Part 33 (1/2)

DC Malone walked up the stairs to the witness room.

'You've got a b.l.o.o.d.y cheek,' snapped Bancho. 'History? That you sold Fishy down the river and want to do the same to me?'

'Firstly, I'd like to say I'm sorry.'

'Sorry? Do you think that's enough for ruining a fifteen-year career? I joined the police as a cadet straight from school; I don't think ”sorry” quite cuts it.'

'You're not making it easy for me, Duncan.'

'Not making it easy? For you? You have got a b.l.o.o.d.y nerve, Brodie.'

'I want to ask for an adjournment today tell the Fiscal you don't oppose.'

'Why should I?'

'Because someone planted those jewels on Bernard Carpenter, and I've just remembered you're the kind of cop who wouldn't approve of it.'

'You've pushed me too far this time, Brodie, I swear. I still intend to do you for Alex Cattanach's attack.'

'Just speak to the Fiscal. I'm going to say I'm ill.'

I ran back in and the case was called first on the roll in Court Nine before Sheriff Harrison.

'Bernard Carpenter?'

I spoke up. 'I appear on behalf of Bernard Carpenter. I seek to adjourn this case on the grounds that the defence agent is too ill to proceed to trial I understand that the Fiscal has no objections.'

The baby-faced boy representing the Crown was only too delighted to get rid of this hot potato and quickly nodded his a.s.sent. Bernard looked nonplussed. He wasn't important I didn't have to explain myself to him at the moment.

'Before you rush off, Miss MacGregor, I'd like a word with you,' said Harrison. 'If you are well enough?' he added with a smirk.

'Court!'

The sheriff clerk shouted as Sheriff Harrison left the bench. We all stood up and I made moves to follow him to his chambers. Was he going to ask me what was wrong with me? I needed to get moving fast; maybe I should tell him I had a.n.a.l leakage a friend of mine always threatened to write notes to her son's teachers saying that was what he had if he ever tried to wing a day off school. At least I'd embarra.s.s him; I'd bet my feet wouldn't touch the ground.

I closed the door behind me. The room was well sound-proofed and my feet moved silently across the thick red carpet. Harrison's wig lay in the corner of the desk and he looked oddly human, younger than I had remembered. I was also uncomfortably aware that I owed him a favour after the Tanya Hayder case.

'I heard poor Miss Hayder died in that rehab you fought so hard to get her into.'

I nodded at him.

'Sometimes we should be careful what we wish for if the poor wretch had ended up in Cornton Vale it's likely she would be alive today, ready to shoplift on her release. Don't misunderstand me; I am not laying Miss Hayder's death at your door, it was her wishes I was referring to. Still, let's move on to other matters, no less difficult.'

He looked down at his desk and shuffled his papers. I got the impression that no matter how much he needed to say what was on his mind, he didn't want to say it.

'Mmmm ... yes, well, the thing is ... I have a daughter. A rather brilliant, rather wayward daughter. She has just finished at Edinburgh University. Much to my surprise she managed to qualify in law, summa c.u.m laude.'

'You must be very proud,' I told him, pretty sure I was on safe ground with that response.

He looked at me over his half-moon gla.s.ses. For some reason I felt sorry for him.

'You'd think that until you meet her. Anyway, I'm sure you know from your own experience that after graduation the first thing to deal with is, erm, the future. By now she is desirous of obtaining a trainees.h.i.+p.'

'With her degree, the top Edinburgh and London firms will be queuing up to take her,' I said.

He shook his head.

'No. No, they will not. In any event, Louisa has decided that she wants you she has developed a rather close relations.h.i.+p with her Professor of Pathology.'

'Patch?' I interrupted. I would have to have a word with him. I bet he put her up to it. Still, I was intrigued to meet the girl. She must be quite something if Patch was recommending her to me.

'If you don't mind I will call her in now,' said Sheriff Harrison, deciding that the discussion was behind us.

It didn't really matter what the snotty posh girl was like, I was stuck with her for two years because I owed her daddy a favour. Why she wanted to be my trainee was beyond me. Patch must have waxed lyrical about my abilities, and her father must have kept quiet about what he thought about me.

'Louisa! Come in now, darling, I know that you're listening at the door.'

There are very few people who make you forget what you were doing the instant that you met them. But I will never forget my first impression of Louisa Harrison. It could have been her bright pink, extremely unattractive hair, wispy to the point of thinness and hanging in a rat's tail down her back. It could have been the fact that she had her leather jacket on, which she must have thought was de rigueur office-wear at Lothian and St Clair. Or possibly it was the fact that she was one of the smallest, most misshapen people I had ever seen. I wasn't aware that I was staring until she spoke. Her voice was high and squeaky.

'Osteogenesis imperfecta,' she informed me. 'Brittle bones. And imperfectly formed ones at that. That's why I look like Quasimodo's sister.'

Her tone was chirpy and matter of fact.

Sheriff Harrison shrugged his shoulders. It seemed that she was my problem now.

'Oh, right. Your father says that you're keen to do your trainees.h.i.+p with me?'

She didn't answer; she wasn't going to give me any help.

'So, when do you want to start?'

'How about right now?' She was keen enough to answer that one. 'That's why I'm wearing my leathers.'

'I don't have a helmet for you,' I said, trying to get rid of her, whilst being pretty d.a.m.n impressed that she had brought her own leathers and knew so much about my devotion to the bike. I couldn't use the excuse of not feeling well to someone who had obviously gone through so much pain in her life.

'Don't worry. I've got my own.'

I gained the distinct impression that Louisa Harrison was used to dealing with people who tried to fob her off.

'You two girls have fun,' shouted Sheriff Harrison as he ran back in to court.

'It's not been easy for him,' Louisa said wisely.

I already had the feeling it wasn't going to be easy for me.

'How did you get friendly with Patch?' I asked as we made our way to the bike.