Quintin Jardine - Aftershock

Hows she doing? asked Neil McIlhenney.

Maggie? Mario McGuires heavy black eyebrows rose. For a woman whos just had her womb and ovaries removed because of cancer, and whos in the middle of follow-up chemotherapy, shes doing bloody well. But why are you asking me? Why havent you been to see her yourself?

I havent been given the okay.

Come again?

Her sister said she would phone me when she was ready for visitors.

Her sister? Mario snorted. Look, Bets only just come back into her life after fifteen years or so. She doesnt know whos who. Youre not bloody visitors; youre family, as near as damn it. Phone her first, just to make sure shell be in, then get your arse down to Gordon Terrace and pay her a visit.

Will do. Hows the baby?

A big smile creased McGuires swarthy features. Stephanie Margaret is blooming. Shes up to six and a half pounds, and shes absolutely drop-dead gorgeous.

Who does she take after?

Her mother, mostly; it looks like shes going to have the same red hair. But if you look closely, around her eyes, you can see her dad in her: you can see Stevie.

Neil frowned. Will that be good for Maggie? Its only a couple of months since he was killed.

Wee Steph cant be anything but good for her. Shes what her lifes all about now; shes her reason to beat this damn disease. And she will, too.

What if she doesnt?

Detective Chief Superintendent Mario McGuires face had always been his weakness as an interrogator. Invariably, his feelings were written across it. At his friends question, it darkened. Thats not an option, he growled.

Thats what I said about my Olive, when she was in treatment. The trouble is, mate, sometimes strength of will isnt enough. I know that the surgeon was optimistic after the operation, but you can never take anything for granted. So Im asking you. What if she doesnt make it? How will you feel?

What do you mean, how will I feel? How the fuck do you think Ill feel?

Like youre feeling now: guilty. Only ten times worse.

Marios mouth opened, but the words of denial died in his throat. He shrugged his shoulders helplessly. Wouldnt you, in the same circumstances? Suppose you had walked out on Olive and the kids. . not that Im saying you ever would have. . and then shed taken ill.

McIlhenney nodded. Sure, if that had happened Id have torn myself apart. . but Id have done it anyway, for having been such an idiot. Chum, our circumstances, yours and mine, cant ever be the same. Your marriage was over, yours and Maggies. Splitting up was the biggest favour you could have done each other. You let her enjoy the happiest time of her life with Stevie, and she let you and Paula get together as you should have done years before.

Her happiness didnt last long, though, did it?

No, but what the hell has that to do with you? You didnt set the booby-trap that Stevie walked into: you didnt kill him. Draen Boras did that, beyond a shadow of a doubt. If Id been on duty at that time, it could just as easily have been me that went through the door and triggered the grenade. If youd been nearest the scene, it would have been you. Suppose it had been, and Stevie was still alive, would Mags be going on a guilt trip right now? Would she hell!

But thats not what happened.

Aw, for fu. . Look, Mario, before you give yourself any more grief, go back and see Maggie, and ask her whether she harbours the slightest grudge against you for leaving her. Know what shell do? First shell laugh, and then shell thank you for it.

Maybe.

No maybe about it. Know what you really should do?

McGuire shrugged again; a small, slightly sheepish grin crossed his face. Seems like youre in the fucking Mastermind chair, so youd better tell me.

You should go home to Paula, give her a very large hug and thank your luckiest star that it wasnt you went through that door.

Thats advice I dont mind taking. He checked his watch. Or, I should say, I wont in about seven hours. But for now, is this just a social call, or do you have something to tell me? Is Edinburgh ablaze with crime?

Detective Superintendent McIlhenney looked at the head of CID, then rolled his eyes. In the second week of the July Trades Holiday? You have to be kidding. If you didnt insist on the two of us meeting at ten oclock every Monday morning, then I wouldnt be here. Id have gone fishing, he paused, or maybe Id have gone out and pulled off a couple of robberies, just to give my people something to do.

Are you telling me that were victims of our own success?

Thats a nice way of putting it. I dont have a single serious unsolved crime on my books. Ive got detectives sitting on their hands in every office in the city. I cant even send them out to do crime-prevention lectures, because the schools are on holiday, and just about every other bugger along with them.

How are the burglary stats? Holidays mean empty houses, ready to be broken into.

Thats become a problem for the uniforms, rather than us. Nowadays empty houses mean burglar alarms going off in the middle of the night, but nine times out of ten. . no, thats not true, its more like nineteen out of twenty. . its been caused by a spider walking across a sensor.

Tell me about it, McGuire grunted. Ours went off the other night because Paula left a window open in the living room; the wind got up in the middle of the night and blew a door shut. The alarm company called it in but, thank Christ, the control room recognised the name and address, and called me to check it out before they despatched a car.

That would have looked good in the Evening News. But no, McIlhenney continued, even burglarys going out of fashion. And street muggings are down too: Brian Mackies extra patrols in high-risk areas seem to be doing the job there.

Good for the new ACC. A few more like him and well be hearing the word redundancy around this building.

It wont come to that. The superintendent chuckled. Our deputy chief constable will be back from his sabbatical soon; Bob Skinner attracts trouble like a magnet attracts pins.

True. Hes got another fortnight off, hasnt he?

Thats right, but hes thinking about coming back next week.

Is he at home?

No. His kids are off to spend the summer with their mum in the US and hes at his place in Spain for a couple of weeks.

Alone?

No, the Scottish Parliaments in recess, so Aileens gone with him.

Do you think this new relationship will last?

Bob and the First Minister? Yeah, I reckon it will. Shes been great for him, just when hes needed it. I was really worried about him for a while, after that armed incident up in St Andrews. I even thought we might have lost him; with that and his marriage break-up coming so close together, I was afraid he might have walked away from the job. Thank God for Aileen de Marco, I tell you; she helped him through it, and got him refocused. Now, six months on, hes as contented as Ive ever seen him.

McGuire made a small sound of agreement. Identifying Boras as the man who killed Stevie, he said, that helped him too, I reckon. You should have seen him interrogate the key witness. He even scared me shitless, and I was on his side of the table.

Hed get a bigger lift if we actually caught the bastard. Have you had any more feedback on that?

I make a point of asking every week. I wish to Christ it was our inquiry, not the Northumbrian forces. . and I think theyre beginning to feel that way too. Im becoming a nuisance to them. . not that Im apologising for it. . but the story Im getting hasnt hanged. We believe that Draen Boras is in the USA and weve asked the FBI to assist in tracking him down. Big help that is! I bloody well know hes in the USA: it was the DCC and me who told them so. We also told them theyd need political pressure to stir the FBI into action, and thats where theyre failing. Maybe well get some movement when the big man gets back from Spain. He knows the buttons to push.