A pair of fat magpies strutted up and down on the grass, white breasts like little waistcoats, as if they were barristers debating some obscure point of law in a murder trial.

The china cup shook in Wee Hamish’s hand, tea sloshing from one side to the other. ‘The real worry comes after I’m gone.’

Logan settled back in the folding wooden chair. ‘You’re not—’

‘Oh, don’t worry: they gave me six months three years ago. I’m going nowhere without a fight.’

Reaching into his pocket, Logan pulled out the two envelopes and placed them on the little round table. ‘We need to talk about these.’

‘I looked into your necklacing victim, by the way. We had a couple of . . . meetings about it last night. No one’s admitting anything.’

‘They wouldn’t, would they.’

Wee Hamish smiled. ‘Logan, when you do something high-profile like that, it says, “Look at me, look what I do to people who cross me!” You have to take ownership of it, or it’s worthless as a warning.’

‘It’s not drugs-related.’ It never was.

‘Of course, I should never have abdicated responsibility for that part of my portfolio. Letting Reuben have his head was a weakness on my part. A good captain knows every inch of his ship.’

Logan topped up his tea. ‘You need to tell Reuben to back off.’

‘One thing I discovered this morning, is that we’ve got a drugs war going on. Nothing big, just a little one: a skirmish between some of our local entrepreneurs and a group of businessmen from the Far East.’

‘If he threatens me, or mine, I’m going to come for him.’

‘Yes.’ Wee Hamish chewed on his bottom lip for a moment, eyes creased up. ‘I’ve been thinking about that too. When he finds out I’ve made you executor, he may become somewhat . . . vociferous.’

‘I mean it.’

‘He’s a simple soul, Logan, not suited to the role of commanding the ship. He won’t chart a course around the icebergs, he’ll call for ramming speed and head right for them.’ Wee Hamish stared out into the garden. ‘The sensible thing would be to cut his lifeboat loose. . . But I’m too soft-hearted, that’s my problem.’

Soft-hearted? Aye, right.

Wee Hamish nodded. ‘I think your wisest course of action would be to take care of that as soon as you hear the news, before he moves against you.’

‘I don’t want. . .’ A sigh. ‘I can’t be executor. What am I supposed to do, hand out bits of your empire to the rival factions, sit back and hope they don’t kill each other and everyone in their path? I’m a police officer.’

‘The alternative is that Aberdeen goes full-steam ahead into the iceberg.’

‘I can’t do it.’