14 - Stay of Execution bs-14

by Quintin Jardine

  ‘Me neither,’ Skinner admitted, ‘especially with so much power in the hands of the mayor. I tell you this: if Jimmy and I had to report directly to the Lord Provost of Edinburgh, I’d be off. The joint board can be bad enough.’

  He paused at the sound of a knock at the door. ‘Come in,’ he called out, and Maisie, the dining-room waitress, appeared with coffee and biscuits on a tray. ‘Thanks,’ he said, as she laid them on the table. ‘I’ll sign for them at lunch-time. Our visitor,’ Skinner continued, ‘what sort of guy is he?’

  ‘Let me put it this way,’ McGuire replied. ‘If there was an ACC post going, I’d suggest you offered it to him. Colin Mawhinney’s a potential police chief. I only spent a few days with him and I could see that. I learned a lot in New York, but to be honest, I can’t think of a bloody thing we can teach him.’

  ‘Neither can I. That’s why I’m going to show him how Greater Edinburgh works while he’s here, rather than stick him in a patrol car and send him round Muirhouse. Jack’s put together a programme for him that’ll give him a flavour of how our city works. He’ll meet the senior officers tomorrow, and I’ll give him a presentation on the type of work we do.’

  ‘You’ll do that yourself?’

  ‘It’s either me or Haggerty; he’d need an interpreter for some of Willie’s Glaswegian, so it’s down to me. After that Brian Mackie will talk him through the planning for next week’s papal visit; when that takes place I’m going to slot him in beside Mackie as a close observer. He might even get to meet the Pope.’

  ‘He’ll love that,’ McGuire exclaimed. ‘He’s a Catholic. He was going to take Paula and me to mass at St Patrick’s on Sunday, but she bottled out.’

  Skinner raised an eyebrow. ‘I’m not surprised. The roof might have fallen in on you.’

  ‘That’s what I thought too, between you and me.’

  ‘Aye, best be on the safe side. That apart,’ the DCC continued, ‘the rest of his visit’s going to be spent meeting people.’

  ‘Movers and shakers, and the like?’

  ‘That’s them, and that’s how he’ll spend the early part of next week. He meets the Justice Minister on Monday morning, then in the afternoon he’s got a session with the Chamber of Commerce. Neil will pick him up and take him to those meetings. In the evening, the chief’s having a reception for him here, with a guest list that’s made up of professionals . . . accountants, lawyers, bankers and the like. Tuesday and Wednesday, ACC Haggerty will tour him round the various divisional commanders, showing him the scenic variety of our patch, in contrast to his. Before that, of course, there’s the weekend; that’ll be informal, but since he’s a single guy I’m not just going to leave him on his own. I’m going to invite him to dine with Sarah and me at the golf club on Saturday evening, but unless you’ve had enough of each other, I was going to ask you to take care of him for the rest of that free time. I’ve got you tickets for Tynecastle . . . Hearts are playing Aberdeen . . . on Saturday afternoon, and for the rugby international on Sunday. Of course I’d like you and Paula to join us for dinner at the club.’

  McGuire was taken aback. ‘Do you mean that, boss? Paula as well?’

  ‘Of course I fucking mean it. She’s your regular partner, isn’t she?’

  ‘Yes.’

  ‘Well, enough said.’

  McGuire was touched by Skinner’s rough and ready blessing on his new relationship. He was about to say so, when the DCC moved on. ‘Since we’ve started talking about you, that brings me to the real reason I wanted to see you today. Tell me, do you love the Borders? Has your territory carved out an indelible place in your heart?’

  ‘Are you taking the piss, sir?’

  ‘That’s what I thought you’d say. You’ve done a good job down there, Mario, carrying on what Dan Pringle started in bringing that division into this century, after all those years under dear old John McGrigor. But you’re a city copper; I know that. So to cut to the chase, there’s some stuff happening at a senior level, movement.’

  ‘Dan Pringle?’

  Skinner smiled and shook his head. ‘I know there’s been speculation about him retiring, but it’s not that. He’s going to soldier on till sixty. No, it’s Manny English, the uniformed commander of western division, who’s taking early retirement. And that’s led to some healthy debate between Willie Haggerty and me. He’s been looking round for a while for Manny’s successor. He’s identified half a dozen candidates, but I’ve pulled rank and made the final choice . . .’ He saw the superintendent’s sudden frown. ‘. . . and it’s not you, so you can get that worried look off your face. You’d be no more comfortable in a uniform than I am.’

  He shook his head. ‘No, the new commander in Torphichen Place will be Chief Superintendent . . . Margaret Rose.’

  McGuire smiled, then suddenly his frown returned, deeper still. ‘You’re not . . .’

  Skinner laughed out loud. ‘Of course I’m bloody not! I couldn’t possibly move you into her job. I don’t care how amicable your separation is, I’m not going to test it. No, I’m transferring you to command CID in the coastal division, based in Leith. Your territory will stretch from South Queensferry all the way to Portobello. You fancy it?’

  Mario could not hide his delight. ‘Too right I do, boss. I’ll even be able to walk to work.’

  ‘Only if you keep the streets safe,’ Skinner grunted.

  ‘Can I take Sammy with me?’

  ‘DS Pye? I reckon so. It’ll do you no harm to have someone familiar around, and besides, my secretary, his wife, would kill me if I left him down there.’

  ‘What about Greg Jay? Is he going to Western Division?’

  ‘No, Greg needs a bigger shift that that. He’s going to East and Midlothian, Alastair Grant’s moving from there to Borders and Mary Chambers is moving from the Drugs Squad into Maggie’s job, on promotion.’

  ‘Two women commanders in the same station? That’ll be a f irst.’

  ‘Sure, and it’ll be a good example to set.’

  ‘As long as it works.’

  ‘It will, don’t you worry. They get on, and just as important they’re two of the most professional senior officers I have.’ The DCC paused. ‘I won’t kid you, Mario. Willie Haggerty wanted to move Brian Mackie in there, but I overruled him. The reason I gave was that Brian’s too new in his present post, and ideally suited for it as well. I’m right on both counts, but it’s not the whole truth. Strictly between the two of us, I wanted to position Maggie as a candidate to succeed Haggerty when he moves on . . . as he will, to be a chief constable somewhere . . . but also I wanted to avoid the prospect of having you two as rivals for Pringle’s job when he does go. I’m thinking of myself, you see. It’ll make that decision easier. Not that I’m saying you’ll get that job, you understand: Grant’s a strong runner, so is Lowe in Central Division, and Mary Chambers might well force her way into the picture too. I’m watching all of you from now on.’ He hesitated again. ‘That’s always assuming, of course, that you’re still committed to the force and that you’re not going off to run the Viareggio family businesses with Paula.’

  McGuire shook his head. ‘Clearly, sir,’ he said, ‘your daughter does not discuss her business with you. Paula and I are in the process of restructuring the family trust. We’re looking at incorporating: turning it into a limited company with shareholders instead of beneficiaries. That would let me back off. Your Alex is doing all the legal work for us.’

  Pride showed through in Skinner’s grin. ‘You’re right, she is tight-lipped. She’s turned into a real lawyer, God help me. I’m glad to hear you’re doing that, though. It might well make things easier for me in the future.’

  ‘I thought it might. How about McIlhenney?’ McGuire asked him suddenly.

  ‘Neil’s staying in Special Branch. He’s too valuable to me in that job to move, and anyway he’s got a promotion to chief inspector coming up, plus Lou’s pregnancy to occupy his mind.’

  ‘When do the changes take effect?’<
br />
  ‘Manny retires tomorrow. I want you all in post on Monday, hence the need for this meeting.’ He rose to his feet, smiling. ‘With that in mind, Superintendent, I suggest that you bugger off home, and catch up on your sleep.’

  McGuire’s head was spinning as a panda car drove him away from the headquarters building. By moving him and promoting Maggie, Skinner had satisfied the top two items on his professional wish list. More than that, he had painted a picture of a future that, if it was not his for the taking, then at least was there to be won.

  Fifteen minutes later, as he undressed, throwing his clothes into a corner of the bedroom, and slipped under the duvet beside the quietly snoring Paula . . . his note lay undisturbed on the table . . . he thought that he would never find sleep as he pondered the future. Less than two minutes later, he was proved completely wrong.

  23

  Stevie Steele ran his fingers through his hair. ‘Jeez,’ he murmured, ‘this is my day for surprises.’ He was taken aback yet again, when he realised that his voice had been loud enough to carry across the desk.

  ‘Oh, yes? What others have you had?’

  He thought quickly: being kissed by the DCC’s wife was not something he cared to discuss. It had gone no further than that, but at another time . . . Sarah had been right, there could be no more pretending, and he was like any other man in that his libido could overcome his common sense. George Regan would have put it another way, but he would have meant the same thing.

  ‘Whetstone’s dislocated shoulder. The homicide theory being put back on the table. I wasn’t expecting that.’

  ‘Maybe it hasn’t been,’ said Rose. ‘It’s not like Sarah to go headlong after one side of an argument, but . . . Since you called me, I’ve been thinking about it. Just suppose Whetstone had decided to top himself. Let’s say he saw the fog and he decided that it was the perfect opportunity to go away and do himself in, undisturbed. Who knows why people choose the methods they do when they’re in that state of mind? Let’s just say he buys his belt, he nicks a wee ladder from the office and he heads off into the night. He’s chosen his spot and everything. When he gets there, he gets up on the steps, makes the noose and ties the other end of the belt to the branch of the tree. And then he slips. Simple as that; he’s nervous, probably shaking with cold and fear, the ground is frosty and he slips, comes off the step-ladder and lands on his shoulder, dislocating it. Sarah’s right, in that he couldn’t have secured the belt one-handed, but suppose he’d done it before the dislocation happened. He could have climbed back up the steps, albeit in great pain, slipped the noose over his head with his one usable hand then kicked his support out from under him. Yes?’

  ‘Yes, but what about the cut that Sarah found on his wrist?’

  ‘That could have been caused in the same fall, couldn’t it? Right shoulder, right wrist?’

  ‘I’ll grant you all of that,’ the inspector conceded. ‘What does the scene-of-crime report say? Is that consistent with your theory?’

  ‘Dorward’s report doesn’t rule anything out. Even after its trip to the Wee Black Dug and back, there were traces of soil and grass on the shoulder of the coat. There were marks on the ground beneath the body that were consistent with a small step-ladder having been placed there, and weight applied.’

  ‘Footprints?’

  ‘The only ones they could identify were those made by the trainers you took from Moash Glazier when he was lifted. Everything that might have been made the night before was obliterated by the fall and the freezing of the morning dew. In other words there’s no evidence that anyone else was there other than the victim and Glazier. What have we done with that little bugger, by the way?’

  ‘Let him go. We might need him as a witness at some point. It sticks in my throat, but we’ll get him for something else, that’s if Malky Gladsmuir doesn’t do what he was threatening and chuck him in the Water of Leith.’

  ‘Do you believe Gladsmuir’s story about the coat? That he took it as security against a debt?’

  ‘It suits me to believe it. Gladsmuir’s on Mario’s new patch, and by all accounts he’s helpful. We got the coat back, so I’m not going to give him grief.’

  ‘Yes, agreed. I take it we checked Glazier’s whereabouts on Tuesday night, didn’t we? Not that I think he’s smart enough to cover his tracks by coming back to the scene of his own crime in the morning, but the fiscal will want to know.’

  ‘He was in Jenny Ha’s pub, with his Lochview girl-friend. The manager knows them both; she confirmed it. I wish we could find that bloody step-ladder, but he’s hardly going to have made that up. But even without it, “keep an open mind, Stevie” . . . that’s what you’re saying, is it?’

  ‘Exactly. You’ll have a new boss to impress next week. You won’t do it by chasing false trails.’

  ‘What’s she like?’ Steele asked. ‘I’ve never worked with her.’

  ‘Mary Chambers? She’s a first-rate officer and she’ll make a damn good commander. George Regan will have to watch himself, not least because Mary’s gay and he’s an unreconstructed male chauvinist. But you’ll get on well with her, not least because you won’t go out of your way to try to impress her . . . just as you never have with me.’

  ‘I thought I had.’

  ‘Not you, Stevie, and you know it. You just do your job the way you think it should be done, and you’re usually right.’

  ‘Not with Whetstone, though. I don’t know which side of the fence to land on there.’

  ‘Just keep sat on it, then, till it all becomes clear. Maybe our meeting at the Scottish Farmers Bank will give us a better idea.’

  ‘You’re still coming to that?’

  ‘I’m still in post till close of play tomorrow, and I made the appointment personally. I think I should.’

  ‘Suits me.’ He looked at her across her desk. ‘I’m going to miss you, Mags,’ he said.

  ‘Why?’ She chuckled. ‘Won’t you find me attractive in uniform? I’ll be in an office just down the corridor, remember. Or are you going to cut me out of your social life? Is it getting too crowded?’

  There was a quick tension about his eyes, momentary, but it registered with her. ‘There’ll always be room for you,’ he replied.

  ‘Okay. In that case, celebrate my promotion with me. Tomorrow evening will be a wash-out because of Manny’s farewell do . . . it’ll be mine too, I suppose . . . but let’s have dinner on Saturday.’

  ‘Sounds good. Where do you fancy?’

  ‘My place. Just you and me, shoes off, no job talk; I’ll cook, you bring the wine . . . and no rubbish, mind. Deal?’

  ‘Deal.’ He glanced at his watch. ‘What time are we due at the bank?’

  ‘Two thirty. We’d better be off. I’ll drive; I’ve booked a space in their car park.’

  They left the CID commander’s small room, and walked out to her car, beside the back door of the West End police office. The fog had gone completely, chased by a cold east wind, but a persistent drizzle had replaced it. Rose took a circuitous but quick route, using the Western Approach Road to reach the financial centre, where a security guard admitted them to the bank’s car park and directed them to their reserved space.

  They took the lift to the fourth floor of the block and stepped out to find themselves facing a reception desk, in light beech, with a tartan-clad woman sitting behind it. She stood as they approached. ‘Superintendent Rose,’ she began, ‘Security told me you were on your way up. Mr Easterson’s ready for you, if you’ll follow me.’

  She led them out of the reception area, and along a corridor, stopping at a heavy wooden door, beech once more in common with the rest of the office’s furnishing. A brass plate, at eye-level, bore the initials ‘GMCB’. The receptionist knocked and opened it. ‘They’re here, sir,’ she announced, then stepped aside.

  The general manager, Commercial Banking, was on his feet behind his desk as the two officers entered his room. As Rose introduced them both, Steele glanced around. The o
ffice was tasteful, not ostentatious; ideal surroundings for meetings with clients one is out to impress but not intimidate. Its most impressive feature was a big, wide window which offered a view of the Usher Hall across Lothian Road and, behind it, of Edinburgh Castle.

  ‘Welcome,’ said Vernon Easterson, as he shook the superintendent’s hand. ‘I only wish you weren’t here on such grim business.’ He turned to greet Steele also. ‘Take a seat, please, at my meeting table. I’ll let my colleague know that we’re ready to begin.’ He turned to a complicated-looking phone on his desk and pressed one of its many buttons.

  ‘Would you like a refreshment?’ he asked. Rose and Steele both declined. ‘Are you sure?’ he persisted. ‘I can offer you tea or coffee, a soft drink or mineral water, perhaps. This is a dry office, I’m afraid. Unlike yours, I gather.’ He laughed nervously, almost a giggle. ‘My chief executive and I are invited to a cocktail reception by the chief constable. As it happens, neither of us can go, but Aurelia Middlemass, who’s about to join us, will be representing . . .’

  He broke off as his door opened again and a woman entered, perfectly on cue. She was tall, maybe five feet nine, half-way in height between Rose and Steele; her chestnut hair was close cropped and its highlights might just have been natural. Her eyes were her most distinctive feature, brown with a suggestion of a slant, set above high cheekbones. Even in her charcoal grey business suit, she was strikingly attractive, a complete contrast to the short, tubby, balding Easterson. The banker stood as she came in, and Steele followed him to his feet.

  ‘Aurelia,’ the GMCB exclaimed, ‘so glad you could join us. Superintendent, Inspector, may I introduce Aurelia Middlemass, our senior director of Commercial Banking, and at one point the late Mr Whetstone’s line manager. Take a seat, my dear, take a seat.’

  She followed his pointing finger to the chair beside his, directly opposite the two police officers. ‘Good afternoon,’ she said, unsmiling, laying a folder on the table before her. She had carried it in her left hand, on which a large diamond ring sparkled, alongside a gold wedding band. ‘I gather from Vernon that you’re trying to resolve some lingering doubts about Whetstone’s death. Hopefully we can help you.’ Her voice was deep and honeyed and, on first hearing, without any distinctive accent. ‘I’ve read the statements that your press office has issued; they’re guarded, to say the least.’