‘That’s very kind of you, Hamish. But I’ve got tae get back to work, okay?’
‘Aye. Message received and understood. But mind, it’s no’ the only message I’m getting right noo. That’s all I’ll say.’ Hamish sidled off the way he came, his tie and the low trim of his sporran attracting much comment.
‘What’s up wae Hamish?’ asked Ella.
‘He’s got a bad feeling.’
‘About what?’
‘He doesnae know.’
‘If that’s the case, why are you looking worried?’
‘He’s got the sight, Ella.’
‘Dae you no’ mean that he is a sight?’
‘I’m serious, woman. That auld man knows stuff. I’m telling you.’
57
In a private dining room, Sir Edward Chapelhouse, Commander Brachen and Annabelle Tansie of the Security Service sat at one end of a long mahogany table, normally used for the captain and his officers. In front of them sat a conference phone, looking more like a small alien spacecraft in the middle of the table.
‘I understand your concern, ACC Brown, I do,’ said Chapelhouse. ‘But my security team here tell me that there is no way that explosives could have made their way onto this vessel. Everything has been checked rigorously – including the maintenance team.’ He looked up at Brachen and Tansie. ‘I’m right in saying this, yes?’
Both nodded. ‘Yes, sir,’ they said almost in unison.
‘So why then did this man make a run for it?’ said Brown, his voice loud through the device on the table.
‘Who knows? I mean, how clever are these dogs of yours? He’s been working here working amidst all sorts of fuel and electronic equipment. And remember there are armed Marines on board – his bag could well have come into contact with one of them, picked up some residue that your bloody animal has sniffed out. Must say, though, it would have been a damned sight easier if you hadn’t let the bugger go.’
‘We’ve stepped up the search, sir.’
‘I should think so.’ Sir Edward took a breath. ‘You must understand, ACC Brown, that on board this ship are some of the most influential people in the business world. They may not be household names, but collectively they have the potential to make this country money – a great deal of it. And we all know how much that’s required. We’ve already had this thing with the press and that bloody drone, now a dog smelling a trace of explosives. I think people are getting carried away. I will not have this operation – or my guests – unsettled in this way. By all means continue the search for this man, but I’m sure there will be a sensible explanation as to how this has came about.’ Sir Edward cocked his head, awaiting a reply from ACC Brown. ‘Are you there, man?’
‘The blasted idiot’s put the phone down on you, Sir Edward,’ said Brachen.
‘Bloody cheek! Typical of the police force these days – above their station to a man, if you ask me. Get them to reconnect him, will you, Commander. And tell the bugger I’m not happy with him!’ He stood. ‘Meanwhile, I need a drink.’ He stormed out of the room, leaving Brachen and Tansie at the long table.
‘What do you think, Annabelle?’
‘I think we need to find out more about this maintenance guy, and quickly.’ She took a phone from her pocket and typed quickly with both thumbs. As she stared at the screen, a puzzled look crossed her face.
‘Something wrong?’ asked Brachen.
‘You know how the call with ACC Brown ended abruptly? Well, now I have no wi-fi.’
Brachen sighed. ‘It’ll be some problem at comms. I’ll get a handle on it. Come with me and we’ll sort it out. I’d like to speak to this ACC Brown without Sir Edward peering over my shoulder.’
‘Good idea.’
The pair left the dining room and headed for the ship’s communication office.
Officers arrived and took charge of Peter Scally. He was pliant now; quiet, not protesting in any way. As he was pulled to his feet by one of the uniformed constables he looked at Symington.
‘Can I speak tae you?’ He looked about. ‘In private, like?’
‘Anything you have to say you can tell the officers here. Had I not had my back to you, I’d have arrested you on the spot when you came in. Where’s your friend?’
‘The big fella, you mean? He’s no friend o’ mine.’
‘You look a bit knocked about, Mr Scally. Was that him?’
‘I canna say.’
‘Why?
‘Because he’ll kill me, that’s why.’ Without warning, the old man broke down. ‘He’s got something planned – for all of yous, I’m sure. He’s got a gun, tae.’
‘Come with me, Mr Scally. Excuse me, Captain Banks.’
‘Of course,’ he replied, a concerned look on his face.
Daley followed her. ‘Ma’am, my son is in the car across the road. I’ll check on him and come back.’
‘No need, Jim. I can handle this. You’re off sick, remember?’
‘I need to have a word with you.’
‘Urgent?’
‘No, just niggling at me. Speak to Scally first, then we can talk, okay?’
‘Sure. I want to have a word with him and get to the bottom of this second drone man. If you hadn’t spotted him we wouldn’t have known anything about him.’
They parted, Daley heading back to his car while Symington ducked into the back of the van along with a constable handcuffed to Peter Scally.
‘Can’t work it out,’ said Petty Officer Hodges. ‘Everything just cut out about ten minutes ago – phone, wi-fi, the lot.’
‘And you have no idea why?’ said Brachen impatiently.
‘No, sir. My men are on it now, but everything seems to be in order – certainly at this end.’
‘So we’ve no way of communicating off the ship?’
‘Radio comms are still working, but that’s all.’
‘Where’s bloody Banks?’
‘Still on shore, sir. Meeting local guests at the pier, I believe.’
‘Keep working on this, Hodges. I want everything up and running again as quickly as possible.’
‘Of course, now our system is jammed anyone can get a signal on their mobiles and so on. They just have to hook up to the local 4G network, sir.’
‘But we’d jammed that for security purposes.’
‘Yes, sir. But that’s gone down with everything else.’
Tansie was looking at her phone. ‘Yes, he’s right. I’ve got some signal from the local mobile network. It’s not good, but it’s there.’
‘What should we do?’
‘I think we should take a RIB across to the pier and get Banks on board. I’m uneasy. At this point I think I should take charge. It’s part of the protocol. Sir Edward will just have to lap it up.’
‘Good, do that. I’m still not convinced about all this, but we’d better make sure.’
‘Systems do go down, sir. And there’s been a lot of electrical work done. Wouldn’t surprise me if one of the civilian technicians has caused this.’
‘You go get Banks, Annabelle. I’ll get some bodies over from the frigate. We’ll have a poke around. What do you think?’
‘Too many things going on, to be honest. But everyone and everything has been so closely vetted. We’ll just keep Sir Edward out of the loop for the time being.’
‘Agreed. I’ll keep in touch by radio, Annabelle.’
She nodded her head and hurried off.
‘Hodges, get me the frigate on the radio.’
Daley wandered back across the road towards his car. There were now no more than twenty guests standing patiently on the pontoons waiting to be taken to the Great Britain.
‘Your lad’s fine,’ called the steward with the clipboard. ‘I’ve been checking on him.’
‘Much obliged,’ said Daley. ‘Everything going smoothly?’
‘Yeah, just fine. Be perfect if I could find Captain Banks, mind you.’
‘He’s across in the hotel. There’s been a bit of a rumpus, I’m afraid.’
‘No, you’re okay there,’ said Daley, getting into his car.
‘I’ll go and get him. The last launch is about to arrive.’
Daley smiled at him, then closed the door. ‘You okay, son?’
‘Why did the police van come, Daddy?’
‘Oh, just some silly man. Nothing for you to worry about.’
‘You said we’d go for ice cream.’
‘Yes, and that’s exactly what we’re going to do.’
He started the engine and pulled out, heading towards the roundabout. He noticed a group of boys on bikes shouting over the railings on the promenade. As he drove towards them, he could see how animated they were.
James junior chuckled in the back seat. ‘Ha, we’re going round again!’ he shouted, and clapped as Daley swung the car in a full circle round the roundabout.
‘Yeah, it’s fun, James. Daddy just wants to have a look at something, son. Hold on.’
He parked just beyond where the boys were leaning over the railings and got back out of the car.
58
The ballroom was filling up. Excited locals waved at their fellow townsfolk as they were shown into to the opulent space, heads craning here and there, taking in the room and those in it. Many were gazing up at the glittering chandelier.
Annie observed them with a critical eye as they arrived. ‘Well, I didna think Jessie Duncan would be getting an invitation tae something like this.’
‘She’s got an OBE,’ said Hamish.
‘Aye, for cleaning up beaches. It’s hardly climbing Everest, is it?’
‘Does a right fine job, oot in all weather, so she is. That beach at Firdale is immaculate, and so is the one at Machrie.’
‘She doesna dae it by herself, Hamish. There’s a whole squad o’ folk helping her.’
‘Aye, but she was the woman who started it all.’
‘And what about that carry-on wae Jimmy Kirkhope?’
‘Thon was jeest a misunderstanding.’
‘Aye,’ said Annie. ‘And I’m a polar bear. I saw one o’ they photographs and there was no misunderstanding whoot I saw, and that’s for sure.’
‘They can dae a’ sorts wae pictures noo. That great-niece o’ mine shows me photos on her phone thing. Her wae rabbit ears and big teeth, the lot. Och, a photo canna be trusted these days, at a’.’
‘Trust me, there were nae big teeth nor ears in these pictures, Hamish.’
‘Och, you’re getting right cynical, Annie. Leave the woman tae enjoy her night.’
‘And you’re still in the glums, I see.’
‘Wae good reason, tae. I canna shake this terrible mood – it’s jeest fair overpowering, so it is.’
‘You should have stayed home and gied your tie a rest.’
Hamish took another drink of his whisky, desperately hoping that it would make him feel less perturbed.
Unseen by Hamish, Annie, or anyone else aboard the Great Britain, the numbers on five devices placed around the ship started to blink, and the message armed flashed across their screens.
Magnus Banks had discovered Patrick O’Rourke in a dark corner of the bar. He attempted to make conversation with him, but soon realised that the man was the worse for drink.
‘I’d better leave you to your night, Mr O’Rourke. Sometimes it’s good to be alone with your thoughts. I know the feeling well. The last launch will be leaving now, but just let us know when you want to come back and I’ll get someone to come over and fetch you. Not a problem.’
‘I’ve tried to phone my wife twice – nothing. The line just breaks up.’
Banks considered this.
‘Why not send a text? Must be something up with our communications.’ He smiled. ‘I’m sure they’ll have it fixed quickly. I can give your wife a message, if you like?’
‘I’ll be back soon enough. Just working through some old memories.’
‘Yes,’ said Banks. ‘We all have a surfeit of those.’
‘You ain’t kidding, Captain.’
Banks wished him a good evening, gave the barmaid a large tip, and walked out into the fading evening sunlight. He looked across at the Great Britain out on the loch. Lights had appeared all over the ship, giving her a festive air. He smiled at her sleek lines and the way the huge craft dominated its surroundings. There was little doubt that she was the smartest vessel he’d ever had the pleasure to command. This made him happy, but the happiness was tinged with great sadness.
Movement on the promenade caught his attention. Suddenly he heard the screams of children and saw the tall figure of Daley standing stock-still, his hands in the air.
As if from nowhere, a figure emerged from the loch onto the promenade. The man was tall and thin, and he was pointing a weapon straight at the big police officer.
‘Tell me what happened, Mr Scally. I don’t have any more time for this nonsense!’
‘I canna. The man is a maniac. He’ll find me and he’ll kill me!’ Scally began to sob convulsively.
‘You’re drunk, Peter. You need to tell me what he wanted you to do.’
‘Jeest like I says. He wanted me tae go tae the hotel and make a fuss, that’s all – a diversion, he called it.’
‘So, you just did this without question? Why did he want a diversion?’
‘We’ve seen quite a lot of you over the last few days, Mr Scally,’ said DS Potts at Symington’s side. ‘Too much, I think.’
‘Listen, I’ve been through a lot today. That big bastard assaulted me, made me carry on that way at the hotel. It’s him you should be after, no’ me!’ He broke down in tears again. ‘I don’t know why he wanted tae make a diversion. If you think me and him are in this together, you can think again. Anyway, I’ve the right to have a solicitor present. I want a doctor, tae.’
Before Symington could reply, the door swung open.
‘Ma’am, come with me, please. It’s urgent!’ said Sergeant Shaw.
Symington hurried out of the room, leaving Potts with Scally. ‘What’s so urgent, Sergeant?’
‘We have a situation on the promenade ma’am. A man with a gun. A tall black man – I think he’s the one we’ve been looking for. Our second drone man.’
Symington swallowed hard. ‘Draw weapons, Sergeant Shaw. Get a team organised – now! I’ll get onto HQ.’
‘Yes, ma’am.’ He hesitated. ‘There’s something else.’
‘What?’
‘He has DCI Daley, ma’am.’
Daley stared at the tall black man in the red cap. ‘I’m Detective Chief Inspector Daley,’ he said, mouth dry. ‘Whatever you’re trying to do, you won’t succeed – you’ll end up dead. The security surrounding the Great Britain is tight, and they won’t mess about, trust me.’
‘So tight I’m standing here pointing a gun at you,’ said Cabdi.
Daley was surprised by the man’s perfect English; for some reason, it wasn’t what he’d expected. ‘You’ve been lucky so far, but your luck is about to run out.’
‘You think?’
‘You’re stuck in a small town with police, Royal Marines and Security Service personnel everywhere. What do you think you can achieve?’
‘You assume that you know why I’m here.’ Cabdi edged closer to Daley, the pistol held out in front of him in both hands. ‘Who is left in the hotel?’
‘I don’t know what you mean.’
‘It’s not a difficult question. You tell me you’re a police officer – surely you can answer it?’
Daley shrugged. A few feet away in the car, he could hear James wailing. ‘Give this up, sir. I’ve told you, you don’t stand a chance.’ Movement over the gunman’s shoulder caught Daley’s eye, and for a split second he looked in the direction of the pontoons.
Noticing this, Cabdi backed off slightly, arm out and upright palm facing towards Daley as though urging him to stay still. He looked over his shoulder and spotted figures moving across the street from the hotel
. ‘You haven’t told me the truth, Mr Policeman. I think you’ve known all along who was in there.’ He raised the gun to eye level.
59
Brian Scott was surprised to feel the phone vibrate in his pocket. He knew that Symington was the only person who could contact him through the ship’s signal screen. He answered the call with a finger in one ear to block out the noise of the quintet and the rabble of voices around him.
‘Brian, I need you to find Commander Brachen. Tell him we’ve a problem onshore and we need his assistance.’
‘What kind of problem?’
‘One serious enough for you to identify yourself as a police officer. Just tell Brachen we have an armed situation and we need backup. I have to go, Brian.’
Scott was about to ask another question when the line went dead.
‘What’s up wae you?’ asked Ella.
‘You stay where you are. I’ve got tae find this Commander Brachen.’
‘Just typical. How many nights oot have I had wae you that have been spoiled by the polis?’
‘That’s ’cos I am one. Go over and have a word wae Annie and Hamish while I’m away. I shouldnae be long.’
‘Great, a date wae Fran and Anna. You know how tae treat a woman, Brian.’ She watched her husband hurry off. Hamish caught her eye across the ballroom floor. The old man put his head in his hands and Ella saw Annie move to comfort him. She decided to take her husband’s advice and make her way round to their table.
‘Whoot’s the matter, Hamish?’
‘I’m feeing terrible, Annie – jeest terrible.’
‘I’m going tae get some medical help. They’ll likely have the best doctors in the country on here.’
‘Jeest let me be for a whiles, that’s a’ I’m asking.’
‘But you’ve been awful all night!’
‘I know. Och, I’m jeest fair buggered in my heid.’
‘Well, we’ve known that for a while, but I’ve never seen you like this.’
‘Nothing’s right, I’m telling you, nothing’s right at all.’
Ella arrived at their table. ‘What’s up with you, Hamish? I saw you across the floor. Is it a headache?’
‘He’s jeest no’ himself, Ella. Been moaning the whole night that something’s wrong. I don’t know what to dae with him.’
A Breath on Dying Embers Page 31