‘Can I get a decent coffee first?’ he suggested to Janice. ‘I could bring you back a cake?’ When her expression didn’t change, he added, ‘They have rather good doughnuts, which are a big hit with Ollie?’

Rhona watched as he accompanied this request with his signature smile. Surprisingly, it seemed to work on Janice.

‘Why don’t you accompany me, Dr MacLeod? I have a couple of forensic questions I’d like to ask you. About fathers and sons.’

Rhona realized she too wasn’t averse to that look of his, which was now turned on her.

‘Just go,’ Janice told her. ‘It’s sometimes easier to fulfil an occasional wish. Oh,’ she went on, ‘and while I remember, our dinner party can now be scheduled for Friday evening. D’you think you and Sean might be able to join us?’

Rhona smiled her thanks. ‘I’ll check with his music timetable and get back to you.’

‘Time to call Ellie, McNab,’ Janice reminded him. ‘Eight o’clock at our place. No excuses.’

‘What is it you need to forensically know about?’ Rhona said as she and McNab made their way to the cafeteria.

‘Did you do anything with the information I fed you last night about Cleverly possibly having a son in Glasgow?’

‘I did,’ she told him.

He was waiting to hear what exactly it was.

‘Cleverly’s DNA is on NDNAD as a police officer for elimination purposes,’ she reminded him. ‘So I ran a familial check on the semen sample taken from the dead girl.’

When McNab looked slightly puzzled, she expanded, ‘I’m checking to see if Cleverly and Joe Hill are related.’

He gave her a big, satisfied grin. ‘Anything back as yet?’

‘If I can get back to my lab, I could find that out.’

‘You, Dr MacLeod, can take away two iced doughnuts with sprinkles. The second, of course, being for my namesake’s wonderful mum.’

84

McNab, watching as Rhona left with her doughnut bag, was aware that report writing wasn’t the only job he should be doing.

The one he had delayed for even longer now seemed verging on the impossible.

When in doubt, do nothing, a small voice told him.

In his job, he wasn’t known for procrastination. His personal life was a different matter.

The situation with Ellie had freaked him so much, he wondered now if he wanted to be back in it again. Plus there was the question of sharing her with someone else. Even if Baldy was eventually cast aside, there would likely be someone to replace him.

He’d had his own one-night – or half-night – stand on the train south, and didn’t feel guilty about it, he tried to tell himself. There had also been the skirmish with Mary. Maybe that was the way to go. See Ellie on her terms and do what he liked as well.

None of these thoughts made him feel any better.