The man with whom the DI shook hands was mid-forties, as tall as he was, and more heavily built, with big shoulders and a thick neck. He wore blue chinos, and a light cotton jacket hanging open over a white T-shirt with the simple message, ‘Souls saved; apply within’, printed in two lines on the front. Pye had heard tales of the charismatic priest, stories of a wild youth, redemption, and of late-night cruising round the city on a high-powered motorcycle. He had written them off as media fantasy, but as he looked the man in the eye, he realised that they were almost certainly true.
‘My pleasure,’ said the archbishop with a smile, then turned back to Skinner. ‘Bruce doesn’t take confession,’ he went on, ‘any more than you do. He isn’t one of mine either, any more than you are, but I like to think that we all play in the same team, just in different positions, that’s all. I’m here because he’s asked me to be, to help him out with a little ethical difficulty he has.’
‘Ethical? Jim, we’re investing a breakage of the sixth commandment. As far as I’m concerned, that sets all other considerations aside.’
‘I wouldn’t quote commandments if I were you, chum,’ Gainer chuckled. ‘You break the third one all the time. I don’t agree with your statement either; there are areas of unshakable confidentiality reserved for doctors, as Bruce is, and for priests, like me. You’ve got a murder on your hands. We’re here to help you, but you have to understand his position.’
‘His position would have been easier if he hadn’t lied to my officers.’
‘I know that, Bob,’ said Anderson. ‘But I had a reason. Can we explain it to you?’
Skinner nodded. ‘Let’s hear it.’ He moved towards the square table in the centre of the room. ‘Take a seat, you two back to the door, us facing.’ He touched the black recorder box as he sat. ‘I was going to do this formally, under caution, but your presence changes that, Jim. We’ll leave this thing switched off for now. If I feel the need to go on the record, we can do that later.’ He looked at Anderson. ‘Tell us about Saturday night.’
‘From the beginning?’
‘No, your argument with the dead man has been well covered. Let’s start from when Lord Elmore and his wife saw you walking away from Charlotte Square.’
‘OK. I did go home, be in no doubt about that. I didn’t want to bring her into this but if you need reliable confirmation, my daughter can provide it. The light was still on in her room; when I looked in, she was reading. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, as I recall. I told her to turn it in and go to sleep. Then I went to my own room; Anthea was asleep already. . although given what I’ve learned since, I suspect she may have had help.’
‘We don’t need to go into Lady Walters’ problems,’ said Pye.
‘We might later,’ Anderson countered.
‘But go on for now,’ Skinner told him. ‘Lady W’s in the land of nod.’
‘Yes. I wasn’t remotely tired, so I was a little annoyed that she hadn’t waited up for me. However, I had set the television to record Match of the Day, so I went off to catch up on that. And then the phone rang.’
‘The phone rang,’ Pye repeated. ‘Going on for midnight?’
‘Yes. It happens. I have calls at all hours of the day, and sometimes at night.’
‘Professional?’
‘To do with my profession, yes.’
‘That’s a carefully worded reply, sir.’
‘True.’ Anderson shifted in his seat.
‘So who was the caller?’
‘It was me, Inspector,’ said Archbishop Gainer.
‘You, sir?’
‘Yes. Someone I know needed help, so I rang Bruce, knowing that if he was available, he’d provide it.’
‘How long have you been an addiction counsellor, Dr Anderson?’ Skinner asked.
‘I’ve been doing it for years, since my days as a GP in Glasgow, even when I was a Member of Parliament. A few of my colleagues at Westminster, and some party staffers, had problems, and I helped them, very discreetly though. When I dropped out of politics and went back into medical practice in a limited way, I went back to counselling in my old stamping ground in Glasgow, and worked with charities too.’
‘How did you come to take your services upmarket? It was news to me, I have to admit.’
‘I have always been discreet, Bob. I have never mentioned that side of my work to anyone, always taken pains to keep it confidential. I take the view that these people are ill, and as such they have the same right to medical confidentiality as any other patients. Of course, when I helped colleagues in politics, that was never going to be an issue. Front-bench spokesmen are never going to own up to a drug problem, are they?’
‘Not while they’re still there, that’s for sure,’ Skinner conceded.
‘That said, it was one of those people who made me broaden my patient base, if I can use the term. An MP I had helped to get himself clean found himself on the board of a quoted company; its managing director had a bad cocaine habit. They thought about sacking him, but if they had, the share price would have dived. As a last resort, my friend approached me. I arranged to treat him in a clinic in the borders that’s best known for providing a haven for rich alcoholics. I got him straightened out, and afterwards the clinic asked me if I’d continue to work with them. I do, and they’re the only patients from whom I take fees. All the others are pro bono, as lawyers call their freebies.’ He paused. ‘I met Anthea through the clinic. Archie. . that’s her father. . went there looking for help for her, about three years ago, and was referred to me. We had a chat, he brought Anthea along, and I put her on a withdrawal programme. She was badly hooked, so I had to stay very close to her. When she was in recovery, I carried on seeing her, and eventually moved into her place in Darnaway Street.’
‘And yet you’ve still kept this part of your life a secret?’ the DCC exclaimed. ‘I’m astonished.’
Anderson shook his head. ‘It hasn’t been that difficult. I’m known in the clinic as Andrew Bruce, and it’s Mr, not Dr. Many of my patients never get to know my real name; those who recognise me realise very quickly that we have a mutual interest in confidentiality.’
‘There’s no threat implied, is there?’ asked Pye.
Anderson scowled at him. ‘You mean do I threaten to “out” them if they “out” me? Certainly not, and I resent the suggestion.’
‘Nothing’s being suggested, Bruce,’ the DCC intervened. ‘It was a legitimate question, and you’ve answered it.’ He glanced at the archbishop. ‘How did you two meet?’ he asked.
‘I have a parishioner,’ Gainer began, ‘and a friend, a very well-known and respected public figure, who has an addictive personality. You name it, he’s ingested it. I can’t tell you how I found out about it; I’ll just leave you to speculate. When I did, I spoke to another parishioner, who is on the board of the clinic. He mentioned Mr Andrew Bruce to me, and I facilitated a meeting. My friend was rescued; in the aftermath Bruce and I had a number of meetings and I became involved in his charity and public sector work, as an additional counsellor. Sometimes we even work together. On Saturday night, I had a call from my friend. He had relapsed, and he was in a bad way. His cry for help was more of a scream; I called Bruce, and asked him to come with me to see him. He agreed, but he’d had a couple of drinks, so couldn’t drive. Rather than be seen picking him up in the house, I agreed to meet him in George Street, at midnight.’
‘That was where I was heading when your witness saw me,’ Anderson interposed. ‘Jim picked me up on his bike, outside Brown’s. .’ He looked at Pye. ‘Yes, he had a spare helmet, Inspector. We visited our patient, I sedated him, called an ambulance and had him taken down to the borders and admitted. That’s why I bolted yesterday. I did not want to get into that area. I didn’t want to involve Jim today either, but I knew you’d insist.’