‘Dammit!' He kicked a stone in frustration and tore the instrument from his pocket. He jerked out the aerial and pushed the receive button. 'Yes!' he snapped.
`Bob?' The man on the other end of the call sounded taken aback. 'Z'at you?'
The DCC was so surprised that for a moment he forgot his argument with Sarah. 'Adam?
What the bloody hell do you want?'
It had been over a year since Skinner had seen Captain Adam Arrow, although the two were close friends. The little soldier had stood by his side during some of the most dangerous moments of his life, and the very sound of his Derbyshire tones was enough to lift the policeman's spirits.
`That's a fine 'ello for an old mate,' said Arrow.
`Sorry, chum,' Skinner replied sincerely. 'You caught me at a bad moment. In a bad place, in fact.'
It's all right, I know where you are. I tried to get you at Fettes a few minutes back. Your mate Elder told me.'
Eh? But Jim said that my London office was looking for me. I thought you weren't attached to Five any more.'
I'm not, Bob, but it was easier to tell him that.' Suddenly Arrow sounded uncharacteristically serious. I'm back with the MOD. I'm Head of the Security Section.
I'll leave you to guess what that covers.
`Look, mate, the fookin' shit's going to hit the fan just directly. The plane that came down on your patch this morning had two VVIPs on board: Colin Davey, the Secretary of State for Defence, and Shaun Massey, the American Defense Secretary.'
Skinner whistled softly. `Jesus! That's all we need. What were they doing there? And why wasn't I told that they were coming on to my territory?'
`There's a NATO exercise on this weekend in Scotland — off the west coast. Davey and Massey were going to look in on it. As for telling you, they weren't going to leave the airport. Our people had arranged for a private plane to pick them up from the general aviation terminal and fly them on to Oban. Bob, you're on the ground. What's the score with survivors?'
The big policeman sighed. 'Forget it, my friend.'
‘Ahh. I expected as much. Do we know anything about the crash?'
`There's a witness here. I'm letting him calm down before we talk to him.'
`Well, do it as quick as you can, will you? I need to know fast.' Oh, yes?' said Skinner, intrigued. 'Have you had-'
Arrow cut him off in mid-question. 'Yes! There've been threats, and a bloody serious one among them.' He paused for several long seconds as if thinking something over. 'Bob, d'you mind if I come up there?'
Of course not. Even if there's nothing sinister here, you have to satisfy yourself. Anyway, suppose I did mind…' He let the sentence tail off unfinished.
Okay then. I'll be with you as quick as I can.'
Skinner switched off his phone and put it back in his pocket. Chief Superintendent Radcliffe had returned from his strategic patrol. 'Everything okay, sir?' he asked tentatively.
Oh no, Charlie. It sure as hell isn't.' Quickly and tersely he told him of Adam Arrow's telephone call and of his news.
The veteran policeman drew in his breath. 'Bugger me!' he gasped. 'That's all we need.
Your man doesn't really think this was sabotage, does he?'
`That's what we're all paid to think, Charlie, until we know for sure it wasn't. Adam's got me thinking now, and I'll tell you, there's something about this crash scene that isn't right.'
`What d'you mean, sir?'
He led Radcliffe back towards the start of the downslope. Below him, he could see Sarah making her way among the wreckage, kneeling every so often, then standing up and moving on. He put his annoyance to one side, at least temporarily, and stretched out a finger pointing along the length of the shattered valley.
`There's something missing. Look, there's the tail; there are the remnants of the wings; there are the engines. The fuselage, okay it's blown to buggery. But the nose-cone, Charlie
— where the hell's the nose-cone? I don't see a vestige of it down there, yet there it should be.'
`But wouldn't that have been blown apart too, sir?'
`No, I don't think so. It's not as if the thing went nose-first into the ground. Look at the mark — it shows you what happened. If anything, it came down nose-high. See the way the tail is? That was ripped right off on impact. The engines? They were too, and flung ahead of the rest of it. The fuel left in the wings ignited, and that, together with the impact, blew the fabric of the cabin all over the place… But the nose-cone would have survived, at least something recognisable would have. Think of all the air-crash scenes you've ever seen on TV, or in person.
I've never seen anything like this before, Bob,' said Radcliffe softly. 'Thank Christ!'
`Well, think back to that crash a few years ago. The body of the plane was shattered, but the nose-cone remained in one piece. Not that it helped the people inside, though.' He shuddered violently. 'Down there, though, there's nothing that looks remotely like the sharp end of that plane. And we have to find out why. Come on,' he said briskly. 'Time we talked to your eye-witness in the van, whether he's ready for it or not.'
He led the way across to the blue minibus. The man was sitting in the second row of seats, staring over his shoulder away from the valley, down the hillside to where a flock of sheep had gathered dumbly around the body of the slaughtered ewe. Chief Superintendent Radcliffe opened the passenger door and leaned inside.
`How are you feeling, sir?' he asked.
The shepherd shrugged his shoulders, helplessly.
`There's someone here who has to speak to you. Is that okay?' The man nodded. Radcliffe backed out of the vehicle and allowed the DCC to climb into the front seat.
`Good morning,' he said. 'My name's Bob Skinner. What's yours?'
The man looked at him as if he was trying to remember. Seated, he looked short, but stockily built. He had thick, black, matted curly hair, and wore a dirty tweed jacket over a heavyweight check shirt. His hands were in his lap. Skinner was shocked to see that they were stained with blood. He looked at the man's face properly for the first time, and saw a red smear by his right temple.
The shepherd blinked. 'Ronnie Thacker. My name's Ronnie Thacker.'
`What were you doing up here, Mr Thacker?'
`Getherin' in the sheep. It was time tae bring them back tae the ferm.
`Mr Radcliffe said he found you running down the road. You didn't have a vehicle, then?'
`Lost ma licence!' The man glared at him, as if he should have known. 'The boss dropped me off on the hillside, then went back for his breakfast.'
`So. Let's talk about the crash, Ronnie. Take your time, now, and try to remember everything. When did you see the plane first?'
Thacker knitted his brows. Ah dinna ken really. Ah just looked up and it was there, comin' towards the ground.'
Was there anything in particular that made you look up?'
The shepherd paused, as if struggling to express himself. Ah dinna ken for sure. At first, Ah thought Ah heard a shot, far away, like. Ah thought tae myself, "Wha's out wi' a twelve-bore at this time o' day?" It was then Ah saw the plane.'
`Can you describe it, as it came down?'
It… It… It seemed tae be in slow motion at first. It just sort of drifted down. Then the closer it got, the faster it seemed tae be goin'. Ah couldna dae a thing, ken. Ah thought it was goin' tae hit me, but Ah couldna move. Then it went past me and crashed intae the valley. The tail tore aff and then a'thing just blew up. Great big dods o' metal goin' up in the air, and fallin' all about me. Yin bit just missed me. It hit wan o' ma ewes, though.
Turned the poor bugger inside out. Never seen a mess like yon, outside of a knacker's yard.'
He held up his bloody hands to illustrate the point. Skinner winced:
`That's when Ah panicked. Ah just had tae get away from that thing. Ah never thought where Ah wis goin' other than just down the road, away frae here. Ah walked and walked.. Then Ah met your lot, and the buggers brought me back!'
Skinner smiled at him gently. 'You're an important man, Ronnie. You're maybe the only witness we've got.'
A light seemed to go on in a dark recess of the shepherd's brain. D'ye think I might get money, like? Frae the papers?'
`Don't book your holidays on the strength of it. Now, let's go back to the crash. I want you to think carefully. When the plane hit the ground, what happened to the nose-cone?'
`The whit?'
The bit at the sharp-end, Ronnie. Where the driver sits.'
The shepherd's brow furrowed again. D'ye ken, that's a funny thing. And it never occurred tae me till you said. The bit at the front. It wisna there!'
`You didn't see it at all?'
`Naw. It wisna there, Ah tell ye. The front was open. There wis smoke and some flames comin' out. But Ah never saw the bit at the sharp end. Not at all!'
Skinner sat and stared at the man for several seconds. `Honest!' said Thacker, plaintively.
Okay, okay. I believe you!' He stepped out of the car, and beckoned to Radcliffe.
`Charlie. I want you to put this boy in a car and send him up to Brian Mackie. Tell him he's to give him a statement, repeating everything that he's just told me. Then get word to Brian that no journalists are to be allowed within a mile of the bloke. Got that?'
Radcliffe looked at him, wide-eyed. 'Got it, sir. Every word of it!'