Colvin gave a snort. ‘He told you that, aye?’
‘He also said it’s the sort of thing we’d expect him to say.’
‘John Rhodes wasn’t at the back of the queue when rank animal cunning was being handed out by the man upstairs.’
‘You think he was spinning me a line? I know you put a lot of trust in Bobby, Cam, but the rest of us didn’t quite see the same golden boy you did...’
Colvin’s face darkened further. ‘Bobby was one of us, no matter what poison John Rhodes spouts. You’d do well to remember that.’
‘Yes, Cam.’
‘So if and when he contacts you again...?’
‘I come straight to you.’
‘Fucking right you do. And don’t you ever try keeping something like this from me again.’ Colvin paused. ‘And if you have any inkling who gave the nod for those hits last night...’
‘Swear to God I don’t.’
‘Then get out there and find out who it was!’
Thomson sprang to his feet, but paused after a couple of steps. ‘Are we okay, Cam?’
‘You tell me, Spanner.’
‘I’d hate for us not to be.’ He waited a further moment, but his boss was busying himself with his cufflinks again.
As Thomson yanked open the door, he saw Mickey Ballater a few yards down the corridor. Ballater started striding towards him.
‘Need a word with the chief,’ he explained. ‘I’ll see you in the car.’
Thomson nodded and left, Ballater entering the room and closing the door behind him.
‘Everything okay, Cam?’ he enquired.
‘Something I can do for you, Mickey?’
‘Just wanted to make sure there’s not a problem with you and Spanner. If there is, you only have to ask.’
Colvin pressed his hands together, fingertips to his lips. ‘I might need you to keep an eye on him for me. He had John Rhodes in his car this morning. If that happens again, I want to hear about it from one of my own guys rather than CID.’
‘What did Rhodes want?’
‘Most probably us fighting each other rather than him.’
‘But you’re not sure you can trust Spanner?’
Colvin made a non-committal gesture.
‘The knife was planted near Spanner’s home,’ Ballater went on. ‘Next thing, John Rhodes is paying a visit. I’d say Rhodes fancies Spanner for the killing and wants us to know it.’
‘Or he’s covering for one of his own. You know Jenni Love and Chick McAllister used to be an item?’
‘That was a while back, though. And she’d broken things off with Bobby before he got done in.’
‘Jealousy’s weird, though, isn’t it? It’s not rational the way business is. When we pay a visit to someone, it’s always because of business. It’s never personal. Whenever I’ve seen anyone make a mess of things, it’s because they let the heart rule the head and they stopped thinking.’
‘Chick McAllister doesn’t have the shortest of fuses.’
‘He might harbour grudges, though, letting them fester quietly deep down.’
‘In which case he’s the one we should be watching, rather than Spanner.’
‘One step at a time, Mickey. Eyes on Spanner, find out who was busy last night, and after that we can focus on McAllister — agreed?’
‘One hundred per cent, Cam.’
Colvin stretched an arm out so it rested along the back of the empty chair next to him. He didn’t have to say anything. The meaning was loud and clear and Mickey Ballater nodded his complete comprehension and acceptance of the implicit offer.
In the otherwise empty hotel car park, Menzies, Paterson and Thomson had the engine running so the heating was on. The Peugeot 504 was a big car, but they filled it — Menzies behind the wheel, Thomson in the passenger seat, Paterson in the back. Their eyes were on the hotel entrance, wondering what Mickey Ballater was up to.
‘Can we trust him?’ Menzies asked.
‘He’s hungry,’ Thomson answered. ‘And he thinks he’s smart.’
‘Neither of you had anything to do with last night?’ Paterson asked before taking another bite of his macaroon bar.
‘I know I didn’t.’
‘Me neither. How about you, Panda?’
Paterson chewed and swallowed before replying. ‘I wouldn’t put it past Mickey, though. He likes to surround himself with the youngsters, showing off to them. I’m sure one or two would jump if he told them to. If he wants to go question any of them without us being there, that might be a sign that he needs us kept away from them in case they let something slip.’
There were nods of agreement from the front seats.
‘I might as well tell you,’ Thomson added, ‘that I had a visit from John Rhodes this morning. He says he wants to be my buddy.’
Dod Menzies snorted, kneading the steering wheel. His hands were gloved, the gloves a gift from his wife. They were made of the thinnest, softest leather, with a button to keep them nice and tight around the wrists. He always wore them when driving, and when carrying out various other tasks too.
‘Cam knows you’re not Judas material,’ Paterson assured Thomson, stuffing the empty sweet wrapper into his coat pocket.
‘Even though you’re just about daft enough to have done Bobby in and tossed the knife into a bush practically outside your back door.’ Menzies gave a chuckle.
‘Don’t even joke about it,’ Thomson said with a scowl. ‘It feels like somebody’s doing a decent job of stitching me up here.’ He rubbed at his chest, feeling the comforting weight of the concealed spanner.
‘As if you’d use a blade,’ Paterson said, gripping the back of the passenger seat and pulling himself forward. ‘We all know Mickey’s the one who likes a proper knife.’
‘Though he prefers a razor,’ Menzies countered. ‘Besides, Mickey’s not the one with the hots for the widow.’
‘Don’t be too sure about that,’ Thomson said quietly.
‘How do you mean, Spanner?’
Thomson just shrugged, all three of them watching as Ballater emerged from the building, pulling up his collar and almost dancing down the steps towards them. He seemed relaxed, as if his little chat with Cam Colvin were a job interview that had gone exceedingly well. He didn’t even look particularly put out that he was being consigned to the back seat. He climbed in and closed the door.
‘Everything all right?’ Menzies enquired, watching in the rear-view mirror.
‘Right as rain,’ Ballater answered, clapping his hands together and rubbing them. ‘So are we going to make a few house calls or what?’
‘Just like the boss said.’
‘Mind you, it’ll take us all day if we don’t divvy it up,’ Ballater commented. ‘I could talk to my guys while you talk to yours.’
‘Maybe that’s what we’ll do then,’ Menzies said, releasing the handbrake and giving Spanner Thomson the most meaningful of looks.
24
There were goalposts but no nets and the turf had been churned by a succession of studded boots. Discarded jackets took the place of corner flags and line markings existed only in the imaginations of those present. Pulpy leaves covered the stretch of parkland where Laidlaw emerged from the line of trees. The sky was almost as sullen as the smattering of spectators. Red plastic Adidas shoulder bags were lined up next to the pitch. Beside them stood three men in matching tracksuits, shouting instructions and imprecations towards the teenage boys whose field of dreams this purported to be.
Laidlaw recognised Archie Love, who was a good couple of decades older than the assistants flanking him. The other onlookers comprised parents and bored siblings, some of whom were busy exercising their dribbling skills.
‘Fuck’s sake, Kenny, Stevie Wonder could have made that tackle!’ Love spat the words with real passion, his arms outstretched. He slapped his palms against his thighs in exasperation.