She gave a little nod of thanks and walked the short distance back to MIT. Looking around the room, she was relieved to find that Tess Leighton and Christine Esson had been assigned IV1.

‘Just the menfolk, eh?’ she said, glancing through the doorway towards where the DCI sat at her desk, busy with a phone call. Jason Ritchie was making tea and waved a mug at her. She rewarded him with a thumbs-up. Colin King was on his phone while at the same time working his computer’s trackpad. George Gamble, meantime, had slouched towards the shared printer and plucked a sheet of paper from it, wafting it in front of him as he began to approach Clarke’s desk.

‘Got a name and address for the phone’s owner,’ he crowed. ‘It’s not a woman, though.’

Clarke registered that he meant the source of the original 999 call. She took the sheet from him.

‘Kenneth Lloyd,’ she recited. ‘Flat on Canongate.’ She looked at Gamble.

‘Probably the top floor,’ he responded, his whole face wrinkling at the thought of the climb.

Malcolm Fox entered the room, looking pleased at having carved out some private time with Dickinson.

‘Bit of proper police work for us,’ Clarke said, handing him the address. Then, to Ritchie, ‘I’ll have that tea when we get back.’

As Clarke switched on the ignition, her phone synced and music blared out of the speakers. She scrabbled to turn it off.

‘What in God’s name was that?’ Fox asked.

‘Manics.’ He looked at her. ‘As in Street Preachers.’ He looked none the wiser and she just shook her head.

They travelled in silence for a few minutes. ‘Put it on again if you like,’ Fox eventually said. Then, ‘I thought you maybe wanted me along so you could give me a grilling.’

‘Why would I want to do that?’

‘Because you reckon I’ve a foot in two camps – Gartcosh and here.’

‘And do you?’

‘The ACC is obviously taking an interest.’

‘And you’re only too happy to help.’

He tried swivelling towards her, not easy in the cramped confines of the car. ‘I think we’re after the same result, Siobhan.’

‘I’m not so sure.’

‘I’d hate you to prove me wrong.’

She took her eyes off the road for a second to meet his stare. ‘What do you mean?’

‘Your little chat with Cafferty. First I’d heard of it was in that interview room.’

‘Sorry for not reporting to you personally, Malcolm. Do you want updates just once a day or on the hour?’

Her tone told him to back off. He twisted in his seat and stared at the passing city. ‘Geoff is a good guy. It was decent of him to brief us.’