Murmuring the Judges

55

The Media Relations Manager gulped, almost theatrically, as Skinner told him what had happened.

‘This is the hottest potato we’ve had to handle for a while, Alan,’ he said. ‘It has all sorts of political overtones, not the least of which is the Lord Advocate’s own future.

‘King’s been cautioned and formally interviewed, but not charged; not yet. He denies both murders, but we can’t ignore the evidence against him. For now he’s at liberty, on the basis that he stays with Clarissa Maclean and makes himself available to us at all times. I expect that he’s consulting his solicitors.

‘I’ve dumped the final decision in Lord Archibald’s lap. He wants to involve the Solicitor General in the decision, and advise the Prime Minister and the Secretary of State; but it’s a matter of when they decide to charge King, not if.

‘When that does happen, he’ll be whipped in front of a Sheriff in Chambers. There’ll be no plea taken at that stage but he’ll be remanded in custody. I’ve suggested to Archie that he be kept in Shotts Prison rather than in Saughton.’

‘Why’s that, sir?’ asked Alan Royston.

‘Confidentiality.We don’t propose to tell the press who it is we’re holding until he appears at a pleading diet in a couple of weeks, or at the very least until Lord Archibald has resolved his own position.

‘He may choose to resign when King is charged.’

The press officer frowned. ‘Wouldn’t there be a chance that could be seen as prejudicial to the defence?’ he asked.

‘Exactly,’ Skinner agreed. ‘On the other hand, if he waits until he’s formally cited as a witness in the case, that would certainly be acceptable. There’s another option, though, which I’m pressing on him. If the Prime Minister agrees, he could simply stand down from office during the course of the trial.’

The DCC frowned, and glanced across at Andy Martin. ‘In any event, we want to let him reach his decision without being influenced by any hysteria in the media, hence my wish to keep King’s identity secret until his appearance in open Court.

‘D’you think we have a chance of getting away with it?’

Royston whistled. ‘Won’t King be missed from the High Court?’

‘Not necessarily. He wasn’t due to be prosecuting again until the week after next.’

‘Won’t there be a few people in the know when he appears before the Sheriff, for formal accusation and remand?’

Skinner shook his head. ‘I don’t think so. The Sheriff Court is right next door to the Crown Office, remember. King will present himself as ordered, he’ll be charged and he’ll be taken to Shotts by Mr Martin — ’ he nodded to his left ‘- and Sammy Pye. Once he’s locked up we’ll announce that a man has been charged, but give no further details.

‘The only person in the know who might talk to the press is King himself, through his solicitors.’

‘Do you think he might?’

‘I can’t say for sure, but I can’t think why he’d be the first to break cover.’

The Media Manager picked up his coffee and took a sip. ‘I suppose we might be able to keep it under wraps, sir. But it’s a racing certainty that the press will have a source inside Shotts jail. If it leaks, that’s where it’ll come from. I have to tell you also that if it does, the shit will hit the fan in a very big way.’

The DCC laughed. ‘Oh, I know that, Alan. I surely do!’

‘Then why bother, sir? Why not just stick him in the dock in open Court, like any other prisoner?’

‘Because he isn’t any other prisoner. He’s Her Majesty’s Senior Prosecuting Counsel. Because I want to give Archie as much room to manoeuvre as I can. Because. .’

He stopped and stared, for a few seconds, out of the long window of the Chief’s office. ‘Because there’s this wee kernel of doubt, gnawing at the back of my mind.

‘When I looked at all the evidence we’ve assembled against King, I was dead certain that we were right. The truth is, when Andy and I interviewed him in Archie’s room, I expected him to break down.

‘He didn’t though. He denied the whole thing, and he still does. Remember, this is a man whose job is to assess the weight of evidence against a suspect. He knows what we’ve got on him, and that he has no defence against any of it. Yet he still maintains his innocence.’

‘Come on, sir,’ Royston protested. ‘There’s nothing unusual about a criminal denying everything, even when they’re as guilty as sin.’

‘Aye, Alan, I know. Still. .’

He rose from the Chief’s chair. ‘Anyway,’ he said, ‘that’s the background. As soon as I know when King’s to be charged, I’ll tell you. In the meantime you could be drafting damage limitation statements, just in case we need them.’

He walked the press officer to the door, and into the outer office, where his secretary was waiting. ‘Super-intendent McGrigor called five minutes ago, sir, looking for Mr Martin.’

‘Did he, Gerry? You’d better call him back, then. Andy can speak to him here.’

The Head of CID switched on the hands-free telephone as it rang on the big desk. ‘Hello, John,’ he answered. ‘What can I do for you?’

‘It’s this shooting, sir,’ said the bluff Borderer, his voice booming metalically from the speaker. ‘I’m at decision time, and I thought I’d talk to you about it.’

‘Fire away.’

‘I think I’m going to have to let Sturrock go.’

‘You haven’t been holding him all this time, have you?’

‘Och, of course not. . although I think he’d like me to lock him up to protect him from his wife. I’ve been hauling him in every day for questioning. There’s a fair chance the bugger did it, like, but he’s digging his heels in, and we still canna’ find the weapon.’

‘Remind me, was it a licensed gun?’

‘He denies ever having owned a rifle, Andy. It’s the wife who said he did.’

‘Who do you believe?’

‘I’m inclined to believe her. He’s funny under interrogation, is this one. He denies shooting Saunders, yet he’s not even trying to be convincing. There’s a bravado about him, as if he likes being in the spotlight.’

‘Forget him, John,’ said Skinner, suddenly. ‘I’ve seen this sort before. He didn’t kill Saunders, but now it’s happened, he wishes he had. You’re wasting your time with him. Far better to dig as deep as you can into the victim’s background. He must have had a life beyond shagging Mrs Sturrock. Find out more about it, and see what it tells you.’

‘Very good, Boss,’ McGrigor acknowledged. ‘I’ll keep Mr Martin informed, will I?’

‘Please do,’ said the Head of CID.

‘Any leads on the robberies up there, gentlemen?’ asked the Superintendent.

‘No such luck, John,’ Skinner replied. ‘The trail’s as cold as a witch’s tit, but at least we haven’t had any more in the last week. Don’t you worry though; we haven’t forgotten about it. We’ll catch the bastards who killed your mate.’