‘There’s no way we’ll get a conviction for murder, not in the circumstances. . . Manslaughter, at a stretch, but it won’t be popular.’ She rested her hands on the windowsill. ‘We’ll have to prosecute him for the jewellery robbery, of course. That’s going to play well in the press.’ A sigh. ‘Inspector McRae—’

‘I didn’t do it on purpose.’

‘No, I suppose not. But still. . .’ She turned, took off her glasses and polished them on a little yellow cloth. ‘Do we have any good news about the necklacing case? ’

‘We’re—’

‘If you’re about to say, “pursuing several lines of enquiry”, I’m going to stab you in the eye with a pencil. And don’t think I won’t get away with it.’

Ah. . . ‘The fact he was necklaced out at the Joyriders’ Graveyard has to be significant. Up a rutted track on a dead-end road past Thainstone Mart – it’s not exactly somewhere you just stumble across on your way to the shops, is it? ’

‘So whoever it is has local knowledge.’

‘They’ve probably got form for unlawful removal as well, or know someone who does. We’re still waiting on a full DNA work-up; you know what it’s like these days. Until we’ve ID’d the victim it’s going to be hard to get anywhere.’

She slipped her glasses back on. ‘I don’t like this, DI McRae. I don’t like this at all.’

‘We could get a forensic anthropologist in? Do a facial reconstruction? ’ He cleared his throat. ‘You know, if we had the budget. . .? ’

Her eyes narrowed. ‘Find the budget. I’m authorizing it. This case is now Grampian Police’s number one priority.’

Steel would love that.

‘. . .no, that’s not what I’m saying at all.’ The Assistant Chief Constable waved a finger and twenty flashguns went off, reflecting off his high forehead, catching him in all his chunky glory. He must have shaved right before the briefing, because the lower of his two chins was an angry shade of puce flecked with tiny spots of scarlet. ‘What I’m saying is we have to treat these two cases separately. That’s how the law works.’

The briefing room was packed with row after row of journalists and TV crews, all sticking their hands up and asking questions at the same time:

‘Was the surgery a success? ’

‘Would you say Guy Ferguson is a hero? ’

‘Why did your officers tell his parents he was dead? ’

‘Why is Grampian Police persecuting a man who sacrificed his fingers trying to save someone? ’

The ACC thumped his hand on the table. ‘We’re not persecuting anyone, and it’s irresponsible to suggest otherwise. What Mr Ferguson tried to do for the victim was admirable, breaking into a jewellery store and making off with thirty-four thousand pounds’ worth of merchandise was not.’