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Everyone in the room knew exactly why DCC Louise Campbell had told Finn Townsend.
80
‘BLOODY HELL, THEDCC was shagging the Crown Agent? Now there’s a scandal. I knew she was ambitious, but that takes the bloody biscuit,’ said Ross as they walked down the corridor back to their office.
‘How did you know?’ said Max.
‘I didn’t, but there was something fucking odd about how she spoke to him during that meeting. Didn’t smell right. The daft bint, it was fucking pillow talk.’
‘So that’s why you went on a big rant about how we’d find out who it was? You were flushing her out, you sneaky bastard,’ said Max.
‘You sneaky bastard,sir.’ Ross smiled.
‘Whatever. I guess it hit her like a ton of bricks. All this does is ruin her career, but if we’d had to find out the hard way, which let’s face it, we would have, it’d be much worse. She can just disappear elsewhere now, but at least her and I now have something in common.’
‘What’s that?’ said Max.
‘Neither of us is getting promoted again. Anyone fancy a pint?’
Max looked at his watch. ‘No, somewhere I need to be.’
‘Janie?’
‘Nah, I told Melissa I’d be home at a reasonable time.’
‘Bloody detectives have changed, man. Time was we’d have all gone on a two-day bender after a job like this,’ said Ross as they arrived back in their small, dusty office.
‘Load of shite. You’ve always gone straight back home after a job to make things right with Mrs Fraser,’ said Max.
Ross opened his mouth as if to make some cutting and sarcastic retort, but then paused and shrugged. ‘Fair point, well made.’ He grinned and clapped Max on the back.
They all stood in the office looking at each other, the familiar sense of pride passing wordlessly among them.
‘Top team. Now fuck off home, all of you.’
81
MAX WAS THANKFULthat he had his motorbike at the office, as it made for a lightning quick journey between Tulliallan and Valleyfield, a village outside Culross where Max and Katie lived. He parked up outside a long, low building on a small green and pulled off his crash helmet, checking his watch as he rushed inside. It was just before 2 p.m. His stomach was churning when he entered the large room, with bench seats and chairs all around. A feeling of doom settled in the room like an early morning haar.
‘Can I help you?’ said a stern voice from behind a counter. Max looked at the woman, who had short, severe hair, and wore a blue cardigan, and she looked at him disapprovingly over her half-moon spectacles.
Max surveyed the room, which was about half full of people sitting on the chairs and benches, none of whom were acknowledging him. Then he spotted her on a bench, staring at her phone, her face drawn and pale. Max ignored the querulous woman at reception and went and sat next to his wife.
‘Hey, babe,’ he said, kissing her on the cheek.
‘Blimey, that was close, matey,’ she said, looking up, her face lighting up as she gripped his hand tightly.
‘How’re you feeling?’
‘Bloody appalling, you utter bastard,’ she said, but her smile gave her away.
‘Mr and Mrs Craigie? The doctor will see you now,’ said the receptionist, a smile having replaced the scowl.
82
Four months later, The High Court, Glasgow
ROSS, MAX, JANIE,Barney and Norma all descended the stairs in between the sweeping columns that adorned the grand granite frontage of the High Court of Justiciary, where the Chief Constable stood resplendent in his full uniform in front of a phalanx of reporters, TV cameras and photographers all clustered around the bottom of the steps waiting for his statement.
