‘Funny, that,’ he said as he continued to climb. ‘Officer outside doesn’t have you listed. Doesn’t have a key, either, though he should have. Had to get a neighbour to buzz me in. Remember me, Rob?’
‘More’s the pity.’
Fox had stopped a couple of steps shy of Driscoll. ‘I’d ask what you’re doing here, but you’d only give me some pish in return. We both know, though.’
‘Do we?’
‘Well, if I were in your shoes, I’d probably be fretting just a tad.’
‘You’re not Complaints any more, are you?’
‘Moved up a rung to SCD, and now on secondment to the Francis Haggard inquiry — I don’t need to tell you why.’ Fox climbed another step. ‘Police corruption, Rob. It taints us all. Vast majority of the force wants the stables cleaned, even if they’re too scared to say so out loud. So here I am with a pail and shovel. But here’s the thing — my bosses reckon your pal got himself killed because of something he was about to tell us. That puts your whole station under suspicion. Any scandal, it has to be managed — that’s my role here.’
Above them, a door opened, Chris Agnew peering down.
‘Join us, why don’t you?’ Fox called up, before refocusing his attention on Driscoll. ‘The crap will end up in that pail, Rob — maybe not all of it, but enough to keep my bosses satisfied. Could be officers like yourselves,’ he gestured towards Agnew, who had appeared at Driscoll’s shoulder, ‘could be a previous vintage. I’m not fussed, to be honest, but you probably should be. Bit of chat between us, and your conscience would be clear. I’m at the end of a phone when you want me. Now, I’m just going to reacquaint myself with the locus. If you give me the keys, I’ll lock up after.’ He held out his hand, and Driscoll dropped the keys into his palm.
‘No grasses at Tynie,’ Driscoll stated, jaw jutting. Fox brushed past him and Agnew both.
‘Sorry for your loss, by the way,’ he said.
They watched the flat door close after him.
‘More trouble?’ Chris Agnew demanded.
‘More trouble,’ Rob Driscoll was forced to agree.
It was near-dark on the Meadows, especially away from the lampposts that lined the various footpaths. When Brillo went bounding up to a shadowy figure, it took Rebus a few seconds to realise it was Siobhan Clarke.
‘I tried at the flat,’ she said. ‘Once upon a time, my second choice would have been the Oxford Bar.’
‘A dog can ruin your social life.’ Rebus watched her rub a hand along Brillo’s eager back. ‘But then so can CID.’
‘Outside of work we’re still friends, I hope,’ Clarke said. ‘But I have to be professional. If I’m not, then I’m nothing.’
‘I get that. And I’m sorry for sneaking into the MIT office like that.’
‘No, you’re not.’
‘No, I’m not,’ Rebus confirmed.
Clarke took a deep breath and exhaled. ‘Fox has started a list of everyone who could’ve known where Francis Haggard was holed up.’
‘That’s another circle round my name, then. But then Fox himself knew too — do we know how that came about?’
‘When Haggard contacted the ACC, he added his address.’
Rebus nodded. ‘Lettings agency will be on the list, of course. I wonder who else.’
‘It’ll all be gone into, John.’
‘Murder weapon turned up yet?’
‘Teams have been out all day — the length and breadth of Constitution Street, plus Leith Links. The contractors digging up the roads have told their workers to be on the alert.’
‘Anything useful from the post-mortem?’
‘He’d been drinking heavily, not eating.’
‘Plenty vitamin C, though.’
She gave him a look. ‘I might have guessed you would run straight to Deborah Quant.’
‘Who was every bit as cagey as you. He’d been drinking elsewhere as well — pub or a mate’s.’
‘I don’t get the sense he had many friends outside the force.’
‘Well, I doubt he’d have found a welcome from anyone in the Crew, which makes it more likely he’d been to a pub or club.’
‘We’re putting word out.’
‘And his phone and computer?’
‘We’re promised news tomorrow. I called Cafferty, by the way. That’s why I’m here.’
‘Well?’
‘Denied ever receiving a photo or anything like it. He reckons you might be in the early stages of dementia. Hasn’t seen you in weeks and says his PA will back him up on that.’
‘Surprise, surprise.’
‘He didn’t seem too enamoured of QC Lettings, though. Reckons they’ll rent a flat to anyone, up to and including bent cops. Not above using a bit of muscle when those same renters start to default.’
‘As if Cafferty didn’t do the selfsame thing when he was in the game.’
‘He got me thinking, though, so I did a bit of digging. Turns out he dated Mrs Mackenzie for a time before she was whisked away by her current husband.’
Rebus angled his face skywards. ‘Thought I recognised her from somewhere, that somewhere being Cafferty’s arm.’
‘This is going back twenty-odd years, mind, but it might explain the grudge.’
Rebus thought for a moment. He knew why Clarke sought him out like this sometimes: she needed both a sounding board for her own theories and someone who might spot what had so far been missed. But then other times, she produced a perfect nugget herself, a nugget such as Elizabeth Mackenzie. ‘How’s DCI Trask shaping up?’ he asked, filling the silence while his synapses got to work.
‘I’ve no complaints so far.’
‘You mean she’s not being unduly swayed by Malcolm Fox?’
‘Something like that, despite him clinging to her like a limpet. Oh, nice work there, by the way.’
‘What?’
‘Fox’s notebook — the cock and balls you doodled on it while seated at his desk. He thinks it was one of us, and telling him the truth would mean admitting we allowed you the freedom of MIT.’
‘Simple pleasures, Siobhan. Has anyone listened to the 999 call?’
‘Woman’s voice, pretty shaken. Didn’t give a name when asked. Just described what she’d seen and added the address, rang off straight after.’
‘But there’s a log of the number she rang from?’
‘We’ve tried. No answer, but it’s a man’s voice asking the caller to leave a message. We’ll get a name and address eventually, but it takes time.’
‘So far it all sounds textbook, Siobhan. I suppose the widow will have to be questioned again. Far as we know, her and her sister were the last people to see him.’
‘Caller wasn’t a voice I recognised, if that’s what you’re asking.’
Rebus nodded. ‘Are the media behaving themselves?’
‘Just about. Though online is a pain. There was a press conference this afternoon. The DCI did fine.’
‘When do you start pulling in Haggard’s fellow officers?’
‘Probably tomorrow. I’m assuming you’ll warn your pal Fleck?’
‘He’s bound to know what’s coming.’
‘It’s not going to go away, John. Whatever stories Haggard was planning to tell at his trial, they’ll come out one way or another.’
‘Things don’t always, you know. People have gone to their graves taking their secrets with them.’ He stooped and fastened Brillo’s lead. ‘Fancy coming back for some tea?’
She shook her head, stuffing her hands into her coat pockets. ‘I should get back to the office. Might manage another couple of hours.’ She locked her eyes onto his. ‘Are you ready to face whatever’s coming, John?’
‘I’m like Billy Joel, Siobhan — an innocent man.’
‘Haggard seemed to imply that plenty of those had been put in prison on his watch.’