Saints of the Shadow Bible

‘I maybe just lost you a sale,’ Rebus apologised.

‘They’ll be back,’ Deano said. ‘Are we done here?’

‘Just one last thing.’ Rebus lit a cigarette, offering one but receiving a shake of the head. ‘Cab driver called Billy Saunders had a pick-up here four nights back. That was the last anyone saw of him until he turned up with a bullet in his chest, floating in the canal.’

‘I heard.’

‘And I’m guessing by now you’ve been interviewed?’ Rebus watched as the bouncer nodded. ‘What did you tell them?’

‘I said I’d no idea who it was got picked up that night — or even if a cab ever arrived.’

‘As I thought,’ Rebus said. ‘But now you’re going to tell me the truth. See, Darryl already told me you were on the door that night. And a cab was ordered from here to go to Niddrie — and Niddrie is where the car ended up. So someone from this pub was in the back of that cab and they had to walk right past you when they left.’

‘Maybe I was on my break.’

Rebus squinted through a cloud of cigarette smoke, leaning back a little in a show of disbelief.

‘Lying might be in your job description, Deano, but you’re really bad at it. Care to try again?’

‘What if the cab was for someone I know? Would they be in the frame for the driver’s murder?’

Rebus shook his head. ‘Saunders was a worried man. He abandoned the cab and slept rough for a couple of nights. Nobody thinks it had anything to do with his passenger. We just need to know if he said anything, or seemed edgy, or maybe took a call on his mobile. .’

‘The answer is no,’ Deano said. The door of the bar burst open and a man and woman stumbled out, arms around one another, giggling like the teenagers they no longer were. Ignoring Rebus and the bouncer, they headed off towards the flats behind the Gimlet, the woman pausing to remove her high heels, hanging on to the man for support as she did so.

‘You were the passenger?’ Rebus asked quietly. Deano eventually nodded.

‘An urgent delivery, maybe?’ Rebus guessed. ‘Or maybe stocks were low and you needed a top-up?’

‘He was supposed to wait. I told him I’d be five minutes, maybe ten. Handed him a twenty as down payment. But when I came out, he was nowhere to be seen.’

‘Did he know what was going on?’

‘No.’

‘You hadn’t used him before?’

‘Not that I know of.’

‘And he seemed fine?’

‘I was texting most of the way.’

‘When you handed him the money and told him to wait. .’

‘He just nodded.’ Deano paused. ‘Maybe that was a bit odd. I mean, he didn’t say anything, like he was distracted. Just stared at the windscreen while I flicked the twenty on to the passenger seat.’ He fixed Rebus with a look. ‘No way I’m telling this to anyone else.’

‘I’ll need to think about that.’

‘I’ll deny everything. It’ll be your word against mine.’

‘I wonder whose story your boss would be likely to believe, Deano. Could be the police will be the least of your troubles.’

Rebus crossed the road and got into his car. Turned the ignition and gave a little wave in the bouncer’s direction before moving off.

Deano watched the car all the way to the T-junction. Even when it was lost to view he kept staring, as if there might be something around the corner that would emerge suddenly, changing his life utterly and for ever. A distant roar told him that the hip-hop car was somewhere in the vicinity. He turned and headed into the Gimlet, knowing that the sanctuary it offered might be fleeting and deceptive.

‘Anyone would think you have no social life,’ Rebus said. He had recognised Clarke’s Astra parked directly outside his tenement. She was getting out of the car now, smiling tiredly.

‘You don’t exactly look as if you’ve been partying,’ she responded.

‘The law never sleeps, Siobhan. But in your case, I might make an exception. Workload getting to you?’

‘I don’t want any foul-ups.’

‘They’re more likely to happen when the boss hasn’t had enough shut-eye.’ Rebus was finding the key for the main door. ‘You coming up?’

‘How strong can you make a cup of tea?’

Rebus tutted. ‘Warm milk for you, young lady. And a lift home after, if you’re too tired to drive. .’

The flat was chilly, and Rebus turned up the radiators in the living room. He plugged his phone in to charge while he made tea. Clarke wandered into the kitchen and opened the fridge.

‘You hungry?’ he asked.

‘I may have just lost my appetite.’ She closed the door on the dried-up cheese and grey-pallored sausages.

‘We could call for a delivery.’

But she shook her head and watched him remove the tea bags from either mug. Back in the living room, she rested her head against the back of the sofa, eyes closed.

‘Stretch out, if you like,’ Rebus said, settling into his own armchair. ‘Then tell me all your troubles.’

‘Like I’m in therapy, you mean?’ She smiled, eyes still closed. ‘I’ll tell you mine if you tell me yours.’

‘Do I sound like a man with problems?’

She angled her head and looked at him. ‘You are, though. Let’s start with the gun. You know something about it, scout’s honour or not, so spit it out.’

Rebus stared back at her above the rim of the mug. ‘There was a gun like it,’ he admitted. ‘Doesn’t make it the same gun, mind.’

‘Taken from an ex-army veteran? And then what? Kept lying around Summerhall for anyone to borrow?’

‘As far as the Saints were concerned, they were repaying a debt. That soldier had served his country, so they decided to keep him out of jail.’

‘It wasn’t their decision to make, John.’

‘I know.’

‘Who did you speak to? Paterson?’ She watched him nod. ‘What did he say?’

‘Gun was kept in his desk drawer. Then one day, just before we all got moved out, it wasn’t there any more.’

‘Only a handful of people had access to it,’ Clarke stated.

‘Can we be sure it was the same gun?’ He saw the look she was giving him. ‘Okay, it’s a good bet, but it’s no more than that.’

‘Whoever shot Saunders, they’ll have gunpowder residue on their skin and clothes.’

‘And if they’re ex-police, they’ll know that and have dealt with it.’ He held up his right hand, waggling his fingers. ‘Want a quick sniff, Inspector?’

‘Don’t be revolting.’ She lifted her mug and drank from it.

‘Look, I’m sorry I didn’t tell you. I wanted to do a bit of checking first.’

‘So you phoned Paterson and warned him?’

‘I wasn’t warning him. .’

‘Could be construed as such by someone who doesn’t know you like I do. But I’m running a murder case here, John, and the last thing I need is you placing hurdles in the way.’

‘Understood.’

‘You were in the army, weren’t you? Ever carry a Browning?’

‘Thirteen rounds, and you never knew when one might go off and you’d end up shooting yourself in the thigh or ankle.’

‘How so?’

‘Safety catch was far from foolproof. You never kept a round in the chamber.’