Dead And Buried

Sixty-three

‘How did your big meeting go today?’ Bob asked. ‘What’s the view on super-casinos?’

Aileen smiled ruefully. ‘My opposite numbers in the Westminster parliament,’ she replied, ‘still have their fingers crossed that the questionable positives will outweigh the undoubted negatives. Personally, I wouldn’t have had any in Scotland, but gambling isn’t a devolved power, so the decision wasn’t entirely in our hands. What’s the police view?’

‘We don’t really have one. We are but poor public servants put on earth to perform the tasks wished upon us by our political masters or, in your case, mistresses. If you tell us you’re going to set up bloody great gaming halls and we’ll have to police them, that’s what we’ll do.’

‘Bollocks,’ she said cheerfully. ‘The police have a view on everything.’

He shrugged his shoulders. ‘In this case it will have to be a moral one, founded on whether or not we agree with gambling in principle. Casinos are not a policing problem, and it’s most unlikely that they ever will be. My personal view is that I regard gambling as an entertainment; like everything else, how much a person spends on it should relate to what they can afford.’

‘There are gambling addicts, remember.’

‘And alcoholics and junkies and foodies and inconsiderate bastards in sports cars who can’t help turning up their stereo systems to full volume, then driving through my home village at night with the top down. Addiction is a fact of life: self-control is impossible for some people until it’s imposed upon them by poverty or death. Yes, some people bet more than they or their families can afford, but for the majority, gambling on a horse race or on who scores first in a football match is a reasonable investment, because they understand it and accept the odds. So why penalise them by banning it? You won’t stop it, you’ll only drive it underground, and then it will become my problem. The core task of the police service is ensuring peace and order in society: let us concentrate on preventing crime against property and the person and let everything else, wherever possible, be a matter of self-discipline, with economic rather than criminal consequences for failure.’

Aileen de Marco picked up her coffee cup. ‘That, my darling, is as fine a mix of cynicism and practicality as I’ve heard in a while. I will make a politician of you yet, for all your protests.’

He took her free hand in both of his and looked into her eyes. ‘There’s something you should know about me, something I only admit to people I love.’ He paused, enjoying her sudden uncertainty. ‘I am a politician.’

She laughed. ‘I thought you were going to tell me something serious. I know: you’ve got an honours degree in politics. . more than I have if it comes to it. . but I’m talking about practical application.’

‘So am I. What’s a politician’s job? To work for the benefit of the people, in a variety of ways; legislation is only a small part of it, as you’re well aware. What do you do with the rest of your time? You get things done, for your constituents and others. How? By considering, discovering, persuading, but only occasionally by instructing. What are your basic skills? I’d say they lie in knowing which buttons to push, knowing where the expertise lies in relation to each problem you face, and knowing who the decision-maker is in each situation. I’ve been doing that all my career; before I ever went to university and took the degree you mentioned. . which also includes philosophy, in case you’ve forgotten. . I learned it from my father, and I never even knew he was teaching me. I’m bloody good at it, much better than people give me credit for. They think I open doors by kicking them in.’ He shot her a quick smile that seemed to wipe all the tiredness from his face. ‘I suppose I do, from time to time,’ he chuckled, ‘but only as a very last resort.’

‘We are going to be some combination,’ she murmured. ‘Scotland doesn’t know what it’s in for.’

‘I’m thinking outside Scotland at the moment. And just to show you how good a politician I am, I’m going to ask you to open that door for me, the one I mentioned last night, not because of our relationship. . I’ll never do that, I promise. . but because I reckon you owe me one.’

‘I owe you more than one. What do you need?’

‘I’m in a position with my investigation where I need some questions answered and maybe some orders given. There’s only one person who can do all that, and I need to get to see him, in total secrecy. You’re my key.’

‘If I can I will. Who’s behind this door?’

‘The Prime Minister.’