‘Malcolm,’ she said sweetly, ‘we do want to get out of this alive, don’t we?’

Toal’s face reddened. ‘Forget I said that,’ he told Rebus. Rebus nodded, but the machine wouldn’t forget.

‘So,’ Rebus said, ‘why did you kill Tony El?’

‘Me?’ Toal said, going into his act. Rebus sighed and looked at the tips of his shoes.

‘I think,’ Eve prodded, ‘that means the Inspector wants everything. We don’t talk to him, he has a word with your dad.’

Toal stared at her, but she held it; he broke off first. His hands went back to his crotch. ‘Yeah,’ he said, ‘well, I was under orders.’

‘Who from?’

‘Dad, of course. See, Tony was still working for us. He was day-to-day running of the Aberdeen end. All that stuff about him leaving, that was just a story. But after you came and spoke to Dad … he went through the fucking roof, because Tony had been doing outside hits, endangering the operation. And now you were on to him, so …’

‘So Tony had to go?’ Rebus was remembering that Tony El had bragged to Hank Shankley about his ‘Glasgow connections’ – he hadn’t been lying.

‘That’s right.’

‘And I don’t suppose you were too upset to see the back of him?’

Eve smiled. ‘Not particularly upset, no.’

‘Because to save his own neck, Tony might have grassed the two of you?’

‘He didn’t know we were skimming, but he found out about the hotel arrangements.’

‘Biggest mistake he ever made,’ Toal said, grinning again. He was getting cockier by the minute, enjoying telling the story, basking in the knowledge that everything was going to be fine. As he grew cockier, so Eve seemed to regard him with less and less good grace. She’d be relieved to be free of him, Rebus could see that. The poor little bastard.

‘You had CID fooled, they thought it was suicide.’

‘Well, when you’ve a cop or two in your pocket …’

Rebus looked at Toal. ‘Say that again.’

‘A cop or two on the payroll.’

‘Names?’

‘Lumsden,’ Toal said. ‘Jenkins.’

‘Jenkins?’

‘He’s something to do with the oil industry,’ Eve explained.

‘Oil Liaison Officer?’

She nodded.

Who’d been on holiday when Rebus had arrived, Lumsden standing in for him. With those two on your side, you’d have no trouble supplying the production platforms with whatever they needed – a real captive market. And when the workers came ashore, you had further delights for them: clubs, prozzies, booze and gambling. The legit and the illicit working side by side, each feeding the other. No wonder Lumsden had tagged along on the trip out to Bannock; he was protecting his investment.

‘What do you know about Fergus McLure?’

Toal looked to Eve, ready to talk but seeking permission. She nodded, keeping her own mouth shut.

‘He had a little accident, got too close to Judd.’

‘Fuller killed him?’

‘Hands on, that’s what Judd said.’ There was a hint of hero worship in Toal’s voice. ‘Told McLure they had to talk somewhere private, said walls had ears. Moseyed down to the canal with him, a dunt to the head with his gun, and into the water.’ Toal shrugged. ‘He was back in Aberdeen in time for a late breakfast.’ He smiled at Eve. ‘Late.’ Presumably another joke, but she was beyond smiling back. She just wanted out of there.