‘That’s good, because although I’ll give you my name if you want it, I think it’s right for you to go on being Mark McGrath.’
It had been virtually plain sailing after that, although there had been one minor concern when Mark’s grand-father had questioned Bob’s decision to send the child to the local primary school in Gullane, and later to high school in North Berwick.
‘Look, Bob, if it’s a matter of money, Mark will inherit a fair bit from his parents. I can arrange for school and university expenses to be met from his trust fund.’
‘Mr McGrath, I’m not going to adopt the boy and expect him to pay for his upbringing. This has nothing to do with money. I believe that it’s better for him to be educated in his own community, especially if the facilities are excellent. My daughter went to those schools and left Glasgow University with a First in Law.’
‘Okay. I concede that. The truth is, I’m ambitious that Mark should go to Oxford or Cambridge. He’s very bright, you know. It might be difficult getting in there from an East Lothian school, but sometimes the private sector can pull strings for its pupils.’
‘Hah! The way things are heading in this country, all that privilege crap will be swept away by the time Mark’s eighteen. Even if it isn’t, and there are strings that have to be pulled, I think you’ll find that there are few people better at that than Chief Police Officers. Anyway, as you say, Mark is very bright, and when that time comes, he may well have his own views about his education, which should be respected. Right now, he really does want to go to the local primary.’
Bob grinned once more, this time at the sight of Jazz, buoyant in the blue water and paddling away furiously with his legs. Unlike his adoptive brother, who pushed himself off the poolside and thrashed off to meet him, he was a natural born swimmer.
Sarah eased over beside her husband at the deep end of the pool, and linked her arm through his. She kissed him lightly on the cheek. ‘It’s been a success, hasn’t it, this family-building holiday in L’Escala. D’you think we could stretch it to a third week?’
‘Seven more days of Spanish sun?’ he replied. ‘I’d love to, but for one reason and another my Chief Constable hasn’t seen enough of me this year. I owe it to Proud Jimmy to get back. Anyway, you and I have a new house to sort out, and our older boy has to start his new school.’
He chuckled. ‘No holidays in term-time from now on, lady. Get used to the idea.’
Sarah wrinkled her nose, and pulled herself up against the wall of the pool, her breasts breaking the surface of the blue water. ‘Ugh. For how long, d’you reckon?’
Bob’s chuckle turned to a frown. ‘Christ, given our wish for at least one more child, probably until I’m about seventy.’
‘All the more reason to take another week, then.’
He slipped his free arm around her waist, as Jazz and Mark swam towards them. ‘I’ll give you two extra days, assuming we can change the ferry booking to Saturday night, but that’s as far as I can stretch it.’
He paused. ‘I really need to get back for Andy as well.’
Sarah’s eyebrows rose as she reached out to take Mark’s hand. ‘Detective Chief Superintendent Martin? What’s bothering our future son-in-law? Nothing to do with him and Alex, I hope.’
Bob grinned. ‘Not this time, I’m glad to say.
‘No, he’s got himself worked into a lather about a spate of armed robberies on the patch. When we put Jackie Charles out of business we thought that we’d see a reduction in that type of thing, and a virtual end to organised crime in general. But it hasn’t happened. Now Andy’s thinking is that we may have a new Mr Big on our hands.’
His smile had faded. ‘If he’s right, and he usually is, then I agree with him. Whoever it is needs to be squashed, and damn quick. I don’t like criminals in general, but the sort who carry guns. .
‘I tell you, Doctor Sarah, if there is someone back home who thinks he can turn my Edinburgh into Dodge City, then for sure the bugger is going to wish that you’d persuaded me to stay on here. . even if it was only for another week!’
3
Detective Chief Inspector Maggie Rose looked up in surprise as Brian Mackie walked into her tiny office in the Haddington Police Station. She ran her hand over her red hair. . less vivid than that of Nathan Bennett, Mackie noted idly. . as she stared at the Divisional CID commander.
‘What are you doing back?’ she asked him. ‘I thought you’d be tied up in the High Court all day, and maybe into tomorrow. What happened? Did the defence case fold up?’
The tall, bald detective shook his head. ‘No,’ he replied, without the trace of a smile. ‘The judge did.’
‘Eh?’
‘Lord Archergait. He dropped dead on the Bench; right in the middle of my cross examination.’
Rose’s hand went to her mouth. ‘Oh no,’ she said, frowning. ‘Not old Archergait. That’s too bad.’ She hesitated. ‘What was it? Heart attack?’
Mackie nodded. ‘Yeah. A sudden massive coronary, the doctor said. He also said that he was surprised that it didn’t happen more often in the High Court, given the age of a few of the judges.’
He smiled suddenly. ‘Here, you’ll never guess who the doctor was. That guy Banks.’
‘What,’ his deputy responded, surprised, ‘the bloke that Andy Martin fell out with? The guy he had thrown off the list of force MEs?’
‘Aye, that’s right. He was giving evidence in a civil case on one of the other Courts. He was puffed up like a wee bantam cock at being called in to help.’
‘I’ll bet.’
She looked up at Mackie once more as he leaned against the window of the small room gazing out on to the main street of the little market town. ‘So what happens about the trial?’ she asked.
‘We begin all over again. . unless Kilmarnock recognises that he’s flogging a dead horse and offers a plea.’
‘Is that likely?’
‘Shouldn’t think so. He’ll fancy another go at me.’
‘What if he did offer a plea to a lesser charge? D’you think the Crown would accept it?’
‘Not if Andy Martin got wind of it. He’d raise hell with Mr Skinner, and he’d have a word with his pal the Lord Advocate. With one thing and another the Crown Office owes the Big Man a few favours.
‘No, Mags, Mr Nathan Bennett is going to be convicted of armed robbery, nothing less, and he’s going to get the ten- or twelve-year stretch that he bloody well deserves. Remember the old lady customer who fainted right at the start of the raid. Those bastards just left her lying there, while they got on with it, and she died of her stroke a week later.
‘Bennett’s on a reduced charge already as far as I’m concerned. If it was down to me, they’d be trying him for murder.’
Rose raised an eyebrow. ‘But what if he decides to co-operate with us?’ she asked. ‘What if he suddenly remembers the names of the other two guys who did the bank with him?’
‘What if he wakens up tomorrow with the power to heal the sick,’ said Mackie, ironically. ‘There’s about as much chance, I tell you. I’ve interviewed Bennett umpteen times. There’s no way he’s going to give those two guys up.’ Unexpectedly, he chuckled. ‘It’s nothing to do with honour among thieves, you understand. Bennett’s scared stiff of someone.
‘Whether it’s those two, or someone else: that’s the question.’
‘Hmm,’ Maggie grunted. ‘I know that’s what’s worrying DCS Martin.’
‘Speaking of our Head of CID,’ said the Superintendent, ‘I had a call from him in the car on the way back here. He’s called a briefing of Divisional CID commanders and deputies at Fettes, first thing tomorrow morning.
‘After today’s débâcle, there are no prizes for guessing what’ll be on the agenda.’
4
Andy Martin and Alexis Skinner, his fiancée, had an understanding.
Early in their domestic life together, each had recognised and accepted that the other was constitutionally incapable of leaving the day’s work behind in the office. Therefore they had agreed that the evening meal was for the discussion of professional problems and worries. The watershed was marked by the placing of the last dirty plate in the dishwasher.