‘I think it was his boss’s retirement party — this was in his Inverness days. The boss accused Graham of getting him drunk, maybe even spiking his drinks, then getting Traffic to pull him over. Ended up banned from driving and blamed Graham for it.’
‘The complaint was taken seriously?’
‘All I know is he got a reprimand of some kind. Don’t think he’s been in trouble since.’ She paused. ‘Small beer compared to what went on in the Stuart Bloom case.’
Fox nodded, watching her.
‘If you really wanted to,’ she went on, ‘you could do some damage to a lot of reputations.’
‘I’m not Professional Standards these days, though, and I doubt ACU will want it when two of their own are front and centre.’
‘I suppose not, though Steele and Edwards don’t seem to have done much wrong. Rebus, Skelton and Newsome on the other hand...’
He nodded again. ‘Listen to us,’ he said with a smile that was only slightly forced. ‘Even on a weekend we can’t help talking shop.’ They lapsed into silence as their plates were cleared. Neither had room for dessert, but they ordered coffee. Leighton watched their server head to the bar with their order, then turned her attention back to Fox.
‘Was that your way of telling me to drop the subject, Malcolm?’
‘I just don’t want the mistakes of the past to interfere with the current inquiry.’
‘That’s it, is it? Rather than you trying to protect a friend?’
Fox considered his response. ‘I’ve known John for a few years now. At one time, I wanted him kicked off the force.’
‘But something changed your mind?’
Fox shrugged. ‘It became academic when he retired.’
‘For someone who’s retired, he seems to spend a lot of time in police stations.’
‘Only when there’s a chance to cause maximum disruption.’
Her face broke into a smile. ‘You do like him, don’t you?’
He shrugged again. ‘He’s the kind of cop I could never be. He gets a kick out of taking risks.’
‘You’re not above taking risks yourself.’ She leaned across the table on her elbows. ‘You invited me out for dinner, after all.’
‘The only risk there was that you’d say no.’
‘Why would I have done that?’ She leaned back again, plucking her napkin from her lap and announcing that she was going to ‘the little girls’ room’. He half rose from his chair as she left, then settled again. The server was hovering, having forgotten to ask if they’d be wanting a digestif, and how was the evening going?
‘Just fine, thank you,’ Fox said. He took his phone out, half minded to send Siobhan Clarke a text. But then he thought better of it. Instead, he googled Livingston. When Leighton returned, he turned the screen towards her.
‘You told me nothing much happens there,’ he chided her. ‘How could you forget you’ve got one of the biggest shopping malls in Scotland?’
Leighton pressed a finger to her lips. ‘Don’t want everyone knowing,’ she stage-whispered. ‘Bad enough as it is finding a parking space...’
The pair of them were laughing as their coffees arrived.
The sleek black Audi was blocking the driveway next to Fox’s bungalow. Fox parked on the roadway behind it. As he got out, Grant Edwards emerged from the driver’s side. Fox’s first thought was: Good job I didn’t invite Tess back. His second: Would she have said yes?
‘Should you be out on your own?’ he asked Edwards, making show of peering into the empty car. Edwards was dressed in a three-quarter-length black woollen coat. He slid his hands into his pockets. Fox was reminded of funeral personnel, the kind who came with fake solemnity.
‘Brian’s busy elsewhere.’
‘It talks!’
Edwards’s mouth twitched. ‘Only when there are no third-party witnesses.’
‘How long you been waiting here?’
‘Long enough to get annoyed. Our intelligence is you don’t go out much — being a recovering alcoholic and everything.’
‘Sorry to disappoint you.’ Fox’s hands went into his own pockets. He didn’t have the other man’s heft, but he was by no means insubstantial. He puffed out his chest a little and leaned back on his heels.
‘Brian reckons he’s due a report.’
‘Brian is mistaken. He gets a report when there’s something worth telling him.’
‘How are you getting on with Sutherland’s team?’
‘Just dandy.’
‘You sure about that? They know you were Complaints — I reckon they’ll be sharpening the knives. You won’t feel a thing till the first one slips in.’ Edwards’s grin spread a little wider.
‘I’m not ashamed of having been Complaints.’
‘Always hard to go back to CID, though. You know ACU’s an option, once this is over — if it’s over cleanly, I mean.’
‘Your own names kept out of the story?’ Fox nodded slowly. ‘Steele made sure I understood.’
Edwards took a step nearer and dropped his voice. ‘I’m not sure Brian really appreciates how close you and Siobhan Clarke were. But you’d be wise not to take her side against ours.’
‘Do I need to take sides?’
‘You might feel you do. I know you’re not an item these days.’
‘We never were.’
Edwards gave a slow shrug. ‘How’s she doing anyway?’
‘DI Clarke?’
‘Fitted into MIT okay? Giving it a hundred per cent?’
‘What’s it to you?’
‘Sutherland needs a team that’s focused — no distractions.’
‘She’s a good cop, Edwards.’
‘Maybe, maybe not. Bit of a mouth on her, though.’ Edwards’s eyes narrowed to the merest slits. ‘Do the right thing, DI Fox. Keep us happy.’ He started to lower himself back into the driving seat, but paused halfway. ‘Something tells me we wouldn’t have to dig down very far to start uncovering your skeletons.’
Fox stood his ground until the Audi’s rear lights vanished into the night. He got into his own car and sat there for a couple of minutes, hands wrapped around the steering wheel. Then he took several deep breaths, turned on the ignition and manoeuvred the vehicle into the driveway. It was only when he had locked it and was standing on his doorstep that he noticed he had a text waiting for him on his phone. It was from Tess Leighton, thanking him for a lovely evening. She had added a small x after her name. His smile was fleeting. What the hell had Edwards meant about Siobhan not giving it a hundred per cent?
Monday
25
On Monday morning, Clarke was on Rebus’s doorstep at 8 a.m.
‘I bring coffee and croissants,’ she said into the intercom.
‘That’s the only reason I’m letting you in.’
She climbed the two flights. He had left the door ajar for her so she headed for the living room. The case files had been gutted. Sheets were stacked in a dozen separate piles, while Rebus’s various jottings and notes were laid out next to his computer.
‘You’ve been busy,’ she said.
‘Just don’t touch anything.’
‘You mean there’s a system here?’ She handed him a croissant and a Styrofoam cup.
‘A system that makes perfect sense to me.’ He dunked the croissant and sucked the coffee from it. ‘Why aren’t you at work?’
‘Day off.’
‘Then you should be in bed.’
‘Whereas you look like you’ve been up for hours.’ She tore off a chunk of croissant and gave it to Brillo.
‘I reckon Dallas and Seona have to be an item,’ Rebus stated.
‘They say not.’
‘But if they are, Ellis is bound to have known. The three of them under the same roof? Dallas tiptoeing up the creaky stairs of a night?’