‘It’s not that I don’t want to talk about it,’ she explained while drawing on a cigarette next to an open window in her flat, ‘and obviously I want the guy caught. Obviously. I’d do anything to get the bastard that done it. It’s just hard. You know?’
Narey nodded. She knew.
‘I mean, I’m not stupid, I know I look like I’m all hard and dolled up for a night out but that’s just the way I make myself. There’s not a day I don’t think about Brianna. She’s still my sister. And after that guy Monteith getting off, I’ve not been able to rest. Know what I mean?’
‘I do. And I’m sorry for making you go through all this again but we’re hoping a fresh pair of eyes might come up with something that wasn’t noticed first time round. Can you talk to me about the night Brianna was killed?’
Kayleigh sighed heavily. ‘Aye, sure. Why not? I was watching her kids because her man was at work. Brianna went out about seven and I had the kids in bed by nine thirty. That was it until we got the calls from your lot just after midnight.’
‘Was she meeting another man?’
‘Sorry?’
‘Was Brianna meeting someone else the night she was murdered? She was dressed as if she might have been on a date.’
‘No.’
‘Are you sure. What did she tell you she was doing?’
‘She didn’t. And I didn’t ask. She just said she needed me to watch the weans because she was going out.’
‘Okay, what did you think she might be doing?’
Kayleigh looked away and Narey was sure she was right.
‘How did Brianna meet this guy, Kayleigh?’
‘I didn’t say she met a guy. And I’m not—’
‘Did she use a dating site?’
McGrath reddened under the make-up, clearly flustered. ‘Brianna was married.’
‘That’s not what I asked you, Kayleigh. Did your sister use a dating site?’
Kayleigh McGrath crossed her arms across her chest. ‘My sister was a good person. I’m not having her name—’
Narey had had enough. ‘Kayleigh, let me stop you right there. This isn’t about judging Brianna. It’s not about who she was or what she did. I couldn’t care less if she was unfaithful to her husband, except where it might be a factor in making sure we know who killed her. Did she use a dating site?’
‘She should never have got married.’ McGrath barged through Narey’s attempt to interrupt, holding a hand up, pleading with her to wait. ‘It was a huge mistake. Graeme Holden was a huge mistake. That guy was never right for her. He was a waste of space, but Brianna found that out too late. She hated being married to him. And yes . . .’ She heaved out a breath. ‘Yes, she started looking around. And yes, she went on a dating site.’
Narey felt her gut tighten.
‘Do you know which site?’
McGrath pursed her lips and shook her head. ‘No. She never said. She just told me that she was looking online. “Window shopping”, was how she described it. At first anyway. Then she got a bit coy on me and I suppose I knew she’d got talking to someone she liked.’
‘Why didn’t you tell this to the police?’
‘I didn’t know if she was meeting anyone that night. I really didn’t. And anyway, your people had no doubt that guy Monteith had killed her after they found her bag in his car. Except he was on CCTV on the other side of the city. Once he got off, I didn’t want to go back and say. It seemed too late.’
‘And you didn’t want people to think badly of her.’ Eyes closed, head nodding, McGrath admitted it.
*
Stefan Kalinowski lived in the West End, in a flat on Highburgh Road, just a few hundred yards from where Narey used to live before she and Tony finally bought a place together. She looked up at the long line of old red tenements and got briefly sentimental for days when she was young, free and more or less single. She wouldn’t swap though.
Kalinowski worked as an electrician during the day and played gigs in local pubs at night. He couldn’t understand why they wanted to talk to him, but he was home between six and seven and she and DC Kerri Wells were welcome to visit.
He was in his early thirties, pushing six foot, dark-eyed and good-looking, with fair hair that he kept pushing back on his head. He was barefoot, mid-change of clothes Narey guessed, and seemingly anxious to get moving. He sat on the edge of a large, green armchair, a Greenpeace poster on the wall behind him.
‘I’m singing in the Ben Nevis in an hour so I don’t have too long, sorry. And I don’t understand, what is it I can help you with?’
‘Do you have any friends or family in America, Mr Kalinowksi?’
‘America? Not that I know of. Why?’
‘We’re working on a joint investigation with police in Los Angeles. They have provided us with a list of names connected to that investigation. Your name appears on it.’
Kalinowski laughed but the smile quickly disappeared as he realised Narey was being serious. ‘My name? That doesn’t make any sense. But how do you know it’s me? Mine maybe isn’t a common name in Glasgow but I’m sure there’s more than one in the US. Why me?’
‘The name on the list we were given had information about the person. We were wondering if it fitted you.’
‘Okay . . .’ he sounded very wary. ‘Try me.’
‘Okay, let’s start with music. Are you a fan of Echo and the Bunnymen? Maybe A Flock of Seagulls?’
‘Yes . . . both. But . . .’
‘And I see the Greenpeace campaign poster on the wall. What about Quentin Tarantino movies?’
‘I loved his early stuff but lately he’s disappeared up his own arse. I’m sorry, but this is just weird. It’s freaking me out a bit. How do you know this stuff?’
‘Has anyone from the US contacted you? Maybe through Facebook or online somewhere?’
‘No. I’d remember. No one. Is this some sort of phishing scam? Do I need to change my bank cards or my passwords?’
‘It might be something like that, but we’ve no reason to think anyone is after your bank details. What about online dating? Do you use that sort of thing?’
Kalinowski’s mouth dropped open, confusion creasing him. ‘What? No. What would I need to do that for?’
‘There’s nothing wrong with it,’ Narey assured him. ‘We’re not judging you.’
He scoffed. ‘Judge all you want. I don’t do internet dating. I’m not being big-headed, but I don’t have to. I’ve no idea what you people are talking about here.’
‘Some of the other people on the list we’ve been given have been harmed, some very seriously. I don’t mean to alarm you, Mr Kalinowski, but you may be at risk.’
‘From what?’
‘From attack by an associate of the person who held the list in Los Angeles.’
‘This is nuts. So, some freak had got some stuff about me online. These people never leave home so I can’t say I’m too worried. I can look after myself.’
‘Stefan, this is serious, and you could potentially be in danger. I need to ask you again. Do you use a dating site?’