REBUS You’ll lie in the witness box.
CAFFERTY Of course. Honesty can only get you so far, eh John? Sometimes, to get what you want, you have to do things your own way. Isn’t that your philosophy too?
REBUS You’d let Mordaunt walk free, just so you can get me arrested?
CAFFERTY Will they bother? Sweeping an old has-been cop into the bin in his final years? Aye they might, you’ve no made many friends in the force, have you John? And you’ve outlived most of those. Yeah they’ll probably arrest you. That would be a result.
REBUS What do you want?
CAFFERTY Nothing. Nothing from you. You’re about as much use now as a condom machine on a geriatric ward. My world gets larger every day and yours gets smaller.
SIOBHAN is on, coming to CAFFERTY’S door.
CAFFERTY Sure you won’t try more of this wine? I think it just needed to breathe, it’s tasting better and better.
SIOBHAN rings the bell. CAFFERTY goes to answer.
CAFFERTY ’Scuse me. Need to get that.
CAFFERTY opens the door.
CAFFERTY D.I. Clarke. Glad you could make it.
SIOBHAN comes in and stops dead as she sees REBUS.
CAFFERTY Sorry. Should have told you, you’re not the only guest tonight.
SIOBHAN (to REBUS) What are you doing here?
REBUS You tell me.
CAFFERTY D.I. Clarke doesn’t know a thing. I thought it’d be better if she heard the story from you.
SIOBHAN What story?
CAFFERTY Glass of wine D.I. Clarke? White’s your poison eh? But I think you’ll like this one.
SIOBHAN What the fuck’s going on John?
REBUS What did he tell you, to get you here?
SIOBHAN doesn’t answer, trying to work out what’s going on.
REBUS Siobhan?
CAFFERTY I told D.I. Clarke I had important information about the defence lawyer’s investigation of the attack on me. I told her, if she came here alone, if she could just hold back that impulse to play it by the book, inform her superiors, blah blah... If we could just have a private meeting, I’d tell her all about it.
REBUS And you came? On your own?
CAFFERTY She learned to bend the rules from the best, eh John.
SIOBHAN That’s what I’m doing here. What about you?
REBUS says nothing.
CAFFERTY Tell her.
Still nothing.
CAFFERTY I’m happy to give her my version, just thought you might like to put it in your own words John.
REBUS I was going to tell you Shiv. It’s why I asked you to come with me tonight.
SIOBHAN Tell me what?
REBUS Let’s go, I’m no talking about it in front of this prick. He’s had his fun...
CAFFERTY Christ no! Show’s just getting started. I’m the witness for the defence Siobhan. I’m the proof that the police were perfectly prepared to frame Mordaunt back in 1992. I’m the wee hand grenade of truth that’s going to blow up twenty-five years of work, trying to put the bastard away. I’ll send Mordaunt off singing to a wee retirement home where he’ll end his days drinking soup and trying to touch up the carers. But I might not. It depends. There’s a deal on the table. Something we should talk about when you know what’s going on. Tell her the story Strawman.
REBUS What deal?! What are you playing at?
CAFFERTY Tell her now or I tell her.
REBUS I hit him.
SIOBHAN What?
REBUS In 1992. It was me. I hit him across the back of the head with a length of two by two. Wish I’d killed him.
SIOBHAN But... you told me. You swore... You said none of the officers back then had done any cover up...
REBUS They didn’t. It was all me. I’m sorry Siobhan. I am.
SIOBHAN Tell me. Tell me what happened.
REBUS (to CAFFERTY) Do you remember what you did that night?
CAFFERTY It’s all a blur John, concussion’ll do that to a man.
REBUS We had him. We had him for possession and supply. Five witnesses ready to testify he was the banker, the profiteer, the man making slick money off junky sweat... Five witnesses that went to court and magically changed their story under questioning. Even the jury knew they were lying but there was no evidence, every shred of it threatened and intimidated out of existence and he sits there, grinning like a toad full of worms...
CAFFERTY Always the abuse. Enjoy it Strawman, clock’s ticking.
REBUS He walks out of court. It was the day after Mordaunt walked out of another court. I wasn’t the lead on Mordaunt or anything like, but I felt that, like every cop in Edinburgh. And then Cafferty walks too.
CAFFERTY (cutting in) Oh that was personal eh Strawman?
REBUS One wee lassie, we’d spent days coaching her, reassuring her, promising her we’d keep her safe...
CAFFERTY He’s always promising more than he delivers. Have you noticed that?
REBUS She was shaking so hard in the witness box I thought she’d fall over, and all the while he’s staring at her... do you even remember her Cafferty? Moira Spibey. Where’s she now?
CAFFERTY Thought it was a police job to keep track of all the lost souls.
REBUS Dead. 1996. Overdose.
CAFFERTY Well, some folk just kill themselves, and you canny help them. But have a wee bit more of my booze Strawman. If you need it.
REBUS And this fucker... he’s just walking about a bar...
CAFFERTY My bar. My bar Strawman, and why were you in there if you weren’t looking for me?