Ю Несбё - Macbeth

Fair enough, but he definitely had enough spine to ignore the drug dealers who came up to him mumbling their offers. They recognised a user when they saw one. However, this wasn’t how he got his brew; he had it sent in anonymous brown envelopes. Or when he occasionally asked for special treatment, they blindfolded him and led him — like a prisoner of war to a firing squad — to the secret kitchen, where he got his shot straight from the pot.

He passed Bertha Birnam, where Duff had fallen for his bluff about the judge from Capitol. But Hecate hadn’t said anything about Macbeth killing Duff’s wife and children. Lennox stepped up his tempo across Workers’ Square, as though he had to hurry before something happened. Something inside him.

‘Macbeth’s busy,’ said the little receptionist at Inverness Casino.

‘Say it’s Inspector Lennox. It’s important and will only take a minute.’

‘I’ll ring up, sir.’

While Lennox waited he looked around. He couldn’t put his finger on what, but there was something missing. Some final touch. Perhaps it was only the atmosphere that had changed; perhaps it was that some less well-dressed guys were laughing too loudly as they walked into the gaming room. This type of customer was new.

Macbeth came down the stairs.

‘Hello, Lennox.’

‘Hello, Chief Commissioner. The casino’s busy today.’

‘Daytime gamblers straight from the Obelisk. The Gambling and Casino Board closed down their place a few hours ago. I haven’t got much time. Shall we sit here?’

‘Thank you, sir. I just wanted to inform you about a meeting that took place today.’

Macbeth yawned. ‘Oh yes?’

Lennox breathed in. Hesitated. Because there were millions of ways to start. Thousands of ways to formulate the same message. Hundreds of first words. And yet only two options.

Macbeth frowned.

‘Sir,’ the receptionist said. ‘Message from the blackjack table. They’re asking if we can provide them with another croupier. There’s a queue.’

‘I’m coming, Jack. Sorry about the interruption, Lennox. Lady usually deals with this. Well?’

‘Yes. The meeting...’ Lennox thought about his family. Their house. The garden. The safe neighbourhood, where the kids hadn’t got involved in any nastiness. The university they would go to. The pay cheque that made all this possible. Plus the cash on the side that had now become a necessity to make ends meet. This wasn’t for him; it was for the family, the family, the family. His family, not a house in Fife, not...

‘Yes?’

The front door went.

‘Sir!’

They turned. It was Seyton. He was out of breath. ‘We’ve got him, boss.’

‘We’ve found...?’

‘Duff. And you were right. He’s on board a boat that sailed from here. The MS Glamis .’

‘Fantastic!’ Macbeth turned to Lennox. ‘This will have to wait, Inspector. I’ll have to be off now.’

Lennox remained seated as the other two went through the door.

‘A busy man,’ the receptionist smiled. ‘A coffee, sir?’

‘No, thanks,’ Lennox said, staring ahead. Darkness had already started to fall, but there were still several hours before his next shot. An eternity. ‘I think I’ll take you up on that coffee. Yes, please.’ An eternity for a man with no spine.

‘Where are you going?’ whispered Meredith.

‘I don’t know,’ Duff said, trying to stroke her cheek, but he couldn’t reach. ‘I’ve got an address, but I don’t know whose it is.’

‘So why are you going there?’

‘It was written down just before Banquo and Fleance died. It says Safe haven , and if they were on the run it might be safe for me too. I don’t know. It’s all I have, love.’

‘In that case...’

‘Where are you?’

‘Here.’

‘Where’s here ? And what are you doing?’

Meredith smiled. ‘We’re waiting for you. It’s still the birthday.’

‘Did it hurt?’

‘A bit. It was soon over.’

Duff felt his throat thicken. ‘Ewan and Emily, were they frightened?’

‘Shh, darling, we’re not talking about that now...’

‘But—’

She laid a hand over his mouth. ‘Shh, they’re asleep. You mustn’t wake them.’

Her hand. He couldn’t breathe. He tried to move it, but she was too strong. Duff opened his eyes.

In the darkness above him he saw a figure, and the figure was pressing a hand against his mouth. Duff tried to scream and grab the hairy wrist, but the other person was too strong. Duff knew who it was when he heard the sniff. It was Hutchinson. Who leaned over him and whispered in his ear.

‘Not a sound, Johnson. Or to be more accurate, Duff.’

His cover was blown. Was there a price on his head, dead or alive? Hutchinson’s moment for revenge had come. Knife? Bradawl? Hammer?

‘Listen to me, Johnson. If we wake the guy in the bunk above, you’re done for. OK?’

Why had the engineer woken him? Why hadn’t he killed him?

‘The police will be waiting for you when we dock in Capitol.’ He removed his hand from Duff’s mouth. ‘Now you know and we’re quits.’

The cabin was lit up for a moment as the door opened. Then it closed, and he was gone.

Duff blinked in the darkness, thinking for a moment that Hutchinson had also been part of his dream. Someone coughed in the bunk above. Duff didn’t know who it was. The steward had explained the lack of bunks was because they had transported ‘some very important boxes of ammo’ on the last trip. They’d had to remove some bunks and use two of the cabins as the regulations only allowed them to store a certain quantity of explosives in one place on a boat. Only crew with stripes on their uniform had cabins of their own. Duff swung his legs onto the floor and hurried into the corridor. Saw the back of a dirty Esso T-shirt on its way down the ladder to the engine room.

‘Wait!’

Hutchinson turned.

Duff trotted up to him.

The engineer’s eyes were shiny now too. But the evil glint was gone.

‘What are you talking about?’ Duff said. ‘Police? Quits?’

Hutchinson crossed his arms. Sniffed. ‘I went in to see Sparks to...’ another sniff ‘... to apologise. The captain was talking on the radio. They had their backs to me and didn’t hear me.’

Duff felt his heart stop and crossed his arms. ‘Carry on.’

‘The captain said he had a Johnson who matched the description. You had a scar on your face and had signed up on the relevant date. The voice on the radio said the captain shouldn’t do anything, as Duff was dangerous and the police would be ready when we came ashore. The captain answered he was glad to hear that after seeing you in action in the mess.’ Hutchinson ran two fingers across his forehead.

‘Why are you tipping me off?’

The engineer shrugged. ‘The captain told me to apologise to Sparks. He said the only reason I still had a job was that you’d refused to squeal on me. And I’d like to keep this job...’

‘And you will?’

The engineer sniffed. ‘Probably. It’s the only thing I’m any good at, according to the first engineer.’

‘Oh? Did he say that?’

Hutchinson grinned. ‘He came over to me this evening and said I shouldn’t go getting any airs. I was a pimple on the arse of this boat, but I was a good engineer. Then he walked off. Pretty weird fellas on this boat, eh?’ He laughed. Almost looked happy. ‘I’d better go where I’m needed.’

‘Wait,’ Duff said. ‘What good is it if you tell a doomed man he has a noose around his neck? I can’t escape until we’ve docked.’

‘That’s not my problem, Johnson. We’re quits.’

‘Are we? This boat transported the machine guns that killed my wife and children, Hutchinson. No, it’s not your problem, and it wasn’t my problem when the captain asked me to give him a reason to fire you.’