‘I’m sure it was Driscoll’s idea, but he takes his cue from you, doesn’t he, “Sarge”?’

The smile returned to Fleck’s face, though he looked anything but amused. ‘You think you’re Prince Golden Balls, don’t you? But the way I hear it, you’re nothing but Jen Lyon’s poodle. Everyone at Gartcosh says so.’ He turned to Clarke. ‘You know as well as I do, in any big institution shite tends to get hoisted upwards.’

‘None of this is going to get us very far,’ Clarke commented, keeping her tone neutral.

‘She agrees with me,’ Fleck said to Fox. ‘And she should know – she learned from one of the best.’

‘Why did you have this little get-together?’ Fox said, unwilling to be diverted. He waggled his phone in Fleck’s face.

‘Francis was readying to tell a pack of lies about his colleagues. Stands to reason those colleagues might want to talk tactics.’ Fleck studied the ceiling. ‘No air in this place. You sure it’s COVID-safe?’

‘COVID is the least of your worries,’ Fox said. ‘You’d tried talking to Francis Haggard yourself, hadn’t you?’

‘Had I?’

‘According to his phone.’ Fox made show of studying the list in front of him. But Fleck had turned his attention back to Clarke.

‘You know Wee Malky here tried to kick your old friend John off the force on more than one occasion? John’s in bad enough shape as it is, but can you imagine him stripped of his pension? That’s the type of slug you’re sitting beside right now.’

‘When we spoke at your showroom,’ Fox countered, ‘you seemed pretty keen that I look at John Rebus’s past exploits rather than your own.’

‘That’s not my recollection, DI Fox.’

‘Francis Haggard’s phone.’ Clarke nudged Fleck, hoping to avert a staring contest.

‘Yes, all right.’ He seemed to concede. ‘I tried getting in touch. I was concerned about him.’

‘About what he’d say?’

‘About what he was going through,’ he corrected her. ‘His life had turned from bed of roses to field of pish in an absolute bloody instant.’

‘So you reached out to him, but he ignored you – that can’t have made you feel good.’ Clarke paused. ‘Tell me, when you found out he was abusing his wife, did you similarly reach out to him – or was it only when you got wind that your past exploits were to be his defence?’

‘Does it matter?’

She took the list from Fox. ‘Seems you only started trying to contact him after he’d begun talking to us.’

‘What was I supposed to do – slap him about for hitting his wife?’

Fox cleared his throat. ‘You’ve slapped people about for less.’

‘So how come I retired with an unblemished record, DI Fox? Despite your frenzied efforts, I mean?’