Alec stuck his head between the two front seats. 'But this is going to be the final showdown! Grampian Police catch the Flesher! You want to be here for that, don't you?' 'What I want is a huge glass of Chardonnay, a jar of marmalade, and Keira Knightley in a thong. How about you, Laz?' 'Shhh!' Logan dug about in his jacket pocket, looking for the photo they'd got from the abattoir's personnel files. 'Don't you bloody shoosh me. I'm no' the one banging on about Kermit the Frog's sex life.' 'I think it's him!' The figure weaving along the road towards them paused for a moment to swig from a litre bottle of supermarket vodka. Thick moustache, little round glasses, cleft chin. 'It's Kowalczyk.' 'Right.' Steel hauled her shoes back on. 'Here's what we do: when he gets level with the car, we jump him.' 'We're supposed to let him go into the B&B, and take him there, remember? Rennie and Bain--' 'What the hell's wrong with you?' She smacked Logan on the shoulder. 'Carpe fucking diem!' 'What if he does a runner?' Steel chewed on the inside of her cheek. Kowalczyk was getting closer. 'If we lose him, we're up shite creek without a snorkel ...' She scowled. 'OK, OK, we'll stick to the plan. You happy?' Kowalczyk took one more swig, threw his arms wide, and started singing.'Sto lat, sto lat, niech zyje, zyje nam! ' He lurched into a little dance.'Sto lat, sto lat, niech zyje, zyje nam! ' Steel pulled out her mobile and started dialling. 'Come on, come on ... Yeah, Bill, it's Koalasick-- I don't care if that's not how you bloody pronounce it: he's outside. Heading up the drive ... now.' He was really getting in to the swing of things, bellowing out,'Jeszcze raz, jeszcze raz, niech zyje, zyje nam! ' He nearly collapsed into a knot of scabby rosebushes, then gave it laldy for the finale:'NIECH ZYJE NAM!' Fumble for key ... two ... three ... four ... key in the lock. Stagger inside. Steel was back on the phone again,'He's in. We're on our way.' She clambered out into the cold night and marched across the road, Alec trailing along behind her, filming everything. Logan was just locking the car when a loud crash sounded inside the B&B ... then a television smashed through the lounge window in a shower of glittering glass. Someone shouted,'Come back here!' 'Odpierdol sie! ' Marek Kowalczyk followed the television set, leaping out through the shattered window, landing in the rosebushes.'Kurwa! ' Then he was scrabbling out the other side and away, sprinting back down the street, arms and legs pumping like mad. Logan leapt back in the car, cranked the key, and roared out onto the street. 'Shit!' He slammed on the brakes and the Vauxhall screeched to a halt again, two feet short of flattening DI Steel as she ran out into the middle of the road, waving her arms. She wrenched open the passenger door and threw herself inside. 'Don't just sit there! Get after the bastard!' Logan put his foot down.
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