Lethal Intent

Seventy-nine

Although the sports field was at the back of the building, and out of sight from his room, Skinner knew from the roar that penetrated the thick windows that the helicopter had arrived.

As he stood behind his desk, phone in hand, waiting to be put through to the Chief Constable of Fife, he adjusted the hip holster containing the Glock pistol that he had signed out from the store. A voice sounded in his ear. 'I have Mr Tallent for you now, sir.'

'Thanks.'

'Bob, what's the panic?' The Fife chief sounded slightly annoyed. 'We've got a medal presentation on here, and I've just been hauled out of it. This had better be good, or else.'

Skinner never reacted well to threats, not even from one of the few senior officers he had within the Scottish force. 'Shut up and listen, Clarence,' he barked. 'I'm calling to advise you that two of my officers and I are heading into your territory in hot pursuit of four suspects whom we have reason to believe may be planning something very big in St Andrews.'

'Terrorists?'

'More like mercenaries: Albanian gangsters, heavily armed. We believe they're heading for St Salvator's, which leads us to suspect the worst. Do you have an armed response unit in the area?'

'In St Andrews? Of course not.'

'How long will it take you to put a team together and get them there?'

'I reckon I can do it in an hour,' said the now compliant chief constable.

'We'll be there before them. I have a chopper on the ground outside, with a small military detachment. When we get there, and your people arrive, I want them operating under my command. We know what the opposition looks like; they don't.'

'That's agreed. I'll be with them.'

'Thanks. What strength do you have there at the moment?' asked Skinner.

'I've got a uniformed station, with a chief inspector in charge.'

'Okay, I'd like you to have someone go to the college, alert the protection officers and let them know I'm on the way.'

'I'll do that. What's your plan?'

'I'm going to fly there, secure the subject and send him in the same chopper to a place of safety, then wait for the arrival of the Albanians. They've left this area, so I believe that to be imminent.'

'I'll get my team on the ground as fast as I can. God be with you.'