'In due course,' said the Lord Advocate. 'Look, I want to help you clear your name here. We all do. But the Secretary of State can play no favourites. Two senior officers, a Deputy Chief Constable and a Chief Superintendent, are already on their way here from Manchester to begin enquiries into the allegations against you.
'I think it would be best for you to go away and arrange legal representation. Once you've done that, the visiting officers and I will meet with you and your solicitor, and we will show you the material which we hold.' He stopped abruptly, looking down at the table for a second or two.
'The Secretary of State has decided,' he continued, 'and I'm afraid that I have to agree with him, that while the investigation is in progress you should not take part in any police activity. That's why you have to be formal y suspended from duty.
'You shouldn't enter Fettes or any other police office, for any purpose not related to your defence against the accusation. Furthermore, I have to counsel you most strongly against conducting any personal investigation.
'The visiting officers will have the brief of enquiring and reporting to me and to me alone. If you approach anyone to whom they wish to speak, you could make yourself vulnerable to accusations of intimidation. And believe me, Bob, that's the last thing you need.'
'Archie,' said Skinner, evenly. 'I'l do what you say, but if that wee shit Salmon approaches me, then you can be damn sure I'l intimidate him.'
'Salmon wil be advised not to approach you,' said Lord Archibald, reassuringly. 'We can't order him of course: sub judice rules don't apply at this stage, as you know. But we can warn him of the dangers of interfering with a police inquiry.'
'That's al very well,' said Skinner, 'but why should my hands be tied behind my back? If you can't prevent Salmon from approaching me, how the hell can you justify forbidding me from making my own enquiries into accusations against me? If that's what you're saying, then I'd prefer you to charge me with corruption right now. If the al egations are the subject of criminal proceedings, then no-one can publish till the case comes to court, and my team will have the right of access to the prosecution witnesses.'
'Christ, Bob,' spluttered the former Archie Nelson, 'the last thing I want is to charge you with anything.'
He paused as he considered what Skinner had said. 'I take your point, though. Look, let's have an understanding. You stay away from witnesses personally, but your lawyers can approach them. Deal?'
The policeman surprised the Lord Advocate by smiling: an open smile, but with something devious lurking behind it. 'You've got a deal, M'Lud,' he said. 'The first thing I'm going to do, though, is look for an injunction preventing the Spotlight from publishing any of his crap.'
The smile vanished as he turned towards the Secretary of State.
'As for you, DrAnderson, be aware that I'm going to seek advice on the possibility of raising an injunction against you, and having my suspension lifted.'
'You can but try,' said the Secretary of State.
'Before you do, though, Bob,' Lord Archibald interrupted, 'you should be aware that the Court would require you to show good cause why it should injunct. You would be forced to present strong defences against the evidence. In effect, you would be putting yourself on trial without time to prepare, and based on what I've seen this morning, I have to tell you that I believe you would lose.
'Please, my friend, go and consult your lawyers, quickly, then bring 146 them to Crown Office, and I'll meet you with the Manchester people.
Let's make it two thirty. I'l arrange for you to use the back door, to avoid the media. They'l be keeping an eye on the entrance as soon as this goes public.'
Skinner smiled again. 'I appreciate the courtesy, Archie, but bol ocks to it. I've never sneaked in the tradesman's entrance in my life, and I'm damned if I will now. The media have tons of shots of me on file. A few more won't make any difference.'
He nodded across the table. 'Thank you, Secretary of State. The next time we meet, I'l accept your apology.'
The big policeman stood up, with the briefest of nods to his Chief Constable, and walked out of the room. Outside, in the corridor, he stood at the lift doors for a few seconds, then headed for the stairs.
He stood on the first landing and waited. A few seconds later, Sir James Proud, puffing and blowing, crashed through the double doors.
'Bob, I…'
Skinner held up a hand. 'Jimmy, before you say anything: whatever it is that Anderson has on me, I swear to you that I know nothing about any Guernsey money, and that I have never in my life accepted as much as a bent penny.'
'You don't have to tell me that, son. Come on, let's walk.' Side by side they descended the wide stairway. 'Archie will show you the papers later,' said Proud, 'but they've got documentary evidence of an account in your name in this JZG Bank, opened a few months back, in the middle of the Jackie Charles investigation.'
'How much?'
'One hundred thousand.'
'Jesus. But, Jimmy, anyone could open an account in the name of Robert Skinner. I'm not unique. Why should they think it's me?'
Proud shook his head. 'It's not in anyone's name. It's a numbered account, but Anderson said that there was potential evidence which shows that you're the knowing beneficiary. It's a high-interest, long-access job.'
'What bloody evidence can he have? It's all nonsense.'
'I don't know what he has – Anderson wouldn't tell me – but I think it's pretty serious. I tried to get him to stop short of immediate suspension, but he told me that in his view the supportive evidence made it essential.'
Skinner looked round at his friend as they emerged once more into the cold, barren entrance hal. 'I tell you one thing, Jimmy. For our Secretary of State's sake, he'd better pray he's on solid ground.
Because if he's playing politics with my reputation again, he'll find it giving way beneath his feet.'
45
'Andy, it's me. Listen careful y. I want you to find Pam. There's some pretty shocking news you're going to have to break to her.'
'Where are you, Bob? I know you can't be in the building, to have come through on this line.'
'I'm in Mitch Laidlaw's office, with Mitch, and with Alex. Now shut up and listen.'
Speedily, Skinner told Martin of his summons to meet the Secretary of State, and of his encounter in Committee Room One.
'Anderson set it up as a real Star Chamber,' he said as he finished,
'roping in Archie Nelson, with Jimmy and the Topham woman as his official observers.
'The bastard didn't have to play it like that. He could have called me in and shown me his evidence informal y; given me the chance to knock it on the head before setting up this very public inquiry.
This is the second Secretary of State who's crossed me up, Andy. I tell you, if I can, I'll see to it that he goes the same way as the other one.'
'Sure, Bob, but get yourself off the hook before you start to get even. Why's he cal ed in officers from England?'
'He's got to have at least a DCC in charge. I know all the chiefs and deputies in Scotland, so I guess he figured he had to be seen to be setting up an impartial inquiry.'
Martin snorted. 'So he's saying in effect that he has no faith in the honesty of any chief officer in Scotland.'
'That's one way of looking at it. In fact it's a point I should have made to the bugger myself. Tell you what. Have a word with Royston, and ask him, when this thing goes public, to try and work that line into the media coverage tomorrow. I smell another Scotsman leader coming on!'
