Dead And Buried

Twenty

Bandit Mackenzie had been expecting a phone call from Ray Wilding, updating him on the investigation. What he had not expected was a heavy knock on his front door. He had no doubt that the caller was a police officer, since a civilian would have rung the bell; from the weight of the thump, it was a man.

Cheryl looked at him. ‘Are you not going to answer it?’ she asked.

‘You get it.’

She tutted, but did as he asked: as she left the room he found himself hoping that it was not Mario McGuire who was standing on his doorstep. Neil McIlhenney, he could handle: he was an amiable big bloke, easy to kid, but the new chief superintendent had a touch of the evil about him. He tried not to let his relief show when his wife ushered McIlhenney into the room.

‘How are you feeling, Bandit?’ the superintendent asked, as he took a seat facing him, hearing the door close as Cheryl headed for the kitchen.

‘A bit better now, thanks. I’ve felt the flu coming on for a couple of days: it just seemed to come to a head this morning.’

‘You do look a bit puffy about the eyes, I have to say. I know the feeling.’

‘Yeah. That was probably why I threw up yesterday.’

‘It happens.’

‘You heard about it? Did that bastard Dorward complain? If he did I’ll have him.’

‘No, he didn’t, so forget it. Arthur’s well out of your reach anyway. There were other people there, including uniforms: that’s probably how the tale got passed on.’

‘As long as it was none of my people. Anyway, after that, the way I felt when I woke up I thought I’d be more use to the investigation advising from a distance than cooped up in the van infecting everyone else.’

‘That’s your call to make. However,’ McIlhenney paused, ‘it’s for me to decide whether the investigation can handle your absence, or whether I need to draft in someone else, or even take over myself. So in the unlikely event of you ever needing another sickie at the start of a major inquiry, I’d be grateful if your first phone call is to me. Fair enough?’

Mackenzie nodded. ‘Point taken: sorry, sir.’

‘Are you taking the piss, Bandit? What’s with the “sir”? I was Neil a week ago and I still am.’

‘That’s good to hear. You can never be sure how a friend’s going to handle promotion: I’ve seen some let it go right to their head. So, have you drafted someone in?’

‘Not yet. Will you be fit tomorrow?’

‘I reckon so.’

‘Then I won’t; Ray Wilding’s handled things fine today in your absence. We’re no nearer a solution, but Ray’s got a plan for taking things forward, and I want you to run with it. He’s a good cop. I’m sure the two of you are going to get along.’

‘I’m sure we are,’ said Mackenzie, in not quite the correct tone.

McIlhenney looked at him. ‘Bandit, are you all right? I don’t mean the flu, I mean are you all right about the job just now?’

‘Why shouldn’t I be?’

‘Could you still be thinking about that thing you and I were involved in? I know you’ve had counselling from O’Malley, same as I have, and I know that he gave you a clean bill of psychological health, but that was a pretty hairy night.’

‘And I didn’t cover myself with glory?’ Instantly, Mackenzie seemed to switch into defensive mode. ‘Is that what you’re suggesting?’

‘No, I’m bloody not. If I had to do that again, I’d be just as happy to have you alongside me. But people died there: that can affect the strongest among us, after the event, when we expect it least.’

‘I’m fine, Neil. I’ve had no aftershocks.’

‘There’s something, though.’

The chief inspector shifted in his chair. ‘Okay, if you insist. Maybe I didn’t like being booted off the Drugs Squad.’

‘What makes you think you were booted off? The boss told you what’s happening. There’s a restructuring in CID: we’re trying to create more jobs by reallocating resources; to put it bluntly we’re trying to swap chiefs for Indians. As part of that, the Drugs Squad will now be run by an inspector, and CID offices will be headed by chief inspectors. There’s no slight on you: part of the reason the DCC’s been able to do this is because you’ve done such a good job on drugs in the city.’

‘Thanks, but it hasn’t been good enough. There are still suppliers out there that I don’t know about.’

‘There are always one or two that we don’t know about,’ McIlhenney pointed out. ‘You sent the Irish teams packing when they tried to get in. There were big Brownie points in that.’

‘Yes, but there was one operation that I was trying to pin down. Now. .’

‘Now Mavis McDougall will handle it. She’s capable, and with your pal Gwen Dell to help her, your excellent work will be carried on.’

‘They’re both good officers, I grant you.’

‘Exactly. Your old unit’s in good hands, and so is your new one, CID in Leith. Get yourself settled in there. Get to know the patch, and your team. You’re a man light at the moment, but that’ll be rectified. I’m thinking about shifting DC Tarvil Singh from Torphichen to your office, as soon as George Regan gets back from compassionate leave. He’s a bright young lad, plus he’s as big as a house. Even today that can come in handy in Leith.’