else?” I wondered cluelessly. “If you have the answer, I pray that you’ll tell me, because I’m a little lost right now. You wanted to know the real reason why I’m here, and I guess this is it. I’d like to know when we finally get the opportunity to think about ourselves. Is it when we’re taking our final breath on our deathbeds, wallowing in regret and frustration about how much more we could have done? Should’ve done. How many more people could we have saved if we tried to, and how many more families could we have helped?”

  “We don’t,” DCI Aikman said simply. He handed over the last precious dregs of his drink. “That’s what we signed up for. What we can do is choose not to forget those we couldn’t save, like that young couple of mine. Tommy Smith too. We allow them to live on through our stories. Honour them through our memories.”

  One

  William was often told he was handsome.

  That he was a smart lad, somebody who would go far in the crazy world they lived in these days. That he’d find himself a lovely girlfriend in due time, a girl that was sweet and perfect for him. All of which he chose to believe, even if it came from the slightly biased mouth of his Nan. She repeated this mantra of hers every time he paid her a visit whilst on granted leave.