LOGAN´S CHOICE
People in the story
Inspector Jenny Logan: a police officer in Edinburgh.
Sergeant Grant: an officer helping Inspector Logan.
Alex Maclennan: the owner of Charlotte's Restaurant.
Alice Maclennan: the wife of Alex Madennan.
Donald Johnstone: Alice Madennan's brother.
Ian Ross: the manager of Charlotte's Restaurant.
Tam MacDonald: a journalist.
Major Innes: someone who knew Ian Ross when he
was a soldier.
1. NIGHT CALL
It was the middle of the night when Jenny
Logan's phone woke her. She was tired and
answered the phone sleepily.
'Logan.'
'Grant here, madam.'
'It's three o' clock in the morning, Grant. I hope
this is important.'
'I'm at the home of Alex Maclennan. He's dead.'
'Give me the address, Grant. I'll be there in
twenty-five minutes.'
Jenny Logan
was a n
inspector in
the Edinburgh
Police. The
phone often
woke her at
night. She got
out of bed and
dressed
quickly in a blue suit. She looked at herself in the
mirror and decided that her short brown hair
looked all right.
By a quarter past three she was driving through
the streets of Edinburgh. It was December and
there was snow on the ground. Princes Street
was empty. She could see Edinburgh Castle high
up to her left. While she drove, Logan thought
about Alex Maclennan.
The Maclennans were famous in Scotland. Murray
Madennan, Alex's father, had over sixty fish and
chip shops in different Scottish towns and cities.
Everyone in Scotland knew Maclennan's Fish &
Chips and most people ate them.
Murray Madennan had one son, Alex. Murray did
not want Alex to go into the family business so he
sent him to an expensive school in Switzerland.
Alex went from there to Bristol University in
England, and then to a business school near
Boston in the United States. Learning was
important for Alex but so was having a good time.
The Scottish newspapers were full of stories
about his life: he was having dinner with film
stars in Cannes; or he was having drinks with
sports stars in Monte Carlo; or he was dancing
with pop stars at a club in Manhattan. Alex knew
how to enjoy himself.
Then six years ago Murray Maclennan died. Alex
came back to Edinburgh. He got married and
bought a house. Then he sold all the fish and chip
shops and, together with an old schoolfriend, Ian
Ross, he opened an expensive restaurant in
Edinburgh.
Logan drove into Polwarth Gardens and stopped
outside Alex Maclennan's house. Logan didn't
come to rich areas of the city like this very often.
She usually spent more time in the dirtier,
poorer areas. Alex Maclennan's house was large
and more than one hundred years old.
It was Sergeant Grant who opened the front door.
He was fifty-eight and usually he looked young for
his age. Tonight he was looking old and tired.
"Hello, madam. Come in,' he said.
'Where´s the body, Grant?'
"On the first floor. In the bathroom.'
"The bathroom? OK. Let's go and have a look.
What do you know so far?' asked Logan.
They started to climb the stairs.
'Well, madam. Mr Maclennan went to have a bath,
probably at about eleven o' clock. He usually has
a bath at about that time,' began Grant.
'I see.'
'Mrs Maclennan was already in bed,' Grant said.
'She says she fell asleep at about ten thirty and
didn't hear her husband come up. Anyway, she
woke up at one thirty and he wasn't in bed. She
thought this was strange so she got up and went
to look for him. She couldn't find him but the
bathroom door was locked.'
'Did she try and get in?' asked Logan.
'Yes, she tried to break the door open but she
couldn't, so she called her brother.
He came round, broke open the door and they
found Mr Maclennan dead, on the bathroom
floor,' finished Grant.
Grant and Logan arrived at the bathroom. The
walls were black; the bath, basin and toilet were
white; the floor was black and white. Alex
Maclennan's body was on the floor. There was a
blue towel over his body.
'You say someone locked the door on the inside?'
asked Logan.
'That's right, madam,' Grant answered. Grant
showed Logan the broken wood.
'Has the doctor seen the body?' asked Logan.
'Yes, madam. He left just before you arrived.'