Quintin Jardine - Screen Savers

‘You can go and make another phone call if you like, but I promise you that is how it will be. I’m not having the world knowing that some bastard thinks he can kill an SB officer. I’m damn sure you’ll find that the Chief Constable will feel the same way.

‘Now, maybe you’d do us a favour and send for a traffic car to give Susie and me a lift out to Clarkston.’

Brown nodded and left, meek and dismissed, Callaghan following in his wake. As soon as they were gone, I turned to Dylan. ‘What’s happening here, man?’ I demanded. I was confused, probably still a bit shocked from the blast, and just a touch impaired by the fine Austrian red. ‘What do we make of that?’

He shrugged, but only with one shoulder since Susie had fallen asleep, immobilising the other. ‘I don’t know for sure, Oz. I haven’t been in SB all that long. I can’t tell you what I’m doing there, but I suppose it’s possible that what happened tonight was connected to that rather than to Susie’s letters.

‘I doubt it, though. Most of the people we target assume that they’re under surveillance and let us get on with it. As the new boy, I’m still on the routine stuff; I doubt if any of our customers even know I exist.

‘I don’t like even thinking it, far less saying it, but I fear that the letter-writer wasn’t kidding.’

‘ “You are going to die with your world in ashes all around you.” ’ Both of us looked round at Prim as she spoke. ‘That’s what the last letter said, wasn’t it. Looks as if we should have taken it literally.’

‘When I catch this bastard,’ Mike muttered, looking more thunderous than I had ever seen him, ‘I’ll. . I’ll. . What’s worse than reducing him to ashes, Oz?’

‘How about a really good kick up the arse?’

He nodded, grimly. ‘That’s where I’ll start, then.’

‘That’s where you’ll start?’

‘Oh yes. This is a different game now. Office bodyguard or not, I never really thought that those letters were meant to be taken literally; I always guessed, just like you did, that they were only the ravings of some crank. I’d never have exposed you to real danger, pal.’

I scowled at him. ‘You mean apart from the real danger of a kicking from Malkie Campbell?’

‘Ach, I’ve got faith in your ability to handle the likes of him. . as you did.’ He looked up at the ceiling, with a sudden, tension-relieving grin. ‘Christ, I wish I’d seen the look on his face when he clapped eyes on your big pal.’

‘So,’ I said, ‘what you’re telling us is now that we’ve done all the hard work and identified your number one suspect, we’re off the case.’

‘Exactly. Thanks for all you’ve done up to this point, both of you, but this belongs with the police now.’

‘But what about Susie? What about the effect on her business? What about your reasons for involving her in the first place?’

‘Not a problem any more. There’s no danger of publicity now. Chief Inspector Chocolate there, he’ll write up his report like I told him, and that’ll be that as far as the official side is concerned. This’ll be a Special Branch inquiry from now on.

‘I’ll take this to my boss first thing tomorrow morning, and I’ll tell him about the car thing. I’ll mention the letters at the same time, and tell him that it was because of my Special Branch involvement that I asked you to look into it informally, rather than make an official police complaint. He’ll buy that all right. He’ll also agree that on the off-chance the explosion could have been job-related, our lot should investigate it.’

The un-Dylanlike grim expression returned. ‘I tell you, Mr Stephen Donn. . if it is him. . has no idea what he’s bitten off.’

I couldn’t help it: I wasn’t ready to believe completely in the new Mike. ‘Oh aye?’ I asked. ‘You think your outfit can find this guy, if his own mother doesn’t know where he is?’

‘You sure she doesn’t?’ he shot back. ‘Look at the sequence of events. You go to see Mira Donn this afternoon asking her about Stephen. A few hours later, Susie’s car blows up.’

‘No,’ I protested. ‘No way would she be involved in this.’

‘She doesn’t need to be. She only needs a mobile number that she didn’t bother to tell you about. She only needs to have phoned her son to ask him what the hell’s going on.’

I had to admit that it sounded plausible.

‘If you find Donn,’ I asked, ‘what will you-’

‘DI Dylan,’ Chief Inspector Brown’s voice barked from the doorway, cutting off my question in mid-ask. ‘Car’s here for you. Don’t keep them waiting now.’

His shout woke Susie. She looked around, moist-eyed, dazed and confused. ‘Whrr. .?’ she mumbled.

‘You’re on your way home, love. Let’s go now.’ Mike half-lifted her to her feet and walked her to the door, his arm round her waist.

‘Keep us in touch won’t you,’ said Prim as we followed them to the front door.

‘I’ll tell you all about it when everything’s sorted,’ Dylan replied. ‘But not before. Meantime you just forget it and concentrate on the boy Oz’s acting debut.’

‘Tell me, boy. Have you ever given any thought to the possibility of planning your life?’ Mac the Dentist gazed at me over the top of his pint. ‘Thinking beyond the next few days, I mean.’

Prim and I hadn’t slept much after our flat was finally cleared of police and firemen. We had lain wide-awake for most of the night, as the truth of our friends’ narrow escape had come home to us.

‘Oz, you do know that Mike’s right, don’t you. We’ve got to leave Stephen Donn to him from now on.’

‘Sure, I know that. After what happened tonight it would be crazy to try to stay involved. No way would I put you in danger.’

‘Nor I you. Except. .’

‘. . except nothing. But I know what you mean.’

‘It’s frustrating having come this far. And you’ve always said. .’

‘. . that Mike as a detective couldn’t find his arse with both hands? I know, but I suppose-’

‘Suppose nothing. Mike’s right.’ A giggle in the dark. ‘Mind you it’ll be the first time. .’

In the end though, we had agreed that difficult as it might be to suppress our mutual curiosity, we would have to make the effort. I had to prepare for a weekend GWA trip to Holland by learning a few words of Dutch, read up on my part in Miles’ and Dawn’s movie — working title Project 37 according to my script — and Prim had the business to run. By Thursday, though, we were going crazy, frustrated at not knowing what was going on. I tried calling Dylan on his mobile during the day, but came up with the ‘unavailable’ message every time. In the end, we had decided to give ourselves a complete break by driving up to Anstruther that afternoon to see my folks and flash Prim’s sparkler at them.

We took them by surprise. Mac the Dentist had just ushered the day’s last patient out of his surgery, and Mary, my stepmother, was still in her going shopping clothes. They congratulated us as we had expected, even if I did detect a split second’s hesitation on Mary’s part; understandable in the circumstances. Two hours later we were sitting in the bar of the Ship Inn in Elie, having a drink while we waited for our table to be prepared in the restaurant next door.

I looked back at my Dad. ‘What do you think Prim and I are doing now, if not planning our lives?’

‘Ah, that’s not what I mean and you know it. You’re still the same bloody mayfly you were when you were a kid. I never know what you’re going to be up to next; and how can I when you don’t bloody know yourself.’ He grinned at Prim. ‘As for this one here, she’s your partner in crime.