Fox’s brief conversation with Wilson had brought another name bubbling to the surface – Josephine Kilgour. He’d not thought about her for a while, and wondered if she was still at the same address. He jotted down her name as a reminder, then stared at his screen and tapped his pen – a chunky Montegrappa, a little treat to himself – against the pad. He could see how Tynecastle might well have been involved in the Barlow beating, but where did Rebus fit in? Was Fleck putting up a smokescreen? Any amount of time Fox spent taking the wrong road was time not used in pursuit of Fleck and the Crew.

He glanced at his Omega wristwatch, then stretched his spine, pulling back his shoulders. He hoped Francis Haggard would re­surface soon. If he was in the mood to tell some stories, maybe Tony Barlow could become a significant chapter.

He shut down his computer and put his jacket back on. He was halfway down the stairs when he saw someone he knew coming up. Colette Newman worked for HMRC, fraud inquiries her speciality.

‘Working the late shift?’ he asked her.

‘Justice never sleeps, Malcolm,’ she replied with a smile. She was carrying a folder under one arm, which she patted with her free hand. ‘Furlough scams,’ she explained.

‘All the glamour all the time,’ he commented. ‘We should grab another drink one of these days.’

‘So many choice spots in Gartcosh – were you thinking cappuccino from the kiosk?’

‘I’d say a West End wine bar is more your style. Before or after a spot of dinner.’

‘I’ll get back to you, Malcolm.’

‘We could call it a work meeting and charge it to the public purse,’ he teased.

‘I reckon HMRC would take a dim view of that, don’t you?’ Her smile was widening as she passed him and continued to the top of the stairs.

Rather than drive straight home, Fox, having hit the outskirts of the city, started following the signposts to Edinburgh North and East. Newhaven was right on the coast, looking out across the Firth of Forth. It still boasted a harbour, one side of which was lined with restaurants, though only a few hardy souls were out and about. It was practically on Leith’s doorstep, but didn’t have the same buzz. Still, the views would have been the selling point for the block of flats developed by James Pelham. Some had uninterrupted views towards the three bridges across the Forth, while others looked towards Inchkeith and the other islands out on the firth.