‘Mags,’ his sigh had a laugh in it, ‘for once in your life, will you please call me Bob?’ He glanced at his watch, awkwardly, since he was holding a glass in his left hand and a plate, laden with sandwiches, in his right. ‘It’s past five o’clock so you’re a civilian, for a while at least. To tell you the truth, I thought about not coming. A lot of people here haven’t seen me for a while, and might want to bend my ear about things. You’re the centre of attraction here and I didn’t want to take away from that.’
‘I’m glad you changed your mind.’
‘Thank my daughter. She told me that I’d an inflated idea of my own importance and that staying at home wasn’t an option. She’d have come with me, by the way, only she’s in Manchester today, on business. Bloody jet-setter; she’s flying higher by the month, that one.’
‘I know. Mario told me how highly Paula rates her, in what she’s doing for the business; he says that Viareggio PLC, as it is now, was very much her creation.’
‘Speaking of Mario, I don’t see him, or your new husband for that matter.’
‘Stevie will be here; he’s on a three-liner. As for my ex, he’s expected, but. . they’re both under a hell of a lot of pressure just now.’
‘I can imagine. I feel a bit guilty about that too, Maggie. I did think about making my presence felt, and giving Stevie and the team my support, but the other lady in my life persuaded me that if DCC Skinner broke off a well-publicised sabbatical to take personal charge of the investigation, it would be seen by our enemies in the media as a vote of no confidence in them. That’s why I’ve stayed out of it.’
‘I guessed as much, and so did they.’ She smiled up at him. ‘Now if you hadn’t turned up today, that would have been a cause for guilt.’
‘You’re looking great, you know,’ he told her. ‘Don’t take this the wrong way, but I’m just gobsmacked by the turn your life has taken.’
‘So am I, Bob; so am I. This time last year, if anyone had told me that. . Jesus!’
Skinner thought he detected an edge in her voice. ‘You’ve no regrets, have you?’
‘Absolutely not. I have never in my life felt more fulfilled. I am totally focused on delivering this child safely into the world, and I can think of nothing beyond that.’
‘Having fathered some in my time, I know the feeling.’
‘Thanks. Actually you’re not looking too bad yourself, considering what you’ve been through.’
‘And thank you,’ he said. ‘I’m fine now. I’m over the divorce and I’m content with the arrangements that Sarah and I have made for the kids, especially now that I’ve seen how it’s working out. They had a great time in Connecticut at Easter and they’re looking forward to the summer holidays already.
‘Sarah’s happy too: she loves being a proper doctor again, rather than a pathologist, working, as she puts it, with people who ain’t dead yet, and trying to keep them that way.’
‘You’ve seen her there?’
‘I flew across with the nanny and the kids, hired a car and drove them up to her place. Then I headed north to Canada.’
‘Now I did know that. Stevie’s cousin’s with the force there, and he told him. It’s a tiny world.’
Skinner chuckled. ‘You can’t do a bloody thing, can you? The fact is, a sabbatical isn’t a holiday, it’s a working break. Since I’ve been away from Fettes, apart from my visit to the RCMP, I’ve spent some time with the Mossos d’Esquadra, the Catalan police force, and I’ve lectured at the FBI Academy in Virginia.
‘There was a purpose to the visits to Toronto and Barcelona. Ontario and Catalunya have what are effectively unitary police forces covering those entire regions. I’ve been studying how they work; my findings will be contained in a paper I’m writing.’
‘A thesis? For a doctorate?’
‘No, that would just be another ego trip. It’s for Aileen; she asked me to do it.’
‘You mean the executive’s looking at setting up a national force for Scotland?’
‘Not officially; at this stage it’s private enterprise on our part. If it floats, she might give it to a policy unit for a view to launching it. Why not? The population of Ontario is twelve million, and Catalunya has eight million. We have five. Mind you, Maggie, this is between you and me. The chief knows what I’m doing, so does Alex, and so does Andy Martin, but that’s it.’
She gazed up at him thoughtfully. ‘I’m more than a bit honoured that you’ve chosen to tell me.’
‘Don’t be; you’re one of the best officers I’ve ever worked with, and you’re a friend. I value your opinions and I’d like to talk my thoughts through with you before I finish my report. Can I do that?’
‘Of course,’ Rose replied. ‘I’ll have plenty of time on my hands over the next few weeks.’
‘You sure will,’ said Stevie, approaching from behind just in time to hear her last few words. He kissed her on the cheek. ‘Sorry I’m late, love, but things have been moving fast. You’re going to have to see Ray’s cousin on your own tomorrow, I’m afraid. Ray and I are off to London to interview Keith Barker, that character I told you about.’ He looked at Skinner, extending his hand. ‘Hello, sir, good to see you. I’m chuffed you would make it.’
‘I wouldn’t have been anywhere else.’ He glanced across the room and saw that McGuire had arrived also. ‘Maggie,’ he said, ‘you should circulate. I want a word with your old man and your ex.’
As Rose headed off in the direction of the chief constable, Skinner caught the eye of the head of CID, who read the summons, and made his way through the assembly. ‘Afternoon, boss,’ he greeted the DCC.
‘And to you. How are you guys getting on? I’ve been following with interest, don’t worry.’
‘We’ve identified Padstow,’ Steele replied. ‘He’s really an investigative reporter called Daniel Ballester. We don’t know where he is, but we do know that we’re not the only people who have been after him; hence my trip to London tomorrow, to question Barker.’ He glanced at McGuire. ‘That’s all happened since we spoke last,’ he said.
‘I know,’ the head of CID told him. ‘Shannon kept me in the loop.’
‘The only family lead is to his parents, retired and living in Arizona. They need to be interviewed.’
‘Give me the details,’ said Skinner, ‘and I’ll use my FBI contacts. I’ll make a call tonight; if his folks know where he is, you’ll know by tomorrow.’
‘What if they won’t say?’
‘They wilclass="underline" retired British subjects in the US need to be good citizens if they want to stay there.’
‘Maybe he’s on his way out there already.’
‘Have you put out an all-ports-and-airports warning on this man?’
‘That’s in place; Dottie Shannon arranged it.’
‘In that case, it’s less than twelve hours since the Noone girl was killed. If he’s your man and he has made it out of the country, his name will be on a flight passenger list somewhere. If he’s landed, we have a hot trail. If he’s still up in the air, when he gets down he’ll wish he’d stayed there. Now, what the hell is this about Barker?’
Stevie chuckled. ‘He came in handy,’ he said to Skinner. ‘The media are going crazy trying to find out why he’s been lifted.’
‘Why has he been?’ asked the DCC.
‘For bribing a guy in the Home Office.’
‘Christ! That’ll keep him out of circulation for a while. Have the Met tied it to his boss?’
‘Not as far as I know.’
‘See if you can help them. I took a big dislike to that man when I saw him on telly; it was plain as the scar on my forehead that when he sat in on your briefing he was looking right through the cameras at the stock market. Now,’ he continued, ‘about your inquiry; there’s something I need to tell you. I’ve put you in an embarrassing position, and I apologise.
‘I know what happened with young Griff; I got feedback from Five as well, and from Amanda Dennis herself, not from the duty officer. He called Shannon without reference to her, and he’s still aching because of it.’ He smiled, his eyes distant for a second.