‘Oh, yes,’ Renton was saying, ‘I saw it.’

Rebus blinked. ‘You saw it?’

Renton was nodding, hair bobbing in front of his eyes. ‘From the window. I was up changing a CD, and -’

‘Is it okay if I come in for a minute? I want to see what kind of view you had.’

Renton puffed out his cheeks, exhaled. ‘Well, I suppose ...’

And Rebus was in.

The living-room was fairly tidy. Renton went ahead of him, crossed to where a hi-fi rack sat between two windows. ‘I was putting on a new CD, and I looked out of the window. You can see the bus stop, and I wondered if I might catch Jane coming off a bus.’

He paused. ‘Jane’s Eric’s girlfriend.’

The words washed over Rebus. He was looking down on the street, where Sammy had been walking. ‘Tell me what you saw.’

‘This girl was crossing the road. She was nice-looking ... I thought so anyway. Then this car came through the lights, swerved and sent her flying.’

Rebus closed his eyes for a second.

‘She must have gone ten feet in the air, hit that hedge, bounced back on to the pavement. She didn’t move after that.’

Rebus opened his eyes. He was at the window, Renton standing just behind his left shoulder. Down on the street, people were crossing the road, walking over the spot where Sammy had been hit, the spot where she’d landed. Flicking ash on to the pavement where she’d lain.

‘I don’t suppose you saw the driver?’

‘Not from this angle.’

‘Any passengers?’

‘Couldn’t tell.’

He wears glasses, Rebus thought. How reliable is he? ‘When you saw it happen, you didn’t go down?’

‘I’m not a medical student or anything.’

He nodded towards an easel in the corner, and Rebus noticed a shelf of paints and brushes. ‘Someone ran to the phone box, so I knew help was coming.’

Rebus nodded. ‘Anyone else see it?’

‘They were in the kitchen.’

Renton paused. ‘I know what you’re thinking.’

Rebus doubted it. ‘You’re thinking I wear specs, so maybe I didn’t see it right. But he definitely swerved. You know ... deliberately. I mean, like he was aiming for her.’

He nodded to himself.

‘Aiming for her?’

Renton made a movement with his hand, imitating a car gliding off one course and on to another. ‘He steered straight for her.’

‘The car didn’t lose control?’

‘That would have been jerkier, wouldn’t it?’

‘What colour was the car?’

‘Dark green.’

‘And the make?’

Renton shrugged. ‘I’m hopeless with cars. Tell you what though ...’

‘What?’

Renton took off his glasses, started polishing them. ‘Why don’t I try sketching it for you?’

He moved the easel over to the window and got to work. Rebus went into the hall and called the hospital. The person he got through to didn’t sound too surprised.

‘No change, I’m afraid. She’s got a couple of visitors with her.’

Mickey and Rhona. Rebus terminated the call, made another to Pryde’s mobile.