Outside the house, Darryl paused to examine the sky overhead. You never saw many stars—too much light pollution. There was the beginning of an overnight frost on the pavement and the car windscreens. Plenty of people still awake—TVs glowing from living room windows; some music from a distant party; a dog barking, desperate to be allowed back indoors. Darryl walked to the corner and shook the hand of the man standing there.

“I thought we might walk,” Cafferty said. “Not far—just to stop us freezing our backsides off.”

“Sure,” Darryl said, slipping his hands into his pockets.

“We’ve not met before, have we?” Cafferty asked him.

“No.”

“It’s just that sometimes I forget a face, and that looks like a lack of respect next time I see the person.” He glanced towards the young man. “Don’t want that happening between us, Darryl.”

“Okay, Mr. Cafferty.”

“How long have you been working for Frank?”

“A while.”

“He used to work for me, you know.”

“Your name’s been mentioned.”

“Probably not with any great enthusiasm.” A taxi rumbled past, driver’s-side window down, seeking an address. Cafferty watched it, as did Darryl.

“Can’t be too careful, eh?” the older man said with a thin smile. Then: “I should have said at the start, I’m sorry about your sister. Anything I can do to help, you only have to ask.”

“Thanks.”

“Frank doesn’t need to know—it can be between us. If that’s okay with you, Darryl.” Cafferty seemed to study the young man. “I met your dad a few times, back in the day.”

“Really?”

“Just in the pub, you know. He was friends with Frank.”

“Aye, he was.”

“But then they say love’s no respecter of friendship.” Cafferty turned a corner and Darryl realized they were doing a little circuit that would bring them back to his house. “I like that you kept your dad’s surname,” Cafferty was saying. “Are you still in touch with him?”

Darryl nodded.

“Well, tell him I said hello.”

“I’ll do that. Look, I hope you don’t mind me asking, but why are we out for a walk together at the dead of night?”

Cafferty chuckled, then sniffed and reached into his pocket for a handkerchief.

“You know a cop called Rebus?” he asked as he wiped at his nose.

“I’ve spoken to him.”

“He mentioned your name to me. I’ve got a lot of friends in this town, people who make sure I’m as well informed as I need to be. You might think Frank has a lot of friends too, but they’re not the sort that can always be trusted. What do you think he would do if it turned out one of them had snatched your sister? What if they were using her as a bargaining tool of some kind?”

“That’s not what the cops think happened.”