Windchill by Ed James Read Free Book Online Page A

about the fifteenth rendition of the dirty version of Alouette ." Gellatly laughed. " The bigger the cu- Sorry."
    Cullen showed the photo again. "This man definitely left with the others?"
    "Think so, aye."
    "Well, this is Steven McCoull. He was found dead later on last night."
    Gellatly swallowed. "I see."
    "We have statements placing him in Juniper Green at somewhere between eight and nine."
    Gellatly snatched the photo back. "Now you mention it... It was pretty weird."
    "What was?"
    "Well, I was collecting glasses from this table and taking an order. They were being a right bloody nightmare." Gellatly shook his head. "Anyway, your boy there must've seen something cos he just got up and left."
    "How do you mean?"
    "He chucked a twenty on the table and just walked out of the bar."
    "Any idea why?"
    "None, sorry. His mates thought he was off to the gents' but they didn't notice he'd taken his coat with him." Gellatly let out a breath before rubbing his thinning hair and staring out of the window on the darkening George Street. "Actually, the boy had been looking out of the window for a bit."
    "At what?"
    "Don't know. Seemed distracted by something."
    "Any idea what?"
    "No, sorry."
    "Girls walking past on the street?"
    "Don't think so. It's like that thousand yard stare, you know? Like he was thinking hard about something."
    "Right. Was he singing Alouette with the others?"
    "Up to a point, aye. Then he just didn't. I remember it now. When I took their previous order, he was staring out the window. When I came back twenty minutes later for the next one, he was still at it."
    "What time was this?"
    "Be about ten past, quarter past eight, maybe?" Gellatly shrugged. "Could've been earlier, I suppose."
    "Did you see what he did on the street?"
    "Not really. Well, he might've got in a taxi, I suppose. I went back through to the bar, saw one sweeping past not long after he left and I don't recall seeing him out on the street."
    "Do you have CCTV recording here?"
    "Like you wouldn't believe." Gellatly grinned. "I'll get them sent down to you. Where you pair based?"
    "Leith Walk station. Cheers." Cullen got to his feet, business card out. "Call me if anything comes up, okay?"

Chapter 12

    Methven stood at the whiteboard, arms folded and eyes shut, scowling as Cullen and Buxton sat. "Thanks for joining us."
    Cullen shrugged. "Sorry, sir."
    Methven snorted. "First things first. The post mortem was par for the course - other than the suspicious items which resulted in us being called out in the first place, there was nothing else to report."
    Buxton frowned. "Did they confirm identity?"
    "Mrs McCoull provided that." Methven raised a hand to his cheek, patting down the gauze. "Due to the presence of carbon particles in Mr McCoull's lungs, Deeley is adamant he was alive during the early stages of the fire. Additionally, there's a high level of carbon monoxide in his blood, pointing to the fact he died as a result of the smoke rather than as a direct result of the injuries. That said, he did confirm the wounds Mr McCoull sustained perimortem would have otherwise been fatal."
    "Was petrol poured on him?" Buxton rocked back in his chair.
    "No accelerant was found on the body, Constable." Methven rubbed a line out on the whiteboard pointing to Forensics . "The only useful information Mr Anderson and his team have put forward is confirming the fire wasn't a result of a chip pan or anything so ordinary."
    "So what did cause it?" Rarity tilted her head to the side.
    "The fire service detected signs of an accelerant being used in different locations in the house, both upstairs and downstairs. Four on each floor. Eight in total."
    "What was the accelerant, sir?"
    "Looks like petrol, though more tests are underway as we speak. Fortunately, the swift actions of the fire service prevented the fire getting out of control and preserved much of the crime scene."
    "That's a positive result." Rarity ran her hand through her hair.
    "Quite." Methven narrowed