'The special, expensive kind, of course,' Rebus speculated.
Their guide said nothing until they turned yet another corner and found a young man waiting for them.
'Thanks, Sandy,' the man said, 'I'll take it from here.'
As the guide headed back the way they'd just come, Clarke thanked him, and received a little grunt of acknowledgement.
Maybe he was just out of breath.
'My name's Roddy Liddle,' the young man was telling them. 'I work for Megan.'
'And who exactly is Megan?' Rebus asked. Liddle stared at him as if he were maybe making a joke. 'All our boss told us,' Rebus explained, 'was to come down here and talk to someone with that name. Apparently she phoned him.'
'It was me who did the phoning,' Liddle said, making it sound like yet another arduous task that he'd taken in his stride.
'Good for you, son,' Rebus told him. The 'son' obviously rankled.
Liddle was in his early twenties and reckoned he was already well on his way in politics. He looked Rebus up and down before deciding to dismiss him as irrelevant.
'I'm sure Megan will explain.' Having said which, Liddle turned and led them to the end of the corridor.
The MSPs private offices were well proportioned, with desks for staff as well as the politicians themselves. It was Rebus's first sighting of one of the infamous 'think-pods' – little alcoves with curved windows and a cushioned seat. This was where the MSPs were supposed to come up with blue-sky ideas. It was also where they found Megan Macfarlane. She rose to greet them.
'Glad you could come at such short notice,' she said. 'I know you're busy on the inquiry, so I won't keep you long.' She was short and slim and impeccably groomed, not a hair out of place and with just the right amount of make-up. She wore half-moon glasses which rested most of the way down her nose, so that she peered over them at the two detectives. 'I'm Megan Macfarlane,' she said, inviting them to make introductions of their own. Liddle was back behind his desk, staring at messages on his computer. Rebus and Clarke gave their names, and the MSP looked around for places to sit, before having a better idea.
'We'll go downstairs and get a coffee. Roddy, can I bring you one back?'
'No thanks, Megan. One cup a day's plenty for me.'
'Good point – I don't need to be in the chamber later on?' She waited till he'd shaken his head, then focused her gaze on Clarke.
'Diuretic effects, you know, doesn't do to be caught short when you're halfway through a point of order…'
They went back the way they'd come and found themselves descending an impressive staircase, Macfarlane announcing that the 'Scot Nats' had high hopes for May's elections.
'Latest polls put us five points clear of Labour. Blair's unpopular, and so is Gordon Brown. The Iraq war, cash for peerages – it was one of my colleagues who started that investigation. Labour's panicking because Scotland Yard say they've uncovered “significant and valuable material”.' She gave a satisfied smile. 'Scandal seems to be our opponents' middle name.'
'So it's the protest vote you're after?' Rebus asked.
Macfarlane didn't seem to feel this merited any sort of reply.
'If you win in May,' Rebus went on, 'do we get a referendum on independence?'
'Absolutely.'
'And we suddenly become a Celtic tiger?'
'The Labour Party has been failing the people of Scotland for fifty years, Inspector. It's time for a change.'
Queuing at the counter, she announced that this would be her 'treat'. Rebus ordered an espresso, Clarke a small cappuccino.
Macfarlane herself opted for a black coffee into which she poured three sachets of sugar. There were tables nearby, and they chose an empty one, pushing aside the leftover crockery.
'We're still in the dark,' Rebus said, lifting his cup. 'I hope you don't mind me getting straight to the point, but as you said yourself, we've got a murder inquiry waiting for us back at base.'
'Absolutely,' Macfarlane agreed. Then she paused for a moment, as if to marshal her thoughts. 'How much do you know about me?'
she began by asking.
Rebus and Clarke shared a look. 'Until we were told to come see you,' Rebus obliged, 'neither of us had ever heard of you.'
The MSP, trying not to show any pain, blew across the surface of her coffee before taking a sip.
'I'm a Scottish Nationalist,' she said.
'That much we'd guessed.'
'And that means I'm passionate about my country. If Scotland is to flourish in this new century – and flourish outwith the confines of the UK – we need enterprise, initiative and investment.' She counted these three off on her fingers. 'That's why I'm an active member of the URC – the Urban Regeneration Committee. Not that our remit is purely urban, you understand; in fact, I've already
proposed a name-change in order to make that clear.'
'Forgive me for interrupting,' Clarke said, having noted Rebus's agitation, 'but can I ask what any of this has to do with us?'
Macfarlane lowered her eyes and gave a little smile of apology.
'I'm afraid when I'm passionate about something, I do tend to rabbit on.'
Rebus's glance towards Clarke said it all.
'This unfortunate incident,' Macfarlane was saying, 'involving the Russian poet…'
'What about it?' Rebus prompted.
'Right now, a group of businessmen is in Scotland – a very prosperous group, and all of them Russian. They represent oil, gas and steel, and other industries besides. They are looking to the future, Inspector – Scotland 's future. We need to ensure nothing jeopardises the links and relationships that we've painstakingly fostered over the past several years. What we certainly don't want is anyone thinking we're not a welcoming country, a country that embraces cultures and nationalities. Look at what happened to that young Sikh lad…'
Tou're asking us,' Clarke summarised, 'if this was a racial attack?'
'One of the group has voiced that concern,' Macfarlane admitted.
She looked towards Rebus but he was staring at the ceiling again, still not sure about it. He'd heard that its concave sections were supposed to look like boats. When he turned his attention back to the MSP, her worried face demanded some reassurance.
'We can't rule anything out,' he decided to tell her instead.
'Could have been racially motivated. The Russian consulate told us as much this morning – there've been attacks on some of the migrant workers from Eastern Europe. So it's certainly a line we'll be following.'
She looked shocked by these words, just as he'd intended. Clarke was hiding her smile behind a raised cup. Rebus decided there was more fun to be had. 'Would any of these businessmen have met with Mr Todorov recently? If so, it would be helpful to talk to them.'
Macfarlane was saved from answering by the appearance of a new arrival. Like Rebus and Clarke, he wore a badge which proclaimed him a visitor.
'Megan,' he drawled, 'I saw you from the reception desk. Hope I'm not interrupting?'
'Not at all.' The MSP could hardly disguise her relief. 'Let me get
you a coffee, Stuart.' Then, to Rebus and Clarke: 'This is Stuart Janney, from First Albannach Bank. Stuart, these are the officers in charge of the Todorov case.' Janney shook hands before pulling over a chair.
'I hope you're both clients,' he said with a smile.
'State of my finances,' Rebus informed him, 'you should be happy I'm with the competition.'
Janney made a show of wincing. He'd been carrying his trench coat over one arm, and now folded it across his lap. 'Grim news about that murder,' he said, while Macfarlane rejoined the queue at the counter.
'Grim,' Rebus echoed.
