‘Not yet. But I don’t think he was Scottish.’ He pointed to the hall. Behind the door hung a leather jacket and a football scarf. ‘Manchester United,’ he said in mock disgust.

‘There are people up here who support Man U,’ Rhona suggested cheekily, knowing Bill was a Celtic man.

‘Yes, but they wouldn’t flaunt it. Not in Glasgow anyway.’

Rhona laughed.

‘All right then?’

‘Yes.’ She began to pack her samples in the case.

‘The Sergeant will run you home.’

He walked with her to the front door.

‘How’s that Irishman of yours these days? Still playing at the club?’

‘Yes, he is.’

‘Must get down and hear him again soon. Good jazz player. You’ll ring me as soon as you’ve got anything?’

‘Of course.’

Sean was still asleep when Rhona got back. With the heavy curtains drawn the room was dark, although outside dawn was already touching the university roof-tops. She had stopped at the lab on her way home and checked the swabs for saliva. It was there all right.

She left a note on the bench for Chrissy in case she got there first, giving her a brief history of the night’s events, then she headed home for a few hours’ sleep.

Rhona pulled her dress over her head, kicked off her shoes and slid under the duvet. She wrapped her chilled body round Sean’s. He grunted and moved his arm over to take her hand.

‘Okay?’ he mumbled.

‘Okay,’ she said, but he was already back asleep.

Rhona closed her eyes and tried to relax into his warmth. She had been at many murder scenes, some more horrible than the one tonight. Death didn’t scare her, not when it was reduced to tests and samples. But tonight was different. There was something about that particular boy. Something she hadn’t been able to put her finger on. Not until the Sergeant had put it into words for her, coming back in the car.

The boy who had been abused and strangled in that hideous little room looked so like her, he could have been her brother.

About the Author

Lin Anderson is a Scottish author and screenwriter known for her bestselling crime series featuring forensic scientist Dr Rhona MacLeod. Four of her novels have been longlisted for the Scottish Crime Book of the Year, with Follow the Dead being a 2018 finalist. Her short film River Child won both a Scottish BAFTA for Best Fiction and the Celtic Film Festival’s Best Drama award and has now been viewed more than one million times on YouTube. Lin is also the co-founder of the international crime-writing festival Bloody Scotland, which takes place annually in Stirling.

By Lin Anderson

THE RHONA MACLEOD SERIES

Driftnet

Torch

Deadly Code

Dark Flight

Easy Kill

Final Cut

The Reborn

Picture Her Dead

Paths of the Dead

The Special Dead

None but the Dead

Follow the Dead

Sins of the Dead

Time for the Dead