The Hanging Garden

`How did he know?’

`Who did he get to write the note?’

`Why give us a warning? Why not just grab her?’

`What does the note say?’

It struck Rebus that they were near the university. He took Dr Colquhoun's card from his pocket and phoned his office. Colquhoun was in. Rebus read the message out to him, spelling some of the word…

`They sound like addresses,' Colquhoun said. `Untranslatable.’

`Addresses? Are any towns named?’

`I don't think so.’

`Sir, we'll be taking her to Fettes if she's well enough… any chance you could meet us there? It's important.’

`Everything with you chaps is important.’

`Yes, sir, but this is important. Candice's life may be in danger.’

Colquhoun took time answering. `I suppose in that case…’

`I'll send a car for you.’

After an hour, she was well enough to leave. `The cuts weren't too deep,' the doctor said. `Not life-threatening.’

`They weren't meant to be.’

Rebus turned to Ormiston. `She thinks she's going back to Telford, that's why she did it. She knows she's going back to him.’

Candice looked as though all the blood had been drained from her. Her face seemed more skeletal than before, and her eyes darker. Rebus tried to recall what her smile looked like. He doubted he'd be seeing one for a while. She kept her arms folded protectively in front of her, and wouldn't meet his eyes. Rebus had seen suspects act that way in custody: people for whom the world had become a trap.

At Fettes, Claverhouse and Colquhoun were already waiting. Rebus handed over the note and photo.

`As I said, Inspector,' Colquhoun stated, `addresses.’

`Ask her what they mean,' Claverhouse demanded. They were in the same room as before. Candice knew her place, and was already seated, her arms still folded, showing cream-coloured bandages and pink plasters. Colquhoun asked, but it was as though he'd ceased to exist. Candice stared at the wall in front of her, unblinking, her only motion a slight rocking to and fro.

`Ask her again,' Claverhouse said. But Rebus interrupted before Colquhoun could start.

`Ask her if people she knows live there, people who are important to her.’

As Colquhoun formed the question, the rocking grew slightly in intensity. There were fresh tears in her eyes.

`Her mother and father? Brothers and sisters?’

Colquhoun translated. Candice tried to stop her mouth trembling.

`Maybe she left a kid behind…’

As Colquhoun asked, Candice flew from her chair, shouting and screaming. Ormiston tried to grab her, but she kicked out at him. When she'd calmed, she subsided in a corner of the room, arms over her head.

`She's not going to tell us anything,' Colquhoun translated. `She was stupid to believe us. She just wants to go now. There's nothing she can help us with.’

Rebus and Claverhouse shared a look.

`We can't hold her, John, not if she wants to leave. It's been dodgy enough keeping her away from a lawyer. Once she starts asking to go…’

He shrugged.

`Come on, man,' Rebus hissed, `she's shit-scared, and with good reason. And now you've got all you're going to get out of her, you're just going to hand her back to Telford?’

`Look, it's not a question of -'

`He'll kill her, you know he will.’

`If he was going to kill her, she'd be dead.’ Claverhouse paused. `He's cleverer than that. He knows damned well all he had to do was give her a fright. He knows her. It sticks in my craw, too, but what can we do?’

`Just keep her a few days, see if we can't…’

`Can't what? You want to hand her over to Immigration?’

`It's an idea. Get her the hell away from here.’

Claverhouse pondered this, then turned to Colquhoun. `Ask her if she wants to go back to Sarajevo.’

Colquhoun asked. She slurred some answer, choking back tears.

`She says if she goes back, they'll kill everyone.’

Silence in the room. They were all looking at her. Four men, men with jobs, family ties, men with lives of their own. In the scheme of things, they seldom realised how well off they were. And now they realised something else: how helpless they were.

`Tell her,' Claverhouse said quietly, `she's free to walk out of here at any time, if that's what she really wants. If she stays, we'll do our damnedest to help her…’

So Colquhoun spoke to her, and she listened, and when he'd finished she pushed herself back on to her feet and looked at them. Then she wiped her nose on her bandages, pushed the hair out of her eyes, and walked to the door.

`Don't go, Candice,' Rebus said.

She half-turned towards him. `Okay,' she said.

Then she opened the door and was gone.

Rebus grabbed Claverhouse's arm. `We've got to pull Telford in, warn him not to touch her.’

`You think he needs telling?’

`You think he'd listen?’

Ormiston added.

`I can't believe this. He scared her half to death, and as a result we let her walk? I really can't get my head round this.’

`She could always have gone to Fife,' Colquhoun said. With Candice out of the room, he seemed to have perked up a bit.

`Bit late now,' Ormiston said.

`He beat us this time, that's all,' Claverhouse said, his eyes on Rebus. `But we'll take him down, don't worry.’

He managed a thin, humourless smile. `Don't think we're giving up, John. It's not our style. Early days yet, pal. Early days…’

She was waiting for him out in the car park, standing by the passenger-door of his battered Saab 900.

`Okay?’ she said.

`Okay,' he agreed, smiling with relief as he unlocked the car. He could think of only one place to take her. As he drove through The Meadows, she nodded, recognising the tree-lined playing fields.

`You've been here before?’

She said a few words, nodded again as Rebus turned into Arden Street. He parked the car and turned to her.

`You've been here?’

She pointed upwards, fingers curled into the shape of binoculars.

`With Telford?’

` Telford,' she said. She made a show of writing something down, and Rebus took out his notebook and pen, handed them over. She drew a teddy bear.

`You came in Telford 's car?’

Rebus interpreted. `And he watched one of the flats up there?’

He pointed to his own flat.

`Yes, Yes.’

`When was this?’

She didn't understand the question. `I need a phrasebook,' he muttered. Then he opened his door, got out and looked around. The cars around him were all empty. No Range Rovers. He signalled for Candice to get out and follow him.

She seemed to like his living-room, went straight to the record collection but couldn't find anything she recognised. Rebus went into the kitchen to make coffee and to think. He couldn't keep her here, not if Telford knew about the place. Telford… why had he been watching Rebus's flat? The answer was obvious: he knew the detective was linked to Cafferty, and therefore a potential threat. He thought Rebus was in Cafferty's pocket. Know your enemy: it was another rule Telford had learned.

Rebus phoned a contact from the Scotland on Sunday business section.

`Japanese companies,' Rebus said. `Rumours pertaining to.’

`Can you narrow that down?’

`New sites around Edinburgh, maybe Livingston.’

Rebus could hear the reporter shuffling papers on his desk. `There's a whisper going round about a microprocessor plant.’

`In Livingston?’

`That's one possibility.’

`Anything else?’

`Nope. Why the interest?’

`Cheers, Tony.’

Rebus put down the receiver, looked across at Candice. He couldn't think where else to take her. Hotels weren't safe. One place came to mind, but it would be risky… Well, not so very risky. He made the call.

'Sammy?’ he said. `Any chance you could do me a favour…?’

Sammy lived in a `colonies' flat in Shandon. Parking was almost impossible on the narrow street outside. Rebus got as close as he could.