“Are you quite alright in the head, Corstorphine? The laird and minister abusing children? The DI burying bodies in the orphanage grounds? Do you realise quite how far-fetched this all is?” The Assistant Chief adopted a conciliatory air. “Look, I think the stress of the last week with all these murders has been too much for you. I’m relinquishing you of your position with immediate effect. We’ll get some psychiatric help arranged for you before we have a proper enquiry into your handling of this case. Quite honestly, Corstorphine, I think this may be the end of the line for you.”

He made to stand up before Corstorphine spoke. “You may want to reconsider that, sir, bearing in mind that Brian confirmed all this with me before he died.”

The Assistant Chief stood, one hand in the process of placing his cap back over his receding hairline.

“He gave you this in writing?”

“No, sir.” Corstorphine could almost feel the wave of relief that passed over the Assistant Chief. “But he confirmed the name two of our witnesses have in their signed statements as an alleged abuser. And a suspect for the unexplained deaths of five small children whose bodies I believe are buried in the former orphanage grounds – Sir Archibald Lagan.”

The ACC froze, confirming Corstorphine’s suspicions that he knew more about the orphanage than he liked to admit.

“I can have you sectioned.” The threat was real. If he couldn’t be shut up by the normal chain of command then a word in the right ear from the Assistant Chief Constable would be enough for Corstorphine to be facing padded cells for the foreseeable future, pumped full of enough drugs to never form a coherent sentence ever again.

“You could, sir. Is that how you threatened Brian?”

The Assistant Chief made a few unnatural noises. It appeared speech was temporarily beyond him. Corstorphine wondered whether the defibrillator was fully charged, just in case he’d have to use it.

“You cannot possibly be serious?”

Corstorphine sat in silence, not sure if this was a question requiring an answer. He suspected not.

“Are you suggesting I had, in any way, prior knowledge of what may have happened at that orphanage?” His eyes had narrowed, searching Corstorphine’s face for a clue as to how much information had been uncovered.

It hadn’t escaped Corstorphine’s notice that the Assistant Chief hadn’t denied threatening the old detective. “And what’s the nature of this attempt on Lord Lagan’s life tonight? Is this another of your mental aberrations?”