'Nevertheless,' Anderson continued, 'I might feel happier.'
The detective felt his jaw tighten, and his eyes narrow, quite 129 involuntarily. If Anderson had been looking at him, he might have felt less assured.
'Secretary of State,' he said evenly. 'Please don't play games with me. And most of al, don't patronise me. I don't honestly give a fuck about your happiness.
'If you've got something to say, then please, as they say in American Football, let's skip the bul shit and go straight to the nut-cutting.'
Anderson stiffened and swung round in his seat. Al the earlier bonhomie was gone. 'Very well. I don't have to say, I hope, how much I admire you as a policeman, Mr Skinner. Your record of success speaks for itself. Nor can I fault the advice you've given me since I've been in office.
'However I would prefer it if my security adviser was with me on a ful time basis.'
'I am honoured to accept your offer,' said Skinner laconical y. .. and lying in his teeth.
The Secretary of State reddened, as he took the bait. 'All right,' he snapped, 'Your private life, and the way in which it has become public, gives me a real difficulty. My party has a high moral code, and…'
'That's crap too,' retorted Skinner. 'I'm in on the MI5 briefings, remember. The Security Service knows of at least fifteen members of your government who are having extra-marital affairs. Two of them are with people of the same sex, and another of them is a junior minister in your own department.'
Abruptly the policeman stood up, irked by having Anderson look down on him in the low visitor's seat. 'Let's deal with the truth, shal we?' he said. 'Your party still has difficulty in Scotland in keeping your left-wingers under control. You can't afford to give them the slightest weapon to use against you.
'Aggie Maley and her pals – anti-police to begin with – think that my extra-marital relationship with Pam gives them a bit of leverage.
She's painting me as some sort of sexual predator, abusing his position within the force, and within your own party circles she's accusing you of being pro-sleaze and anti-women by keeping me in post.
'Being new in office, you don't need that sort of flak. So you want me to let you off the hook by offering my resignation. That's the truth of it, Dr Anderson, isn't it?'
The Secretary of State's face was redder than ever. 'I wouldn't have put it quite so directly,' he spluttered.
'Well,' said Skinner, 'if you're ever going to fill that chair adequately, you'd better learn to. Express it as you wil, but I'm right.'
Anderson sighed. 'If that's how you see it…' Final y he looked directly at the other man. 'Will you let me have your resignation?'
The detective, laughed: a short, dry humourless laugh. 'I'd rather .. stick hot needles in my eyes than give Maley that satisfaction. If you want me out you'll have to fire me.'
'So be it,' said the politician, wearily. 'How would you like me to frame the announcement?'
'I don't give a damn. If anything you say is actionable, and not covered by privilege, I'll sue you. Other than that, say what you like.'
He smiled. 'There is of course, the matter of my contract.'
'You'l be paid in ful, with a termination bonus of six months' salary. My announcement wil say simply that you're leaving the job and that I've decided to make a ful time appointment. Actual y, Sir John Govan wil take up the post when he retires as Chief Constable of Strathclyde in a few months.'
'Mmm,' Skinner growled, as he rose to leave. 'It was nice of Jock to cal and tell me.' He smiled at Anderson's expression of sudden shock. 'Don't worry, Secretary of State, he didn't. I'm afraid I've never been very good at sarcasm.
'Tell you one thing, though… no two. First, if I ever find out that Councillor Maley put the Spotlight on to me, I'll fucking crucify her. Second, I had decided not to apply for the Strathclyde job. Now I've changed my mind. If that bastard Govan thinks he can fil my shoes, I might as wel go after his… even though they might be too tight.'
40
'What's up, boss?' said Detective Chief Superintendent Martin as he closed the door of Skinner's office behind him.
'Fucking politicians, Andy; that's what's up. Never again wil I have anything to do with them. Our Secretary of State's concerned about theAggie Maley Tendency rocking his boat, so he's thrown me to them as a human sacrifice.'
Briefly, succinctly, but explosively, the DCC described his meeting with Dr Bruce Anderson. 'I tell you, mate,' he concluded. 'From now on, whenever I meet someone with the words Right and Honourable before his name, I'll know it's odds on that both are a fucking lie.'
His pointing finger stabbed the air. 'And as for Jock Govan! I never had him down as such a slippery bastard, that's for sure.' He picked up his direct line and dial ed in a number. 'Hello,' he barked.
'Is that Sir John Govan's office? Good. DCC Bob Skinner here, Edinburgh. Put me through please, if he's in.'
Martin stared at him, screwing up his eyes, and making 'calm down' signals with his hands, but Skinner turned away.
'Jock. Bob. I hear congratulations are in order.' The younger man waited for the explosion, but none came. Instead, he saw an incredulous look spread across his friend's face. 'You did?' He heard him say. 'He told you that!'
Skinner shook his head. 'Jock, in the time that you've known me, when have I ever walked away from anything?' There was a short silence. 'Exactly, well it's the same this time. I refused to quit, so Anderson fired me.'
The DCC held the earpiece of his phone a little away from his ear.
From its bowl, Martin heard the sound of shouting. 'No, Jock,' said Skinner. 'Don't do that, please. Take the job. MI5 must have an experienced hand up here, someone with common sense. Just make sure that you use the power that you'll have to protect yourself against this sort of rubbish.
'Good luck. I mean it. Thanks, I'l be al right.'
Skinner hung up the phone and looked up at his second-in-command. 'Would you believe it! Govan says that when Anderson offered him the job yesterday, he said that I'd asked to be relieved of 132 my duties in view of my compromised position. He says that he told Anderson that he'd only accept after he had made one more determined effort to persuade me to stay on.
'Half an hour ago, Anderson cal ed him back and said that he'd flung himself at my feet but that I was adamant about going.'
Martin looked serious. 'You believe Govan, do you?'
'Come on, Andy. I'd take the word of a chief police officer over that of a politician ten times out of ten. I tell you, I wish I had something on Anderson himself, rather than his sidekick. I'd bloody use it.
'As for Maley! By God…'
It was Skinner's friend, not his junior officer, who sat on the edge of his desk. 'Bob,' he said. 'Let it go.'
'Why should I?'
'Because with al this lashing about you're in danger of forgetting one thing. Bruce Anderson didn't walk out on his wife, weeks after she nursed him back to health. You did. Aggie Maley isn't sleeping with Pam Masters. You are.'
Skinner glared at him, ready to erupt once more.
'Sure, Anderson's behaving badly. Okay, Maley's using your situation to score points. But they're only doing so because you made it possible. No-one else did. Bob. Only you.
'I… no, not just me… Alex and I are begging you to forget al this shit, and get on with your career, before you blow it.'
Gradually, the fire faded from Bob's eyes as he looked across the desk. Gradually, he seemed to sag, to slump back in his chair.
'You're right, of course, Andy,' he muttered quietly. 'I can get as angry as I like with those characters, but I'm real y only trying to shift the blame for my problems away from my own doorstep. I'm their architect, beginning to end, not Salmon, Maley, or anyone else.'