Dying light

I

everyone in the address accounted for, face-down in the lounge, with hands cuffed behind their backs before anyone unarmed goes in. OK? We clear on that?' Sigh. 'What is it, Re

'Do we know how many of them there's meant to be?'

'We're expecting at least two of them, maybe more.

Possibly armed. That's why I want the place turned upside down. I do not want some bugger jumping out the linen closet with a machete while we're all having a cup of tea and scratching our arses!' She stood, hands thrust into pockets. 'What we need to… What?' Re

'Do we know if they've got a dog?'

'No we don't know if they've got a bloody dog! If I knew they had a bloody dog, do you no' think I would've told you?' Re

Twenty minutes later, Steel's new firearms team was installed in the back of an unmarked van and heading off to Ma

'Thanks,' said Logan, riffling through the paperwork, making sure all the bits were signed where they were supposed to be.

'Er… Sergeant McRae,' she said, 'I understand there's a possibility your visitors from Edinburgh might be responsible for torturing Karl Pearson. That true?'

'Hmm? Oh. It's possible, but we've not got anything linking them yet, it's all just supposition really. Thanks for getting these together so quickly, Ms Tulloch, I really appreciate it.'

She smiled. 'Not a problem. And it's "Miss Tulloch", not "Ms". You can call me Rachael.'

Logan smiled back. 'In that case, I'm Logan.' He stuck out his hand. 'Pleased to meet you, Rachael.' Outside someone leaned on a car horn, the loud braying breeeeeeeeep, clearly audible through the building's doors. 'That'll be the inspector.

Gotta dash. Thanks again.' And he was back outside, just in time to be consumed in a cloud of blue diesel smoke from a passing bus.

Steel was hanging out the car window, cigarette jammed between her lips, puffing away for all she was worth. 'Come on! We haven't got all bloody day.' The inspector cut across town, avoiding the traffic on Union Street, sticking to residential back streets, the pale granite buildings rouged with orange and gold as the sun began its slow, downward slip into twilight.

'Did you know,' said Logan as the inspector finally pulled the car to a halt, across the road and three houses down from where Chib and his mate were supposed to be staying, 'that we murder more people, per million head of population, in Aberdeen than the whole of England and Wales combined?'

Steel cranked on the handbrake, and looked at him as if he'd written the words Knob End across his forehead with indelible marker. 'Don't be daft: they kill more people in bloody Manchester in a month than we do all sodding year!

Who the hell told you that rubbish?'

'Rachaei, and it's not that daft if you think about it, it's averaged over the-'

'Who the hell is "Rachael"?' She cracked open the driver side window and fumbled in her pockets for the ubiquitous pack of crumpled cigarettes.

'The new deputy fiscal, she-'

'Thought you were knobbing WPC Watson, in-between prostitutes that is.' She snorted and lit up, letting the smoke ooze out into the evening air. 'Better watch that, or she'll have your bollocks for earrings. Watson can be a right vindictive cow when she puts her mind to it.'

'What? No!' Logan stared at the inspector in horror.

'Nothing's going on! Who said anything was going on?'

Steel held up her hands, head wreathed in smoke. 'I'm just saying: watch your step, OK? I mean, I like you and all that – for a man you're less of a fuckwit than most of your species -but still…' She stared out the window. 'Look, there are some things in this life you can't take for granted. Trust me on this – it's way too easy to put the job first, forget what's really important.' Steel sighed. 'Just don't screw it up, OK?' For once Logan got the feeling she wasn't being sarcastic, which was ironic as she was the one dragging him into work the whole time, pissing Jackie off.

They sat in silence for a minute. Then the radio crackled into life – DC Re

'Well… er… We had to make a toilet break 'Oh for God's sake.' She slumped in her seat, took the fag out of the corner of her mouth and boinged her head off the,., steering wheel.

'Inspector?'

'Re

They skidded to a halt, either side of the front door, and made clenched fist gestures back at the van Another pair of armed officers leapt from the vehicle and sprinted across to join them, guns at the ready. All very Hollywood. They were followed by a big-boned WPC with a battering ram and a pronounced limp. There was no sign of movement from the house.

'Echo three sixer, we are in position.'

Steel frowned and picked up the radio handset. 'What the hell is "Echo three sixer" when it's at home?'

'Er… it's PCs Littlejohn, Macl

'Well, why didn't you bloody well say so? Right, listen up you lot: I want this done nice and cleanly. No shots fired if we don't have to – Re