Free Cradle to Grave by Aline Templeton Page A

said. ‘ Alice ? Oh, forget it. Here’s the inspector now.’
    Michie nodded a greeting. ‘Nasty situation here, right enough. Is DI Fleming on her way?’
    ‘Haven’t been able to reach her. What’s the position?’
    ‘They’ve put in props to stop the building collapsing, and the photographer and the pathologist came in by chopper. The latest estimate is that the road’ll be open in ten minutes or thereabouts, so once the doc’s done his bit, we can get the body moved out and start clearing up. I’d have liked to get DI Fleming’s OK before we did that, though.’
    ‘I’ve left a message on her mobile,’ Macdonald said, ‘but we think she’s up at Rosscarron House with no signal, and the lines seem to be down.’
    Michie nodded. ‘They haven’t found where the fault is as yet. Could be anywhere – apparently the flooding can loosen poles so they topple.’
    As they were speaking, a grey-haired man in white overalls and boots came out of the cottage, bending his head to get under the temporary steel beam fixed above the door and stripping off a pair of rubber gloves. He came over to the officers.
    ‘That’s me finished. With the state of things in there, I can’t make any proper examination till you can get him out. He’s got an obvious head wound from a beam, but that wasn’t what killed him – internal injuries, at a guess. Anyway, the photographer’s done his stuff, so you can get him shifted now.’
    ‘Thanks, Doc. The cutter’s waiting to take you back.’
    When Michie returned from seeing him off, Macdonald asked about the age of the victim.
    The inspector pulled a face. ‘Couldn’t really tell you. There was a lot of dust and plaster. They’ll need to clean him up to get an ID, poor sod.’
    ‘Do we know who he was?’
    ‘The witnesses had gone by the time I arrived, but one of the coastguard lads said there was a girl living there too, but she was out at the time.’ He hesitated. ‘At least, they thought she was. I just hope to God there’s not any nasty surprises when we start clearing the rubble.’
    ‘The witnesses – where are they?’ Campbell asked.
    ‘They took them all to the hospital in Dumfries. There’s an older lady has a suspected broken leg, and the couple with the baby were in shock.’
    ‘Best turn Kim Kershaw back, get her to go there.’ Campbell nodded towards the radio phone in the inspector’s hand.
    ‘Good thinking,’ Macdonald acknowledged, and delivered the message. ‘We’d better get back ourselves, anyway. Nothing for us to do round here, until we can find out what’s happened to the girl and talk to her.’
    ‘That’s the JCB breaking through now, look,’ Michie said suddenly, and hurried off.
    ‘Good,’ Campbell said. ‘Don’t like boats. I get sick.’
    ‘In two minutes?’ Macdonald said bracingly. ‘You can’t possibly.’ Then, as Campbell said nothing, he shrugged. ‘You’re not normal, that’s your problem.’
     
    ‘I just want to check very briefly on the campsite before we go down to the cottages,’ Fleming said, as they drove away from Rosscarron House, the radio chattering in the background. ‘I’d like to see the situation there first hand.’ Her voice was higher-pitched than usual and she was talking fast. You’d almost think there was some subject she was trying to avoid.
    ‘Fine,’ MacNee said shortly. He’d been deliberately resisting Fleming’s attempts to put things back on their old footing. She’d given him an official flea in his ear, and however right she was, and however childish his own reaction might be, he’d planned to stand on what he saw as his professional dignity for a bit longer. This, however – this was altogether too good to miss. He’d never been hot on dignity, anyway.
    ‘ Madge ,’ MacNee said, lingering lovingly on the name. ‘You know, I always kinda wondered where Madonna got the idea from.’
    Fleming coloured. ‘Oh, yes, laugh away.’
    ‘Oh, aye, I’ll do that all