REBUS Who’s your boss?
DETECTIVE D.I. Mackie.
REBUS Don’t know him.
DETECTIVE Her. No she didn’t know you either.
The DETECTIVE leaves. ANGELA is back in the room watching REBUS.
ANGELA You think Cafferty had that boy gutted on your doorstep. A calling card. A wee reminder of all he is. Why didn’t you tell the nice police lady that John?
She follows REBUS as he moves restlessly.
ANGELA I know why. You’re a man with dangerous secrets. Have to save yourself eh John? But what about me? And Maggie? And Heather? Canny save all of us, Rebus.
REBUS The fuck I can’t.
He snatches up car keys, quick transition into—
Forensic lab, Fettes Police H.Q.
REBUS is facing a wall of bagged evidence. A lab TECHNICIAN is bustling past, busy with his work.
TECHNICIAN You can’t be in here.
REBUS I get that a lot.
The TECHNICIAN moves off as MAGGIE and ANGELA are on. They are reciting the contents of the evidence bags.
MAGGIE Bloostained shirt. 1978.
ANGELA Gerald Moore. Stabbed. Unsolved murder.
MAGGIE 2009. An adjustable spanner, brain matter and partial finger prints.
ANGELA Susan Hickman. Coshed and left for dead. Assailant unknown.
MAGGIE A pair of tights...
ANGELA My tights...
MAGGIE Trace DNA inside the knots, a tiny record of the fingers that pulled the knots tight... tight...
ANGELA A indian silk scarf...
MAGGIE My scarf...
ANGELA Trace DNA on the folds, a tiny record of the fingers that pulled it tight... tight...
MAGGIE A piece of building timber...
ANGELA Morris Gerald Cafferty’s blood...
MAGGIE And a tiny record of the hands that lifted that cosh and swung it... hard...
ANGELA What would you do, even if they let you see it John?
MAGGIE Steal it?
ANGELA If he can just break the seal on the bag it’ll be useless in court.
MAGGIE Is that the plan?
ANGELA Christ that’s a useless plan. He’ll get caught.
REBUS moves restlessly.
REBUS (to himself) Fuck’s sake hold it together.
MAGGIE and ANGELA are gone. The TECHNICIAN is back.
TECHNICIAN I said you can’t be in here.
REBUS Is Josie about?
TECHNICIAN Who?
REBUS Josie Cassidy? Technician here?
TECHNICIAN Took maternity leave two years ago and never came back.
REBUS How could she give all this up?
TECHNICIAN Like I said, you need a visitor’s pass to be in here.
REBUS Sorry son, we’ve not met before have we? D.I. Rebus.
TECHNICIAN I’d need to see some ID.
REBUS Retired.
TECHNICIAN Then you have to leave.
REBUS Aye, course, just one quick question...
TECHNICIAN No, you really have to leave...
REBUS How is Josie?
TECHNICIAN (thrown) Eh...
REBUS What did she have? Boy, girl?
TECHNICIAN I think it was twins actually.
REBUS Jeezo... she couldny have been more than four foot high.
TECHNICIAN I know...
REBUS God, must have been like a weeble wobble woman the last month. Did she work to the end? ’Cause she never liked the busy days anyway did she?
TECHNICIAN No...
REBUS Days like today with half the town’s lawyers and polis in keeping an eye on where the evidence is going. Have they been in to pick up the Mordaunt evidence yet?
TECHNICIAN Eh... (he’s flustered checking paperwork) That went down last week I think...
REBUS No. Different case. Not the rape/murder. The defence wants to look at the evidence from the assault Mordaunt was convicted of in 1992. Has that gone down yet?
SIOBHAN enters. Not pleased to see REBUS.
SIOBHAN What’re you doing here? You can’t be in here.
TECHNICIAN I told him.
REBUS Just catching up on news of Josie and the kids.
SIOBHAN Who?
REBUS (to TECHNICIAN) See? No-one has time for the personal stuff any more.
SIOBHAN What are you doing here John?
REBUS What’re you doing here?
SIOBHAN I work here.
REBUS In forensic storage?
A beat.
SIOBHAN Tom, can you tell me if anyone’s picked up the evidence to be tested for court 9? An assault on Morris Gerald Cafferty in 1992.
TECHNICIAN That’s just what he was asking.
SIOBHAN Is that so? Well, has it been picked up?
TECHNICIAN (checking) Yup. That went on its way this morning.
SIOBHAN Good. Glad to hear it. No-one else had a look at it before it went did they?