Aftershock

Eighty-five

‘Do you think we’ll be in trouble with the Northumbria force for this,’ asked Mario McGuire, seated opposite Skinner in a restaurant in the place des Armes, ‘since Stevie died on their patch? Not that I give a damn if we are, you understand.’

‘Only,’ the DCC replied, ‘if Les Cairns and his chief want to get involved in a public row that’ll very quickly focus on their failure to achieve in three months what our Maggie did in three days, armed with no more than a phone and a computer. But if they do kick up a fuss, I reckon we’re on pretty solid ground. He was one of our officers, killed in the line of duty. As far as I’m concerned, that gives me the right to investigate his death, regardless of where it happened, and to pursue suspects as far as we have to. I ran that thinking past Gregor before we left and he agrees with me.’

‘Did you tell him where we were going?’

‘No, the fewer people who know that the better. If word got to that bastard Dowley, you never know what he’d do, especially after what Aileen told me when I spoke to her five minutes ago. Someone’s nicked a drug haul from the evidence store in Dundee. He was going to have a ball with it, until she told the Lord Advocate to stop him.’

‘Revenge on Andy?’

‘What else? Aileen was talking about firing him, but I persuaded her to back off. Instead the Lord Advocate’s going to give him a lecture about pissing in the right direction from now on. If that doesn’t work, he’ll wind up on the bench in Stranraer Sheriff Court.’

He stopped as a waiter approached to take their orders. Skinner had just chosen a focaccio when his mobile sounded. They were seated in an archway, in the shadow of Monaco’s great rock, and so he walked away from the table to take the call, in search of a stronger signal.

‘Boss?’ McIlhenney’s voice was staccato, but understandable. ‘You need to hear this. I’ve just had a call from Mags.’ He relayed the story of Maurice Goode’s approach, and of the way in which it had been dismissed. ‘What’s all that about?’ the superintendent asked.

‘How many enemies have I got, Neil? Tell Andy about it, and make sure that anybody else who asks that question gets the same response. You’d better brief Alex too, just in case somebody’s silly enough to run it tomorrow. If that happens, I will want her involved. Apart from that, fuck it. Thanks for letting me know.’

He replaced his phone in his trouser pocket and rejoined McGuire. ‘Routine,’ he announced, picking up his beer.

‘So we’re all set for tomorrow,’ said the head of CID. ‘Do you think he’ll show?’

‘Let’s hope so,’ Skinner replied. ‘It’s a gamble, us coming here, but it’s one we had to take.’

‘On emotional grounds?’

‘Operational. Let’s keep emotions out of this. All the same,’ he admitted, ‘I wish I was more certain. There’s something about the whole equation that doesn’t sit quite right, just a small piece that’s out of place. I wish to hell I could spot it.’