Lethal Intent

Twenty-two

Stevie Steele was poring through the papers on his desk when he heard his door open. He glanced up, expecting to see the massive, shirt-sleeved figure of Tarvil Singh filling the frame, but instead he saw a much smaller, slighter form, in uniform.

'Not interrupting, am I?' Maggie Rose asked, as she closed the door behind her.

'No.' He grinned. 'But you're a chief superintendent: you can interrupt me any time you like.'

'Does that never get to you, me outranking you?'

'It will,' he replied, cheerfully, 'when you start wearing your uniform in bed, but until then, no, not a bit. Would it get to you if I was the chief super and you were the DI?'

'No.'

'Well, stop getting sexist on me. What can I do for you, ma'am?'

'I was wondering how the response to George's appeal had gone, that's all.'

The smile left Steele's face. 'Poor,' he told her. 'Piss-poor, in fact. We'd one extremely nasty call saying that he was a copper so who cares, and a few from well-meaning people who couldn't tell us any more than we know already. Otherwise there's been nothing. And since it's in the nature of these things that all the response comes in the immediate aftermath of the telly appearance, I think we have arrived, very quickly, at the dead end we feared.'

'So what are you going to do?'

'First off, recommend to the Fiscal that he release the body for burial; second we're going to submit our report and let him decide whether he wants a formal fatal-accident inquiry.'

'Which he won't.'

Stevie shrugged his shoulders. 'I doubt it very much.'

'Why don't I think you're entirely happy with that?'

He smiled at her once more. 'You know me that well already? Maybe it's just that I knew the boy and know his parents, but my nose is twitching, that's all.'

'You know, you sounded just like Bob Skinner when you said that.'

'I'll take that as a compliment. Speaking of the DCC,' he asked cautiously, 'is he back from his break?'

'Yesterday. Jack McGurk called me this morning, looking for George Regan's home address; he said that his boss wanted to visit him and Jen.'

'And did he come back alone?'

'I'd hardly ask Jack that, would I?' she said. 'However, an observant if not too discreet sergeant under my command did let it slip that he saw him being dropped off near Fettes yesterday by a lady who did not look at all like Sarah.'

'Bloody hell!'

'Just what I said to Sergeant Evesham. That's a piece of information he'll be keeping to himself from now on, as, my darling, shall we.'

'Too right: I don't want to get anywhere near that situation. I've been too close already.'

Maggie grinned at him, eyes flashing with mischief. 'Come on, the boss's wife had a crush on you. Most guys would be secretly flattered by that… especially if she looked like Sarah Skinner.'

'If she wasn't that particular boss's wife, maybe, once upon a time, I would have been. But that was then, and this is now.'

'So what's different?'

'Stop fishing for them.' He chuckled. 'You're the difference and you know it.'

'Sure, but I love to hear you say it.' She paused. 'Will you be free for lunch?'

'God and Mary Chambers willing. Canteen?'

'Hell, no. Pub snack at Ryrie's: there's some stuff I want to tell you away from the office.'

'Can't it wait till we get home tonight?'

'Yes, but I don't see why it should. See you at one.'