Chrissy was scanning both those on stage and the audience, but seemed disappointed by the result.

‘You’re here to see one of the performers?’ Rhona said.

‘Maybe,’ Chrissy admitted coyly.

They took up their usual place at the bar, where there was no sign of McNab, nor was he the first of their colleagues to arrive. It had been a long time since Rhona had seen DI Wilson in the jazz club, although he was a firm fan of Sean’s saxophone playing. In fact it had been at Bill’s fiftieth birthday party that she’d first met Sean Maguire and decided to take him home with her.

Since Bill’s wife Margaret had passed away from cancer, Bill hadn’t socialized much, so Rhona was delighted to see him there, as he was her.

‘So we’re both venturing out into the world again,’ he said as he greeted her.

Rhona knew Bill well enough to gauge his real reason for their meeting up tonight, and it wasn’t strictly social. Bill got round to the anticipated question as their drinks arrived.

‘How was it up there on the moor?’ he said, quietly enough for only Rhona to hear.

It was something that needed to be asked. Being back in a grave, even if it wasn’t her own this time, had been traumatic, but she’d survived.

‘It was okay,’ Rhona said honestly.

Bill looked relieved.

‘You were taking a chance sending me out there,’ Rhona said.

‘More of a calculated risk,’ Bill admitted. He fell silent before asking, ‘McNab told you about McCreadie?’

Rhona nodded. ‘You knew he’d become a crime author? Quite a famous one by all accounts.’

‘Yes, although I didn’t warn DS McNab.’ Bill smiled. ‘In truth, McNab reminds me of McCreadie, or at least the stories about him. Has difficulty with authority. Brilliant detective but inclined to go his own way.’

It did sound like McNab.

‘McCreadie left under a cloud during the McIntyre case,’ Bill went on. ‘I suspect the cloud was manufactured to get rid of him. Rumour was that McCreadie uncovered something that those in power back then didn’t want exposed.’

‘What sort of thing?’ Rhona said.

‘Whatever it was, it’s definitely not in the files. I’ve already pulled them. Maybe, just maybe, us finding the girl now might provide some answers.’

At this point, Rhona heard Sean’s voice from the stage. Turning, he spotted her and threw her a surprised smile, before introducing their first performer of open mic night.

Rhona didn’t have to be told that the young man who stood next to Sean was the real reason for Chrissy’s visit to the jazz club that evening.

14

It looked like Ollie in IT had done okay in the short space of time between receiving McNab’s email and his arrival in person at the Tech department.

Some of the players in the Mary McIntyre story given to McNab by former DI McCreadie were listed on the computer screen for McNab’s benefit, together with what was currently known about them, dead or alive.