Intrigued now to know what lay beyond, he dipped his head and the bouncing beam from his torch alighted on what looked like tins and bundled bedding.

So someone had been in here.

Behind him, Finn whined, keen to enter.

‘Wait, boy,’ he ordered. The last thing he wanted was the collie wrecking the place before he examined it properly.

Moving towards the far wall, he noted a partially drunk bottle of vodka and some eating utensils. Then a pile of what looked like clothes.

As he crouched to pick up an item to see if he might identify it as male or female, the door suddenly clanged shut behind him.

In that moment he knew someone was in there with him. Someone intent on keeping the dog out.

He tried to rise, but it was already too late, as something hard and heavy met the back of his head.

Dougie registered Finn barking his distress as he slumped to the floor.

34

Rhona sniffed the air. The aroma of shower gel it was not. Sean was cooking and it smelt like a fry-up. She found her mouth watering at the prospect.

He was at the cooker in his boxer shorts, humming a tune she recognized, which meant it wasn’t jazz. When he heard her enter, he turned.

‘Slice sausage and eggs all right?’ he offered.

‘You trying to do Chrissy out of a job?’ Rhona said, eyebrows raised. ‘My assistant always brings in our breakfast in the shape of filled rolls. Usually with three offerings on each.’

He checked out the contents of the frying pan. ‘I can probably manage all of this myself – after the busy night I had,’ he added with a smile. ‘Coffee’s on the table.’

Rhona poured herself a cup and sat for a moment to drink it, or maybe to admire Sean from afar.

The evening had gone well, although she wasn’t sure she had been given the entire story of the club’s debt level and what Sean planned to do about it. Her mind went back to seeing Sean and McNab huddled together at the bar. Sean wasn’t keeping McNab company until Chrissy arrived. That hadn’t rung true then, and it didn’t now.

She suspected Sean was asking for advice, which suggested the trouble the club was in might involve the law.

None of which had been discussed last night.

Sean’s easy Irish attitude to life’s complexities and troubles had been one of the reasons she’d been drawn to him in the first place. It was enticing to be with someone as laid-back as he was. Especially considering the nature of her own work.

‘Okay, I’m off,’ she said.

Sean followed her into the hall. ‘I’ll see you later?’

She smiled a yes.

‘I hope for your sake Chrissy isn’t back on the porridge,’ he shouted as the door shut behind her.