She sat on a long bench on one side of the table. ‘Hopefully, you’ll have a prime suspect. A connection between them would rule out, almost certainly, unless it was a slight or accidental connection, the notion that they were random victims. If you find a link you’ll see where it takes you, or rather, to whom it takes you. But if they are random. .’ She whistled. ‘Nasty.’
‘Very. . and my arse will be on the line as senior investigating officer.’
‘Now you’re being over-dramatic,’ she said. ‘From what you’ve told me about the Gavin case, there’s no evidence pointing you towards anyone. Maybe you’ll get lucky: maybe the second victim will give you some. But if it doesn’t, that won’t mean that you’ve fallen down on the job. It’ll simply mean that you’re up against a very careful, methodical villain. You won’t be condemned for that.’
‘I’ll be in the spotlight, though. Investigating a potential serial killer get you lots of attention, even if he is just starting out. I’ll be under more pressure than I’ve ever known.’
‘What if he isn’t?’
A forkful of prawn in thousand-island dressing paused halfway to his mouth. ‘Isn’t what?’
‘Starting out. What if Stacey wasn’t his first victim?’
‘Come on, love, give me some credit. We checked the markings on the first bullet through the national database. The weapon hasn’t been used in any other crimes, solved or unsolved.’
‘What if he has more than one gun?’
Stevie frowned.
‘What if the two bullets don’t match?’ she continued. ‘Will that put paid to the idea that it’s the same killer?’
He shook his head slowly. ‘Not as far as I’m concerned. I feel it in my gut that these crimes are related.’ He glanced at her. ‘Hey, Mags, promise me something, right now: promise me you’ll still challenge me, won’t you, even if you do leave the job?’
‘You don’t need me to do that. You always get there.’
‘Maybe, but sometimes you help me get there faster. Like now: one of my priorities tomorrow will be to run both crime scenes, photos and descriptions, through the national computer to see whether we get any matches.’
‘How far back will you go?’
‘As far as I can. Now, please, let’s talk about something else.’
‘Such as?’ She grinned.
‘Anything,’ Stevie pleaded. ‘Your day, for a start.’
‘Mine was pretty ordinary. Tomorrow I start the handover to my stand-in.’
‘Ah, you’ve got one at last. Who is it?’
‘Your old boss, Mary Chambers; for the moment at least. They’ll review that when I tell them how long I’ll be staying away, and I will not do that until the baby’s safely delivered. I had a visit from the ACC today. I don’t think he’s too pleased with me over that, but he didn’t say as much.’
‘Brian Mackie knows you too well to do that. Anyway, I reckon you’re wrong: I reckon the assistant chief constable would be just a wee bit relieved to see you go, if you did. You’re a better copper than he is, all round, and you’re a better leader. The whole bloody force knows that, and so does he.’
‘You’re biased.’
‘Sure,’ he agreed, ‘but that doesn’t stop me from being right.’
‘You’re underestimating Brian. He’s had “Command Corridor” written in his stars for years.’
‘And so have you,’ Stevie insisted. ‘He beat you there on seniority, that’s all, but he knows that if you’re both in the game he won’t beat you to the next level. It’ll suit his long-term ambitions if you’re not around.’ He grinned. ‘It’s too bad that he’ll be disappointed.’
‘What do you mean?’ She frowned across at him, and her tone was defensive, for all that she tried to disguise it.
‘I mean, love of my life, that I don’t buy into the notion of you putting motherhood before the career that’s been the focal point of your adult life. Yes, you’ll take your maternity leave, and you’ll devote all that time to the baby. Then when it’s up, we’ll find a carer and you’ll get back on the ladder. A year or two after that, you’ll start looking for promotion opportunities. . that’s if they don’t come looking for you first. The chief retires in less than a year, remember.’
‘And I’ll still be on leave.’
‘That doesn’t stop you being considered for the vacancy that’ll arise when Bob Skinner steps up.’
‘You’re getting miles ahead of yourself there. Who says the DCC will take over as chief constable?’
‘Who doesn’t?’
‘Maybe he doesn’t,’ she retorted. ‘I was his executive officer for a while, remember. I know him, and I’m not sure he wants it. The job would frustrate him: he’s a hands-on guy, always has been. Stevie, he could have been a chief five years ago; he would have been in with a shout for every vacancy that’s arisen since that time, anywhere in the UK. There was even a rumour not so long ago that he’d been sounded out about the Met.’
‘Maybe, but this is his patch. He loves Edinburgh; he’s been happy as long as our present chief’s been in post, but can you see him welcoming an outsider into Sir James Proud’s office with open arms?’
‘That might depend on who the outsider is. What if Andy Martin goes for it?’
Stevie’s grin became a laugh. ‘Andy Martin was his protégé until he moved to Dundee. The two of them are blood brothers. Do you really see Andy going for Proud Jimmy’s job over the head of his best friend?’
‘I do, if Mr Skinner tells him to.’
‘Which he won’t. Look, Mags, what’s the big man doing now?’
‘He’s enjoying a well-earned sabbatical, after a most horrendous year.’
‘Which he’s using to prepare himself, so the story goes. Tarvil Singh’s wife works at Heriot-Watt, in the Borders campus: according to her, he did a specially arranged six-week course during February and March, researching the management of stress in the workplace. Then, last month, he spent three weeks in Toronto, on secondment to the RCMP.’
‘How do you know that?’ She paused. ‘Of course: your cousin Joey.’
‘That’s right, he’s a Mountie sergeant in the Ontario division. I had an e-mail from him last month: he told me that our DCC had been on a tour of all their offices, spending time with each of the departments. It was all set up through their CO.’
‘You never told me!’ Maggie exclaimed.
‘Okay, but there are things you don’t tell me, operational stuff. I wouldn’t expect you to. By the same token, I reckoned that if this wasn’t on the bulletin board, maybe I wasn’t meant to know about it.’
‘Secretive bugger.’ She sniffed. ‘They should have given you the Special Branch job, rather than plucking Dottie Shannon out of her inspector’s uniform.’
‘Sorry.’
‘You’re forgiven. I still don’t go with your theory, though. He’s got to fill in his time somehow, and the whole point of sabbatical leave is that you use it for professional development.’
‘So what are you going to do on your maternity leave? Just feed the baby and nothing else?’
‘Maybe.’
‘Indeed? In that case, what was that stuff about an Open University business management course that I found in the printer the other day?’
She glowered at him. ‘Bloody detectives: you’re never off duty.’ She paused. ‘Stevie, the truth is I don’t bloody know what I want to do. But if I did an OU course, would it bother you?’
‘My darling, nothing you do could bother me. If that’s what you want, go for it. Just hold off till the baby’s born and you’ve recovered, that’s all.’ He slapped himself on the side of the head. ‘Ah, that reminds me: I checked the answer-phone when I was in the bedroom. There’s a message for you from the maternity unit at the Royaclass="underline" they want you to call them.’
‘Did they say about what?’
‘No. All the guy said was that it was purely routine.’
Maggie laughed. ‘Purely routine: even medics are using police-speak now. Next thing you know I’ll be helping them with their enquiries.’
Six
‘This is all right,’ said Detective Constable Tarvil Singh, as he looked around the room, ‘apart from the noise of the kids next door. What’s this place called?’