She took out her phone and punched in the number, then let it ring. And ring. And ring. . . ‘Hello? Rowan, it’s Ma Stewart, how are you? . . . Oh, you know, the usual. Can’t complain. . . Yes. . .’ She put her hand over the mouthpiece and winked at Logan. ‘It’s her.’ Then back to the phone: ‘I don’t think so, dear, but I’ll check. . . Yes. . . Listen, I’ve still got your first share of the proceeds sitting here, and Peggy’s knitted a lovely cardigan for you. You know, like the one Rowan wears in the tower-block scene? . . . Yes, that’s right. It looks smashing. And did you know it’s her birthday today? . . . I know!’ A long pause, with lots of nodding. ‘Yes, no, twenty minutes will be lovely. I’ll save you some cake.’

Then Ma hung up and smiled at him. ‘There we go. All sorted.’

Twenty minutes. ‘Thanks.’ Logan hurried out through the door to the car park, already dialling Steel. ‘We need an Armed Response Unit: Agnes Garfield’s coming in.’

‘Laz, I’m no’ in the mood for jokes. Bad enough I’ve got Bell and Leith taking swings at each other like drunken—’

‘She’s going to be at Ma Stewart’s place in about twenty minutes.’

‘For real? ’

‘Positive.’

A pause. ‘Now that’s more sodding like it! We nab her, we tell those Weegie bastards to stuff their case review up their fundament, then we go down the pub and booze it up till we can’t stand. Ha! Hold on, I need to go tell the ACC. He’ll cream his frilly pink undies.’

Five minutes later Steel was back on the phone. ‘We’re screwed.’

‘Already? How did—’

‘Can’t get a firearms team to you in twenty minutes. It’ll take at least half an hour – silly sods are doing a training exercise in Fraserburgh and took the armoury keys with them.’

Logan checked his watch. ‘Fifteen minutes now.’

‘Can you no’ get her to come back later? ’

‘Yeah, why don’t I do that. And maybe I can ask her to bring some biscuits for when we arrest her? ’ He took a couple of paces towards the van, then back again. Time to improvise. ‘OK, forget the firearms team. Far as we know she’s probably got a knife, but that’s it. Sim’s got her stab-proof vest and a thing of pepper-spray. We’ll be fine.’

‘We’re scrambling every patrol car we can find. She’ll—’

‘A bunch of cars hammering through the streets with blues-and-twos going? That’s not going to scare her off, is it? Plainclothes only: stick to the speed limit, nothing flashy.’

A grumble came from the other end of the phone. ‘Fine. But when you get back, you and me are going to have a wee chat about the chain of command. In the meantime, you’re no’ to do anything stupid. Like let her get away.’