Since they had entered the room, Yobatu had not moved a muscle. While Skinner spoke, and for several seconds afterwards, he sat with his head bowed, his gaze fixed on the space within the ‘V’ of his arms on the table.
Then, slowly, he raised his head. His eyes, unblinking, tracked across the table, but rose no higher than Skinner’s chest.
The big detective looked into the man’s face, and winced at what he saw.
The unforgettable fire that earlier had burned so fiercely was gone completely. The eyes were empty, devoid of expression, dead, and pitiful.
Speaking carefully, Skinner invited the man, for a second time, to make a statement.
There was no response. No movement. Not a flicker in those blank and awful eyes.
Skinner spoke again to the recorder. ‘The subject has declined to answer. I am now instructing that he be medically examined. This interview is at an end.’
Mackie switched off the tape. He followed Skinner from the room and sent the two constables back in.
Skinner went back to his office and called Sarah again. ‘Business this time, love. I’d like you to come up and take a look at Yobatu, to examine him physically, and then, if you agree that it’s necessary, to call in a psychiatrist.’
‘What are the symptoms?’
‘He’s withdrawn, gone away deep inside himself. He could be putting it on, but I don’t think so. He looks as if the soul has left his body, if that’s not too melodramatic a description for you.’
‘I’ll be right along.’
She arrived ten minutes later. Before taking her into the interview room, Skinner showed her the photograph of Yobatu, and described in detail their confrontation earlier in the day.
Yobatu did not resist as Sarah carried out a swift but thorough physical examination. Blood pressure, respiration, pulse and reflexes, all were normal, indeed better than average for a man in his forties.
During the examination Sarah asked Yobatu several questions. He responded to none and his expression remained fixed.
When she was finished, Sarah motioned Skinner outside.
‘Physically he’s fine. In some ways he’s a marvel. But you’d better get the head specialists in here now. This man is definitely not open for business. All the time I was working on him he didn’t blink once. He’s in as deep a trance as I’ve ever seen. Maybe it’s self-induced, but I doubt it. It’s more likely to be an extreme reaction to the shock of discovery, after what he thought was the perfect revenge. You’ve handled a few psychopaths, you must know how volatile they can be.’
Skinner nodded. ‘Yes, too true. Brian, call Kevin O’Malley at the Royal Edinburgh. Ask him to turn out, and to bring a trusted colleague. We’d better double up on this one.’
‘Very good, boss. There’s one other thing. The tip-off machine’s been at work already. The desk has had calls from the Scotsman and the Record.’
‘Bugger it! I’d hoped to avoid that for a few hours, at least. Some day I’m going to take the time to find out who that tip-off mechanic is and disconnect him, permanently.
‘Deal with it this way. Don’t put out a general statement, but say in answer to calls that a man is helping us with enquiries into recent incidents. Don’t mention Glasgow. They’ll ask if charges are imminent. You can say “no” with a clear conscience. We can’t do that till we know he can understand us.
‘We’d better tell the Fiscal too. Give him a call and get him, or the Depute, up here. And get Maggie Rose to ask Madame Yobatu who the family lawyer is. Chances are it’ll be one of the big firms.
‘Once you’ve got that sorted out, I’ll give the Chief a call. It’s time he was brought up to date.’
32
When Mackie returned to the outer office fifteen minutes later, Sarah was about to leave. As she closed Skinner’s door behind her, Mackie could have sworn he heard her say: ‘See you later then.’
He paused, then shook his head. ‘Nah, I’m hearing things.’
‘All done, sir,’ he reported to Skinner. ‘The answer’s going to the Scotsman and Record through channels, and anyone else who comes on will get the same story.
‘The shrinks are on their way. As far as Yobatu’s lawyer’s concerned Maggie says that Madame doesn’t want to involve him, but she’s called the Japanese Ambassador instead.’
Skinner whistled. ‘Has she indeed! We always knew this was a high-toned bastard. Now we know how high-toned. Right, now I can phone the Gaffer.’
Skinner interrupted the Proud family’s evening meal. The Chief Constable’s wife answered the telephone. All coppers were like sons to her, Skinner often thought.
‘Hello, Bob, haven’t seen you in long enough. You must be having a terrible time of it with all these murders and so on. Hold on. I’ll get Jimmy.’
The Chief Constable was still chewing something when he took the telephone. Skinner allowed him time to finish. Might choke when he hears what I’ve got to tell him, he thought.
He explained what had happened over the past few days, told of the raid on Yobatu, and of the arrest.
Relief swept down the telephone line. ‘Well done, Bob. Bloody good work. I’m happy for you, and for me, I don’t mind saying. For a while there I could see the knighthood going out the window!’ The man’s frankness was one of his best qualities.
Skinner laughed with him. ‘I hope you don’t feel I should have told you earlier, but it might have been a wild goose chase. If I brought you in on every bum lead you’d never finish a meal.’
‘That’s fine by me. Where is the man now?’
‘I’ve got him locked up at Fettes, Chief. But there’s a problem. Maybe two.’
He told Proud of Yobatu’s collapse, and of his wife’s subsequent telephone call to the Japanese Ambassador.
‘I see. When are the shrinks due?’
‘Any minute now.’
‘Well let’s see what they say. Do you want me to come in?’
‘No, better not. There’s just a chance that the papers might have this place staked out. If you arrive on a Sunday night, they’ll know it’s something big.’
‘Fair enough. Well look, keep me in touch. Do you think you’ll get a confession tonight?’
‘Not unless someone’s come up with a miracle cure for catatonic withdrawal. This bugger’s not kidding. There is nothing going on in his head ... nothing at all.’
‘What about the press side of it?’
‘I’ll play that by ear. I’m not issuing any further statement till I have something to say. If I feel that I need to have a press conference, I’ll consult you first.’
‘No, just do what you think best. But let me know if you hear from this Ambassador fella.’
‘Okay, boss.’
Skinner had just replaced the receiver when Willie Haggerty arrived, with another detective. The two shook hands, and Haggerty introduced his colleague. ‘This is Detective Sergeant David Bell.’ The other man was much taller than Haggerty, taller even than Skinner.
‘Where’s our man then, Mr Skinner?’ Haggerty was breezy and ebullient, typically Glaswegian.
‘He’s in a room of his own, with two big polismen, but for all he knows he could be on a South Sea island, or back in Japan in a rice-paper house.
‘You see, Willie, our man Yobatu has gone quietly out of his tree.
‘I’m just waiting for two eminent practitioners to arrive, to take a look inside his head. I’ll be bloody surprised if they find anything, though. So I don’t think you should see him right at this moment.’ Skinner’s face split into an untypically mischievous grin. ‘I’ll show you Shun Lee’s nuts, though, if you like!’
The stocky detective grimaced, throwing up his hands in mock horror. ‘Aw yous’re all fuckin’ heart and generosity through here in Edinburgh!’
When the laughter had subsided, Skinner told Haggerty, from the beginning, the story of the Yobatu connection, taking it through to the confrontation in the Balerno conservatory, to the discoveries in the garage,
and to the abortive interview.
‘Christ,’ said Haggerty, ‘it all fits, but it’s all so bloody bizarre. He does Shun Lee, then Mortimer, then the girl. But along the way, after Mortimer, he does in three innocent punters here in Edinburgh, one of them a copper, to blind you to the link between those three murders. We think that the Triads did Shun, and that the girl was a jumper. You’re supposed to think that Burke and fuckin’ Hare are back in business.’
‘That’s how it looks, Willie.’
‘Jesus, it would chill you to the fuckin’ marrow, would it no’? And you didnae even know he was at Queen Street till he told you?’
‘No we did not. I don’t know how I kept a straight face when he came out with that one.’
As Haggerty shook his head in wonderment, there was a quick soft knock on the door. Mackie stepped into the room.
‘Two things, sir. ’ Things often came in pairs with Mackie, Skinner had noticed. ‘One, Mr O’Malley and the other nutcracker have arrived. Two, Mr Martin’s on the phone.’
33
Andy and Joanne, his lady of the past six months, had just settled into their table in the plush, red-upholstered Asian restaurant in Frederick Street, when Andy bleeped.
‘Pardon me?’ said Joanne.
‘Sorry,’ he said, his blond hair emphasising his sudden blush. ‘It’s this new job. I’ve got to carry one of these pager things with me everywhere.’
‘Everywhere?’
‘Everywhere!’ He reached behind his back. Clipped into his belt was a box smaller than a cigarette packet. ‘Can’t be out of touch, you see, in case the balloon goes up, or whatever. Alec Smith is still in post, officially, but the first thing the sod did in our handover was to give me this gizmo here.’ The little box bleeped again. ‘Okay, I’m coming!’
Martin looked at the small screen. His expression grew serious. ‘You’re back at work,’ said Joanne accusingly.
‘Look, I’m sorry, but I’m going to have to make a phone call. Not from here, but from the car. Will you excuse me for five minutes?’
‘Once more, Andy, just once more!’
‘Thanks. Sorry. Back soon.’ He rushed out of the restaurant and across the street to his car.
The message on his pager told him to call a London 071-number. Martin had a photographic memory for such details and he recognised it as one of a series which Alec Smith had given him during the handover, unlisted numbers connecting to people in and around Whitehall who were not listed in any directory. Some were security-related. This was diplomatic. He switched on the car telephone and dialled the number.
Three minutes later he was back in the restaurant. The elegantly dressed waiter was hovering over Joanne, who was making a show of studying the menu.
‘Give us a minute,’ Andy told the man, who nodded and backed away. ‘Listen, Jo, I have to go back. I’ll take you home for now, and pick you up later.’
He made their excuses to the waiter, pressing two crumpled Royal Bank of Scotland pound notes into the man’s hand.
‘Thank you, sir,’ the waiter said with an understanding smile.
He dropped Joanne in Marchmont Road. ‘About later, Andy. Just forget it!’ She slammed the door and stormed into the dimly lit close of the tall grey tenement.
‘Fuck it!’ He snarled through narrowed lips. ‘Never changes, does it.’
Before moving off he dialled the Fettes Avenue number. As he swung the Astra away from the kerb, he pressed the send button.
The ringing tone boomed out of the system’s speaker. After three rings, a clear male voice answered: ‘Police Headquarters.’
‘This is Chief Inspector Martin. Please connect me with Chief Superintendent Skinner, right away.’
34
‘What the hell does Andy want?’ Skinner asked the question aloud, but to no one in particular. He looked up at Mackie from his swivel chair. ‘Okay, tell them to put him through here.’ Mackie disappeared, and a few seconds later, the telephone rang.
Skinner picked it up on the first tone. ‘Hello, Andy, what’s up? Was the Pakora too spicy for you?’
‘I didn’t get that far, boss.’ Skinner could tell from the booming tone that the call was coming from Martin’s car.
‘Look, I can’t explain over the phone, but I’ve had a message from an outside agency. They ask that there should be no further questioning of our guest at this time.’
In the car, Martin felt awkward, and on the spot. He had never heard anyone give Skinner an order before; now he was doing it himself. The message was second-hand and courteously phrased, but it was an order, and they both knew it.
Haggerty and Bell saw Skinner frown. ‘I hear you, Andy. The request, he leaned heavily on the word, ’is academic.’ Now Martin was puzzled. ’However, we will comply. See you when?’
‘Ten minutes, tops.’
‘Okay.’ Skinner replaced the receiver, slamming it into the cradle. Haggerty cast him an enquiring look.
‘What’s up?’
‘Dirty work at the bloody crossroads, perhaps. It seems that our silent pal might have friends in high places watching over him. Whatever it is, it’s too secret for an open telephone line. Andy’ll explain when he gets back. In the meantime, if you need to brief your gaffer, there’s the phone.’
‘Bugger that, sir, have we got time for a pint?’
‘You Glasgow boys get your priorities right, don’t you. Come on. Andy can wait!’
When they returned, the two psychiatrists were waiting in the CID office, drinking bad coffee and completing their assessment of Yobatu.
Kevin O‘Malley looked up as Skinner came into the room. ’Hello, Bob, how are you?’
‘I’m in better shape than Yobatu, I reckon. What d’you think?’
‘Complete withdrawal. The man’s had a massive shock. It could be guilt. It could be the fact of his daughter’s death getting through to him at last. As far as fitness to plead is concerned, let me have him in hospital for a week and I’ll give you a considered view.
‘On the face of it, from the information that your man Mackie gave us, we think he’s probably a psychopathic personality with two extremes of behaviour, huge energy or total depressive introspection. When the top end reaches a critical point, a mental fuse blows and he collapses into the state he’s in now.’
‘Can you fix the fuse?’
‘Maybe we can, maybe we can’t. But we’ll begin by putting him to sleep for a few days, with your agreement.’
‘I might not have a choice. There’s something funny about this one. In fact, Kevin, there’s a lot funny about it. I’m a guy who’s suspicious by nature of things that fall into place too easily.’
35
Martin was waiting in Skinner’s office. He rose as the Chief Superintendent rose as he entered the room. ‘Hi, Andy. You don’t know our Strathclyde colleagues, do you?’ He introduced Haggerty and Bell.
For Andy, the new title still had an awesome ring. ‘Good evening, gentlemen. Pleased to meet you. My message has implications for you too, so it’s as well that you’re here.
‘Just over an hour ago, my office had a “most urgent” call from a bloke called Allingham. He’s a Superintendent in the Met, but on secondment to the Foreign Office. I suppose you’d describe him as part of the Diplomatic Service. His job is to deal, as quietly as possible, with awkward incidents involving foreign embassies and nationals.
‘It must keep him busy, for he was in his office this evening, when he had a call from the Japanese Ambassador. According to him, the Ambassador was well upset. He had just been told by Madame Yobatu of her husband’s arrest, of the things we found, and of the likelihood of murder charges. The Ambassador’s on the spot, boss, and so are we all.
‘What we didn’t know, and what Yobatu and his wife didn’t choose to tell us, is that the guy has vice-consular status.’
He paused only for breath, but that was time enough for Skinner to explode, ‘Jesus Henry Christ! You know what that means don’t you.’
‘Exactly, boss. Yobatu has diplomatic immunity!’
‘Marvellous, just fucking marvellous!’ It was one of the few times that Martin had heard Skinner really raise his voice in anger. He decided, very quickly, to wait for the storm to blow over. Even the case-hardened Haggerty looked awed.
‘So what does Mr bloody Allingham want us to do? Turn this murderous lunatic back out on the street?’
‘No, boss. He hasn’t asked that, not yet anyway. The Ambassador wants to talk to you, face-to-face, before deciding what should happen. But he can’t order Yobatu to waive immunity, nor can he sack him retrospectively. Anyway, the Ambassador, whose name is Shi-Bachi, is flying up himself, tonight. He’ll be on the 8.40 British Midland, arriving here about ten o’clock. Allingham is coming with him, and it was him who asked that there should be no further questioning until they arrive.’
Skinner laughed, a short laugh without humour. ‘That’s no problem at all.’
‘What do you mean, boss?’
‘The man’s a vegetable, Andy. He’s had a complete mental collapse. Kevin O’Malley’s just gone off to arrange for his admission to the Royal Edinburgh, and Brian Mackie’s away to get Madame Yobatu, so that she can sign him in.’
Martin whistled. ‘That could be dicey. What if Madame decides to cut up rough, and starts denying everything on her old man’s behalf. Could we wind up being the bad guys here?’
The hard edge had gone from Skinner’s voice. He laughed that odd laugh once more. ‘She can say what she likes, Andy. But there’s one thing, or rather two, that she can’t talk her way round. Remember what was in that toffee box in her old man’s garage!’
He turned to Haggerty. ‘Willie, you’ve got an interest in this. You’d better stay here to see the Ambassador. Get your boss through if you think it wise. Don’t worry, though, if the shite does hit the ventilator over this, I’ll make sure that none of it splatters on you.’
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