‘Now there’s a tragedy,’ the chief constable said aloud, sighing as he laid down the newspaper and turned to his in-tray.
Twenty minutes later, it was almost empty, when there was a knock on the door. ‘Come,’ he called out. It opened and his deputy entered. Proud beamed with pleasure as he rose from his chair. ‘Bob, welcome back. I wasn’t really expecting to see you again this year.’ He picked up the
Skinner stared at him blankly. ‘Sorry?’ he said.
‘The helicopter crash: he was killed yesterday, along with a Tory MP. Didn’t you know about it?’
The DCC recovered from his surprise, but not too quickly, he hoped. He replied with the literal truth: ‘No. Nobody told me. A helicopter?’
‘Yes.’
‘Did they say how Hassett came to be on board?’ The words were still echoing, when he realised that the chief had not named the dead parliamentarian.
It was a monumental gaffe: Proud knew that just as well as Skinner did. And then another possibility struck him. Had the slip been deliberate, even if only subconsciously? If so, it would make no difference, for the subject would never be raised by either of them again.
‘You look tired, my friend,’ said Proud Jimmy, as Skinner settled into the chair that faced across his desk. Then he corrected himself: ‘No, you look exhausted.’
‘I am. And, sweet Jesus, am I glad to be back.’
‘You’re finished in London?’
‘Yes, it’s all signed off: I’ve spent the last few days debriefing people, and being debriefed myself by some Americans.’
‘Americans?’
‘Yes, it went transatlantic. It was a very messy business, Jimmy: it showed me that I’d never really understood treachery before. I found out a lot about myself, too, and a lot about other people that I hadn’t really appreciated. As an example, I thought I knew Adam Arrow, but I didn’t, not at all. I saw this ultra-hard, ultra- efficient wee soldier, but really I was looking at a guy who had spent his life trying to live up to his dad, until it made him into someone else’s puppet. As another, I’ve always seen myself as a tough guy, but a moral one, yet Amanda Dennis was able to believe that another hard man would kill himself rather than face interrogation by me. That’s not what happened, but knowing me, she still accepted it without question. There’s one plus point, though. I found out that I can’t shoot someone dead in cold blood, not any more at any rate. The Americans gave me the okay to do that when I’d completed my mission in Delaware, but when it came to it, I declined. Maybe that was only because I actually liked the bastard I was supposed to terminate, but I hope not.’
Proud looked at him. ‘Is all this self-discovery going to change you, do you think?’
‘I’d like to believe that it’s going to make me a humbler, gentler, wiser and more considerate man. Yes, I’d like to believe that . . . but I don’t know whether I’m actually capable of change.’
Proud thought of the report that still lay in his desk. ‘O’Malley’s worried that you might be approaching your breaking point,’ he said.
Skinner stared at him, and then he laughed bitterly. ‘That’s ironic, Jimmy, because I’m worried that I don’t have one. Will I tell you the conclusion that I’ve reached?’ He carried on without waiting for an answer.
‘I’m never going to do anything like this again. From now on, if someone says to me that I’m the only man for a really tough job, I’m going to ask him whether there’s any part of “Fuck off!” that he doesn’t understand.
‘I’m no longer interested in exploring my outer limits. My priorities are my family, which in time will come to include Aileen, and doing my job to the best of my ability, which means being a conventional police officer, not a fucking action man looking for every opportunity to stick his thick fucking head above the fucking parapet!’
‘Does that mean you’re ready to step into my chair?’ the chief constable asked quietly.
‘Only if I believe myself worthy of it, and I’m not sure that I am.’
‘As someone who’s sat in it for more years than most, I’m damn sure you are.’
‘Thanks, but I’ve got to convince myself.’
‘Then have some time off. That sabbatical that O’Malley recommended: six months; take it.’
‘That’s way too long, man.’
‘Three, then.’
Skinner sighed. ‘Okay, I will, but I’ll go off at the end of January, to give me time to let the smoke clear and to let the new people settle into their new jobs. How’s McGuire been so far?’
‘Commanding. That post has been waiting for someone like him since you stepped up.’
‘McIlhenney?’
‘He’s making his presence felt already; and not just felt but respected.’
‘And Willie Haggerty? How’s his situation?’
‘He’s going. The Dumfries and Galloway board met yesterday; he’ll be their new chief constable.’
‘Are you ready to confirm Brian Mackie as his successor?’
‘Once Haggerty’s appointment is announced officially, I will.’
‘Christ, that means the wee Glaswegian will outrank me.’
Proud laughed. ‘The solution to that lies with you. Go off on your leave and get your head sorted out.’
‘Okay, I will. Now, let’s change the subject to continuing investigations. Before I came in here I read that pile of papers on my desk. What have you done, in the light of your old rector’s evidence?’ Skinner asked.
‘I took Mr Goddard to see McIlhenney, of course, as senior investigating officer, and he made a formal statement. What else would I have done?’
‘Nothing. Absolutely nothing at all. What’s happened since then?’
‘Weston’s been arrested and charged with murder. When his house was searched they found ampoules, virtually empty, but still bearing traces of the drugs that were used to subdue the man Starr.’
‘The murder weapon?’
‘That hasn’t been found,’ said Proud. ‘However, they have obtained a set of knives that match those in the victim’s kitchen and they’ve had a specialist look at the missing one. She’s prepared to say, under oath, that the amputations were performed with an identical blade.’
‘How will the old man stand up in the witness box?’
‘Bob, there’s every chance that he’ll have taught the fathers of both prosecuting and defence counsel, not to mention the judge himself. He’ll cow them with a glance.’
‘Nice one.’ Skinner chuckled. ‘But, Jimmy, you keep saying “they”. It’s not: it’s “we”. It’s your force, a team, and you’re at its head. Man, while I’ve been away you’ve been leading from the front, all the way through.’
‘Even if I was a little self-indulgent over Trudi Friend’s mother?’
‘What was self-indulgent about that? If I’d been here I’d probably have farmed it out to a detective constable down in Peebles and we’d have heard no more of it. You did it your way and you uncovered a mass murderer, or what was left of him. Congratulations, Chief.’
‘I’d be grateful if you’d say all that to Chrissie: she still thinks I’m an old showboater who fell for a pretty face and went out of my way to impress her. As for your congratulations, I’m not sure I deserve them. I never did find Annabelle Gentle, and now, I never will.’
‘Oh, no? What did you find?’
‘Claude Bothwell, dead, and that was that: no trace of the women, no more leads, case closed.’
‘What did you expect to find under that shed? One dead woman, or maybe two. If that had been the case it really would have been all over. But you didn’t. You had a triangle, but not the way you expected.’
‘I’m sorry,’ said Proud. ‘I’m old and tired. Walk me through this.’
‘Rubbish,’ Skinner retorted. ‘You’re an outstanding police officer, you can work it out for yourself. Jimmy, a few days ago I found myself telling a guy in the States that nothing in this world is unbelievable. Now I’m being shown the truth of that yet again. I think I know these women.’
Ninety-six
‘They come here every day that the weather permits,’ the captain told him, as they walked at a leisurely pace
