He had a teenager’s ability to blank out bad news, showing no emotion at all, or else be very angry. If he accused Police Scotland of not keeping them safe, that would probably work with Erling.

Though perhaps not with Magnus.

She felt a surge of guilt about deceiving both men, but reminded herself that it wouldn’t be for long. Glancing behind her, she saw that Nadia had fallen asleep, which would allow her to talk to Firash in private.

‘How is the police officer?’ she said quietly.

‘Nurse Jenny says he has regained consciousness and has been able to talk a little. He is guarded round the clock. No visitors are permitted, but Nurse Jenny gave him my message.’

‘Will he agree to see you?’

‘I helped save his life. I think he will agree.’

78

‘You’re sure you want to go ahead with this?’

Janice fired him a pointed look. ‘Do you think he set that girl on fire? Or that he rented the flat to the man who did do it?’

McNab could tell by Janice’s expression that she was playing devil’s advocate on this. Plus he didn’t need to remind her that the only real evidence they had on Willis was the print on the credit card and his DNA on the handle of the bag. Both of which could have been put there when he claimed he visited the room. He could just see Willis considering stealing both items, then thinking the better of it.

‘And the semen?’ Janice checked. ‘It’s definitely not his?’

‘Rhona’s confirmed that now. She’s running a profile through the database just in case it finds a match.’

‘You lied to him about us finding the lighter.’ Janice waved a finger at him. ‘Naughty.’

‘You could tell from his face when I said it that he hadn’t touched a lighter. And we now know Willis has a Go Wild contact, here in Glasgow.’

‘Or who happens to sound Glaswegian,’ she corrected him.

‘And I thought you were the positive one in this partnership,’ McNab said with an attempt at humour.

‘What if they know he’s been lifted?’

‘That’s a chance he says he’s willing to take, to get himself off the hook for murder.’

‘If they can pinpoint where he’s calling them from . . .’ Janice said.

‘We plan to let him go and keep a tail on him.’

‘We could lose our only suspect in a murder case?’ she queried.

‘True. However, I’ve talked it over with the boss and he’s agreed to amend our original suggestion to go for Hugo and replace it with Willis’s contact,’ he said. ‘Provided surveillance have him well covered at all times.’

McNab had already had all these arguments with himself. With the boss and, to a lesser extent, with Willis.