‘ That would explain the slight skin burns on your face,’ said Cynthia. ‘They’re not consistent with a beating but direct contact with chloroform would fit the bill perfectly.’
Steven thought out loud. ‘But they couldn’t have kept me under all that time with chloroform,’ he murmured. ‘They must have used something else.’ He started examining his arms, beginning with the inner aspects.
‘ What are you doing?’ asked Cynthia.
‘ Looking for puncture marks,’ said Steven, grimacing at the discomfort involved in the search. ‘Look! There it is,’ he said finally, pointing to a tiny mark on the inside of his left elbow. He lay back again while Cynthia examined it and agreed that it could have been left by a hypodermic needle.
‘ Did you take a blood sample when they brought me in?’ asked Steven His recollection of events at that time was still a bit hazy.
‘ Yes, for the usual routine’
‘ Can you rescue some of it and send it to the biochemistry lab for analysis?’
‘ Sure, what are they looking for?’
‘ Any drug they care to come up with,’ said Steven.
‘ I’ll see to it. Now you get some rest.’
Rest was the last thing on Steven’s mind as the door closed and he was left alone with his thoughts. He was still in considerable pain despite having been given analgesics but it was the mental anguish that was really getting to him. He’d been set up by Paul Verdi but proving that to a police force who were obviously quite happy to see him discredited in any way possible was going to be difficult. He had to think ahead, try to anticipate the opposition’s next move.
It only took a few moments to figure out that they were holding all the aces. He’d been unconscious for something like nine hours and couldn’t prove anything about his whereabouts during that period. To argue that he had never visited the Cuddles sauna or met the Manson woman wasn’t going to convince anyone, particularly as he’d been found lying in the gutter outside the place. He could see that the court’s reaction to such a claim would be much the same as that of the ferret-faced policeman. Proving his innocence was going to involve proving that he had been unconscious at the time of the alleged assault and was being held at some unknown location against his will.
With a bit of luck the biochemistry lab would come up with the evidence he needed about the involvement of drugs but as for the rest, he wasn’t quite sure where to begin. He supposed his car would be as good a place as any. Forensics might be able to come up with evidence of the attack on him and maybe some clue as to his assailant. It would also be vitally important to establish his intention of travelling down to Dumfries when he’d got into the car. Luckily Peter McClintock knew that to be the case.
Steven phoned Sue at 7am to tell her what had happened.
‘ Oh my God Steven, are you all right?’
‘ A bit bruised and battered but otherwise okay,’ Steven assured her. ‘The kids must have been awfully disappointed?’
‘ You could say,’ conceded Sue. ‘I let them stay up as long as I could last night but then I told them that something very important to do with your job must have come up at the last moment and they shouldn’t count on you taking them swimming today. The truth is that Richard and I were both very worried. It was so unlike you not to call.’
‘ Now you know why,’ said Steven.
‘ Do you know why you were attacked?’ asked Sue.
‘ I think I’m being framed,’ said Steven.
‘ For what?’
‘ An assault on a young woman in an Edinburgh sauna.’
‘ Oh dear,’ said Sue. ‘I’ve heard about these places. Sounds messy. Is it going to make the papers?’
‘ I hope not but there is a chance,’ said Steven.
‘ I just hope it doesn’t make the nationals then,’ said Sue. ‘Jenny thinks you’re the nearest thing we’ve got to Batman when it comes to fighting crime. I take it the police realise that you’ve been set up?’
‘ That could be another problem,’ said Steven.
‘ Oh double dear.’
‘ I’m a bit short of friends all round at the moment.’
‘ Well, you know you can always rely on us,’ said Sue.
‘ I do and I thank you for it.’
‘ When do you think we’ll see you?’
Steven thought for a moment. He thought about the look on the kids’ faces when they woke up and learned that they weren’t going swimming after all. ‘Tonight,’ he said.
‘ But you’re in hospital!’ said Sue.
‘ Not for much longer. I’ll drive down later today and take the kids swimming tomorrow.’
‘ If you’re sure?’
‘ I’m sure.’
Peter McClintock arrived just after eight when Steven was breakfasting on tea and toast.
‘ Well, well, well.’ He said, standing in the doorway for a moment with his arms folded and a smug smile on his lips. ‘You English blokes certainly know how to party.’
‘ Don’t you start,’ complained Steven. ‘I’ve had just about all I can take.’
‘ Looks like it too,’ said McClintock, coming closer to take a look at Steven’s cuts and bruises. ‘So what happened?… Not that I’m going to believe a word of it.’
‘ I left the hotel about six last night to drive down to Dumfriesshire. There was someone waiting for me in the back of the car. Shit! I should have realised when I found it unlocked but I didn’t. He held a chloroform rag over my face. After that I don’t remember anything until I came to in the gutter outside one of Verdi’s sauna parlours.’
‘ Not quite the same story the sauna staff are telling,’ said McClintock.
‘ Come on,’ protested Steven. ‘You know damn well that Verdi is behind this. He was warning me off.’
‘ It’s your word against theirs.’
‘ You do believe me, don’t you?’
McClintock took his time before saying, ‘I’m not the one you have to convince and Verdi’s not the only one you have to worry about right now. Santini smells blood. He figures it’s payback time. The word is he’s going to send the papers up to the Fiscal’s office today with a recommendation that you be formally charged.’
‘ Vindictive little bastard.’
‘ He speaks kindly of you too,’ said McClintock.
Steven told McClintock about the needle mark on his arm. ‘I should get the biochemistry report later today. Do you think you can at least stall him until that comes through?’
McClintock looked doubtful. ‘Santini would like to see you suffer the same sort of embarrassment he reckons you’re putting the local force through. I’m not sure that he’ll listen.’
‘ Even if he knows that I’m not guilty and I’m not.’
McClintock shrugged.
‘ Well, at least I know where I stand,’ said Steven. ‘Do you think your forensic people will go over my car or will I have Sci-Med appoint an independent lab?’
‘ I’ll get on to McDougal this morning unless of course, you still have doubts about our lab’s competence?’
‘ No,’ replied Steven. ‘There’s nothing wrong with McDougal.’
‘ What are they looking for?’
‘ Evidence of chloroform having been used plus anything else they can come up with on the guy who was in the back.’
‘ Is that it?’
‘ Tell me about these saunas,’ said Steven.
‘ Saunas!’ snorted McClintock. ‘Everybody knows they’re knocking shops but it’s council policy to leave them alone. The city prides itself on its liberal policy towards sex for sale. As well as the saunas the whores can work the streets unchallenged in certain designated areas. It suits everyone except the poor buggers who live there but then if you are going to have winners, you have to have losers. That’s the way it goes.’
