Rebus had other questions, but he was beginning to tire. He decided to leave it at that. He got up and nodded for Jack to switch off the machine, then told Eve she could go.

‘What about me?’ Toal asked.

‘You don’t leave together,’ Rebus reminded him. Toal seemed to accept this. Rebus saw Eve along the corridor and down the stairs. Neither of them said a word, not even goodbye. But he watched her leave before asking the desk officer for a couple of uniforms, a.s.a.p. at the interview room.

When he got back, Jack had just finished rewinding the tapes, and Toal was on his feet, doing some stretching exercises. There was a knock, and the two uniforms came in. Toal stood up straight, sensing something was wrong.

‘Malcolm Toal,’ Rebus said, ‘I am charging you with the murder of Anthony Ellis Kane on the night of —’

With a roar, Mad Malky flew at Rebus, hands scrabbling at his neck.

The woolly suits eventually got him into a cell, and Rebus sat on a chair in the interview room, watching his hands shaking.

‘You OK?’ Jack asked.

‘Know what, Jack? You’re like a broken record.’

‘Know what, John? You’re always needing it asked.’

Rebus smiled and rubbed his neck. ‘I’m fine.’

As Toal had run at him, Rebus had kneed the young man in the groin with enough force to lift him off his feet. After that, the uniforms had found him just about manageable, especially with a Vulcan death grip to his carotid.

‘What do you want to do?’ Jack asked.

‘One copy of the tape goes to CID here. It’ll give them enough to go on until we get back.’

‘From Aberdeen?’ Jack guessed.

‘And points north.’ Rebus pointed to the machine. ‘Stick the copy back in and turn it on.’ Jack did so. ‘Gill, here’s a little present for you. I hope you’ll know what to do with it.’ He nodded, and Jack stopped recording and ejected the tape.

‘We’ll drop it off at St Leonard’s.’

‘So we are going back to Edinburgh?’ Jack was thinking of tomorrow’s meeting with Ancram.

‘Only long enough for a change of clothes and a doctor’s line.’

Outside in the car park, a solitary figure was waiting: Eve.

‘Going my way?’ she asked.

‘How did you know?’

She smiled her most feline smile. ‘Because you’re like me – you’ve got unfinished business in Aberdeen. I’m only going to be there as long as it takes to visit a few banks and close a few accounts, but there are those two hotel rooms …’

A good point: they’d need a base, preferably one Lumsden didn’t know about.

‘He’s in a cell?’ she asked.

‘Yes.’

‘How many men did you need?’

‘Just the two.’

‘I’m surprised.’

‘We all surprise ourselves some time,’ Rebus said, opening the back door of Jack’s car for her.

Rebus wasn’t surprised to find Gill Templer’s office locked up for the night. He looked around the night shift and saw Siobhan Clarke trying to make herself inconspicuous, dreading their first meeting since she’d been part of the search team at his flat. He walked up to her, the yellow padded envelope in his hand.