Fleck himself had asked to visit Rebus in detention, but Rebus had denied him. He knew Fleck would be after a favour: since Rebus was going away for a stretch, might he be minded to take with him some of the flak coming Fleck’s way? No doubt compensation would be offered, but Rebus was done with covering his old pal’s back. As soon as Siobhan had shifted to Complaints, Rebus would have her visit him. There were stories that needed to be told, and no more fitting person to hear his confession. He kept thinking of Francis Haggard, still unsure if his intention to tell all was fuelled by shame or self-preservation.

Well, hell, why not both?

He realised that time had moved on. His QC had seated himself and the advocate depute was on her feet. He had missed Bartleby uttering the all-important words.

‘Are you quite sure?’ Bartleby had asked him on more than one occasion.

‘I’ve a life’s worth of mitigation,’ Rebus had assured him.

‘Then not guilty it is,’ Bartleby had agreed.

Doors were being opened to allow access to the Crown’s first witness. Andrew, who had handed police the CCTV from Cafferty’s penthouse, strode in. He wore an expensive suit and sported a new haircut. Dapper and ready for bigger things, he locked eyes with Rebus, and grinned.

I was a single father
But I just can’t complain
Got a heart full of headstones
As I step down from the train …

Jackie Leven, ‘Single Father’

About the Author

Ian Rankin is the multimillion-copy worldwide bestseller of over thirty novels and creator of John Rebus. His books have been translated into thirty-six languages and have been adapted for radio, the stage and the screen.

Rankin is the recipient of four Crime Writers’ Association Dagger Awards, including the Diamond Dagger, the UK’s most prestigious award for crime fiction. In the United States, he has won the celebrated Edgar Award and been shortlisted for the Anthony Award. In Europe, he has won Denmark’s Palle Rosenkrantz Prize, the French Grand Prix du Roman Noir and the German Deutscher Krimipreis.

He is the recipient of honorary degrees from universities across the UK, is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature, and has received an OBE for his services to literature. In 2022 he received a knighthood as part of the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations.

Website: IanRankin.net
Twitter: @Beathhigh
Facebook: IanRankinBooks

Also by Ian Rankin

The Detective Malcolm Fox Series

The Complaints
The Impossible Dead

The Detective Inspector Rebus Series

Knots and Crosses

Hide and Seek

Tooth and Nail
(previously published as Wolfman)

Strip Jack

The Black Book

Mortal Causes

Let It Bleed

Black and Blue

The Hanging Garden

Death Is Not The End (a novella)

Dead Souls

Set in Darkness

The Falls

Resurrection Men

A Question of Blood

Fleshmarket Close

The Naming of the Dead

Exit Music

Standing in Another Man’s Grave