Angus looked at Hamish, and then his eye fell on the space in the floor where Hamish had dislodged the boards.
“Unless you’ve got one damn good explanation,” said Hamish quietly, “I think I might have to arrest you for theft and assault. And that’s for a start.”
“You’ll never believe me.” Angus sat down on the bed and began to cry.
Hamish waited impassively until he had recovered and said, “Try me.”
Angus gulped and then said, “It was after the murder. I had a day off and I thought I’d play detective and have a look around the cottage and see if I could find anything. You see, I knew you’d been good about keeping quiet about us going up there, but I thought it’d come out sooner or later and I wanted to see if there was anything I could find.”
“Wasn’t there a policeman on duty?”
“No. I looked in the window and saw the computer. I began to think of taking it. I ran into debt not so long ago and I sold my computer. I thought, the police don’t want it; it’s sitting there doing nothing. I looked around. There was no one about.”
“How did you get in? I mean, surely the place was locked up?”
“I thought he might have a spare key somewhere. I searched in the gutter, which is where most folks leave the spare key, and there it was. I let myself in. I wanted to check my e–mails.”
“Man, there’s several cybercafes in Strathbane you could have used.”
“But don’t you see? Nobody wanted that one. It was just sitting there.”
“Go on.”
“I read some of my e–mails and then sent some off to friends. But after I left, I kept thinking what a waste of a computer it was.”
“Surely you must have considered you were contemplating committing theft.”
“John Heppel wasnae married, and he hadn’t left a will. It would all go to the state.”
“How did you find that out?”
“A policeman told someone in the village, and the news went around.”
“Didn’t come as far as me.”
“I thought I’d go back and take it. I hadn’t locked the door. So I went back, but I looked in the window first and I saw you there and I panicked. I thought you’d find my e–mails and know I’d been using it and I’d go to prison. There was an empty wine bottle by the door. I just meant to give you a tap on the head, but I hit harder by mistake. I took the computer and ran.”
“Angus, I am going to have to charge you with assaulting a police officer, theft, removing vital evidence from the scene of a crime, and take you to Strathbane, where no doubt they will charge you with murder as well. Now, did you erase stuff from that computer?”
“No, there was nothing on it.”
“Do you have a criminal record?”
Angus hung his head. “Yes.”
“What for?”
“I was just a lad, fifteen. I hacked into the Ministry of Defence computer system.”
“There was nothing in the press. I would have remembered.”
“It was all hushed up. They didn’t want anyone to know how easy I had found it. They took me away somewhere and grilled me for days. By the time they’d finished with me, I swore to God I’d never do anything like that again. I was living in Dumfries at the time. I moved all the way up here and got a job in the forestry.”
Hamish stared at him for a long moment. “Have you the ability to get into the hard drive of that computer and rescue the files?”
“Yes, but I didn’t!”
“Wait a bit. I’m thinking. You can’t get on the Internet here. There’s no phone in your room.”
“I havenae dared touch the machine since I stole it.”
Hamish was in a quandary. He did not think that Angus had murdered John. But if he took him in for assault and the theft of that computer, he knew Angus might also be charged with the murder. The police would figure that anyone who could attack a policeman must be a murderer as well.
“When the police asked you where you were on the evening of the murder,” asked Hamish, “what did you say?”
“The truth. I was at the writing class with the others when Perry burst in with the news John was dead.”
“And before that?”
“Here. In this room. I’ve got an old typewriter. It’s over there in the closet. I was using that to write.”
“Can Mrs. Dunne confirm that?”
“She was out all day, and no one else is staying here at the moment.”
Hamish was silent for a few moments. Then he said, “I hate you for putting me in the hospital.”
“I’m awfy sorry.”
Hamish took a deep breath. What he was about to suggest could lose him his job and get him charged with police obstruction if it ever came to light.
“Have you any holidays owing?”
“Two weeks.”
“Take them now. I want you to come to the police station and work hard at getting into that hard drive. If you speak about it to anyone, then you are going to go to prison and I am going to lose my job.”
Angus wiped his tear-streaked face with his cuff. “You’d do that for me?”
“Laddie, if you weren’t any use to me, I’d have you off to Strathbane so fast your feet wouldn’t touch the ground. I need to know what’s in that computer. Pack up a bag in the morning and report to the police station. I’ll take the computer. I’ll need to put an extra lock on the kitchen door and take away the spare key. Too many people just walk in. I’ll put a lock on the office door as well. Don’t answer the telephone and don’t come out of the office until you’re sure I’m alone.”
“Thanks. I don’t know how – ”
“Oh, just shut up, you daft nerd. Give me the computer.”
Angus went and lifted it out. He wrapped it in a plastic shopping bag. Hamish rose and tucked it under his arm.
“Nine o’clock tomorrow,” he ordered.
? Death of a Bore ?
10
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¦
—
Matthew felt happy as a small boat they had chartered chugged out through the oily waters of Strathbane docks towards Standing Stones Island. Not for the first time, he wondered why anyone would want to become a policeman. All those dreary interviews, over and over again.
He could see Freda was enjoying herself as well, her pointed face lit up with excitement.
“Thank goodness it’s calm,” she shouted to him over the noise of the engine. “I’m sure it can get very rough out here.”
Huge stars blazed above them. One never notices stars in the city, thought Matthew.
The island loomed up bathed in bright moonlight. It was really just a small rocky hill but with a circle of
