By All Means (Fiske and MacNee Mysteries Book 2) (26 page)

The independence campaign is majoring on the fact that, by their measures, Scotland’s economy is performing better than the UK. However, if the performance of enterprises in Scotland, particularly those that depend on foreign capital, were to decline sharply, or if foreign companies withdrew or delayed investment, the terms of the independence debate would change.   It could go either way: it could make people more defensive about Scotland’s future and so more inclined to support independence; or it could make them more nervous and inclined to see the bigger UK economy as a safety net for companies operating in Scotland.   I think the former is more likely.

Vanessa emailed the link to the article to MacNee and Esslemont.

*

DCI Fiske was just about to leave for the day when she took a call from DCC Chris Jenkinson, whom she hadn’t seen since the evening of the WPNS meeting in Perth.

‘Hi, Vanessa. I hear it’s twins. Clever girl!  Get it all over in one go, one pregnancy, one maternity leave.  Couldn’t be better!   Would you like to have that discussion soon?’

‘In principle, yes.  But I’ve been trying not to think about it until this double murder enquiry is over.’

‘But I knew you had made the arrests.  That’s why I decided to phone you.  Is there a problem?’

‘Not as such.  I’m sure we’ve got the right people in custody, and we may even lay some more charges.  It’s just that it’s kind of grown legs.   You’ll know it’s already a bit political. Might be about to become more so.  The DCS, Colin MacNee and I may have to have a session with the Chief tomorrow.’

‘Possibly not the best day.  The Justice Secretary is announcing who’s got the top job at a press conference in Edinburgh at noon.  I’d get in before that, if you can.’

‘Understood!  Can I get in touch when things are less fraught?  I need to think about how I should plan things, and a chat with you will help to clear my head.’

‘Fine.  Look forward to it. Oh, and it would be nice to meet Neil some time.  Come to dinner one weekend, when my husband’s here.’

*

‘Not the Cayman Islands, my sweet, the British Virgin Islands.’

Vanessa was hanging up her coat and shouting to Neil, who was searing a couple of salmon steaks, and, at more or less the same time, trimming some asparagus spears.

‘That’s where the money was coming from, a shell company with nominee directors, just as you said.  Andy Hanna’s trying to find out who really owns the account, but he’s not very hopeful.’

‘Nor should he be. Tax havens rely on secrecy.  BVI, though, has been the target of a lot of investigative journalism, mainly about very rich expats avoiding tax, but if any big names had come up, we’d know.’

‘What if the name was Roskill?  Would that have made a headline?’

‘Oh, I think so!  Is that who you think was paying MacIver?  But why?’

‘I’m working on that.  But if any of your old mates at Canary Wharf can help, I’d appreciate it.  I have sexual favours to offer!’

She put her arms round Neil’s neck and kissed him.

‘I get them anyway…unless you’re offering them to my old mates at Canary Wharf…’

A look was enough.

‘As it happens, I spoke to one of the said mates today.  I asked him if there was any unusual activity on the shell company front and he said that there’s a rumour doing the rounds of the City to the effect that Roskill has been setting up companies and registering them abroad.  He didn’t know how many, and he didn’t know where.   Odd though that Roskill’s name should cross both our desks on the same day.’

‘Yes, it is.  And I don’t believe in coincidence, as you know.  Now, serendipity, that’s a whole other ball of wax.  I need to phone Andy Hanna.’

*

Vanessa had arranged for Colin MacNee join her at a meeting  with Esslemont at nine o’clock on Friday morning and had asked the DCS to make a provisional arrangement to see the Chief Constable as soon as possible after their discussion.  When she told Colin about the meetings, he had asked if he could have a discussion with her before they saw Esslemont.   He was waiting for her when she got to HQ.

They collected coffees from the canteen and as they were walking back to Vanessa’s office, she asked Colin what was on his mind.

‘Roskill.   But I need a whiteboard before we talk about him.’

Colin stood beside the small whiteboard in Vanessa’s office, armed with a selection of coloured markers.

‘Let’s look at how many times Roskill’s name has come up since the murders.   As soon as we linked Vermont One and GRH to Burtonhall, we learned, from Neil in the first instance I think, that he’s on Burtonhall’s board.  Then you approached the Foreign Office for help in getting the emails.  Sir Justin Carey, the Permanent Secretary, questions your need to see them and he’s very close to Roskill.  You suspected that Roskill had approached Carey twice – before you went to the FO and after you planted the story that nailed Fleming. Then we find that he’s a non-exec on the board of Mercury Fulfilment, and Mancuso, albeit pissed, says he’s showing an interest in Last Cairngorm. Dongle finds that MacIver’s been researching Roskill’s activities.  Then you come up with that quote from him about how disinvestment by foreign companies might affect the independence debate.   I think all that makes him a person of interest to us.  We need to talk to him.’

‘You’re probably right.  And there’s more.  The money that was paid into MacIver’s account, and then passed on to MacIlwraith and Mathieson, came from an account in the British Virgin Islands. The account is controlled by a company registered in BVI and run by nominee directors. However, we don’t know who’s behind it.   But Neil got a tip from a pal in the City yesterday to the effect that Roskill’s rumoured to be setting up shell companies and registering them abroad.  And you know how I feel about coincidence!’

Colin returned to the whiteboard.  ‘I’ve been thinking about the exchange of coded emails that Dongle found on MacIver’s laptop. We know that
[email protected]
is MacIver.  But we don’t know who
[email protected]
is.’

‘I know that look!  You’ve got a theory, haven’t you?’

‘Yep! I had a look at a biography of Roskill.  He’s James Michael Roskill, and although he was always know as “James” in public life, to his family and close friends he’s “Mike”…’

‘Bit of a stretch…’

‘Bear with me.  The other part of his email address is ‘exflt’.  It took me some time to come up with this – actually it was when a camera on the news last night zoomed in on
the door of 10 Downing Street that I twigged – but the formal title of the PM is “First Lord of the Treasury”. “FLT”.  So I think mike@exflt is Roskill.   And the content of the later email exchanges is very close to the stuff in the interview you emailed to me and the DCS.’

‘Makes sense to me!  We’ll have to convince Esslemont.  And the Chief’s looking at quite a difficult day.'

CHAPTER TWENTY

The First Minister had gone to ground.   She hadn't been seen in public since she had answered questions in Parliament on the day of Paul MacIver's arrest.  For a politician so determined to be in the papers and on the news as often as feasible, and daily if possible, her invisibility was already causing comment.  The press had suggested that she was avoiding questions on the arrest of her closest adviser.   She had cancelled a scheduled constituency surgery in Montrose on Saturday, and the Justice Department had said that the announcement of the head of the new unified police force for the whole of Scotland, and the introduction of the appointee to the press, on Friday at noon, would be handled by the Justice Secretary.  This was the delivery of one of her government's flagship policies.  Her absence was eloquent. 

At noon, in a briefing room in St Andrews House on Edinburgh's Calton Hill, the Justice Secretary announced to a press conference that the Chief Constable of Lothian and Borders Police would be the first Commissioner of the new Scotland-wide force. For a few minutes, after speeches from the minister and the new appointee, the reporters observed the proprieties and addressed their questions to the Commissioner.  They were predictable and unchallenging, about crime rates and the possible loss of local responsiveness, the effect of cost-cutting on crime detection and the visibility of the 'bobby on the beat.' 

'Kevin Bennett,
Glasgow Banner.' 
A shadow of apprehensiveness passed across the face of the Justice Secretary. The new Commissioner looked unconcerned. 'Hedelco, Ebright, Mercury, Last.  Major American companies with big investments in Scotland. All targets of major crimes in less than a fortnight.  All the good coppers I know don't believe in coincidence.  What's your view, Commissioner?  And yours, if it comes to it, Minister?'

The two men on the platform looked at each other. The Justice Secretary nodded. The Commissioner rose.

'I can't comment on ongoing enquiries.  However, I will say that the creation of a Scotland-wide organisation will improve co-ordination, especially when links emerge between apparently separate crimes.'

Bennett was on his feet before the minister could call anyone else.

'Perhaps the Justice Secretary, who already has a nationwide remit, would care to comment.  And while he's at it, he could tell us why the First Minister's not here.  Is she afraid she might be asked about Paul MacIver?'

The Justice Secretary looked very uncomfortable and a little shifty.

'It would be inappropriate for me to say anything that might be interpreted as interference in operational policing...'

Sotto voce,
a reporter said, to some laughter, 'Christ! He's dipping into the cliché bank!'

'...and we should concentrate here on the delivery of the government's commitment to a Scotland-wide police service.'

'Oh, come off it!'  This was Jason Sime of the Aberdeen
Gazette & Times.
He identified himself and went on. 'I've been covering this story since the start and it's turning into the biggest news story Scotland's seen since the children were murdered in Dunblane.  And it's as much politics as crime.  How can you stand there and refuse to say anything about it?  And what kind of leadership is it that goes into hiding in the face of a developing national scandal?'

The Justice Secretary was gathering up his papers.

'Thank you, ladies and gentlemen.  Further information will be provided by police HQ and, as appropriate, by my office.'

The reporters were already on their phones and laptops, inputting copy for websites and early editions.  The broadcast journalists were facing cameras and microphones on the steps of St Andrews House.  From the Government's perspective, it wouldn't be pretty.

*

DCS Esslemont listened carefully to Fiske and MacNee as they described what they called "the Roskill connection".

'We certainly can't ignore it, but you don't have enough to approach him, much less confront him.  It may be that somewhere in what you've got there's a motive for these murders, and maybe a connection to Last and Mercury, but you've still got some work to do to stand them up.   We'll need to talk to the Chief.  There are obvious political ramifications, on top of the fall-out from the MacIver arrest. And there are resource implications, if you're going to have to go to London and, possibly, further afield. If there is a connection to Last and Mercury, this is going to become even bigger than we already expected.'

'Should we see him this morning?' Fiske asked.  'The new Scottish police chief is being announced at noon.  If the Chief's here, I assume that it's not going to be him.  But it may not be the best time.'

Esslemont smiled sardonically. 'On the contrary!  He'll be keen to show that it's business as usual. And an even higher profile for this case might be just what he wants, especially if he can be persuaded that we've got a better than even chance of cracking it, and getting convictions for both murders.  Helping to nail the Last and Mercury cases would be a bonus.  And there will be big jobs on offer in the new force.'

'Sir, so far only you, me and DCI Fiske know about the Roskill connection.'  Colin MacNee was thinking about the "good old-fashioned police work" that would be needed before they could approach Roskill. 'If, as you put it, we're going to be able to stand this up, we'll need to put some people on it – DC’s and DS’s - so they'll have to be told why they're being asked to investigate Roskill, even if it's only from their desks.'

Vanessa Fiske thought she should underline the point.   'I've sent Williamson and Todd to Edinburgh to talk to a woman who's a co-signatory on the account that's been sending money to Mathieson and MacIlwraith.  I'd like them on this because they've been feeling a bit out of it.  Sara and Aisha can help, too. But we'll need to backfill to be sure all the local loose ends are tied up.'

Esslemont sighed.  'All right.  If the Chief agrees that you should follow this up, I'll make sure you've got the bodies.'

*

'We're moving next week to a shop front location on Princes Street. We'll be a lot more visible when the campaign gets into high gear.'

Morven Trask was showing DCs Williamson and Todd into her office on the second floor of a nondescript building on Jeffrey Street with nothing to commend it except a wonderful view of the Art Deco detail of the back elevation of St Andrews House, where, just as they arrived, the Justice Secretary was announcing their new boss.

'Thank you for seeing us, Miss Trask.' Duncan Williamson said.

'No problem, and please call me Morven.  I'm not sure how I can help you.'

Stewart Todd reached into his backpack and took out a clear plastic folder containing a couple of sheets of paper.  'This is a print-out of a bank statement in the name of the "SF Club".  We found the account in the course of the investigation that led to the arrest of Paul MacIver.  What can you tell us about it?'

'I was a member of the SF Club when I was at uni.  It was, maybe still is, the student wing of the Scottish Freedom Party.  I've had nothing to do with it for years.  Not since I joined the SNP and got elected to the Scottish Parliament in 2003.'

Either she doesn't know what we've got, Duncan Williamson thought, or she's very good.

'How was the SFP different from the SNP?'

'It was a splinter group. Split away after the failed referendum in 1979.  Much more radical than the SNP.  More left wing.  Sometimes talked about "direct action".  But they were all talk. That's why I left.  At least the SNP had a plan, especially after the parliament was set up.'

'No contact at all?'

'I suppose I may have met some SFP members over the years.'

'Nothing more?'

'No.' She was beginning to look uneasy. 'What's this about?'

'Morven, according to the bank, you are a co-signatory on this account. The other signatory is Paul MacIver.'

She blanched.  She looked genuinely surprised and shocked.

'I had completely forgotten about that.  I agreed to be co-signatory when we...when I was a student.  But Paul ran the account.  He told me the bank needed two signatories.'

'Why you?' Duncan Williamson had picked up the folder and was making a show of examining the statement very closely. 'Why did MacIver ask you?'

She closed her eyes and leaned back in her chair, looking at the ceiling, as though she was considering how to respond.  She seemed to come to a decision.  She leaned forward, elbows on the desk.

'I had a relationship with him when we were students.  It ended when I decided that the SFP weren't into serious politics.  Paul stayed, at least for a time.  We've hardly spoken since.'

'Hard to credit,' Stewart Todd said, 'What with you taking a high profile role in the campaign for independence and MacIver advising the First Minister.'

'There are Chinese walls between the government and the campaign.  I'm on one side, he's on the other.'

If Stewart had known what an old-fashioned look was, he'd have shot her one.  Instead he said, 'So, when did you last speak to him?'

'At last year's party conference in Aviemore.  I bumped into him at the Leader's Reception.  We exchanged pleasantries, no more. He keeps himself out of the limelight.'

'So, you're telling us that you've had nothing to do with this account, of which you acknowledge being a signatory, for more than ten years?'

'Yes.'

'When did MacIver leave the SFP?'

'I'm not entirely sure.  He went abroad after uni - Canada, I think, Montreal. He was away for a couple of years, so I suppose he decided to join the SNP when he came back.  He got a job on the
Glasgow Banner
writing editorials and political analysis.  That's what brought him to the attention of the FM.  She took him on when she was Finance Secretary.'

'Are you sure he left the SFP?'

Morven Trask was incredulous.  'He couldn't be in both parties. Could he?'

*

As they left Morven Trask's office just after one o'clock, Stewart checked the train times and found that they could be back in Aberdeen at 1546 hrs.  He phoned Fiske's admin support and asked if the team meeting could be delayed until four.  Confirmation came back as they descended the stairs to the concourse of Waverley Station. 

For Fiske and MacNee, the extra time was welcome.  They had arranged for Mathieson and MacIlwraith to be brought from the remand wing of Aberdeen Prison at one o'clock.  Now they could arrange for them to be followed by MacIver at three.  Fiske and Hamilton would interview Mathieson while MacNee and Gajani tackled MacIlwraith.  Once they had discussed the product of these interviews, Fiske and MacNee would talk to MacIver.

'The weakest link in this, boss, is MacIlwraith.  He's not very bright, as Dongle says. It's easier to understand how he dropped out of university than how he got in.  I intend to put quite a lot of pressure on him.'

'That's fine.  Just make sure you check the audio and video equipment before you start.  And be prepared for his brief to shut him up if he begins to incriminate himself.'

'I always do.  Doesn't do anybody's career any good to lose a conviction because of technicalities.  I want him to incriminate the others.  I don't care if he does it deliberately or accidentally.'

*

MacNee and Gajani entered the interview room just after one o’clock.  MacIlwraith and his lawyer were already there, accompanied by a uniformed constable who got up and sat outside the door as soon as the two detectives arrived.

As Colin MacNee sat down, Aisha Gajani switched on the recording equipment.  Colin recorded the time and the names of those present and then turned to MacIlwraith.

'Mr MacIlwraith, how do you keep body and soul together?'