Dad came up when I was in bed. He told me not to talk to strangers. Especially men in cars.

I asked about Mary. Why would a man take Mary away?

Some men are bad, Dad says.

I wanted to ask, how do I know if they’re bad, but didn’t.

Did I know any bad men?

And then I thought of one.

8

The narrow road that led to the red-brick Victorian prison that was HMP Barlinnie, more commonly known in Glasgow as the Bar-L, went straight through a housing estate. Perched a little higher than the rows of neat houses, it provided little to no possibility for parking unless you managed to get a space in the official car park, which was anything but large enough for the task.

Thus Professor Magnus Pirie had arrived early for his morning meeting, with the slender hope of finding a space.

And, amazingly, it seemed he was in luck.

A small van was in the process of exiting a parking bay near the gate. Drawing to one side, Magnus let him depart, before doing a swift reversal just as another car entered and assumed the vacant space might be for them.

Not for the first time, Magnus, in his psychologist role, wondered how many fights had originated outside Barlinnie over a parking space rather than inside the halls of the vast and imposing prison.

Locking the car, he made for the visitor entrance. Despite the early hour, there was already a stream of people entering or leaving through the glass facade.

This wasn’t his first official visit so he knew the drill. Ignoring the reception area, Magnus crossed instead to the heavy metal door on the opposite wall and pressed the buzzer.

‘Professor Magnus Pirie come to visit Alec McLaughlin.’

The buzzer sounded and Magnus pulled on the heavy door. Inside was the gathering area for those who were bound for locations not accessible to ordinary visitors – the halls behind the walls. Security was tight here, and wherever you went would involve an accompanying prison officer and a great deal of locking and unlocking of doors.

Magnus’s allotted officer for today would likely be Archie Urqhuart, who he already knew from previous visits involving his current research.

After giving his name and the reason for his visit, Magnus was asked to sign in before being handed his security pass, but he still had to wait until the four folk in front, two men and two women, went through the usual scanner bag and body checks.

Entering a prison was much like trying to go through security at the airport. You were required to show photo ID and negotiate the screening process, the difference being that you weren’t allowed to take any personal items into the jail and especially not your mobile phone.

Listening in on their chatting, Magnus realized the four were there to run the recovery cafe. The Recovery Community Network in Glasgow was something Magnus both knew about and supported, having been invited on occasion to talk to groups about the psychology of recovering from addiction. These four advocates were chatty and in high spirits and obviously knew most of the staff on duty.