Stealing God (14 page)

‘Does being savagely beaten and put into hospital come under your heading of being pissed about? I would have thought it rather more serious.'

She was smiling, enjoying herself. Jimmy relaxed, he smiled as well.

‘No, you're right. That wasn't being pissed around. But it wasn't the Vatican or the minister who had me put in hospital, was it?'

‘No. Neither the minister nor the Vatican are in the habit of putting people in hospital.'

This time it was Ricci who moved things on.

‘Professor, will you please explain?'

‘Certainly. Mr Costello made it clear that unless he received more active co-operation he would withdraw from the inquiry. It has been decided, at the highest level, that his services should be retained so I have been asked to liaise in this matter.'

‘You, Professor?'

‘Does that surprise you, Inspector? I wonder why? Is it perhaps because I'm a woman? Or is it because I'm black? Please feel free to be frank.'

Ricci became confused.

‘Of course not. I just expected that, well, from the Vatican, I expected …'

‘From the Vatican you would expect a man, a priest, probably a monsignor at the very least. Someone with a touch of red about them to lend authority. Well I'm afraid all you've got is me and not a touch of red to be seen anywhere. So, what can I do for you?'

‘Why me? Why am I so important?'

McBride looked at Jimmy then at Ricci, then back at Jimmy.

‘I am happy to answer that question, Mr Costello, but I have been asked to give my fullest co-operation. My answers will be quite forthright. I will hold back nothing. Are you both happy that I speak freely about you in front of each other?'

Ricci didn't mind. He knew he was as clean as a Sunday in white socks.

‘It's OK with me.'

‘And you, Mr Costello, is it OK with you?'

Jimmy hesitated. It wasn't OK with him, but what could he do? His past was no business of Ricci's, and he was pretty sure Ricci would use anything he heard if ever he felt he needed to. The question was, would he ever need to? The next question, a very big question, was how much did she know? If she knew … The new Jimmy took over. What does it matter? Let Ricci know. Just get on with it, you were the one who wanted to know why you're in this. Let the woman tell you.

‘Sure, go ahead.'

‘Very well. The investigation you are carrying out is a highly sensitive one and might have far-reaching consequences.'

‘If it shows that Cheng's death was not due to natural causes.'

The sharpness of Jimmy's interruption surprised Ricci but that wasn't what McBride took exception to. So far as she was concerned he could ask all the questions he wanted in whatever manner he chose. What she did take exception to was the way Jimmy used the name.

‘Archbishop Cheng.' She paused, to make her point then continued, ‘and it is not quite that simple, Mr Costello. Even if there were only a suspicion of foul play, credibly established in the minds of various interested parties, the repercussions could be considerable. In fact, were your investigations to leave the death as an open question that might be far more damaging than a confirmation that Archbishop Cheng's death was the result of a deliberate act.' Jimmy noticed she didn't say murdered. He was listening as carefully to her as she was to him. ‘When it became apparent that Archbishop Cheng's death might have to be re-investigated the first concern was to ensure that full control was retained over the investigation, especially its outcome. Seeing as there was no way of knowing what the outcome of any enquiry might be it was essential that nothing was begun until it was certain that the whole process could be properly handled right from the beginning in whatever way was deemed best.'

‘Handled?'

‘Yes, Inspector, handled.'

‘In what way, handled?'

‘Presented in such a way that all interested parties were satisfied.'

‘You mean you wanted to manipulate the whole thing?'

‘If you prefer. The investigation and its conclusions on the archbishop's death will be presented, if and when they are presented, in a way that ensures that the repercussions, should there be any, will do as little damage as possible or as much good as possible to those most interested in the matter. Surely you as a policeman are not unused to such things. For the police to manipulate, or handle, information in the way it is released is, I am sure, not something new to you.' Ricci didn't like it but he couldn't argue with it. ‘And you, Mr Costello, are an essential ingredient of the future management of the outcome of the enquiry should it prove necessary to manipulate it, as you are also, Inspector.' She looked from one to the other. ‘You are a matched pair.'

‘Never mind what sort of pair we are. Why me in particular, why am I so special?'

‘As the outcome of any enquiry into Archbishop Cheng's death was unpredictable we needed to be in a position to endorse or to reject the outcome as we saw fit. The enquiry had to be as thorough and professional as the sensitive nature of the case would allow, which meant two detectives with proven abilities. However, our requirements went beyond professional skill. One of the detectives had to be above suspicion, with no trace of corruption attached to him. If we wished to endorse the findings we wanted to be able to point out that the investigation had been led by an officer of experience and integrity and that its findings were above suspicion with no question of any failure of method or thoroughness, nor of any tampering with or distortion of the evidence.' Jimmy began to feel uncomfortable. He knew what was coming. ‘The other detective had to be someone whose presence as part of the enquiry would, on investigation, render any findings absolutely unreliable. Someone whose record, when properly looked into, showed him to have been a thoroughly corrupt officer.' She let it sink in. ‘We began our search for a suitable candidate for the latter role in Rome, but the few officers drawn to our attention were not up to the job as detectives. We widened our field of search, but how true we found the old saying that you can never find a really corrupt policeman when you want one.' She looked at Jimmy and smiled. ‘Then you turned up, Mr Costello. Your second application had come to Rome and my attention was drawn to the fact that you had been a detective sergeant in the London Metropolitan Police. I thought it worth following up because you were a Catholic and therefore more traceable for us. Also you had been given early retirement, which might or might not mean something. When I was told your official file was remarkably slim and uninformative about your career I realised we might at last have what we were looking for.'

She paused. If she was going to hang him she wanted to give him the chance of saying a few last words.

‘Nobody objected to you nosing about in police personnel files?'

‘Good heavens no, Mr Costello. The questions were asked by people who thought they were making genuine enquiries on behalf of Rome about someone applying for the priesthood. It was the sort of thing the Metropolitan Police would bend over backwards to facilitate. Your friends who had fixed the records were, for once, quite out of their depth and unable to intervene. You cannot take the Catholic Church down an alley and kick it into submission. Well, actually you can, and in certain parts of the world people still do, but not in London, Mr Costello, in London we get co-operation.'

‘OK, so you got told about my record, that it wasn't anything special.'

‘How true. According to your official record, what was left of it, you hardly existed as a policeman. Considering how long you had served that was very encouraging, so further enquiries were made through your old parish in Kilburn. Those enquiries revealed the sort of man you had been. Serving and retired policemen who remembered you confirmed the extent to which you were feared. We got a very clear picture of you, Mr Costello. You can hide your past from officialdom in many ways but you cannot erase the memories of ordinary people. Our picture was drawn from the memories of people you probably never noticed but who noticed you because you were a man to be avoided, a man to fear. You were, Mr Costello, just the man we were looking for because, whatever else you were, everyone who had any knowledge of you professionally agreed that you were an excellent detective. And there you were, suddenly dropped into our lap in our time of need. Good luck or divine intervention, Mr Costello? Which would you say it was?'

Jimmy knew the answer to that one.

‘I wouldn't say.'

‘You came to Rome for your preliminary interview and were eventually accepted. The interview panel, lacking the information to which I had access, had no reason to reject you as a student especially as Sister Philomena gave such an excellent report on your placement. Fortunately for me the selection process is a slow one, especially when it involves a Duns College student. I was also able to slow it down even further by arranging that certain papers were temporarily lost.'

‘I wondered why it took so long.'

‘A nuisance for you, of course, but necessary for me to make sure you were the sort of man we needed.'

A thought occurred to Jimmy.

‘Was the placement part of your fix?'

‘Fix?'

‘Was it some sort of set-up? Did Philomena know anything about what you were up to?'

‘Good heavens, no. Our resources do not run to setting up false placements, real ones are hard enough to find. It was a perfectly normal placement after a preliminary enquiry – and you weren't even on my radar at that time. The fix, as you call it, was only delaying your final application to keep you in the system so that you would be in Rome when we needed you. It was fortunate that you did so well in London though. Had anything gone wrong during your time with Sister Philomena it would have been a nuisance for us here. But the placement proved satisfactory so you came to Rome for your extended interview which, given they only had access to information you had supplied and Sister Philomena's report, you naturally passed, and eventually, somewhat later than would normally be the case, you began life as a student.'

‘Didn't anyone think it odd that my application took so long?'

‘Oh no, These things take as long as they take, weeks, months …'

‘Years? I waited nearly two years.'

‘Yes, that is unusual, but not unique. We were glad you proved to be so very patient. It would have been awkward if you had chosen to withdraw and go elsewhere to pursue your vocation.'

‘Yes, I can see it would have been awkward.'

‘Purely as a matter of interest, where were you?'

‘Ireland, the west of Ireland. There was a priest there that I knew.'

‘Ah yes. There was an enquiry from an Irish priest about the delay in your application.'

‘He said he'd try and help.'

‘I'm afraid he was told, politely but firmly, to mind his own business.'

‘He told me to be patient.'

‘Good advice, I'm glad you took it. And when you finally came to Rome you were exactly what you thought you were, a student priest, until we wanted our investigation to begin. That is why I brought you to Rome, to ensure that if it becomes necessary anything you and Inspector Ricci find can be written off as compromised and unreliable due to your dubious and almost certainly criminal past. That, Mr Costello, is why you are necessary, to give us an avenue of denial.' There was an uncomfortable silence. Even the aide's chic clock ticked in what seemed a shocked manner. McBride sat still and when it was clear that neither Jimmy nor Ricci were inclined to say anything she went on. ‘I hope that answers your question, Mr Costello. I don't think I left anything out.'

Nothing much, thought Jimmy. Only a few dead and broken bodies in London that Philomena had left out of her report. Nothing that would spoil the placement and upset her plans.

‘No, I think you covered the ground. Would you answer two more questions?'

‘Of course; it's why I'm here.'

‘If we find that Cheng's death …'

‘Archbishop Cheng's death.'

‘… is suspicious, how serious is it likely to be?'

‘Serious enough to justify all we have done and are prepared to do in the future. And we are prepared to do a great deal. I cannot exaggerate how serious this matter could become. Your second question?'

‘Is Inspector Ricci any good as a detective and is he really as squeaky clean as you say he is?'

Ricci looked uncomfortable. He had recognised in Professor McBride a heavyweight, an establishment hard case and probably as clever as they come. She would know him as well as she obviously knew Jimmy and, though he had nothing to hide professionally, somehow that didn't fill him with confidence.

‘Oh, yes. Inspector Ricci has his eye on considerable advancement and wouldn't dream of jeopardising his promotion chances by getting his hands dirty. And although he hasn't your skills as a detective I think you will find him a useful assistant in the inquiry.'

Ricci's attitude changed in a flash: she had touched him in a sensitive place.

‘What do you mean, assistant?'

‘Oh, come now, Inspector, you have been assistant to Mr Costello's lead in this from the moment you started to work together. That we are in this room together having this meeting is down to Mr Costello's judgement, experience, and strength of purpose. You were both carefully chosen not only for the reasons I have given but to complement each other in your work. I realise that you are a serving inspector, albeit on temporary sick leave, and that Mr Costello, before retirement, never rose above sergeant, but rank in this matter is immaterial. Mr Costello leads. That's final.'

Ricci was out of his seat.

‘If he leads, I quit. You've just been telling me what sort of policeman he is, corrupt and dangerous, and now you want me to …'

‘Was, Inspector. I have told you what he was, not what he is.'