Tooth for a Tooth (Di Gilchrist 3)

so confident? But even as he asked himself that question, he realized Tosh must have accessed his brother’s cold files and carried out a comparative DNA analysis on his clothing, all of which had been soaked through with Jack’s blood.
    ‘We had a DNA analysis done on the tooth. Mitochondrial. Quicker, cheaper, but every bit as damning.’
    ‘Define
damning
,’ Gilchrist said.
    Tosh pressed close enough for Gilchrist to catch a whiff of underarm sweat. ‘You removed critical evidence from an ongoing murder investigation. You withheld further evidence vital to the enquiry. You could be charged with attempting to pervert the course of justice.’ Tosh sat back. ‘However, seeing as how we’re all part of the same team, we’d like to hear your side of the story first.’
    Gilchrist did not miss the unspoken threat in the word
first
. He felt a bead of sweat trickle down his back. How had Tosh managed to move so quickly? Had Mackie told them about the nicks on the lighter? But even if he had, what would that have proven? Gilchrist had told no one of the connection to his brother. Except Gina Belli. Her rush of anger came back to him. Had she lied?
    As these questions flickered through his mind, he realized his error in not informing Mackie of his concerns. But more damaging had been his failure to return the lighter. He had been so consumed by Gina Belli’s psychic results – the driver, the passenger – that he had forgotten the lighter and left it lying on the table in the St Andrews Bay Hotel. With its connection to his brother now leaked, any competent Fiscal could turn that against Gilchrist and nail his head to the legislative wall for removing critical evidence. They might even argue that he was culpable in some way. Had his brother confessed to him all those years ago? Was that why he had removed a vital piece of evidence? What other secrets did he know about his brother, or Kelly’s murder? Gilchrist needed to limit the damage, somehow recover control.
    ‘Where did you find the tooth?’ he asked.
    ‘Let me ask the questions—’
    ‘Unless and until someone directs me otherwise, I am the senior investigating officer on this murder enquiry. And if you refuse to cooperate by not telling me where the tooth was found, I’ll have
you
charged with attempting to pervert the course of justice.’
    Tosh sat back with a forced grin. ‘Listen to him, Jeff. Back’s against the wall and he thinks he can still call the shots.’
    Randall leaned forward. It struck Gilchrist then that Randall was not assisting Tosh, but the other way around. If Randall had been drafted in from Complaints and Discipline in Tayside, it was odds on that his next step was to chop Gilchrist from the case. ‘It was found wrapped in silver foil in the remains of the pocket of her nylon jacket, by . . .’ Randall referred to his notes, ‘. . . a Ms Geraldine McNab, an assistant with Dr Bert Mackie, the forensic pathologist.’
    ‘Thank you,’ Gilchrist said. ‘Why wasn’t I notified?’
    ‘You were, but your mobile was switched off.’
    Gilchrist retrieved his mobile from his pocket, flicked it open, checked the log and, sure enough, there they were, two calls from the office.
    He slapped it shut.
    ‘Do you have any idea how the tooth got there?’ Randall asked, his voice purring with an ingratiating English accent.
    ‘No.’ At least that was the truth.
    Randall smiled, but Gilchrist sensed the worst was yet to come. ‘So, Andy. You don’t mind if I call you Andy?’
    ‘That’s my name.’
    ‘So, Andy, although we can all take a stab at why the tooth was in the jacket pocket in the first place, and why the lighter was on the body, too, what I don’t follow, you see, is why you would remove critical evidence from an ongoing murder investigation. Do you see my problem with that?’
    Gilchrist clasped his hands. Gina’s words came back to him.
How far do you want to push using something that no one else believes in . . . at the ridicule of others?
His explanation for removing Jack’s lighter would sound ridiculous. What could he tell them? Who would believe him? On the bare face of it, it looked like he had removed it for no other reason than to protect his brother’s name.
    ‘Well?’ Tosh grinned at him.
    ‘I put it in my pocket by mistake,’ Gilchrist said at length.
    ‘Don’t give us that shit, Gilchrist. You put fuck all in your pocket by mistake. You were—’
    ‘Walter,’ purred Randall. ‘Let’s