McCoist spoke up. ‘Are you accusing my daughter of lying?’ She wasn’t just a client any longer …

‘I’m saying maybe it’s something Claire should have told us a bit earlier.’

‘I didn’t know it was …’ Claire began to say.

‘DCS Templer,’ McCoist began haughtily, ‘I didn’t think it was Lothian and Borders Police policy to accuse potential witnesses of duplicity.’

‘Right now,’ Templer shot back, ‘your stepdaughter’s a suspect rather than a witness.’

‘Suspected of what exactly? Running a quiz? Since when was that an offence?’

Gill didn’t have an answer for that. She glanced in Siobhan’s direction, and Siobhan thought she could read at least a few of her boss’s thoughts. He’s right … we still don’t know for sure that Quizmaster has anything to do with anything … this is your hunch I’m going with, just remember that …

McCoist knew the look between the two detectives meant something. He decided to press his point.

‘I can’t see you presenting any of this to the Procurator Fiscal. You’d be laughed back down the ranks … DCS Templer.’ Putting the stress on those three letters. He knew she was newly promoted; knew she’d yet to prove herself …

Gill had already regained her composure. ‘What we need from Claire, Mr McCoist, are some straight answers, otherwise her story’s looking thin and we’ll need to make further inquiries.’

McCoist seemed to consider this. Siobhan, meantime, was busy making a mental list. Claire Benzie had the motive all right – the role of Balfour’s Bank in her father’s suicide. With the role-playing game, she had the means, and luring Flip to Arthur’s Seat would give the opportunity. Now she suddenly invented a loaned laptop, conveniently missing … Siobhan started another list, this time for Ranald Marr, who’d warned Flip early on about how to delete e-mails. Ranald Marr with his toy soldiers, second-in-command at the bank. She still didn’t see what Marr would have gained from Flip’s death …

‘Claire,’ she said quietly, ‘those times you went to Junipers, did you ever meet Ranald Marr?’

‘I don’t see what that’s—’

But Claire interrupted her stepfather. ‘Ranald Marr, yes. I never really knew what she saw in him.’

‘Who?’

‘Flip. She had this crush on Ranald. Schoolgirl stuff, I suppose …’

‘Was it reciprocated? Did it go further than a crush?’

‘I think,’ McCoist said, ‘we’re straying somewhat from the—’

But Claire was smiling at Siobhan. ‘Not until later,’ she was saying.

‘How much later?’

‘I got the feeling she was seeing him pretty much up till she went missing …’

‘What’s all the excitement?’ Rebus asked.

Bain looked up from the desk he was working at. ‘Brought in Claire Benzie for questioning.’

‘Why?’ Rebus leaned down, reached into one of the desk’s drawers.

‘Sorry,’ Bain said, ‘is this your … ?’