Gallery Whispers

53

It was not a Tuesday to which Bob Skinner looked forward with any great enthusiasm. Whenever he could, he would delegate meetings with the Police Board to Assistant Chief Constable Elder, but he realised that he could not ignore the Force's elected managers completely.

His smile was a little superficial as he swept into the small outer office. He had been late leaving home, and had been caught in the inevitable tailback at the Jewel and then through town, so it was well after nine a.m. when he arrived at Fettes.

'Morning, Gerry,' he said briskly to his secretary. 'Mail on the desk?'

'Yes sir,' the young man replied, 'and'

Without breaking his stride. Skinner swept into the Chief Constable's office… and his tight smile widened into a beam, as he saw, comfortable in the old swivel chair, the Chief Constable.

'Jimmy!' he called out in his delight. 'My God, you look great sitting there.'

Sir James Proud chuckled at his friend's surprise. 'I don't feel too bad either,' he exclaimed. 'Don't get the wrong idea, though. I'm not here to stay: not yet, at any rate. I've got an appointment at ten this morning with the Force Medical Examiner, a cardiac consultant from the Royal nominated for the purpose of passing me fit for duty.

'Gerry arranged it for me a week ago, but I told him to keep it as a surprise.'

'You look fit enough to me,' said Skinner. 'It should be a formality.'

What he said was true. The Chief Constable looked a different person from the tired, ageing overweight man who had gone on holiday a few months earlier. Indeed, he looked like Proud Jimmy once more.

He looked twenty pounds lighter, and five years younger as he swung round in his chair. His deputy, on the other hand, had put on five pounds and a few lines in his absence.

Skinner had visited his friend on the day after his return from Spain. He had been pleased then by what he saw, and it was obvious that progress to a full recovery was being maintained.

'So come on. Bob,' said Sir James, 'You've got time before the Police Board. Give me a run-down. What's been happening?' During their earlier meeting, the DCC had refused point blank to discuss work.

He smiled and nodded. 'Okay, I guess you're up to it.

'The truth is that for the last couple of weeks. Sweet FAjust about covers it. We had a very awkward investigation last month, into the death of a woman out in East Lothian. Cancer victim: someone gave her significant help to kill herself. The team didn't get a sniff as to who it was though; a few false trails, that's all. I've chucked it at the Fiscal; he's decided to lead minimal evidence at the FAI and just bury it.'

'Has he indeed?' mused the Chief.

'Aye. Can't say I'm sorry. These things raise all sorts of moral questions.'

'Not for us, Bob. The law's the law.'

'… and we are merely its servants, I know. Imperfect servants in this instance, I'm not too unhappy to say.'

'Speaking of cancer patients' On his visit to the Chief, Skinner had told him of Olive Mcllhenney's illness.

'She's coming on,' he replied at once. 'We saw her at the weekend, in fact; Neil brought her and the kids out to Gullane on Sunday. She's finished her first course of chemotherapy, and come through it well.

She's a bit grey-faced, but Sarah says her cough's a lot better. I tell you, Jimmy, she's a study in human courage.'

'How about Neil? How's he handling it?'

'As you'd expect,' said Skinner. 'I can sense a tremendous tension in him, but outwardly he's very calm and determined. I keep an eye on him, don't you worry.'

'D'you never think about sending him on compassionate leave?'

'Doesn't want it. And he's right. It's better for Olive's morale if she sees him going to work as usual. She has a cleaning woman in a couple of mornings a week, and her head teacher visits her quite often at lunch times, so she's not without company. She's doing some school work at home too; computer stuff.'

'What are her chances, though?' the Chief asked, quietly.

Skinner looked him in the eye. 'Slim.'

Proud Jimmy sighed. 'Ahh well, let's just hope, eh.

'So what about the rest of it. I read about this global economic conference: that's going to be a bugger for us, eh?'

'Jeez! Tell me about it. Jim Elder's been working on that for the last month, putting together a policing plan. We had a security scare too, with SB deployed all over the country looking for a guy who might have been out to target one of the guests of honour.' He paused.

'That's history, though. The man was reported killed a couple of weeks back.

'Our problems aren't over entirely though. We've been dropped deeper in it, just in the last twenty-four hours. I've scheduled a meeting with Andy and McGuire for three this afternoon, after the Board's finished and the councillors have been fed; that's when I'll break the bad news.'

Sir James sat up in his chair, attentively. 'Oh yes,' he said. 'What's this all about then?'