‘Even during the night?’ Catherine asked. It was a distasteful thought, but she needed to know.

‘No,’ Jasmine insisted, looking equally appalled.

‘And you can’t vouch for him on Sunday either, because you hadn’t discovered your uncle missing yet. Do you have any idea who this man is? What he’s done?’

‘I know he saved—’ Jasmine began, but cut herself off in response from a look from Fallan telling her not to go there.

‘If the detective superintendent has specific questions, feel free to respond, but otherwise don’t rise to the bait.’

Fallan spoke to Jasmine like Catherine wasn’t even there. She decided to respond by speaking like Jasmine wasn’t either.

‘Why are you really back in town, eh Fallan? If you’re not shagging the girl, then the altruistic behaviour has to be a cover for something else. You here to settle old scores with Stevie Fullerton? Or maybe you and Stevie have had make-up sex and now you’re helping him clear away some of the competition.’

‘I’ve not spoken to Stevie in twenty-one years and I’ve never heard of any of the people you just mentioned. Who were they?’

‘Frankie Callahan, one of Glasgow’s biggest heroin pushers. Gary Fleeting, his right-hand man. Tommy Miller, drug dealer, thief, fence and tout. Jai McDiarmid, drug dealer and close associate of Paddy Steel, also a major peddler of smack. Jai was beaten, possibly tortured, then shot in the head and his body dumped out the back of the tanning salon he owned. The other three were all double-tapped, execution style, and left in a warehouse near Blantyre.’

‘I’m a wee bit out of touch when it comes to my Glasgow gangsters,’ Fallan replied with a blank shrug. ‘I’ll say this, though: it doesn’t sound like Stevie’s style. He didn’t go starting wars. Stevie was always about the business, didn’t like unnecessary aggro.’

‘So did it constitute necessary aggro when he tried to kill you? Oh no, hang on, that was more probably personal, wasn’t it. What with you offing his cousin.’

It was the first time she felt like she’d landed a blow. Fallan looked distinctly uncomfortable, sending an anxious glance towards the girl.

Catherine finally reached for her cup and took a sip of tea to celebrate. If her hand trembled, he didn’t seem to notice.

‘Of course, strictly speaking, that’s just speculation,’ she added, offering them both a cold smile. ‘Jazz Donnelly’s body was never found. He just disappeared. That was your style, wasn’t it?’

Jasmine was looking at Fallan and he was suffering under the heat of her gaze.

‘Like you said,’ he replied in a low, quiet and conspicuously controlled tone, ‘it’s speculation. And it doesn’t fit with you finding four bodies, does it?’

He seemed content to have batted this back to her, then something evidently occurred to him.