85
'Mitch, does your firm handle property sales?'
'No,' said Laidlaw. 'But I can recommend good people. Why?'
'I'm selling the Gullane cottage,' said Skinner.
'You hardly need do that, Bob,' the portly lawyer beamed, 'since the Secretary of State has said that his office would fund your defence costs. He was pretty magnanimous in his statement exonerating you, after the line he took at the start.'
'He was told to be,' said Skinner.
The lawyer shot him a curious look. 'Fine by me,' he said. 'It means I can now add your daughter's time to the fee note with a clear conscience.'
The policeman laughed.
'I was surprised by what he said in the rest of the statement,'
Laidlaw went on, 'that the al egations had proved to be spurious and that there would be no further enquiries.'
'He was told to say that too,' said Skinner, in a way which invited no further discussion of the matter.
'Stil, Mitch,' he went on, quickly, 'despite the outcome, it was pretty hairy while it lasted. Al your input and support was much appreciated, and I thank you for it.'
'Don't mention it. It's good to see you looking so relaxed after it all, and after yesterday's events. You've had no reaction to…' The rest of the question was unnecessary.
Skinner glanced at him. 'To having to shoot Heuer?' He shook his head. 'No. It's a part of the job. Not an everyday part, thank goodness, but part nonetheless. Heuer made his choice when he killed Leona.
Up the crematorium chimney's the best place for him.'
'Was he killed outright?' asked the solicitor, slightly awed by a side of his friend that he had never seen.
'Oh yes. When your brains are al over the wal behind you, everything else tends to stop working.'
Laidlaw shuddered. 'How were the children, afterwards?' he asked.
The policeman grimaced. 'WeeTanya's completely withdrawn. It'll take her a long time to recover I think, if she ever does. I don't envy Bruce Anderson his job as a father. I think he may even resign his office to look after her.
'As for Mark, he's a remarkable and resilient wee boy. But he's still only that: a wee boy, orphaned by violence.'
'What'l happen to him?'
'He's with his grandparents just now, but they're retired. He'll need a different long-term solution. Still, I'm sure that one will be found.'
Laidlaw nodded. 'Let's hope so. Anyway, back to your house: you're serious?'
'Yes. I just fancy a change, somewhere I can build a new set of memories. I plan to sell the Edinburgh house too, and buy another place in Gul ane.'.,,.,
'Ah so we won't be losing you from the Thursday night footbal club.' '
'Shit no. That's my religion.'
'That's good. But after yesterday, I won't be kicking you again, that's for sure.'
Skinner laughed as he rose to his feet. 'Is my daughter available, by the way?' he asked.
Laidlaw shook his head. 'No, she cal ed in and asked for the day off. She said that you and she and Andy had had a stressful time last night, unwinding. I told her I quite understood, and that I'd see her on Monday.
'She did ask me to give you a message, though. She said that a delivery service had been trying to reach you, about a package that's en route to you. She's told them you'll receive it at Fairyhouse Avenue at midday.'
Skinner frowned as he headed for the door of the lawyer's office.
'Delivery service?' he mused, aloud. 'Wonder what the hell that's about? The way my luck's been going lately, this one really will be a bomb.'
86
The package was explosive in its own way, but it was no bomb. It had arrived before he reached the bungalow.
He smelled fresh coffee in the kitchen as he stepped through the back door. He caught the fragrance of a familiar perfume as he stepped into the hall. He heard the rustle of movement as he turned into the living room.
'Sarah.'
He said her name quietly and calmly, as nervousness, relief and uncertainty struggled for mastery within him.
'Bob.' She replied cool y and cautiously, with no hostility, but with no hint of emotion.
'What…?' he began. 'What do you want? Why have you come back?'
'I've come back for a fight,' she said, her jaw set defiantly, holding her head proud and high, light glinting on her auburn hair.
Within him, uncertainty triumphed over relief. 'Oh my love,' he cried out, sadly. 'I don't want to fight with you. I never did, and I never should have, only I was too big a fool to know.'
She stepped towards him, skirt swinging, stepped right up against him, tal in her high heels, with her hands on her hips. 'I didn't say I was going to fight with you, honey.' She paused, stil without a smile.
'After you called me, to tell me about you and the other woman, and to warn me about the Spotlight stuff, and I gave you that three-month ultimatum; after al that I sat down and I said to myself, 'Hold on here a minute, Doctor. Have you ever stopped loving this man, since the day you met him? Would your life ever be the same if you lost him? Are you prepared to let some other lady enjoy your happy ever after?'
'The answers were 'No', 'No', and 'Hell, no!'. Right there and then I decided that you were not getting rid of me that easily, with just one phone cal three months down the road.
'I'm here to fight for you, Bob, my love. That's if I have to.' At last, a tentative smile came to her lips, and into her wonderful eyes.
He shook his head as if to clear it, picked her up and pressed her to him. 'Oh but you don't,' he said, hugging her tight as relief, with an overwhelming counter-surge, swept everything else aside. 'My darling, you don't.
'I am so, so, sorry for the fool I've been. Please, please forgive me. I accused you of being disloyal to me, and I drove you away in the process. But it's me who failed the loyalty test, in a big way.' He set her back on her feet.
'Yeah,' she said, her smile gone once more, 'You sure did. But I have to tell you, husband, we're even on that score.'
He felt a punch, a hard, winding punch, in the pit of his stomach, but he rode out its force. 'This Terry guy, yes?'
She nodded.
'Well,' he sighed, 'you were entitled. As far as I'm concerned it never happened.'
'Oh but it did, lover,' she insisted. 'And you must listen to me.
Like I said, I have to tell you why.
'It had nothing to do with entitlement, or revenge. I was evening the score between us, yes, but with a good motive behind it, I hope.
'I decided I should go to bed with Terry for one reason alone and I'm telling you for that same reason – so that I'l never in the future, if ever I was stupid enough, be able to brandish my fidelity over your head like a club.' She laid her forehead against his chest, and spoke quietly. 'This is what happened.
'I invited him on a dinner date, and I even insisted on paying.
