CHAPTER SEVEN

The following day, Hamish and Olivia held a secret meeting with Chief Superintendent Daviot and Kevin and Barry on the moors high above Strathbane.

"We have decided on a further cunning plan," began Daviot. Hamish suppressed a groan. "We have a yacht registered to you, Hamish, the Marie~Claire, a ketch. She will only be carrying one kilo of heroin. This, you will say, is to prove the quality of the stuff and to make sure the landing place is safe. We will let that deal go through. Then you will promise the rest of the shipment. They will be lulled into a false sense of security. On the second delivery, that is when we will pounce."

"I don't like the delay," said Hamish. "I'm always frightened that the longer we wait, the more chance there is of word leaking out that the whole thing is a scam."

"Chief Inspector Chater?" asked Daviot.

"It sounds all right to me," said Olivia. "With so few people knowing about it, I can't see anything going wrong. We're going to Lachie's tonight. When will we say the first shipment is due to arrive?"

"Say two days' time. That should speed things up enough for you, Macbeth." Not "Hamish" this time. The super was obviously disappointed in what he saw as Hamish's sad lack of enthusiasm.

"Very well, sir," said Olivia. "We will do what we can."

"Let's hope the weathers all right," said Hamish. "Who will be skippering the ketch?"

"A police officer from Inverness. And the crew are policemen as well."

"Will they be armed?" asked Hamish.

Daviot looked at him impatiently. "There will be no need for that. Jimmy White will not be expecting them to be around."

"On the contrary, sir. I would think that any drug baron would expect a crew bringing in heroin to be armed."

"I don't believe in guns," said Daviot severely. "Guile is the answer. Just do your part, Macbeth, and leave the rest to Chief Inspector Chater."

"Won't it look odd my wife going along as well?" asked Hamish.

"You'll think of something," said Daviot crossly. Why couldn't Macbeth show some enthusiasm! "You can hardly leave the senior officer on the case behind."

What was that American phrase? thought Hamish. Amateur night in Dixie, this was it.

"And what do we do when we know the landing place?" asked Hamish.

"Olivia will contact us. The first shipment, we will have men observing. The second shipment, we'll seize them."

"Very good, sir," said Hamish in a hollow voice.

"Well, I'll be on my way." Daviot cast a stagy look around the moors. "Coast's clear."

Hamish watched his retreating figure. "Now I know why so many top policemen are Freemasons," he said. "They like playing games."

"Show respect," snapped Olivia.

"I don't like it at all," said Hamish wearily.

Olivia suppressed a qualm of unease. She had, she remembered, considered the whole business at the beginning quite mad. "We've got our orders," she said briskly. "We'll go to Lachie's tonight."

They entered Lachie's that evening, flanked by Kevin and Barry. "I see Bob over there," said Hamish. "I wonder why he didn't demand payment for the introduction."

"He did," said Olivia. "Kevin paid him out of the kitty when you were in with Jimmy White."

They asked at the bar for Lachie, and after a short wait, the Undertaker appeared.

"Enjoy your stay in Amsterdam?" asked Hamish.

The Undertaker gave a thin smile. "We always check up. Lachie's waiting."

Lachie rose to meet them when they walked into the office.

"Great to see you, Hamish, my man. I think we should have a wee talk in private. Your lady and friends can wait at the bar."

"My wife is my business partner," said Hamish. "She stays."

Hamish slung his coat from his shoulders and sat down after pulling out a chair for Olivia. "I think the time has come when we prove our good faith to each other. My boat will land a kilo of heroin. You name the place, you check the quality. If all goes well, we'll land the rest of the stuff at a second meet."

"Right you are," said Lachie. "Jimmy'll be up from Glasgow tomorrow. Meet him here about the same time. Let's have a drink. On the house."

"Verra kind," said Hamish, his accent becoming more Highland with nerves. "But we haff urgent business to attend to."

He stood up and slung his coat over his shoulders.

"Aye, see you," said Lachie, although his eyes slid curiously to Olivia.

Back in the hotel room, Hamish said, "You should have kept your tarty image, Olivia. Lachie found it odd that you should be my business partner."

Olivia was wearing a tailored suit and subdued makeup. "Also," Hamish went on, "you got to act the part from the inside put. You were emanating an atmosphere of senior police officer, Olivia. It's a wonder he didn't look down to see if you had big boots on."

"You're the one who has to act the part," said Olivia.

"He's right," said Kevin. "I thought myself you were looking a bit severe."

Olivia capitulated. "Oh, well, I'll do better tomorrow night."

"Fancy a drink in the bar downstairs, Hamish?" said

Barry.

"Aye, that would be grand."

"I have some phone calls to make," said Olivia. "You go ahead."

"It's the first time I've seen plastic tartan," said Hamish, sitting down on a tartan banquette. "Isn't this hotel awful?"

"The whole of Strathbane is awful," said Kevin. "All that lovely highland countryside all about and this town sitting in the middle of it like some great excrescence."

They ordered whiskies. "The thing that's bothering me," said Barry, leaning forward, "is that Superintendent Daviot. He's like a wee boy playing at cops and robbers. And the men on the boat ought to be armed."

"Aye," said Hamish. "I don't like this idea of two shipments. One would have nailed them, quicker and safer. Olivia's not stupid. Why didn't she object?"

"Because she got where she is today," said Kevin, "by agreeing with everything the higher ranks said or told her to do. And it's landed her in some hairy situations before. She knows if she starts sticking pins in Daviot's plans, then he'll report her as an officer who is awkward to work with."

Hamish looked around the bar. He was wearing his dark glasses just in case he saw a familiar face, but there were few people in that night.

He stayed talking to Kevin and Barry for about an hour and then they all went upstairs to their respective rooms.

"You took your time," said Olivia when he walked in. "And you smell of whisky. I hope you're not turning out to be a drunk."

"I only had a couple," protested Hamish. "I can nurse a drink for a pretty long time."

"Why is it always just a couple? That's the sign of a drunk, Hamish."

Hamish repressed a sigh. Frosty Olivia was back again.

The fact was that Olivia was as nervous as Hamish over the forthcoming operation, but could not confide in him. She had got this far in police ranks by never criticising a superior officer to anyone.

"Chust a suggestion," said Hamish tentatively.

"That being?"

"I didn't like the look in Lachie's eyes when I said you were my business partner. We're going to have to look as if we're in love."

"Why?"

"Well, it figures that a man who was besotted with his wife would take her everywhere."

She sat frowning for a moment and then said, "All right. We'll try that."

"Do you know what it's like to be in love, Olivia?"

To his surprise, her face flamed scarlet and she said, "Mind your own business."

"Sorry. Look, are we going to have to stay cooped up in here tomorrow? Or can we go somewhere?"