Skinner's mission

50

‘Do you know what my Boss said, Evan?’

Maggie Rose smiled calmly across the table at the Vulture. They were in another room, on their second visit. This time there were no windows. This time Mulgrew had no chair. Instead he stood shackled, a menacing officer on either side of him and another in the doorway.

‘He said, “If that bastard doesn’t make a formal statement about the Jimmy Lee assault, and if he doesn’t give us the names of the other three men in McCartney’s team, I’ll make sure he does the rest of his time on Devil’s Island, or as near to it as I can get.”

‘He also said that if you do help us, he’ll try to find you a bedroom in Saughton with a sea view.’

Her eyes narrowed. ‘Your choice, hard man. What’s it to be?’

Mulgrew stood stock still for a second. Finally, he nodded very briefly.

‘Very sensible. Now, you admit that you were the decoy who stopped Jimmy Lee, although you took no part in the assault.’

‘Aye.’

‘But you saw it and you can say who was there?’

‘Aye.’

‘Okay. Name all five men in the team.’

The Vulture took a deep breath as if he was about to dive into a very deep pool. ‘There wis Ricky McCartney, Barney Cogan — though he’s deid now — Willie Easson, Willie Macintosh and Willie Kirkbride.’

‘An attack of the Willies, you might say,’ muttered Sammy Pye. Rose shot him a look.

‘When McCartney asked you to act as a decoy, what did he tell you? I mean Jimmy Lee was a local hero.’

‘He told me that Dougie Terry wanted him sorted. That he owed him money, and that he’d double-crossed him in that game he was supposed to fix. He said that Terry had had to shell out a lot of money to the Malaysian folk that wanted the game sorted, and that Lee was to get the message. Hero or not.’

‘He didn’t mention anyone else?’

‘No, miss.’

‘That’s Chief Inspector, Mulgrew. Were you paid for acting as decoy?’

‘Sorry, miss. Aye, Ricky gave me three hundred in cash.’

‘And you watched the attack take place?’ Rose asked.

The Vulture nodded. ‘The three Willies had baseball bats. They broke his legs. Ricky and Barney smashed his knees and ankles wi’ big steel hammers. Ricky had a foot on his chest tae hold him down, and he had shoved something in his gob, tae keep him quiet. The boy passed oot eventually. They kept on for a while after that, then we all legged it tae Ricky’s motor. It was parked round the corner.’

‘Did anyone say anything after the attack?’

Mulgrew nodded. ‘Aye, in the motor Ricky laughed and said that the boy should get his players’ insurance money after that.’

Rose stared up at him, coldly. ‘You’re not going to renege on what you’ve just told the tape, Evan, are you? Because if you did, we wouldn’t be able to keep you segregated.’

‘No, miss. . sorry, Inspector. Ah’ll swear to that in court, if Ah have to.’

‘Good.’

‘Dae Ah get to Saughton now?’ asked the Vulture.

‘Not yet,’ said Rose. ‘We’ll keep you here under close guard until we have McCartney and the three Willies in custody, and until they’ve been interviewed. After the trial we’ll move you down, once they’re on their way here.’

She nodded to the guards. ‘Take him away.’

As the thick door closed, and they picked up their notes and unplugged the tape recorder, she looked up at Sammy Pye, her laughter bursting out. ‘An attack of the Willies, indeed!’