‘Well, sir, to be honest, there was a little more to it than that.’ Watson sat back in his chair, holding the mug in both hands, and waited for the story. Doubtless he was thinking: this’ll be good. But Rebus had nothing to gain by lying. ‘I like Gregor Jack,’ he said. ‘I mean, I like him as an MP. He’s always seemed to me to be a bloody good MP. I felt a bit . . . well, I thought it was bad timing, us happening to bust that brothel the same time he was there . . .’ Bad timing? Did he really believe that was all there was to it? ‘So, when I did happen to be passing – I’d stayed the night at Sergeant Holmes’ new house . . . he lives in Jack’s constituency – I thought I’d stop and take a look. There were a lot of reporters about the place. I don’t know exactly why I stopped, but then I saw that Jack’s car was sitting out on the drive in full view. I reckoned that was dangerous. I mean, if a photo of it got into the papers. Everybody’d know Jack’s car, right down to its number plate. You can’t be too safe, can you? So I went in and suggested the car be moved into the garage.’

Rebus stopped. That was all there was to it, wasn’t it? Well, it was enough to be going on with. Watson was looking thoughtful. He took another injection of coffee before speaking.

‘You’re not alone, John. I feel guilty myself about Operation Creeper. Not that there’s anything to feel guilty about, you understand, but all the same . . . and now the press are on to the story, they’ll keep on it till the poor bugger’s forced to resign.’

Rebus doubted this. Jack hadn’t looked like a man ready or willing or about to resign.

‘If we can help Jack . . .’ Watson paused again, wanting to catch Rebus’s eye. He was warning Rebus that this was all unofficial, all unwritten, but that it had already been discussed, at some level far above Rebus himself. Perhaps, even, above Watson. Had the Chief Super been rapped over the knuckles by the high heidyins themselves? ‘If we can help him,’ he was saying, ‘I’d like him to get that help. If you see what I mean, John.’

‘I think so, sir.’ Sir Hugh Ferrie had powerful friends. Rebus was beginning to wonder just how powerful . . .

‘Right then.’

‘Just the one thing, sir. Who gave you the info about the brothel?’

Watson was shaking his head even before Rebus had finished the question. ‘Can’t tell you that, John. I know what you’re thinking. You’re wondering if Jack was set up. Well, if he was, it had nothing to do with my informant. I can promise you that. No, if Jack was set up, the question that needs answering is why he was there in the first place, not why we were there.’