The Dark Fear Read Free

pros and cons of Dan Clifton’s application to become a sergeant. The DCI was determined to be as objective in her assessment as possible.
     
     

Chapter 2
     
    J ames Irving folded up the map and placed it back into his briefcase. He enjoyed watching his girlfriend from a distance and didn’t want any distractions.
                  Dani was carrying a glass of wine back from the bar. She spotted his table, in the centre of the beer garden, and smiled broadly.
                  Irving surreptitiously allowed his eyes to take in her slim, athletic frame and lightly tanned skin. Dani’s hair was dark and cropped short, a style which accentuated her pretty face and large, heart-shaped lips.
                  The detective set down her glass. ‘Oh, I should have got you one. Your pint’s nearly finished.’
                  James shook his head. ‘Not at all, I’ve got my car.’
                  Dani leant over and brushed her lips across his cheek. James wondered if he could persuade her to spend the night at his flat, or if she had to get back to Glasgow.
                  As if Dani could tell what he was thinking she said, ‘can I stay at your place? I didn’t book a hotel.’
                  ‘Of course. I want you to assume that you’ll be with me if you’re here in Edinburgh.’ He caught her hand and gave it a squeeze.
                  ‘What were you looking at when I arrived?’
                  ‘A map of East Lothian.’ His expression became sheepish. ‘I’ve been viewing some houses in the area.’
                  ‘Have you looked any further out, in Duns perhaps?’ Dani took a sip of wine.
                  ‘Why do you ask?’
                  ‘That’s where DCI Lamb and his family live.’
                  ‘No, I’m not planning on going that far east. I’ve looked at a few places in Longniddry. One of them was very nice.’
                  ‘I wonder how Stuart Lamb commuted into the city headquarters at Fettes Avenue from that distance. Did he go by train or drive?’ Dani ran her finger around the top of the glass absent-mindedly.
                  ‘There’s no station at Duns any longer. He’d have had to take a car or bus to Dunbar to get a train. Don’t most cops drive?’
                  Dani nodded. ‘I suppose so.’
                  James finished the remainder of his pint. ‘Have you met the rest of the disciplinary board yet?’
                  ‘We have our first conference tomorrow. I need to have reviewed all the evidence by then. We won’t be interviewing Lamb for a few days. There are some other witnesses we need to question first.’
                  ‘My dad’s been following the case in the press. He represented Alex Galloway once, on a charge of aiding and abetting a criminal. It was years ago now, back in the early nineties. Needless to say, Dad got him off.’
                  James Irving’s father had been a formidable criminal defence advocate before retiring a decade earlier. His sister still worked as a lawyer in Edinburgh. James had taken a smoother route, by pursuing a career as a commercial solicitor.
                  Dani leant forward with interest. ‘I’d like to talk to him about it sometime.’
                  ‘Of course, we can go over for dinner when you’re free.’ James inched his hand forward, so that their fingertips were touching. ‘Actually, I was hoping you might come out to see a house with me this afternoon. That’s why I brought the car.’
                  Dani looked momentarily puzzled. ‘ Ah , the property search. Sorry, I haven’t been very enthusiastic about it, have I?’ She polished off the dregs of her Sauvignon Blanc. ‘Come on then, you can take me for