Death's Door

Forty-six

Mario McGuire was beginning to feel more human, although he still looked with a degree of suspicion at the coffee that, eventually, he had allowed Pye to bring him. He was looking through reports on outstanding investigations from the divisional CID commanders when there was a quiet knock on his door and Brian Mackie stepped into the room.

‘Have you heard anything from Stevie Steele this morning?’ the ACC asked.

‘No,’ the head of CID replied bluntly, ‘and I don’t expect to until he’s found this man Padstow.’

‘Has Dottie Shannon spoken to you?’

‘No, but she wouldn’t: she reports direct to the DCC, remember. In his absence she’d go straight to you.’

‘Okay,’ said Mackie. ‘I was just wondering, that’s all.’

McGuire leaned back in his chair. ‘Come on, Brian, out with it.’

‘I’ve just been in to see the chief. He’s just had a call from Amanda Dennis, the acting director general of MI5, telling him that her duty officer had occasion to phone Shannon late last night to complain about one of our people, not in Special Branch, making enquiries about an e-mail address and a mobile number that are on a sensitive list.’

‘Do we know what she did about it?’

‘Not from her, but Mrs Dennis told Jimmy that she called back shortly afterwards to say that it had been taken care of.’

‘I can see why you’re asking about Steele. His investigation is the only thing we’ve got live at the moment that would trigger that sort of incident. So why did Dennis call the chief?’

‘I think she just wanted to make sure that it had been put to bed, because of the individual involved, the person whose identity MI5 were protecting. She told the chief, and this mustn’t leave this room, that it was Bob Skinner.’

‘Fuckin’ hell!’ the head of CID exploded. ‘It must have been Montell doing the digging,’ he continued. ‘Stevie told me that he was going through Zrinka Boras’s computer records to see if they threw up any recent contacts. I’d guess he was checking her incoming e-mails, and found one from him.’

‘What are we going to do about it?’

The chief superintendent chuckled. ‘Hey, Brian, you’re the man from the Command Corridor. You tell me.’

Mackie ran his hand over his bald dome in a trademark gesture. ‘No, I’m not going to do that. I’m not going to order you to do anything. This is a major investigation, and if you think this information will have any bearing on it, you’re at liberty to advise Steele, and have him show you the content of the e-mail. If the pair of you feel it necessary, you’re authorised to visit Bob, to tell him about it.’

‘You mean interview him, as in eliminate him from our enquiries? Thanks, pal, for dropping this one in my lap.’

‘What’s your thinking?’

McGuire gazed at him, hard. ‘My thinking, Brian, sir, is that I can spot the buck being passed a mile off, especially when it’s aimed at me. Well, I’m not catching it. I’m saying fuck-all to Steele, and I’m going to pretend that you haven’t been here. Can you imagine, for one second, what would happen if we did what you’re hinting at? No, if we even discussed it, and one hint of that conversation found its way to the media?’

‘Yes, but. .’

‘Brian, do some joined-up thinking here. Why do you think that the security service keeps an eye on big Bob’s private e-mail and mobile numbers? I know he’s a heavy and everything else, and that he’s been well involved with them over the years, but it’s more than that. You and I both know that he’s not just the DCC any more, he’s the partner of Aileen de Marco, this country’s First Minister.’