Quintin Jardine - Hour Of Darkness

‘You’re probably right, nonetheless,’ the inspector admitted. ‘Let’s face it, contract killings of senior citizen females aren’t exactly commonplace, not in Edinburgh, anyway.’

‘No,’ Haddock agreed. ‘And yet, the body was dumped in the river, no clothes, no jewellery, no nothing. . less than nothing now, thanks to that effing propeller. Whether it was amateur or professional, there has to have been a degree of premeditation, hasn’t there?’

‘Maybe not. Could be the killing was impulsive, an act of rage, and the guy didn’t start to think about disposal until after he’d done it.’

‘Postmeditation? Is that a word, gaffer?’

‘If that’s what happened, it is now, and I’m claiming it. Come on, Sauce,’ he said, ‘we need to get our brains in gear, urgently, before Detective Superintendent Mackenzie comes battering on the door wanting to know what we’re doing.’

‘Then why don’t we get in first?’

Pye’s laugh had a hint of scorn about it. ‘What, are you saying I should go and batter on his door?’

‘Nothing so confrontational: no, why don’t you call him, and tell him we’re having a press conference.’

‘About what?’

‘About the victim. So far the media only know that a female body washed up on Cramond Island on Friday. Tell him that we want to call them in to announce. . and we’re going to have to anyway, one way or another. . that the post-mortem findings have led us to open a murder investigation, which is stymied because we don’t know who the hell it is that’s been murdered. Then tell him that we want to ask the media for their help, by publishing an appeal for anyone who knows of a sixty-something female in the Edinburgh and Lothian areas that hasn’t been seen around for a couple of weeks.’

The DI considered the proposal. ‘How do you think that Mackenzie’ll react,’ he wondered, ‘when I ask him for the okay?’

‘I’m only guessing,’ Haddock replied, ‘but. . from what you’ve said about him, he’ll jump in and front it himself.’

‘Then let’s find out. Bugger off while I call him. One more thing,’ he added, as the DS pushed himself to his feet and headed for the door that led into the CID office. ‘Edinburgh and the Lothians won’t be enough; this has to be a national appeal. The body was dumped in our territory, sure, but it could have been brought from anywhere.’

The young sergeant returned to his desk in the open-plan office, nodding a greeting to the two detective constables who made up the unit’s complement. He was checking through their reports on their inquiries into a series of thefts from cars parked overnight in the residential dockland areas when Pye’s hand fell on his shoulder.

‘The Bandit reacted just as you said he would,’ the DI murmured. ‘We’re on parade at headquarters at twelve o’clock, and he’ll be in front of the cameras.’

‘Brilliant,’ Sauce declared. ‘So when this investigation goes absolutely nowhere, as it probably will, his name will be all over it rather than ours.’

‘Yup. You’re not just a perceptive sod, but devious as well. Just as well I told him the media conference was your idea.’

‘You fucking what???’

‘What’s going on downstairs?’ Chief Constable Margaret Steele asked. ‘I saw the media beginning to gather when I came in from my meeting.’

‘David Mackenzie’s holding a press briefing,’ ACC Mario McGuire replied.

‘Mackenzie is? About what?’

‘The headless body that was found on Friday: they’ve run out of ways to identify her so he’s making a national appeal for help from the public.’

‘Whose idea was that?’

‘He’s claiming credit, and I have no reason to doubt it’.

‘Has Mary Chambers okayed it?’

‘Retrospectively. He called it and then told her about it. She’s not best pleased about that, but she kept her feelings to herself. She didn’t want the two of them to get off on the wrong foot, and besides, she’d likely have approved it even if he had asked for permission.’

‘Why’s he doing the briefing himself? Sammy Pye’s the SIO on the investigation, isn’t he?’

‘Not any more, Mackenzie’s jocked him off.’ The ACC held up a hand, to stall her reaction. ‘Maggie, I don’t like that any more than you, but let’s not get steamed up about it. The guy’s probably out to make a name for himself again in CID, maybe in the hope that Bob’ll move him back to Glasgow when the new force takes over. Good luck to him,’ McGuire grunted, ‘it’s the best place for him. What he’s done might look like poor man-management, but it isn’t going to compromise the investigation. I asked Mary to make damn sure he uses a Freephone contact number for calls from the public, so that our communications centre isn’t swamped. You never know, he might even get a result.’

‘He might,’ Steele agreed. ‘But isn’t there any other means of identifying her?’

‘Nah; all other routes are exhausted. The surgeon who took out her appendix didn’t sign his name so …’

‘Funny bugger.’ She smiled, then paused for a second. ‘Mackenzie’s been set up, of course,’ she added.

‘Of course,’ he agreed. ‘Sammy Pye’s played him, to get himself out of the firing line.’

‘Not just Sammy. My former protégé Haddock’s down in Leith now, and I can see his hand all over this. Mark my words, it’s as well you and I have got a good head start on that boy. He’s going to go as far in the force as he wants. He’s another Bob Skinner.’

The big ACC smiled. ‘No, he’s not. There’s a big difference; Bob’s actually gone further in the force than he ever wanted. If he hadn’t had to take the reins in Strathclyde in an emergency, he’d never have gone there, but now he has, he feels that he’s got no choice but to take over as head of the unified Scottish police service. That’s Neil McIlhenney’s reading, and he’s closer to the big man than anyone except Andy Martin. If you want to compare young Sauce Haddock with somebody, make it Andy. He still has plenty of ambition left.’

‘And what about you?’ the chief constable asked.

‘Me? I never thought I’d make assistant chief, so I’m quite happy. I’ll just sit here and see what opportunities the new set-up has to offer. Given the chance, I’ll go back to CID. As for you, you’ve made it to the top of the tree in the outgoing system, and you’ll get one of the ACC posts in the unified force, for sure.’

‘How do you know I wouldn’t rather take the redundancy money? There will be a lot of that on offer, remember.’

‘How do I know?’ he repeated. ‘Mags, we used to be married. I know you.’ He leaned on the last pronoun. ‘You’re a police officer; it’s all you’ve ever wanted to be. Now you’re a mother too, and that’s good, but you’re not going to stay at home until wee Stephanie’s off your hands. Even if you did fancy it, you’re way too young to get a pension, so you’ll carry on. Don’t even begin to try to kid me.’

She looked at him with a gleam in her eye. ‘I never could; it was you that kidded me, remember. How is Paula, by the way, and wee Eamon?’

‘They are both blooming, thanks. Being a mother. .’ his expression took on a glow of reverence, ‘. . it changes women in a way I never appreciated before.’

‘And men,’ his ex-wife chuckled. ‘Go and look at yourself in the mirror.’

‘I will, after I’ve dropped in on Mackenzie’s press briefing.’

‘No,’ Maggie said, quickly. ‘Don’t do that. Let him have his space, Mario.’

‘Let him have enough rope, you mean?’

‘No, I don’t. He might just fool us both by getting it right. If he doesn’t, I don’t want him to have anyone to blame but himself.’