‘This the party?’ he said. He recognised Fleck, Driscoll, Agnew, Turnbull and a few other faces, but by no means all of them. The space wasn’t large, three narrow tables forming a U shape. There was a frosted window with vertical bars at the far end, and padded benches rather than individual chairs. Every one of the dozen or so heads turned towards him, conversation paused.

‘Bunch up a bit, lads,’ Fleck said with affected levity. ‘Nice of you to join us, John.’

‘I’m not staying,’ Rebus declared. ‘Just passing and thought I’d say hello.’

‘Just passing.’ The speaker gave a disbelieving snort. Rebus knew the face. Jimmy Callan. They’d retired around the same time.

‘Heard you were dead, Jimmy,’ Rebus said, raising his glass to his lips.

‘In better health than some.’

‘Well, you can probably afford to go private, with all those backhanders you took.’

‘You’d know more about that than me.’

‘Time was, I’d probably have agreed with you – I thought I knew every scam going, along with who was pulling them. But now I’m not so sure.’

‘We learned from the best,’ Agnew said, eyes flitting between Rebus and Fleck as he raised his glass.

‘The best or the worst,’ Rebus replied. ‘Sometimes it’s hard to tell them apart.’ He looked around the room again. ‘How many have been grilled so far? I assume the ones who have are here to pass their wisdom on to those still waiting.’

‘Talking of waiting,’ Turnbull said, ‘your wee pal Clarke kept us hanging around almost the whole day. Waste of time and the taxpayer’s money.’

‘When we’re so many bodies down from the ’rona,’ someone else piped up.

‘Oh aye,’ Rebus said, ‘I can see how seriously you all take public health. There’s probably more germs than oxygen in this room. In fact, I’d bet on it.’

‘You calling us germs?’ one of the younger drinkers growled.

‘If the diced cap fits,’ Rebus answered with a shrug.

‘Careful, John,’ Fleck said in warning. ‘Some of us know we’ve got things to be grateful to you for, but goodwill goes only so far.’

‘If you mean Kyle Weller’s death in custody, I know the feeling is I magicked the evidence away, but I really didn’t. Stuff gets lost, it’s a fact of life.’

‘Not just Kyle Weller, though,’ Fleck stated quietly.