‘Since Marshall was released from prison he spends all his time here or at the Mission,’ Joe said. He grabbed my hand and pulled me closer to what I guessed was the old stable block. The lichen-covered grey stone was beautiful; what few windows it had were set high up in the walls. It seemed horses didn’t need daylight but human beings, especially sick ones, did. It didn’t surprise me. The Edinburgh District Council planning authorities were notorious; if a building hadn’t had provision for letting in daylight in the seventeenth century, well, it wasn’t going to today: they couldn’t allow an extra pane or skylight, or where would it all end? We crouched down beside Marshall’s Mercedes. There were no other cars parked outside this building. Joe reached up and tried the handle. The door was open and the keys were still in the ignition.

‘Careless,’ Joe said.

‘Arrogant,’ I said. ‘He thinks he’s untouchable…he could be right.’

‘We’ll see,’ said Joe. His right eyebrow was raised–always a danger sign. His lips were set in a grim line, as he inched nearer and nearer to Marshall’s lair. It was surprising how easy it was. No one paid any attention to what was going on up the hill. They were all focused on the comings and goings in the main hospital. ‘The back door,’ Joe said. ‘Run for it and no mucking about. Do exactly what I tell you to, Brodie. Trust me.’

Keeping my head down, bent in half, I ran towards the green stable door. By the time I got there, Joe was already working on the lock. He pulled out a set of tools and with a deft flick of his wrist the door swung open. The first room we came through was a disposal unit. Hospital waste, bagged up, stood ready to be burned. One of the sacks had burst open and items of old dirty clothing burst out. My heart stopped. A green, yellow and black beanie lay on the floor. Mack, the dreadlocked tramp who used to own Lucky, had worn one exactly like that. I didn’t stop to examine it closer. Joe was already heading down the corridor. I had to run to keep up. He knew where he was going and I could sense he had been here before. Adrenalin pumped through my system. The wing of the hospital was bright and sterile but unwelcoming. There were no friendly nurses’ stations, or vending machines dispensing chocolate treats to visitors, no crappy artwork on the wall.