Chapter 24
EDINBURGH
End of the working day and Detective Superintendent Rob Cross stood leaning against the window in his office, his arms crossed and getting ready to have a coin toss. ‘Heads I jump, tails I smoke a cigarette. Call in the air.’
‘Heads,’ Brodie said.
‘Oh, you’d like that, eh?’ Cross tossed the coin. He caught it, looked at it then put it back in his pocket. ‘You’ll never know, will you?’ He took out a cigarette and lit it. ‘Where are we with Kane?’
Brodie and Lucy were in Cross’s office, Brodie sitting in a chair while Lucy made a coffee for herself.
‘He’s either confused or he’s lying,’ Brodie said. ‘I’m not sure which one yet.’
‘Lucy?’ Cross asked.
She turned to look at him. ‘Same. If you want my opinion, and you just asked for it, then I would say he was guessing. Kane’s as sharp as a tack.
He doesn’t make mistakes.’ She finished pouring creamer into the disposable cup and switched the kettle off, then turned back to the two men.
‘He genuinely thought it was Marianne Taylor under the gravestone. You could tell by the look on his face.’
‘You think he killed so many women that he got confused by them all?’ Cross said. ‘The press will have a fucking field day with that. They think he killed six women and find out he killed two hundred or something.’
‘We might never find out the true number,’ Brodie said. ‘But I think he’s making out he was some gentle guy who was friends with them before he killed them. Stopping to give one a lift in the rain. Christ, if they only knew. And that’s something else he hasn’t told us: where he killed them.’
Cross shook his head and sat down in his office chair while Lucy sat next to Brodie.
‘Did you not make me one?’ Brodie asked her.
‘I did, and now I’m drinking it. Cheers, boss.’ She sipped at the mug.
‘Can’t get the staff nowadays.’
Cross blew out the smoke. ‘Just so you know, if one of the bigwigs comes in, I’ll blame one of you for smoking, just before you’re demoted to lollipop man. Or woman. I haven’t decided yet.’
‘Learn those leadership skills on a managerial course, sir?’ Brodie said.
‘I watched a YouTube video.’ More smoke.
More cursing. He pointed a finger at Brodie while holding the cigarette between it and his middle finger.
‘Kane better start getting his act together. I got chewed out by one of the assistant chiefs about Kane dicking around, and if I’m going to get it in the neck, so is he.
A monkey in the zoo will have more privileges than him. ’
‘As Lucy said, Kane’s sharp. To be honest, I don’t think he made a mistake,’ Brodie said. ‘I think he’s just yanking our chains. But I don’t want to wait until the fourth anniversary of him stabbing me to find somebody else.’
The phone on Cross’s desk rang. He quickly opened a drawer and stubbed the cigarette out on what Brodie hoped was an ashtray. ‘Hello?’ Cross listened and spoke a few times before hanging up. ‘You’ve worked in Fife before, Liam.’ It was a statement, not a question.
‘I have.’
‘Good. You’ll know your way about then. They have a DCI in Glenrothes who’s listed as a missing person. There’s also a skeleton been found under floorboards in a house somewhere. They need a senior officer in charge. You’re it.’
‘What about this thing with Kane?’ Brodie asked.
‘Lucy will be able to handle it.’
‘When do they need me?’ Brodie asked.
‘First thing tomorrow morning. You can pop in and see Eric while you’re over there.’
‘Glenrothes HQ, you said?’
‘Nine sharp.’ He tutted. ‘I wasted a ciggie for nothing. Lucky I didn’t set my fucking drawer on fire.’
‘I’m going to miss the fun and games,’ Brodie said.