‘Inspirational, but not quite right.’ Taylor grinned.

‘That was a joke, Bob.’

‘Well here’s a better one for you. That was Baird Street. They’ve got a body in the mortuary with its head damn near cut off. Found in the early hours of the morning in a bin behind the Ingram Hotel. Trail of blood up an alley suggests he was taken there by car and then dumped. At least they’ve managed to find a witness. Some wino bumped into two men in a big hurry running away from the rear of the hotel. Apparently one of them had an Irish accent. Wino then found the body. Poor bastard didn’t smell too good before. Smells worse now. He shat himself. When Baird Street heard about Kevin Boyle they thought you might have more than a passing interest in their stiff.’

‘So, who is it?’

‘No less a man than one Michael Mad Dog Clark. Enforcer extraordinaire to the Gallaghers.’

Once again, McAllister sat back down into his chair.

‘Christ, they didn’t waste much time did … hang on. You said that Clark was found in the early hours of the morning.’

‘Correct.’

‘So, he was killed before Boyle.’

‘Absolutely.’

‘What’s going on then?’

‘Boyle killed in revenge for Clark?’

‘I repeat, they didn’t waste much time, did they?’

‘Could just be coincidence?’

‘Don’t believe in it, Bob, and neither do you.’

‘I don’t suppose that Frank Gallagher would kill one of his best neds just to divert attention from Charlie? Mind you, he is a cold-hearted bastard and would do anything to protect the family.’

‘I’m not convinced that if the Gallaghers wanted rid of Kevin Boyle they would do it themselves. I would be more inclined to the view that they would get someone like Clark to do the dirty work for them.’

‘One thing’s for sure. The Mad Dog didn’t kill Kevin Boyle.’

‘At least we have one fact in all of this.’

‘Pity it doesn’t take us very far.’

‘It’s a start. Now, third time lucky, the mortuary. Before someone else beats us to it.’

Chapter Three

‘Rape, according to the law of Scotland, involves the carnal knowledge of a woman, forcibly and against her will. There must be penetration of the vagina by the male private member. Any amount of penetration will be sufficient. There need be no emission of seminal fluid.’

‘That’s the stuff to give them,’ mused James Muirhead. ‘Nothing a Glasgow jury likes better of a Friday afternoon than a bit of semen sloshing about the place.’