Ava left after that and Rhona, mindful of the prospect of their early rise, and the fact she wanted to update her notes, indicated she was bound for bed. Chrissy, already yawning, joined her.

‘I’ll leave a packed lunch out for you and set the timer on the coffee machine, although I may not see you before you leave,’ Magnus said. ‘Good luck tomorrow.’

Now in her room, Rhona settled in bed with her laptop. The meeting with Ava had been fruitful, she thought. If anyone could discover the hidden world of the MV Orlova, she suspected it might be her.

15

The close seemed back to normal. Tape was down, litter was appearing on the stairs instead of metal treads. Only the door on the top landing remained sealed.

Having taken a look, McNab proceeded down again and approached Jimmy’s door. This time, his knock was swiftly answered and he was greeted with a big smile.

‘Come away in, Sergeant. Just in time for a cuppa.’

McNab was shown into the sitting room where Lucifer eyed him with evil intent from the windowsill.

‘He likes you. I can tell,’ Jimmy assured him, before heading, McNab assumed, to fetch his tea.

Minutes later he came back with two mugs. One supporting Glasgow Rangers, the other Celtic. He handed McNab the Celtic one.

‘Am I right?’

‘I don’t follow football much, but if I did . . .’ McNab toasted him.

Jimmy smiled at that. ‘I’m glad it’s just you, son, this time. It’s not that I didn’t like the lassie, but I’m not sure it’s safe to have women on the front line. The world can be a terrible place for them. Like that poor lassie.’ He glanced towards the window, following Lucifer’s fierce gaze into the back court.

They supped for another minute or two, before McNab said, ‘I just wondered if there was anything else you remembered that you wanted to tell me. Or maybe something you didn’t want to say in front of DS Clark?’

Jimmy threw him a shrewd look. ‘If you guessed that, then no wonder you’re a detective, son.’

‘So what was it?’ McNab prompted.

‘There was shenanigans going on up in that flat.’

‘Shenanigans?’ McNab said.

‘Sexy shenanigans,’ Jimmy explained. ‘I followed Lucifer up there. He pees on the stairs sometimes, and folk complain.’ He hesitated.

‘And?’

‘They were going at it in there. Hell for leather,’ he added, his eyes wide. ‘Screaming even.’

‘A woman was screaming?’

‘Screaming and moaning. The man too.’

‘Was someone being hurt?’ McNab tried.

‘It’s difficult to say nowadays. What with this rough sex stuff you read about in the papers. Women asking men to choke and hit them. I cannae believe it.’

‘You think that was what was going on?’ McNab said.

‘I’m just telling you what I heard, son.’

‘Was that the night of the fire?’