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‘Aye, man. Low key, dead quiet at this time of the year and it has a cell we can house you in. It’s nice and secure, and we even have a friendly custody sergeant to look after you,’ said Danny, unbuckling his seatbelt and stretching his back with a wince.
‘Well, I’m fucking delighted,’ Frankie replied, with maximum sarcasm.
‘Ach, don’t moan, man. Proper mattress on the bed, a decent bog,and the sergeant will order whatever food you need brought in. There’s even a telly. Think of it as a holiday, eh? Think of us, pal, having to stay awake and make sure you’re safe, and it’ll be Baltic tonight, as well,’ said Danny, cheerfully.
Frankie was surprised to hear himself chuckle, and he realised that the journey, whilst fast, had included some truly spectacular scenery as they’d negotiated the winding Highland roads, around vast lochs and snow-capped munros. After his time in jail, this had proved to be almost cathartic, and now the prospect of a quiet location, decent food and no homicidal prisoners trying to kill him was actually quite attractive, even if it did mean doing a deal with the polis.
‘When’s my lawyer getting up here?’
‘I’m told she’s heading up here now, although the location is only being shared with her a bit at a time for security reasons. I don’t think she’ll be so long as she’s staying in a B and B close by and will need to check in. Janie said that she was going to pop in and see you before she got settled, and then I think you’re having a quick initial chat with her and Max before you’re bedded down for the night. It’ll be a full day of it tomorrow,’ said Jim.
‘Cannae wait.’
The door that was under the sign swung open, and a uniformed cop stepped out, and looked left and right before approaching the BMW. He was a well-fleshed, grey-haired man in his forties, his physique really not suited to the black nylon wicking T-shirt and cargo trousers that he was wearing. Jim lowered the window and pulled out his ID badge. ‘Sergeant McCallister?’
‘Aye, that’s me. Is this Frankie?’ he said in a sing-song Highland accent that was pure west coast.
‘Certainly is, sarge. I’m Jimmy from the NCA PPU escort and protection team, are we all ready?’
‘Certainly am. I’ve spent all day making it proper nice like. Decent mattress on the bed, it’s plenty warm and I think you’ll havea good night. Come on, let’s get you in and settled,’ he said, his smile widening, showing surprisingly white and even teeth.
Both cars were parked up, the BMW at the back of the house, the Lexus on the hardstanding in front of the office door. The driver remained in the car.
‘We’ll always have one of us outside, once the sun goes down, we’ll be nicely discrete,’ said Danny.
‘I’d no worry about it, pal. It’s dead of winter here, no bugger about after dark, apart from the occasional person making a foray for a drink,’ said the sergeant.
The station was essentially an office with a small counter, and a lone computer on a desk. There was a filing cabinet and a radio tuned to a local station, and it was pleasantly warm and cosy after the biting cold outside.
‘Frankie, your room is through here,’ said Sergeant McCallister, walking through a small corridor to a heavy wooden door, with a solid lock on the outside, and tellingly no handle or keyhole on the inside. ‘I’ve tried to make it as cosy as I can, pal, but when all’s said and done, it’s still a cell.’ He stepped to one side, and extended his arm, as if ushering a guest into a hotel bedroom at The Ritz.
Frankie wasn’t too disappointed. It was still a cell, but it had a small reinforced window, a low platform bed, but a decent-looking mattress on it, and a TV in the corner on a low table. There was a new-looking duvet and pillow on the bed. A toilet was behind a screen at the back of the room.
‘It’s no top luxury, but it’s cosy enough, and there’s a shower in the corridor with everything you’ll need.’ The sergeant almost seemed proud of his efforts.
‘Thanks, sarge. Looks fine, and I appreciate you making it as nice as possible for me,’ said Frankie, initially intending to be sarcastic, but the man was so calm and diffident that he didn’t have the heart.
‘Nothing of it, man. I’m getting paid a heap of overtime for this.Anything you need, just give me a shout, yeah? There’s a button by the door. Cuppa?’
‘Aye, that’d be great.’ The sergeant nodded and wandered off, whistling tunelessly, leaving just Danny in the cell with him.
‘Right, Frankie. We’re here to keep you safe, so if there’s any drama we’ll be right in to get you away, so for God’s sake, if we seem like we’re acting with urgency, no daft questions, and just do as you’re told. This is our full-time job, protecting you, and we’ve picked this place because it’s easy to protect. Understand?’
Frankie nodded, and Danny turned on his heel and left the cell, shutting the door with the all-too-familiar thump. Frankie sat on the bed, and sighed. He was doing it. The thing he’d always said he’d never do. Help the police. Strangely he felt nothing. No regret, no fear, no shame. He’d had his fill of this life, which had cost the lives of all his family. He was the last of the Hardies, and he was hoping he’d have the one thing he’d always secretly wanted. Normality.
He was determined that he’d get this thing done, and then he’d find a way to live a normal life. He picked up the remote control from the bed and flicked on the TV.
55
Ace: Lochinver. Now.
D: I know. We’re travelling up. Will update when objective completed.
56
IT WAS THATdeep, almost velvety dark that you only get in the remote Highlands of Scotland when Max and Janie pulled up around the back of the police station in Lochinver as they’d been instructed to do by Danny. Janie yawned as she switched off the engine, and turned to look at Max.
‘Sometimes I think that I should get a job in a control room, or something, rather than working the bloody stupid hours we do. Melissa is moaning. Look, five bloody texts. And it’s your fault.’
