The Devil Among Us by Ramsay Sinclair (easy books to read txt) 📗

by gripping on the bannister for dear life. There were only ten minutes until the meeting was due, and I still had to drive there yet.

Crowds of smokers swarmed the entrance of the station, along with some stony-faced locals. They shouted in irritation when I knocked into them without apology. Their ash filled my lungs and left me spluttering and trying to draw some clean breath. Our Volvo was parked in the yard and had managed to steer clear of the flowerbed recently.

That was until I accelerated without care and drove straight through the middle of the planted blooms. If the kids hated us already, they’d certainly hate me now. Flowers could be replaced easily but criminals on the run couldn’t. That would be my excuse, should anyone question me on the second daffodil tragedy.

Single-handedly ripping the tape off my phone torch whilst firmly keeping the other placed on the steering wheel, I punched in McCall’s number on the keypad. Putting the call on speakerphone and dropping the phone into the cup holder, I frantically sped through the winding country roads. My heartbeat thundered in my ears and adrenaline coursed through my veins. It spurred me along.

“Finlay?”

“McCall,” I barely gave her any time to respond. “I was right about what I said last night. Daniel Roy is involved in this.” The rubber tyres squealed on the concrete as I sped around a left-hand turn.

“Calm down,” she urged. “I already know.”

“You do?” I said confusedly and spoke louder than normal to combat the road noise. “How?”

McCall sounded preoccupied. “I was doing my research on the names you found last night. Listen to this. The guy you talked to last night, his full name is Judge Jake Ramsey. He’s cleared two criminals in the past few months for no reason whatsoever, but one of the criminals he cleared was arrested for possession of drugs.”

“Daniel Roy,” I stated grimly, my knuckles turning white from gripping the wheel too hard. “The judge must get a pay-off too.”

“It makes sense,” McCall tapped on her computer from her end. “DCI Reid gets involved and brings in one of his closest associates, one that can help the operation go flawlessly and ensure none of them can be put into prison. They meet up at the gentleman’s club and put it all into place,” she sounded equally sour.

“Promise him a fair cut of the profits and they’re good to go,” I yelled frustratedly at a queue of traffic forming and the orange backlights of one too many cars. “How did you find that out?”

After a moment of hesitation, she reluctantly and sheepishly told me. “The news. All it took was a quick google search into Judge Ramsey and all of his previous history came up fairly easily. It was all a bit of a scandal at the time.”

“Yeah, well I’m not surprised.” I expired and took the roundabout carefully. “We should really read more newspapers.”

McCall chuckled. “You’re telling me. Are you driving? There’s a lot of static on your end, it’s hurting my ears,” she complained as I ground the gears. The Forth Bridge towered by in a mountain of steel and crimson, making the Volvo look insignificant in comparison.

“That’s why I phoned you,” I digressed. “DCI Reid didn’t show up to the office this morning, and he definitely wasn’t ill because I saw him last night,” I explained hurriedly. “When I went to hand back his wallet, his diary was wide open--”

“And you went snooping,” McCall already knew. “I don’t care how or why. Tell me what you found,” she said firmly. “I know that sound in your voice and it isn’t excitement.”

Seafield House was drawing closer, and there were only two minutes left until they’d be meeting. Putting my foot down on the accelerator, the Volvo climbed hills and troughs to reach the outskirts of the bay.

“DCI Reid was hiding meetings inside his diary in invisible ink.”

“What is he, five or something?” She dryly commented.

“McCall!” I snapped desperately and squinted to see the road through the curtain of drizzle.

“Sorry,” she duly apologized and waited to hear the rest. Splatters of rain slowly dripped onto the windscreen and were wiped away by the electronic arms of the Volvo.

“He had a meeting set up for eleven today with David Roy. Something about getting the job finished, whatever that means. I have to admit it doesn’t sound particularly inviting.” Exhaust fumes filled the car interior as well as the burning smell wafting through from the overworked tyres. “I’m on my way there now. If I can catch them in the act--”

McCall didn’t sound as excited as I’d expected. “You stupid man. Tell me you called for backup.”

“No, what was I supposed to say to them? That DCI Reid is actually corrupt and doing dodgy dealings with our decorators, who weren’t really part of the real company?” I scoffed in disbelief. “Do you understand how crazy that would’ve sounded? They would’ve sectioned me rather than calling out the teams.”

“That doesn’t matter. You can’t go in there by yourself.” McCall must’ve been desperate to help somehow. “These guys are dangerous. God knows what will happen if they catch you doing this.”

After everything these men had done to us, that seemed the most trivial of our worries. Straightening this mess out without endangering the lives of our team was more important than my safety. I said as much to McCall.

“If it means sorting this out, I don't care.”

An elongated sigh echoed across the speakerphone and I could imagine the displeasing face she’d make if she was here now. “Alright,” she gave in reluctantly. “What’s your plan? To blast in there with all guns blazing, as if you had a gun?”

My mind had wiped blank of all sense or ability to think ahead. “I don’t know.” The road ahead had started to peel off from the main path and led into a beaten up dirt track.

McCall paused. “That isn’t filling me with confidence. Tell me where you are at least.” I could hear