Thursday legends

42

'Karen, this is for you,' Jack McGurk shouted across the CID room at Torphichen Place. She frowned; who knew she was there? She picked up the call on another extension. 'Neville.'

'Karen. Good, you're still there.' The voice of Sammy Pye.

'Just. I've been stood down: I'm just tidying my desk, then I'll be on my way back to you, my dear. We seem to have put a name to the man at the centre of this investigation.'

'Yes, I know.'

'Who is it then? No-one's saying around here.'

'Can't tell you; not over the phone. Neil Mcllhenney passed on an order from the Big Boss that if there's another leak to the press on this one before he's ready to make an announcement, then the leaker will be out of a job.'

The Sergeant whistled. 'Heavy stuff. So what did you want me for?'

'I was wondering if you knew where our boss is; the DCS. He hasn't turned up so far this morning; he hasn't called in and he isn't answering his home phone or his mobile.'

'Why ask me?' she said, coldly.

'Come on, Karen. Don't be naive; if Mr Martin's missing you're one of the first people anyone would talk to.'

'Well, I don't know, okay? All that's over with.' She was angry now, but hurting as well; on top of all that she felt a twinge of fear. 'What about the DCC? Have you asked him?'

'He's out of the office. DI Mcllhenney doesn't know anything; he asked me to have the DCS call Mr Skinner when he got in.'

She thought of the red car in the driveway. 'Ahh, don't worry. He'll be across some new woman or other. Is Ruth McConnell in yet?'

'Of course. There's nothing going on between them. They had a date for tomorrow night, but the DCS called it off.'

'How do you know that?' she asked, surprised.

'I know because I'm going out with her now; she told me what happened.'

'Don't bother taking her to dinner; it would just be an appetiser. Ruth will eat you, Sam. Now, who else have you asked about Andy?'

'SB. And that's what's worrying me. When he left last night, the DCS was doing something related to them. He was going to lift a guy that the Special Branch trawl turned up in connection with the Alec Smith investigation.'

'On his own?'

'Yes. He told me to stay here and finish what I was doing, that he'd have no bother. I called DI McGuire; he was out too, and that new girl in there Alice Cowan, she wouldn't say a thing. It hasn't taken her long to go native. A couple of days ago she was in uniform, now she's a bloody SB zealot.'

Karen thought once more of the red MGF. 'Did he take his own car?'

'No. He walked to Fettes yesterday. He was in a pool Mondeo, and it's missing too.'

Her fear was more than a twinge now; it was chilling her, sending her pulse rate soaring. This is what you do, then. Don't make a fuss, but order every panda car, every patrol car and every biker we have to find that car. Tell operations that it's an order from the Head of CID.

'I'm on my way back now.'