accord ever signed? I know that when I took my oath of office it said bugger all about that. As my wife's just pointed out to me, I've spent my lifetime upholding a justice system that I believe in. Now I'm expected to sit on the sidelines and watch you and Murtagh piss all over it. No chance. I can't do anything about the First Miniature, but I can do something about you.'
'Such as?' The Lord Advocate summoned up a degree of belligerence.
'Such as make a citizen's formal complaint to the Dean of the Faculty of Advocates about your professional conduct. And you know what? Even if it's a token gesture, I think it might just be upheld. It might not mean your resignation, but it will for sure put a big barricade across your cushy road to a judge's robes. Sleep on that, mate.'
He slammed the phone back into its cradle and turned back to Sarah. 'With guys like him in office, you want me to quit?' he said, quietly. He stripped off his stained shirt and walked back out to the terrace. Settling back in his chair, he picked up his beer, drained it in a single gulp, then took another from the ice bucket and ripped it open.
She followed him out and sat beside him. 'I'm sorry about the scene,' she murmured, looking out at the quayside below.
He tossed a little beer towards her, splashing it on her white cotton top. 'There.' He grinned at her, gently. 'We're quits.'
'But are we really?' she asked.
He took another drink. 'No, I don't suppose we are. I can have a career and be a good father, Sarah. Most people can. Ask Alexis if she felt deprived as a child.'
'Very few people are as driven as you, Bob. You're hard to live with.'
'So hard I drove you into another man's bed?'
'No, that was different. I didn't do that out of pique.'
'Maybe you should have waited for him all those years ago: given the guy a chance to get football out of his system.'
'That would never have happened; Ron couldn't have kept that promise. He was as driven as you are in that respect. Once he'd finished playing it would have been coaching or the media, or whatever, but still the same circus.'
'Yet you asked him to quit too?'
'Not in so many words, but I suppose I did.'
'You know that I won't, not as long as I'm fit to do the job?'
'Yeah.' She sighed. 'I know.'
'So don't force me to a choice.'
'I won't, if it's between me and the job. If it's between me and Aileen de Marco… well, that's another matter.'
'Let's just say it isn't'
'In that case I'm the one who has to make the choice.'
'Whether you love me enough to stay?'
She looked at him. 'Do you love me enough to ask me?'
'I'm not going to do that. You have to want me, warts and all, short-tempered, obsessive bastard that I am.'
'And the kids?'
'The kids will have the education we've planned, whatever way it goes. Let's agree that much right now.'
Sarah nodded; she reached out and squeezed his arm.
'I have to go back,' he told her.
'I know.'
'Tomorrow.'
'Yes.'
'And you?'
'If it's okay with you, I'll take another few days out here. I'm calm now. I was a mess when I ran away from Edinburgh; I was on the edge of making an ass of myself, but now I feel better. If nothing else, our shouting match tonight has finally got a lot of stuff out of my system. Now I can think about the future with a clear mind.'
Bob smiled and ran his fingers through his sticky hair. 'I'm glad about that. You take all the time you need. I'll tell the kids you've got some stuff to sort out over here.'
'Mark might not believe you.'
'I can be persuasive, even with him.'
'I promise you that I'll come back in plenty of time to make sure that they all have a great Christmas. We can talk about everything then. You okay with that?'
'Deal.' He finished his beer and glanced down at the ice-bucket; it was empty. 'Dinner?' he asked.
'Yes. Have a shower, and then we'll go out. Let's eat lobster at Alonzo's… and I promise not to throw any over you.'
Seven
Detective Chief Inspector Neil McIlhenney made a point of being
'Such as?' The Lord Advocate summoned up a degree of belligerence.
'Such as make a citizen's formal complaint to the Dean of the Faculty of Advocates about your professional conduct. And you know what? Even if it's a token gesture, I think it might just be upheld. It might not mean your resignation, but it will for sure put a big barricade across your cushy road to a judge's robes. Sleep on that, mate.'
He slammed the phone back into its cradle and turned back to Sarah. 'With guys like him in office, you want me to quit?' he said, quietly. He stripped off his stained shirt and walked back out to the terrace. Settling back in his chair, he picked up his beer, drained it in a single gulp, then took another from the ice bucket and ripped it open.
She followed him out and sat beside him. 'I'm sorry about the scene,' she murmured, looking out at the quayside below.
He tossed a little beer towards her, splashing it on her white cotton top. 'There.' He grinned at her, gently. 'We're quits.'
'But are we really?' she asked.
He took another drink. 'No, I don't suppose we are. I can have a career and be a good father, Sarah. Most people can. Ask Alexis if she felt deprived as a child.'
'Very few people are as driven as you, Bob. You're hard to live with.'
'So hard I drove you into another man's bed?'
'No, that was different. I didn't do that out of pique.'
'Maybe you should have waited for him all those years ago: given the guy a chance to get football out of his system.'
'That would never have happened; Ron couldn't have kept that promise. He was as driven as you are in that respect. Once he'd finished playing it would have been coaching or the media, or whatever, but still the same circus.'
'Yet you asked him to quit too?'
'Not in so many words, but I suppose I did.'
'You know that I won't, not as long as I'm fit to do the job?'
'Yeah.' She sighed. 'I know.'
'So don't force me to a choice.'
'I won't, if it's between me and the job. If it's between me and Aileen de Marco… well, that's another matter.'
'Let's just say it isn't'
'In that case I'm the one who has to make the choice.'
'Whether you love me enough to stay?'
She looked at him. 'Do you love me enough to ask me?'
'I'm not going to do that. You have to want me, warts and all, short-tempered, obsessive bastard that I am.'
'And the kids?'
'The kids will have the education we've planned, whatever way it goes. Let's agree that much right now.'
Sarah nodded; she reached out and squeezed his arm.
'I have to go back,' he told her.
'I know.'
'Tomorrow.'
'Yes.'
'And you?'
'If it's okay with you, I'll take another few days out here. I'm calm now. I was a mess when I ran away from Edinburgh; I was on the edge of making an ass of myself, but now I feel better. If nothing else, our shouting match tonight has finally got a lot of stuff out of my system. Now I can think about the future with a clear mind.'
Bob smiled and ran his fingers through his sticky hair. 'I'm glad about that. You take all the time you need. I'll tell the kids you've got some stuff to sort out over here.'
'Mark might not believe you.'
'I can be persuasive, even with him.'
'I promise you that I'll come back in plenty of time to make sure that they all have a great Christmas. We can talk about everything then. You okay with that?'
'Deal.' He finished his beer and glanced down at the ice-bucket; it was empty. 'Dinner?' he asked.
'Yes. Have a shower, and then we'll go out. Let's eat lobster at Alonzo's… and I promise not to throw any over you.'
Seven
Detective Chief Inspector Neil McIlhenney made a point of being
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