19
The Carrick Lodge occupied the no man’s land where the exclusivity of Alloway gave way to the town of Ayr. The road from the tiny shack-like cottage of the poet Robert Burns to the tip of town was lined with the kinds of properties overpaid company heads aspired to. When Valentine was a boy, the homes here were occupied by an Ayrshire royalty that no longer seemed to exist. Celebrities like low-grade television presenters and the odd ersatz country and western singer had long since sold up and moved on, leaving the elegant driveways and backyard swimming pools to a new breed of parvenu.
It seemed a strange place for a man of the people like Davie Purves to want to meet but when he thought about it Valentine conceded the logic was about right for an ex-cop. The Carrick Lodge was located right at the end of the Maybole Road, with simple enough access to the A77 and all roads back to Cumnock. It was also far enough away from the former mining town to be out of the range of prying eyes. As a further caution, nobody that Purves mixed with at home was ever likely to be a golfer – that was a role for the assuredly middle class and those confident enough of their retired status to be able to dress in Argyle sweaters and lemon-coloured slacks.
In the bar Valentine located Purves in the corner of the room: every cop’s favourite spot because of the view it afforded. The DI approached and introduced DS McCormack, a move which at first seemed to annoy Purves but he thawed somewhat under the full beam of McCormack’s smile.
‘There weren’t many women of your rank outside of Prime Suspect in my day,’ said Purves.
McCormack grinned. ‘I doubt I live up to Helen Mirren on close inspection.’
Valentine extended a hand towards Purves. ‘Hello, Davie. That you reminiscing about the old days already?’
‘I notice you didn’t say the good old days,’ said Purves.
‘I’m choosing my words carefully. Nice to see you.’
Valentine left McCormack with the retired cop and placed an order at the bar. On his return they were talking about the Old Firm and bonding over Glasgow Rangers’ recent return to the Premiership.
The DI kept his footballing allegiance to himself and waited for the coffees to arrive before bringing the conversation round to why he had asked to see Purves. The details of the case, laid bare by Valentine, didn’t seem to shock the former detective as much as it had everyone else, but Valentine put this down to a mock show of bravado.
‘I can honestly say, Bob, that I remember nothing like that from my time on the force,’ said Purves.
‘No. I wasn’t expecting you to. I dare say if there was anything even close to resembling two boys murdered and dumped in a barrel we’d all have heard of it.’
‘So how can I help?’
‘In any way you can, Davie. We’re at sixes and sevens on this one.’
‘Any persons of interest?’
‘One.’ Valentine looked at McCormack.
‘Bloke by the name of Garry Keirns,’ said the DS.
Purves nodded. ‘Of course. Ardinsh Farm isn’t it? Makes sense.’
‘You know him?’
‘Oh yeah, everybody in the town knows about Keirns. He’s a piece of shit but I’d put murder beyond him. Petty theft and small-time drug dealing’s more his line. I think we done him for a car-stereo racket once as well, had dozens of them up at Sandy Thompson’s place. Poor bugger, Sandy. Must have saw Keirns far enough.’
‘What do you mean?’ said Valentine.
‘It’s common knowledge that Keirns diddled him out of that farm, what was left of it like. Sandy had been selling off parcels of land for years to meet debts.’
‘Whose debts – Sandy’s or Keirns’s?’
Purves tasted his coffee and started to add more sugar. ‘Does it matter? Sandy was the one paying them out. By that stage he was well into drink and more besides.’
‘I’d heard a whisper that Keirns was his facilitator.’
‘Christ, is that what they’re calling it now, Bob? Keirns virtually poured the drink down Sandy’s neck and shoved a few pills there too. You don’t need to believe what folk say, Bob. I saw it first-hand.’
‘You did?’
Purves seemed content with his coffee now, smiling as he placed it back on the table. ‘I was one of the team tailing him when he was done for growing the cannabis out at the farm.’
Valentine interrupted. ‘I didn’t see anything about that on his sheet.’