Devil in the Detail (Scott Cullen Mysteries) by Ed James Read Free Book Online

PC Jennifer Wallace, the Family Liaison Officer that Lamb had sent around. She handed Cullen and Caldwell cups of tea. Cullen put his down on a set of nested tables beside Bain's end of the sofa, waiting for it to cool. Caldwell cradled hers in her hands.
    Bain had been waiting for Cullen to arrive so that he had corroboration of anything, his leg jigging up and down.   "Mr Gibson," he said, "I'm very sorry for your loss." He gave a pause. "I've got a few questions I need to ask you."
    Gibson nodded. He was short and looked maybe mid-50s to Cullen, though he wondered if he was physically younger but had pushed himself through a tough career. His hair was very thin but had been shaved short rather than off. His eyes were surrounded by dark rings, though Cullen couldn't tell if it was from crying or general fatigue. He clasped his wife's hand in his, gently stroking it.
    "I know this will be hard for you," said Bain, "but can you retrace your steps this morning?"
    "Okay," said Gibson, scratching his head. "We were getting the kids down for breakfast this morning. We make sure that they have a good breakfast before school and that we sit down as a family." He pointed towards his son. "Thomas was down first. Mandy hadn't come down so I went up to check. She wasn't in her room.  
    "We searched the house for her," said Elaine, "but there was no sign. We searched absolutely everywhere."
    Elaine Gibson looked a lot younger than her husband. Cullen wondered if she was actually closer to Charles' age than it initially seemed - where she had stayed young, he had aged, as part of some sort of career/family pay-off. She wore expensive looking casual clothing, Abercrombie & Fitch tracksuit bottoms that no doubt cost the best part of a hundred quid. She was plain-looking, though Cullen imagined that she hadn't had the time or inclination to apply her make-up that morning.
    "Who would have been the last person to see Mandy?" asked Bain.
    "My wife put her to bed at nine last night," said Gibson.  
    "Do you have any idea how she got out of the house?" asked Bain.
    Elaine furrowed her brow. "That's the thing," she said. "We've no idea how it could have happened again."
    "Again?" asked Cullen.
    "Well, yes," replied Elaine, turning to look at him. "She has run away many times before."
    "How many times are we talking here?" asked Bain.
    Elaine shrugged. "Twenty? Maybe more?"
    "Where would she go?" asked Cullen.
    Elaine sniffed. "She would usually go to Susan Russell's," she said, "her best friend."
    Cullen scribbled the name in his notebook. He glanced over and saw Caldwell was furiously scribbling everything down in shorthand. "Does Susan live locally?" he asked.
    "Just round the corner," she said, "on Aberlady Lane. There's a path that runs down the back of the houses, she usually took that."
    "I understand that your daughter is mentally handicapped?"
    Bain frowned at Cullen - Lamb clearly hadn't told him.
    Elaine wiped her eye. Gibson clutched her hand tight. "Yes, Mandy was handicapped," said Gibson. "We used to live in Edinburgh and... Well, she was a bright young girl, smarter than most at that age." He gave a big gulp. "She was run over by a bus one day. She was lucky to survive. She was in hospital for months and months. After she was released, we decided to have a new start. I worked at Alba Bank in the centre of Edinburgh, but I transferred through to manage the branch here. I was burning out - my career was taking me across the entire branch network across the UK. I was exhausted all of the time, away from home four nights a week. Working weekends once every two months. When Mandy's accident happened, it made Elaine and I reappraise our lifestyle. Elaine left her job to look after Mandy."
    "I'm sorry." Elaine left the room, her hand clutched to her face. Gibson watched her go. They heard the back door slam.
    "I'm sorry," said Gibson, pinching his brow. "This has hit my wife hard."
    "I understand," said Bain, "I'm sure it must be very