Quintin Jardine - Dead And Buried

Skinner blinked. ‘Your wife’s pregnant, isn’t she?’

‘Ah, so that has had something to do with me not going to London?’

‘Of course not, Neil; you’re imagining things.’

‘If you say so, boss. But Lou’ll be pleased, and I’m not imagining that.’

‘I’m glad to hear it. You just tell her that her influence over me had nothing to do with my decision. It was made on purely operational grounds. How are the kids, by the way?’

‘They’re fine. Spence is looking forward to his next adventure, and Lauren’s looking forward to being eighteen, so she can go to university and get out of doing the ironing. Only five more years to go: she’ll be thirteen next week.’

‘Are they pleased about the new baby?’

‘God, yes. Lauren’s funny. She’s about two-thirds woman now, trying to be very mature about it, but the other third kicks in every so often, and the excitement just bursts out of her.’

‘You’re lucky, in that way. My Alex is twenty years older than her blood siblings. She still worships them, mind.’

All at once, McIlhenney’s face grew solemn. ‘Yes, your Alex; and your own bereavement. You know, Bob, I don’t think I’ve ever thanked you properly for the way you supported me when Olive died.’

‘You supported yourself, man. Your friends were just around to help, that’s all. And you have thanked me, by the way you’ve got on with your life. You’ve set an example that I couldn’t live up to.’

‘But you tried your best, and so did Sarah, I’m sure. But if it’s really bust. .’

‘It’s really bust.’

‘Then Lou and I will be there to support you, whenever you need it.’

‘Cheers, mate.’ Skinner finished his coffee. ‘Better get the other two in: they should be here by now.’ He rose, walked across to his desk, picked up a phone and called Detective Sergeant McGurk, his assistant. ‘Jack, I’m ready for my three-thirty meeting.’ He poured more coffee as he waited. He had barely finished stirring in the milk before the door opened.

Mario McGuire stood aside to usher Dottie Shannon in before him. The inspector looked as if she was doing her best to hide her nerves, and almost succeeded. She wore little makeup, but her short blonde hair was expertly cut. She had replaced her duty uniform with a grey trouser suit and a white shirt. McGuire wore a brown suede bomber jacket and blue denims.

‘Welcome, both of you,’ Skinner greeted them. ‘Comfy seating today,’ he said, ushering them towards McIlhenney. ‘Coffee?’

‘Yes, please, sir,’ Shannon replied, a little nervously.

‘Fine. Mario, pour them, will you? Did you bring what I asked?’

The dark-haired superintendent nodded as he picked up the coffee jug. He waved a brown-paper bag in the air with his left hand. ‘One bag of doughnuts from the Viareggio deli: the finest in town, guaranteed.’

The DCC sat on the sofa beside McIlhenney, positioning himself so that he was facing the newcomers. ‘It’s good to see you up here, Dottie,’ he said. ‘I’ve been keeping my eye on your career for a while.’

‘Thank you, sir,’ the inspector replied, caution still in her tone as McGuire took his place beside her, handing her a mug and laying a plate bearing half a dozen sugar-coated doughnuts on the coffee-table.

‘There’s only four of us,’ Skinner pointed out.

McGuire displayed his most Italian grin. ‘Maybe, but two of them are for me: the rest of you can fight over the one that’s left. . unless someone here pulls rank, or unless Neil decides to stick to his diet, in which case there’s two each.’

‘You wish,’ McIlhenney growled, reaching across the table and taking the top doughnut from the pile.

Skinner followed suit, then waited until he judged that everyone was comfortable and settled. ‘I want you all to know,’ he began, ‘that contrary to the occasional rumour you may hear, I am not a one-man army. I do not run this force, Sir James Proud does. The powers that I exercise are delegated by him, and the policies I put in place are approved by him, and where necessary by the police advisory board. So, what I’m telling you now has his blessing.’

He paused until he was sure that each listener appreciated what he had said. ‘I’ve asked you three here to give you what I hope will be good news, so I’ll get right into it. Mario, you are promoted detective chief superintendent and head of CID with immediate effect. Congratulations: it’s a year or so earlier than we’d expected, but it’s one of the easiest appointments we’ve ever had to make.’

McGuire’s Irish side seemed to take over: for once he looked diffident, and lost for words. ‘Thank you very much, sir,’ he said, at last. ‘It’s an honour.’

‘One that’s been well earned.’

‘Can I take Sammy Pye with me as my assistant? I’ve got nothing against Ray Wilding, but I know Sammy better.’

‘I thought you’d ask that; of course you can. Wilding’s ready for a move anyway, so he and Pye can do a straight swap. You’ll need a sure-footed back-up, one with Pye’s tact: one of your tasks will be to oversee a gradual restructuring in CID, one that’ll have to be explained to quite a few people. As a first step, a detective superintendent will be appointed and given responsibility for all of the City of Edinburgh. The three divisional commander posts will be down-sized to chief inspector as time goes on, but those who are there at the moment will continue. That’s where the need for diplomacy might come in, for two of them are superintendents, and they’ll be reporting to the new appointee, Detective Superintendent Neil McIlhenney.’

‘You. .’ McIlhenney spluttered, spraying doughnut crumbs across the table.

Skinner laughed at his reaction. ‘Well earned too, and I’m glad I kept you guessing till the end.’

He turned to Shannon. ‘Inspector, Neil’s move leaves a vacancy at the head of Special Branch. I don’t need to tell you that, with the new parliament, the supreme courts, an international airport, and the main royal residence in Scotland all within our area, it’s the most responsible post of its type this side of the border. It’s not a task that should be forced on anyone, so we’re only offering it to you, with nothing being held against you if you turn it down. It’s got its up-sides, though. It’s a hell of a good career move, plus it’ll take you out of uniform and into this building.’ He paused. ‘Would you like some time to think about it?’

The woman’s eyes widened. ‘Do you mean it, sir?’ She gulped, and her cheeks flushed. ‘I’m sorry, that was a silly thing to say. But can I be bold and ask, why me?’

‘That’s not bold, that’s sensible. It’s because I believe that you’re the best person for the job, simple as that. I’ve been taking soundings among senior officers for some time now; your name was put into the hat by Chief Superintendent Mackie, and by Detective Superintendent McGuire. Those two aren’t famous for agreeing with each other, so that swung it for me. If I back their judgement, why shouldn’t you?’

‘Put like that, sir, there’s no way I can argue. Thank you very much: yes, I’d like the job.’

‘Very good, Detective Inspector, I’m pleased to hear it. Now, tell me what you have in your diary for the next fortnight or so.’

Shannon thought for two seconds. ‘Nothing I can’t cancel, sir.’

‘Good. Cancel the lot then, for you’re coming to London with me, to play with the big boys. If today’s been a surprise to you, Dottie, you have no idea what next week’s going to be like.’

‘It’s been a funny old Friday,’ Sammy Pye mused.

‘Maybe so,’ Detective Sergeant Ray Wilding said, ‘but it’s been on the cards. Your gaffer was always going to take over from Dan Pringle: it was only a matter of when.’