And he was right: there was no way in hell Insch was going to wiggle his way out of this one. He was well and truly fucked.
46
Heather stretched out on the mattress, content and full. She gave a little burp in the darkness then apologized, but Kelley didn't seem to mind. 'The pills helped then? You're sounding a lot better.' 'I feel a lot better.' She'd woken up to the smell of stew - rich and spicy and full of meat. 'Slept like a log.' 'You looked so peaceful.' Heather rolled over onto her side and felt for the bars. They were cool beneath her fingers. Cool and constant. 'I wanted to be a vet when I was little. Was going to specialize in ponies and kittens.' 'What happened?' 'Didn't get enough O-levels. So what did I end up with? Answering the phone in a bloody insurance agent's.' Kelley shuffled closer to the bars. 'I wanted to be a pilot, flying to all those exotic places you only saw on telly.' 'Did you?' 'No. Even tried to be an air hostess, but they said I wasn't glamorous enough ...' They lay there in the Dark. 'Do you think it's too late for me to go back to university and become a vet?' 'Course not. And I'll get my pilot's licence! We'll fly all over the world.' Heather laughed. Then stuck her hand between the bars and grasped hold of Kelley's. 'And if anyone's got a sick pony or kitten, I can look after it.' 'And we can solve mysteries and marry international jewel thieves!' 'And the jewel thieves will really be princes, and we'll live in a big castle. And have beautiful dresses.' 'And drink champagne every night.' 'And be happy ...' She smiled into the darkness, holding on to Kelley's hand. Maybe life wasn't quite so bad after all. Maybe everything was going to turn out all right.
'What the hell were you thinking?' The Chief Constable paced up and down the boardroom floor, the light flashing back from the shiny silver bits on his black dress uniform. 'I was dragged out of a meeting with the Joint Police Board because one of my senior officers seriously assaulted a murder suspect. In prison. IN BLOODY HANDCUFFS!' Handcuffed or not, Wiseman had still managed to get a couple of shots past Insch's guard. A dark red scrape sat high on the inspector's cheek, the beginnings of a bruise beginning to blossom around it. 'He provoked me.' 'He provoked ... He was in bloody prison!' The Chief Constable picked up a couple of faxed sheets and hurled them across the table at him. 'You made a formal request in DS McRae's name to interview Wiseman as a suspect. Then you made sure the prison officer left him unattended. Then you assaulted him!'
