Next morning, Rebus drove out towards the airport. He had got the addresses of Rory Bell’s multistory car parks from Christine Esson. He followed the signs from the A8 Glasgow road and found himself just north of the village of Ratho. When he lowered his window, he caught a whiff of sewage and pig farm. An aircraft was rising into the sky with a thunderous roar, not quarter of a mile away. The car park advertised its special long-term rates and twice-an-hour shuttle service. An automatic barrier rose when Rebus took the proffered ticket from the machine. He drove slowly around the ground floor, unsure what he was looking for. Jessica had crashed her car not too far away. She was friends with the niece of the car park’s owner. The owner was less legit than might have been the case. Add to that the brand-new crowbar…and Rebus still wasn’t sure. There was a cabin staffed by a single uniformed flunky. The ground floor was half full. The cars looked like they belonged to middle management: Beemers, Audis, a couple of Jags and a Merc. He drove up the ramp to the next floor, which was quieter. One Range Rover had a film of dust over its windscreen. Maybe it belonged to someone who was enjoying protracted winter sun elsewhere. Rebus couldn’t blame them. The next floor was empty, as was the unsheltered roof, though it too had been laid out in marked bays. Rebus doubted the place ever got full. On the other hand, it was easy money—one member of staff, few overheads.

He stopped the Saab on the roof and got out for a cigarette. He could see the airport runway, an orange-liveried EasyJet plane coming in to land. Jessica’s car had crashed somewhere to the west. If she’d started her journey at this car park, she and Forbes had been driving away from the city. Towards his parents’ place? Possible. If Rebus had possessed more of a head for geography, he might be able to make out the house and grounds. As it was, he saw only a patchwork countryside and snowcapped hills beyond.

“You okay there?”

The voice was amplified, metallic. Rebus looked around and saw a tall metal pole with a loudspeaker and camera attached to it. He gave it a wave and got back into his car. He was approaching the exit barrier when he saw the attendant emerge from his cabin. The man was at the barrier before him, waiting for a word. Rebus wound his window down again.

“Everything all right?” the man asked. He had a pockmarked face and irregular teeth, his eyes milky but wary.

“Forgot something,” Rebus explained. “Need to go back to the office.”

“You went all the way to the roof.”

“Is there a law against it?”

“Maybe.” The attendant was examining the scuffed interior of the Saab. Rebus meantime had slotted his ticket into the machine.