‘That’s right.’
‘And you’d recently discovered that there had been an argument between the two of them, during which her arm was broken?’
‘A week ago, yes.’
‘What were you working on at that time?’
‘Not much. My team had just finished expending considerable effort putting together a case against DI Glen Heaton of C Division.’
Stoddart was scrolling down a page. ‘Anything else in your in-tray? ’
‘I’d been asked to take a look at someone…’
‘This would be Detective Sergeant Jamie Breck?’
‘That’s right.’
‘Also stationed at C Division?’
‘Yes.’
‘What were the circumstances of the request?
‘My boss, Chief Inspector McEwan, had been contacted by CEOP. DS Breck had come on to their radar and they wanted him checked out.’
Stoddart reached over to the top folder and opened it. There were surveillance photos inside, the same ones Giles had had at Torphichen.
‘Bit of a conflict of interest,’ Stoddart mused. ‘You’re looking at Breck, while he’s looking into your sister’s partner’s murder…’
‘I was aware of that.’
‘You didn’t attempt to distance yourself from the case?’
‘Which case?’
‘Either, I suppose.’
Fox gave a shrug. ‘How are things in Aberdeen?’ he asked.
The change of direction didn’t appear to have any effect on Stoddart.
‘We’re not here to talk about me,’ she drawled, pushing her hair back behind her ears. ‘You seem to have become friendly with DS Breck in a very short space of time.’
‘The relationship was always professional.’
‘That’s why he came to your house on Wednesday night? You went to a casino together.’
‘It was work-related. Besides, CEOP had asked for my assessment of DS Breck.’
‘Yes, there was a Complaints van parked outside his home. Did you advise them they were wasting their time?’
‘He headed back there eventually.’
‘But you told them about the trip to the casino?’
‘No,’ Fox admitted.
‘So two of your colleagues were sitting in a surveillance van on a cold February night…’
‘It’s what we do.’
She looked at him, then back to the screen again. Fox enjoyed a momentary fantasy of punching his fist through it. When he peered over his shoulder, Wilson was busy studying his own laptop.
‘Is it patience you’re playing there, or Minesweeper?’ Fox asked him. Wilson didn’t respond.
‘DS Breck,’ Stoddart was saying, ‘was at the casino because Vincent Faulkner might have visited it the night he died?’
‘He did visit it,’ Fox corrected her.
‘And that visit was on the Saturday, after he’d broken your sister’s arm?’
Fox nodded. ‘And I didn’t find out about her arm until Monday.’
‘Mr Faulkner’s body was found on Tuesday morning?’
‘That’s right.’
‘Your sister was visited on Monday evening by one of your colleagues? ’
‘Sergeant Kaye.’
‘Did you know that was happening?’
‘No.’
‘You’d told him about her arm?’
‘Yes.’
A phone started to ring. Stoddart realised it was hers. She signalled for Mason to pause the recording, then reached into her jacket pocket.
‘One moment,’ she advised the room, getting to her feet and making for the door. After she’d gone, Fox stretched his spine, feeling the vertebrae click.
‘This is interesting,’ he commented. ‘Being on the receiving end for a change. So how are things in Aberdeen? Got anything on the go?’
The two Grampian officers shared a look. It was Wilson who spoke. ‘Grampian’s pretty clean these days,’ he offered.
‘Must be a nice change then, visiting Gomorrah. Have they given you a decent hotel?’
‘Not bad.’
‘Well then, you’ll want to string this out as long as possible.’
Mason managed a smile, but only for a second. Stoddart was coming back into the room. She returned her phone to her pocket and settled back down behind the desk.
‘Ready,’ Mason advised. Stoddart stared at Fox as she began forming her next question.
‘What,’ she asked, ‘were you just doing at the home of a woman called Joanna Broughton?’
Fox took a moment to collect himself. ‘I gave her a lift. She was standing outside Leith Police Station and I happened to be passing and recognised her. She’s just lost her husband and seemed a bit upset, so I offered to drop her somewhere.’
The room was silent until Stoddart asked: ‘You expect me to believe that?’
Fox just shrugged, while inwardly uttering a stream of curses.
‘She employs a public relations company,’ Stoddart went on, ‘and they got straight on the telephone screaming harassment.’
‘I can assure you I did anything but harass her – ask her, if you like. Besides which, it’s got nothing to do with any of this.’
He knew what Stoddart would say to that – same thing he’d have said if he’d been her side of the desk – and she duly obliged.
‘I’ll be the judge of that, Inspector.’ Then: ‘You say you were just passing Leith Police Station? Isn’t it rather a long way from anywhere? ’
‘Not particularly.’
‘So if I go asking, none of the officers there will tell me they spoke with you this morning?’
She watched Fox shake his head, and went back to looking at her computer again.
It was another three quarters of an hour before she decided they’d take a break for the rest of the day.
‘You’re not thinking of heading off somewhere?’ she asked, closing the lid of her laptop. ‘A holiday or anything?’
‘I won’t be leaving the country,’ he assured her, as Mason unclipped the microphone. ‘Same time tomorrow?’
‘We’ll let you know.’
Fox nodded, then thanked them, and made for the door. He paused with his hand on its handle. ‘One last thing,’ he said. ‘DS Breck has no inkling that he’s being investigated. If news leaks to him, all three of you will be suspects…’ He opened the door and closed it after him. Since he was in the building, he climbed to the next floor, removing his visitor’s pass and stuffing it in his pocket. He walked past the door of the Complaints office and headed for 2.24. But there was still no one home, so he returned to his old haunt, peering around the door to make sure Bob McEwan wasn’t on the premises. Then he rapped against the frame with his knuckles, announcing his arrival. Gilchrist was seated next to Naysmith at the latter’s desk while Naysmith showed him something on his computer. Kaye was tipped back in his chair, hands behind his head. Fox managed not to stare at his own desk, though he couldn’t help catching a glimpse of Gilchrist’s stuff scattered across it.
Kaye got to his feet. ‘You been to the headmaster’s office?’ he asked.
‘Yep.’
‘Got a sore bottom?’
‘Nope.’
Kaye smiled, shrugging himself back into his jacket. ‘Let’s go to the canteen,’ he said.
Out in the hallway, he gripped Fox by the sleeve. ‘Gilchrist could bore for Scotland.’ He rolled his eyes and shook his head in exasperation. Then: ‘So how did it really go?’
‘They didn’t come up with much I wasn’t expecting. Seemed to know about my relationship with the demon drink.’
‘Must be in your files somewhere.’
‘Meaning one of my previous bosses must have noticed…’
‘But never said anything?’ Kaye made a clucking sound. ‘Just hoping the problem would go away.’
‘Well, it did.’
‘They trying to say you’re an alkie?’
‘I’m not sure. Maybe they were told to ask.’
‘What did you think of Stoddart?’
‘She’s the Ice Queen.’
‘Wouldn’t mind trying to thaw her out.’
They had reached the canteen. Half a dozen people were dotted around the tables, mostly staring into space as they chewed their snacks. ‘You sure you want to be seen with me?’ Fox asked.