“But the Shadow Bible was the copy of Scots Criminal Law we were given. Big black thing with a leather cover and brass screws. And we all spat on it and rubbed it in till it was dry. I thought it was a kind of oath, but it wasn’t—we were saying the rules could go to hell, because we knew better. We were the ones in the field…”

“We absolutely were.”

“And it was a shadow bible because it wasn’t quite the word of God—it was written by committee, meaning we could disregard it.”

“We got results, if you’d care to remember.”

“Oh, we got results all right—but at a cost. And it seems to me we’re still paying.”

“So how come I don’t feel bad about myself?”

“It’s because as far as you’re concerned, there is no one else, no one that matters. As long as your money is making you more money, the rest of the world can go screw itself.”

Rebus heard a cold chuckle on the other end of the line. “And yet here I am at an adversary’s funeral.”

“Odd how many of your adversaries end up dead.”

The silence lingered, until Gilmour broke it. “I’m going back in now.”

“Enjoy your freedom, Stefan. There might not be much more of it…”

Rebus ended the call and headed back to the booth, where Clarke had finished her meal and was holding a hand to her stomach.

“That bad?” Rebus asked.

“Ate too quickly,” she explained, stifling a burp.

“So what do you make of Malcolm’s theory?”

She looked at both men, then offered a shrug. “A few facts would be nice.”

“Wouldn’t they, though?” Rebus agreed.

Clarke’s eyes were on Fox. “Because I’m not sure any of this gets us much closer to proving who killed Billy Saunders. On the other hand, maybe that’s not what’s most important to you—maybe Summerhall’s still top of your list.”

“I don’t really see a distinction, and I’m not sure John does either.”

“What about Pat McCuskey?” Rebus asked. “Does anyone know if the investigation’s still stalled?”

“Far as I can tell,” Clarke answered. “And that’s driving Nick Ralph spare.” She looked at Rebus. “You think it connects to that crash, don’t you?”

“Jessica’s flatmate was sleeping with him,” Rebus stated.

“What?”

“Alice Bell. She had a thing going with Forbes’s dad.”

“Did Forbes know?”

“I’m not sure—Alice says not.”

“And Jessica?”

“Ditto.”

“Could that be what happened? They’re out driving and they happen to see the pair of them?”

“Might make me put pedal to metal,” Rebus conceded. “But Alice is keeping quiet.”

“Worth nudging her a bit?”

The look on Rebus’s face said no. He turned towards Fox.