‘Do you believe her?’

He lit another cigarette, wafted the smoke away from Siobhan. ‘I’m not allowed an opinion: suspended from duty till further notice.’

She gave him a dirty look, lifted her glass.

‘It’s going to be some conversation, isn’t it?’ Rebus asked.

‘What?’

‘When Balfour asks his trusted compadre what the cops wanted him for.’

‘Think Marr will tell him?’

‘Even if he doesn’t, Balfour’s sure to find out. Funeral tomorrow should be a jolly affair.’ He blew more smoke ceilingwards. ‘You going to be there?’

‘Thinking of it. Templer and Carswell, a few others … they’ll be going.’

‘Might be needed if a fight starts.’

She looked at her watch. ‘I should head back, see what Marr’s been saying.’

‘You were told to take a break.’

‘I’ve had one.’

‘Phone in if you really feel the need.’

‘Maybe I’ll do that.’ She noticed that her mobile was still attached to the connector which, were the laptop not back at St Leonard’s, would have given her access to the Net. She stared at the connector, then up at Rebus. ‘What were you saying?’

‘About what?’

‘About Stricture.’

Rebus’s smile widened. ‘Nice to have you back with us. I was saying that I spent all afternoon in the library, and I’ve worked out the first bit of the puzzle.’

‘Already?’

‘You’re dealing with quality here, Siobhan. So, do you want to hear?’

‘Sure.’ She noticed that his glass was almost empty. ‘Should I … ?’

‘Just listen first.’ He pulled her back on to her seat. The pub was maybe half full, and most of the drinkers looked like students. Rebus reckoned he was the oldest face in the place. Standing by the bar, he might have been taken for the owner. At the corner table with Siobhan, he probably looked like a seedy boss trying to get his secretary tipsy.

‘I’m all ears,’ she told him.

‘Albert Camus,’ he began slowly, ‘wrote a book called The Fall.’ He slid a paperback copy from his coat and placed it on the table, tapping it with one finger. It wasn’t from the library; he’d found it in Thin’s Bookshop on his way to St Leonard’s. ‘Mark E. Smith is the singer with a band called The Fall.’

Siobhan frowned. ‘I think I had one of their singles once.’

‘So,’ Rebus went on, ‘we have The Fall and The Fall. Add one to the other and you get …’

‘Falls?’ Siobhan guessed. Rebus nodded. She picked up the book, examined its cover, then turned it to read the blurb on the back. ‘You think maybe that’s where Quizmaster wants to meet?’

‘I think it has to do with the next clue.’

‘But what about the rest of it, the boxing match and Frank Finlay?’

Rebus shrugged. ‘Unlike Simple Minds, I didn’t promise you a miracle.’