Dunbar groaned. ‘Look at you. You’ve not even taken me for a meal and a drink yet.’
‘Aye, you fucking wish,’ Harry said, getting to his feet. ‘Get your fucking self up.’
He looked at Muckle. ‘Good shot, pal.’
‘I’ll have some explaining to do, but at least I have a licence for it.’
‘Where’s your boy?’ Dunbar said, getting up and rubbing his jaw.
‘I wasn’t going to bring him in here, not while I’ve got Jesus. I was already on my way here when Alex called.’
‘Good call.’
‘But he’ll have ripped the seat of my car all to fuck and the wife will go nuts, so I’d better go see him.’
‘That bastard,’ Dunbar said, nodding to Boxer. ‘He killed those Wolf boys and shoved them in the plane. Chances are, they might not have been found for a very long time.’
‘One thing’s puzzling me,’ Harry said.
‘What’s that?’
‘When I said, that’s all the Wolf kids dead, he said, not quite. What did he mean by that?’
‘No idea, neighbour. We still don’t know why he killed Murdo.’
‘I think I might know who does. Somebody we’re already familiar with.’
‘Brian Gibbons?’
Just then the cavalry arrived, a little too late, but there nonetheless. Evans came in with Alex and some uniforms were getting the double doors open, flooding the place with light.
‘Don’t get too comfortable. We have to go and speak to somebody,’ Harry said, nodding to the corpse of Crail Shaw. ‘This isn’t over.’
Twenty-Seven
Brian Gibbons was sitting having a drink in the living room. The only difference was, he was better dressed this time.
‘What’s going on?’ he said. ‘Everybody’s going crazy. First the guests are not happy that the memorial’s been cancelled, and now there’re rumours you’ve caught my wife’s killer.’
‘There’s more to it, Mr Gibbons,’ Harry said.
‘What’s that supposed to mean? You don’t think I killed her, do you? I mean, if you do, then you’re barking up the wrong tree.’
‘I did have my suspicions. However…where’s Thomas Deal?’
‘He was here a minute ago. His feathers have really been ruffled. He’s strutting about like his head is going to fall off.’
‘Where were you when you asked Missy about the old hospital?’ Harry asked Muckle.
‘In here.’
Harry nodded, and they heard raised voices outside the living room, then Thomas Deal walked in with Missy.
‘Oh. You’re here,’ Deal said.
‘Yes, we are,’ Harry said.
‘You got those painkillers?’ Dunbar asked, and Alex pulled a pack from her pocket and popped two for Dunbar.
‘I’ll need a glass of water to wash those down with,’ he said.
‘I’ll get one from the kitchen,’ she said.
‘No need.’ He walked over to the drinks cabinet, picked up the bottle of vodka, poured a healthy measure into a glass and washed the two tablets down.
‘Is that wise? Drinking on duty, sir?’ Alex said.
Dunbar smiled as everybody in the room watched him. ‘Don’t worry, it’s only water. Even though there’s a vodka label on the bottle, it’s only tap water.’
‘I don’t understand,’ Brian Gibbons said.
Thomas Deal was about to leave the room, but Muckle McInsh blocked the doorway with Sparky, who was about ready to have lunch.
‘You were drinking with Mr Deal last night, Mr Gibbons, but Deal was only drinking water. He pretended to be drunk so you could alibi him. He was helping Crail Shaw kill Fenton and Zachary.’
‘Now, look…’ Deal said. ‘This is nonsense. He saw me drinking.’
‘I was drinking whisky,’ said Brian. ‘I knew I was drunk. You looked like you were drunk.’
‘That’s surprising,’ Harry said. ‘Since you told us, Deal, that you didn’t drink.’
Deal looked at them, then rushed at Muckle, but Sparky turned on the old man in a second. Deal stopped and threw himself against the wall.
‘Get that dog away from me!’ he shouted.
‘He’s just protecting me, fucking doughnut.’
‘Don’t talk to me like that.’
‘Shut up and sit down,’ Dunbar said.
The old solicitor did as he was told, not taking his eyes off the snarling dog.
‘Now, Boxer said something to me before he died,’ Harry said. ‘I saw the two Wolf sons dead in that plane we found. But when I made a comment about all the Wolf kids being dead, he said, not quite. What did he mean by that?’
‘I have no idea.’ Deal sat back in the couch and folded his arms. ‘I want a solicitor.’
‘You’re not under arrest. Yet. But let me tell you what I think, and feel free to jump in anytime to correct me if I’m wrong. I think there are still Wolf offspring out there.’
‘How can that be?’ Brian said, interrupting. ‘Clive, Shona, and now, you said, Fenton and Zach. Oliver didn’t have any more kids.’
Harry smiled and looked at Deal. ‘That’s not quite true, is it, Thomas?’
‘I’m saying nothing. You’ll never prove anything.’
‘That’s true.’ Harry turned to face the small audience, and even Sparky was listening to him now. ‘However, I don’t think either you or Crail Shaw killed the Wolf kids. I think somebody else did. You see, you have to ask yourself, who benefits? Normally, if a parent dies, the child benefits. But not the Wolf kids. And I say kids, even though they’re adults. They’re Oliver Wolf’s kids. Wait a minute, if they’re all dead, then who benefits? The community? Maybe. If they’re all out of the way, then there has to be somebody who would gain from it. That’s you, Thomas. You’re the one who will benefit.’
‘You’re talking nonsense.’
‘Really? Let’s ask Missy then, shall we?’ He turned to Missy. ‘Who benefits if the Wolf kids are dead?’
She nodded to Deal. ‘He does.’
Harry turned back to him. ‘You do. And Missy knew that. But what if she was out of the way? She couldn’t tell anybody then, could she? That’s why you tried to kill her last night. I don’t think they expected me, but you sent them to kill her. Did you tell Fenton and Zach that if they killed her, they could split the extra money?’
A brief smile played over Deal’s face before he looked at Harry. ‘No, that was all their idea.’
‘But you have to
