Dying light

Logan grunted, clunked the switch to set the audio and visual records ru

'Has this McKenzie made a complaint of some kind?'

'Not McKenzie, McKi

Chib chuckled in a good-natured sort of way. 'No, I'm sorry, you must be mistaking me for someone else.'

'We got you on the hospital security tapes, doing it.' Steel settled back in her seat and gri

The big man shook his head sadly. 'Inspector, I have never forced anything up anyone's backside against their will.' He smiled disarmingly. 'And we both know that there isn't a tape of this horrible crime being committed by me, because I'm not guilty of anything.'

Steel snorted. 'Don't come it, Sunshine; you're guilty as sin. Your mate the child molester's being interviewed as we speak-'

'He's not a child molester.' Chib's voice took on the same ominous timbre it had in the pub.

'No?' Steel sniffed and paused for a bit of a chew. 'Long hair, moustache: looks like a child molester to me. Anyway, you think he isn't going to roll over on you? He'll spill his guts and you'll take the fall for the whole lot: drug trafficking, assault, resisting arrest-'

'I did no such thing!' He leant forward in his seat, hands on the tabletop, still secured together with the cuffs. 'As soon as the police officers identified themselves my companion and I complied fully with their instructions.'

Steel puckered her lips, making her face look even more pointy. 'You and your mate can comply with my sharny arse-' There was a knock on the interview-room door and DC Re

Interview suspended at… what is it, nine thirty-seven?'

Silence settled back into the room as the inspector stepped outside with DC Re

'What?'

'Don't you remember? We rnet in that pub last week?

You barged into me and then called me "mate" about seven hundred times. Wanted to buy me a drink…' He settled further back into his chair and treated Logan to his best smile.

'I was really rather flattered. Constable…?'

'McRae. Detective Sergeant.'

'JVIcRae, eh? McRae, McRae, McRae, McRae.' A frown. 'Not Lazarus McRae? The one in all the papers last year? Caught that kiddie fiddler?' Logan admitted that it was. Chib smiled in admiration. 'Well, well, well, as I live and breathe, a real life police hero. If there's one thing I simply can't stand, it's paedophiles. Prison's too good for them. But I know I'm preaching to the choir on that one, eh?' He winked.

Logan scowled. 'It was an accident.'

The large man from Edinburgh nodded sagely. 'Right, an accident. I get you. Mum's the word.' There then followed a very uncomfortable silence.

'So,' said Logan eventually, 'heard from Kylie lately?'

The smile froze on Chib's face. 'Who?'

'You know: Lithuanian, thirteen, bad perm, selling herself on street corners? Ring any bells?'

'I have no idea what you're talking about.'

'Oh, come on, you must remember Kylie: you used her to get that pla

Chib frowned, making a big show of thinking about it.

'You know, I think I would remember doing something like that. Must be another case of mistaken identity.'

'What did you do? Sell her on to "Steve" when you were finished with her? Or is he working for you too? All part of one big, happy criminal family?'

The thug cocked his head to one side and smiled at Logan.

'You do have a very active imagination, Sergeant. I would almost say-' The door clattered open and DI Steel hooked a thumb in Logan's direction, wanting him to join her in the corridor.

'It's that bloody prostitute-watch of yours,' she said, prodding him in the stomach with a nicotine-stained finger, ignoring the resulting grimace. 'The whole bloody team's sitting about like spare pricks, waiting for someone to brief them.' Logan groaned; he could see what was coming. 'I,' said Steel, 'am too busy with Twinkle Toes in there and his mate, to pish about all night on the off chance some dozy bastard's going to play Grab-A-Prozzie. Operation Cinderella was your idea: you deal with it.' She pointed an imperious finger down the corridor towards the stairs. 'And if you do catch the Shore Lane Stalker, make sure you don't arrest him till I turn up. I need the brownie points.' She turned her back on him and headed back into the interview room, closing the door behind her.

Operation Cinderella had been ru

Logan gave the room the standard speech, leaving out the inspector's 'We are not at home to Mr Fuck-Up' bit. As Steel wasn't in charge tonight, Logan was making some changes: for WPCs Menzies and Davidson, their minders and a skeleton crew working the video surveillance gear, it was business as usual; everyone else was to change into their civilian clothes and do the roiyids. Speak to the working girls. See if anyone hadn't turned up for work recently. If anyone was missing. It looked like their boy was more or less on a four-day cycle, that meant he'd probably have another one under his belt by now. And it might be a sack of shite, but everyone was to read through Dr Bushel's half baked psychological profile again. See if any of the girls, or their pimps, had seen, or screwed, anyone that fitted the doctor's loose description.

They parked the CID pool car in the usual position down at the docks. Only this time Re

The night passed in a blur, people came and went, but Logan didn't recognize any of them. The car was cold and uncomfortable and Re

Then a soft hand on his shoulder and the warmth of a naked body against his. Gentle lips caressing the side of his neck, a hand making lazy circles amongst the scars on his stomach.