Thomas barged past me. I stood in the doorway for a moment, bewildered at his speed.
‘Where’s he gone?’
‘He’s gone for Collins,’ Chris said with urgency. ‘And as soon as Collins sees him charging at him, he’s going to leg it. There’s a back door that will bring me out just behind where Collins is standing. I’ll go and cut off his escape. You follow Thomas out the front and make sure he doesn’t do anything illegal.’
I charged down the stairs and arrived in the reception area just as Thomas pushed open the front door. ‘Thomas,’ I shouted, hoping to delay him just a moment so Chris could get into position.
He turned to me, his face wild. ‘I need to get that bastard. Don’t even think of trying to stop me.’
I reached him and grabbed a handful of his T-shirt. ‘I’m not going to stop you. I’ll be right beside you.’
He smiled, a grim feral thing that I shrunk from.
‘But harm this guy and you’ll end up in prison…’
‘I’ll gladly do time for that prick.’ His face was in mine as he struggled to free himself from my grip. It took all of my strength to hold him back. ‘Let me go,’ he hissed.
‘I’m on your side, Thomas, but think of Andrew and Jack. Think of Liz. I know you need to confront this bastard, but you let go of that anger and you’ll likely end up killing him. Then you’ll be in prison and not able to see your kids for years. Is that what you want?’
‘Don’t fucking stop me,’ he snarled and with a sudden movement he was free and out on the pavement.
I followed quickly after. And there, thirty yards away, was David Collins. He saw us move in his direction. At first he misjudged our intent and moved back against the wall, as if to avoid our eyes. But then, realising we’d spotted him, he turned … and walked into the brick wall that was my brother, Chris.
With a roar, Thomas launched himself at Collins, grabbing him and throwing him against the wall. Collins fell to the ground and Thomas lashed out with his feet. One kick. Two.
‘Enough,’ shouted Chris and grabbed hold of Thomas. ‘Get Collins,’ Chris shouted at me as he twisted Thomas’s arm up his back.
People were now gathered around, shouting at us to leave the old man alone.
I moved into professional mode, as if I was dealing with a playground full of feral teenagers. ‘Nothing to see here, people. Thanks for your concern, but it’s all under control.’
Chris moved towards the back exit of the hotel, still holding on to Thomas’s arm. I could see that his grip was one Thomas wasn’t getting out of soon. ‘Bring Collins,’ Chris said to me. ‘Less people to see what’s going on around the back way.’
‘I was just minding my own business, son, and then that guy started kicking me,’ Collins said. His eyes were wild, his white hair sticking out in every direction, and his expression one of a wounded victim.
‘Sure you were,’ I said to him and grabbed him by the upper arm, braced for him trying to escape, but I needn’t have worried – he was as meek as a lamb.
We’d got them both through the back exit and into a corridor that fed the kitchens and the office when Thomas lunged for Collins again. He managed to connect with the side of his face before Chris pulled him off.
‘Enough,’ Chris said. But Thomas had lost it. He was screaming, windmilling his arms, trying to make contact, any contact with Collins.
‘Enough,’ Chris said again.
Then he moved so fast I couldn’t make out how he’d done it, but Thomas was bent over, his arm out to the side and his hand pushed into an angle that had momentarily incapacitated him. Chris was barely even breathing.
‘If we’re doing this, we’re doing it right,’ he said to Thomas. ‘Okay?’
‘Okay.’ Thomas snarled.
‘You sure,’ Chris demanded. ‘Cos I can keep this up all day. Can you?’
Thomas hung his head, and let out a long groan. ‘No,’ he said.
Chris let him go, and Thomas moved over to a chair, glaring at Collins and rubbing at his hand.
‘Sit,’ Chris told Collins.
I sent Chris a look, wondering where this version of him came from.
‘What’s going on here,’ Collins said staring at me. ‘I’ve not done anything.’
‘What were you doing outside?’ I asked.
‘Waiting for a friend. We were going to come into the hotel for a drink.’
‘Why here?’
‘My mate likes it.’
‘Who’s your mate?’
‘You won’t know him.’
I could sense Thomas becoming agitated again. ‘What the hell is that achieving? What are you up to, you old prick?’ He stepped closer.
‘Thomas, do I need to force you out of the room?’ asked Chris.
At that moment Billy arrived, so agitated he was hopping from one foot to the other.
‘Guys, guys, what the hell? We can’t be having this here. You need to take it somewhere else.’
‘Got any spare rooms?’ Chris asked.
‘Aye…’
‘Charge it to my account will you? And get me the key?’
‘Everything’s fine now. All the children are behaving.’ He looked over at Thomas and Collins. ‘Aren’t we?’
‘These guys have abducted me, son,’ Collins shouted to Billy. ‘You need to call the police.’
‘Chris, I can’t have this. You’re getting me into trouble,’ Billy protested, reaching into his pocket and pulling out a mobile phone.
‘Don’t Billy, please,’ Chris said, holding his hand up and moving closer to him. He quickly explained what was happening, and who Collins was.
Billy’s expression darkened.
‘We just want some answers from him and then we’ll cut him loose,’ Chris continued.
‘I can’t have violence going on in my hotel,’ Billy said.
‘You want your junk? You want your boss to know you’re buying junk from a hotel customer?’ he asked in a low voice.
‘Chris, you wouldn’t,’ Billy said, a look of heavy disappointment on his face.
‘Don’t be daft,’ Chris replied. ‘I never dob in a mate. However, this guy has some answers we really need. If I promise nobody gets hurt will you let us take him up to one of the rooms out of the way?’
Billy looked at him for a long moment, then he threw his hands up. ‘If this comes back to bite me, Chris I’ll fucking have you.’ As he said this his mouth and fists tightened, and looking at the figure he cast I was pretty sure this was no idle threat.
After some more protests from Billy and some more persuasion from Chris, we were directed to a small conference room beyond the function suite on the first floor. Not wanting to draw more attention to ourselves, we took Collins up the back stairs.
The room was large enough to hold a long, dark wooden table with seating for ten, a drinks cabinet on the far wall, and a floor-to-ceiling window that looked down on the Glasgow traffic. At the sight of this I could see Collins relax a little. As if the thought occurred to him that nothing bad was going to happen to him in full view of the city. He allowed Chris to direct him to a seat.
‘Thomas,’ Chris looked over at him. ‘Put the snib up on the door. We don’t want to get interrupted.’
With a look that suggested he was pleased with this request, Thomas did as he was asked.
‘Taken any nice pictures recently?’ I asked Collins.
‘Eh?’
‘Empty your pockets, please,’ asked Chris.
‘I’ll do no such thing.’
‘Oh, empty your fucking pockets.’ I felt my agitation rise. I was not comfortable with bringing this old man up here and was unsure how far Thomas might take things.
Chris shook his head at me slightly, telling me to dial it down a little. I ignored him and leaned over to go through Collins’ jacket. He struggled to get out of my reach. ‘We do this the easy way, or I release the angry guy there…’ I indicated Thomas with a nod of my head.
‘Fine, fine, fine,’ said Collins and began to go through his pockets one by one. A small pile soon built up on the table in front of us. A packet of cigarettes, a lighter, a brown leather wallet, two pounds thirty-six in change, a handkerchief, a bus ticket, a receipt for a Tesco Express that was just two doors down.
‘You live about thirty minutes from here,’ I said. ‘Why are you shopping at a local Tesco?’
‘I was hungry, for chrissakes. Is it illegal to buy snacks?’
I looked at the date on the receipt. ‘This was for two days ago. Were you just a bit early to meet your pal?’
‘Something like that,’ he replied, trying to look defiant, but instead seeming worried that his flimsy cover was blown.
‘Where’s your phone?’ Chris asked.
‘Cannae be doing with those things,’ Collins replied. ‘Waste of money.’
Chris nodded at me, so I leaned across and stuck my hand into the inside pocket of Collins’ jacket. Bingo. I pulled out a large smartphone and handed it to my brother.
He looked down at the phone, and then, before I could blink, he reached across, pulled Collins’ hand over and pressed his index finger against the screen. It unlocked.
‘Hey,’ Collins protested, and pulled his hand back and cradled it in front of his chest as if Chris had broken his finger.
Ignoring him, Chris located the photo gallery on the device and quickly found what he was looking for.
‘Why are you taking photos of this man’s wife and child?’ Chris held the phone up so Collins could see what was on the screen.
‘I’ve no idea what you’re talking about,’ Collins said. As he spoke he shrunk a little in his seat.
‘And look,’ Thomas said as he stepped forward and placed the paper version his wife had found in her pocket on the table with a thump. ‘The exact same photo was placed in my wife’s jacket pocket.’
Collins said nothing, but shrank further into his seat.
‘Okay. Cards on the table,’ said Chris. ‘You were in the force long enough to know we have enough to raise suspicion, but not enough for the police to charge you with anything. However’ – he pointed beyond him – ‘that man is willing to testify that he came to you as a child to ask for help because he was being abused at home, and you took advantage and abused him all over again.’ Chris turned to Thomas and asked. ‘That about sum it up?’
Thomas’s mouth was a tight line of hate. It was all he could do to nod.
‘Now, how about you tell us what is really going on and we might be able to do a deal with you.’
‘Oh aye?’ Collins sat upright.
‘First, I need to talk to my two brothers here.’
Chris took us over to the window and started to mumble incomprehensibly. Thomas and I looked at each other, wondering what the hell was going on. Chris had positioned us so that he had his back to Collins. The old man was studying us keenly.
Chris was still holding Collins’ phone and I saw he’d accessed a note-making app and was typing out a short sentence:
We’ve got this guy. Play along with whatever I say, okay?
Then just loud enough for Collins to hear he said, ‘We really need this guy’s help. You need to think about the bigger picture here, Thomas.’
Chris showed him the screen again: Play along.
Then he said, ‘If we get this guy to call off the dogs, your family is safe for evermore, aye? Or you call in the police, make your statement, he gets arrested, does nothing to help us, your family have to go through the whole court thing with you, and then you’ll be looking over your shoulder for the rest of your life, wondering when whoever is behind all of this is going to come for you. Or your kids.’
‘You’re saying I should let this guy get off?’ Thomas demanded, but I could see he’d brought the intensity of his reactions down a notch, as if he understood and was playing along with Chris, but not making it look too easy.
Chris give a little nod of satisfaction. ‘I’m saying we find out who is behind all of this and we save your family a lot of grief.’
‘That prick gets off?’ Thomas turned around and kicked out at a chair. It shot across to the other side of the room and I looked at Thomas with concern. A look that I could see out of the corner of my eye was picked up by Collins.
‘It’s not an easy decision, Thomas, but it’s one you’ve got to make, for everyone’s sake,’ I said, wondering what Chris was really up to.
‘Who knows how many kids that evil bastard abused. You’re telling me…’ He turned away in disgust, and then stormed out of the room.
Chris twisted round and shrugged at Collins. ‘He needs a minute,’ Chris said. ‘I’m sure he’ll see sense.’
Collins was sitting upright, hands on the table in front of him, an apparently neutral expression on his face. But I could see his eyes shifting back and forward from me to Chris, to the window, to the door. He was calculating his odds of getting out of this intact. If he gave up the people he was working with, what might happen? If he kept quiet and faced charges of child abuse, what would happen then? He licked his lower lip. His nostrils flared. He crossed his arms, then released them, palms down as he drummed on the table top with both thumbs.
A couple of minutes later the door flew open and Thomas charged towards Collins, who backed up nervously against the wall.
‘If whatever you tell us doesn’t pan out, I’ll take a full-page ad out in the Herald, and on every social media site possible with your details on it and ask everyone who was infected by you to come forward. I’ll build up such a case that you’ll spend the rest of your worthless life in prison getting butt-fucked by every convict who wants to make a name for themselves. You hear me?’
Collin’s eyes were huge. He was clearly frightened of Thomas, but I could see that he was doing a lot of mental calculations.
‘What I’m about to tell you, you could have found out without my help,’ he said as if he was preparing his defence for when his cohorts demanded an explanation. He looked at me and took a deep breath, as if bracing himself. ‘Before we start. I need a whisky. Single malt. Make it a double.’