Head Shot

13

Although it hurt her to be thought of as forbidding, nevertheless only one person ever came through her office door without knocking, and then only under special circumstances. So, when it swung open, she looked up, automatical y expecting to see Bob Skinner on the warpath.

Just as she remembered that he was en route for America, a man in a grey double-breasted suit swept into the room. He was squat, and ruddy faced, with greying crinkly hair, which swept back in a 'v' from his high forehead. She frowned at him, and the short fuse to an explosion started burning inside her, until she saw his smile and realised that there was something familiar about him.

'Hello there, Superintendent,' he boomed, in an unmistakable Glaswegian accent. 'Aye, you've come up in the world since the last time I saw you. Mind? A few years back when we were chasing thon bloke that was chopping people up all over Edinburgh.'

Of course, she remembered. They had never been introduced, but she had seen him with Skinner, after they had cornered their suspect in his suburban vil a. Wil ie Haggerty, the rough-edged detective from Strathclyde; the new ACC whose appointment had surprised everyone when Andy Martin had announced it at his weekly meeting of divisional CID heads, the same gathering at which he had confirmed the open secret of his own impending departure for Tayside.

'Good morning, sir,' she said, formally, rising from her chair.

'Sorry if I disturbed you,' Haggerty continued, beaming. 'They said you were on your own, and I like to make an entrance. Stupid of me, really; just to march into a female officer's room like that. Christ, you could have been adjusting your dress or anything.'

Although she was careful to keep her face straight, she smiled inwardly. There was something unreconstructed about the man, an innate charm that overrode the most outrageous comments and behaviour. More than anyone, he reminded her of her husband. 'Or touching up my makeup?' she suggested. 'That sort of girlie stuff?'

She could have sworn that his face turned a slightly deeper shade of 48 red. 'That's me sorted, eh,' he chuckled. 'Oh, by the way, don't be

"sirring" me, when there's no troops around. The name's Willie.'

'And mine's Maggie, in the same circumstances.' She allowed her smile to break loose, as she settled back into her chair. 'So, Willie, why the surprise visit?'

'Just getting to know everyone,' he answered, taking the seat opposite her. 'The senior officers' dining room's all very well, but by and large it's only the headquarters brass that goes there. And that's no' where a police force is really run.'

Rose understood at once why Bob Skinner had such a liking for the man. 'Your predecessor held a similar view,' she commented.

'So how come he pissed everyone off so fast?'

'Who says he did? Mr Chase was promoted.'

'Promoted my…' Haggerty snorted. 'It's al right, Maggie; when he was moved into the inspectorate after only a few months, every copper in Scotland got the message. So, between us, what was his problem?'

She hesitated. 'I'm not privy to what goes on in the command corridor,' she began, cautiously, considering her words. 'But I do know there was resentment in the divisions over the way he went about things. He didn't just drop in for a chat in civvies, he turned up in ful uniform and staged snap inspections. Okay, an ACC Operations has the right to do that, but when he started using Inspector Good, his exec, in his place, that annoyed quite a few people.'

'Ahh,' Haggerty murmured. 'That explains it.' He glanced at Rose.

'I've been told I can have an exec,' he said, 'but the Chief was very careful to specify sergeant rank. Tell me… you've done that job for Bob, I know… d'you think I should appoint someone?'

'Depends how you work,' she answered. 'If you have a personal assistant, you have to keep him, or her, occupied. Ted Chase appointed Jack Good as a sort of status symbol, because Mr Skinner has Neil, but very soon he had to invent things for him to do, and that's where a lot of the trouble started.'

'Mmm. That's what I was thinking. Maybe I should hold fire for a while.'

'Maybe you should.' She looked him in the eye. 'So, Willie, is that the real reason why you dropped in on me? Just to ask me that? I mean, you could have spoken to Neil, right there in your office. He'd have given you the same answer. Nah, there's more to it than that.'

He gave her an innocent look. 'Like I said to you when I came in; I'm just getting to know the divisional offices and the people in them.'

'Sure you are. But why me? I'm CID. You're ACC Operations; you're not in my chain of command. I report to the Head of CID and through him to the DCC.'

'Maybe I just heard so much about the great Maggie Rose I wanted to meet you for myself

'Flattery and bullshit smell exactly the same. I don't fall for either.'

Haggerty laughed out loud. 'Big Bob wisnae kidding about you, right enough. You don't mess about. I did want to meet you though, that much was true. I wanted to size you up, get to know you, like.'

'Why?'

'Because I'm on the lookout for a potential divisional commander.

No names, no blame and al that, but there's one that's past his sell-by date, and I've decided that I'm going to paint him a rosy picture of life after the polls. You interested in filling his slot?'

Maggie shook her head. 'I want the Head of CID job when Clan Pringle retires.'

'Even if it means kicking your husband into touch? You and he are on the same rung. In CID, there's only one move up. Are you saying to me you'd tramp on his fingers if you had to?'

Her eyes dropped from his and she shook her head. 'No, of course not.'

'It might come to that, though, if you set your heart on that job.

Anyhow, that's only a chief super post too, and it's a while off. And also, what's so great about it? Do you no' fancy my job?'

'ACC?'

'Why not? These are volatile days, Maggie; unpredictable too. It might come up sooner than Pringle's.'

She looked back up at him. 'The truth is, I've never seen myself as a contender for chief officer rank. I've come through CID fast, but that's because I'm good at it. I'm under no il usions that I'm cut out for anything else.'

'Well, hen, other people seem to be. But the thing is, if you decide yourself you want to get there, it would be in your best interests to broaden your experience.'

'You've been sent to tel me this, haven't you.' It was a statement, not a question.

He shot her such a look of mock offence that for a second or two she took him seriously. 'Nobody sends Willie Haggerty,' he exclaimed.

'Oh sorry. Let me put it another way; someone's suggested it to you.'