Ian Rankin: The Falls

As she opened the door for him, he had the sudden image of a gamekeeper opening a trap.

The Farmer’s photos and coffee machine had gone, and there were some Good Luck cards on top of the filing cabinet, but otherwise the room was just as before, down to the paperwork in the in-tray and the solitary potted cactus on the windowsill. Gill Templer looked uncomfortable in the Farmer’s chair, his daily bulk having moulded it in ways which would never fit her slimmer proportions.

‘Sit down, John.’ Then, when he was halfway on to the seat: ‘And tell me what last night was all about.’ Elbows on the desk, she placed the tips of her fingers together. It was something the Farmer had often done when trying to hide irritation or impatience. She’d either picked it up from him, or it was a perk of her new seniority.

‘Last night?’

‘Philippa Balfour’s flat. Her father found you there.’ She looked up. ‘Apparently you’d been drinking.’

‘Hadn’t we all?’

‘Not as much as some.’ Her eyes moved down again to the sheet of paper on her desk. ‘Mr Balfour’s wondering what you were up to. Frankly, I’m more than a little curious myself.’

‘I was on my way home...’

‘Leith Walk to Marchmont? Via the New Town? Sounds like you got bad directions.’

Rebus realised that he was still holding his beaker of coffee. He placed it on the floor, taking his time. ‘It’s just something I do,’ he said at last. ‘When things are quiet, I like to go back.’

‘Why?’

‘In case anything’s been missed.’

She seemed to consider this. ‘I’m not sure that’s the whole story.’

He shrugged, said nothing. Her eyes were on the sheet again.

‘And then you decided to pay Ms Balfour’s boyfriend a call. How wise was that?’

‘That really was on the way home. I stopped to talk to Connolly and Daniels. Mr Costello’s light was on; I thought I’d make sure he was all right.’

‘The caring copper.’ She paused. ‘That’s presumably why Mr Costello felt it necessary to mention your visit to his solicitor?’

‘I don’t know why he did that.’ Rebus shifted a little on the hard chair; disguised it by reaching for his coffee.

‘His lawyer’s talking about “harassment”. We might have to pull the surveillance.’ Her eyes were fixed on him.

‘Look, Gill,’ he said, ‘you and me, we’ve known each other for donkey’s. It’s no secret how I work. I’m sure DCS Watson quoted scripture on the subject.’

‘That was then, John.’

‘Meaning what?’

‘How much did you have to drink last night?’

‘More than I should have, but it wasn’t my fault.’ He watched as Gill raised an eyebrow. ‘I’m positive someone slipped me a Mickey Finn.’

‘I want you to see a doctor.’

‘Christ Almighty...’

‘Your drinking, your diet, your general health... I want you to take a medical, and whatever the doctor says is necessary, I want you to abide by it.’

‘Alfalfa and carrot juice?’

‘You’ll see a doctor, John.’ It was a statement. Rebus just snorted and drained his coffee, then held up the beaker.

‘Half-fat milk.’

She almost smiled. ‘It’s a start, I suppose.’

‘Look, Gill...’ He got up, tipped the beaker into the otherwise pristine waste-bin. ‘My drinking’s not a problem. It doesn’t interfere with my work.’

‘It did last night.’

He shook his head, but her face had hardened. Finally she took a deep breath. ‘Just before you left the club... you remember that?’

‘Sure.’ He hadn’t sat down; was standing in front of her desk, hands by his sides.

‘You remember what you said to me?’ His face told her all she needed to know. ‘You wanted me to go home with you.’

‘I’m sorry.’ He was trying to remember, but nothing was coming. He couldn’t remember leaving the club at all...

‘On you go, John. I’ll make that appointment for you.’

He turned, pulled open the door. He was halfway out when she called him back.

‘I lied,’ she said with a smile. ‘You didn’t say anything. Going to wish me well in the new job?’

Rebus tried for a sneer but couldn’t quite manage one. Gill held her smile until he’d slammed shut the door; after he’d gone, it fell away again. Watson had given her chapter and verse all right, but nothing she hadn’t already known: Enjoys his drink a bit too much, maybe, but he’s a good cop, Gill. He just likes to pretend he can do without the rest of us ... Maybe that was true, as far as it went, but maybe, too, the time was coming fast when John Rebus would have to learn that they could do without him .

It was easy to spot the crew from the leaving do: local chemists had probably sold out of aspirin, vitamin C and patented hangover cures. Dehydration seemed a major factor. Rebus had seldom seen so many bottles of Irn-Bru, Lucozade and Coke in the grip of so many pallid hands. The sobersides — who’d either not been to the party or who’d stuck to soft drinks — were gloating, whistling shrilly and slamming drawers and cupboards wherever possible. The main incident room for the Philippa Balfour inquiry was based at Gayfield Square — much closer to her flat — but with so many officers involved, space was an issue, so a corner of the CID room at St Leonard’s had been set aside. Siobhan was there now, busy at her terminal. A spare hard disk sat on the floor, and Rebus realised that she was using Balfour’s computer. She held a telephone receiver between cheek and shoulder, and typed as she talked.

‘No luck there either,’ Rebus heard her say.

He was sharing his own desk with three other officers, and it showed. He brushed the remnants from a bag of crisps on to the floor and deposited two empty Fanta cans in the nearest bin. When the phone rang he picked it up, but it was just the local evening paper trying to pull a flanker.

‘Talk to Press Liaison,’ Rebus told the journalist.

‘Give me a break.’

Rebus was thoughtful. Liaison had been Gill Templer’s speciality. He glanced across towards Siobhan Clarke. ‘Who’s in charge of PL anyway?’

‘DS Ellen Wylie,’ the journalist said.

Rebus said thanks and cut the connection. Liaison would have been a step up for Siobhan, especially on a high-profile case. Ellen Wylie was a good officer based at Torphichen. As a liaison specialist, Gill Templer would have been asked for advice on the appointment, maybe even made the decision herself. She’d chosen Ellen Wylie. He wondered if there was anything in it.

He rose from the desk and studied the paperwork now pinned to the wall behind him. Duty rosters, faxes, lists of contact numbers and addresses. Two photos of the missing woman. One of them had been released to the press, and it was duplicated in a dozen news stories, clipped and displayed. Soon, if she wasn’t found safe and well, space would be at a premium on the wall, and those news stories would be discarded. They were repetitious, inaccurate, sensationalised. Rebus lingered on one phrase: the tragic boyfriend . He checked his watch: five hours until the news conference.

With Gill Templer promoted, they were down a DCI at St Leonard’s. Detective Inspector Bill Pryde wanted the job, and was trying to stamp his authority on the Balfour case. Rebus, newly arrived at the Gayfield Square incident room, could only stand and marvel. Pryde had smartened himself up — the suit looked brand new, the shirt laundered, the tie expensive. The black brogues were immaculately polished and, if Rebus wasn’t mistaken, Pryde had been to the barber’s, too. Not that there was too much to trim, but Pryde had made the effort. He’d been put in charge of assignments, which meant putting teams out on the street for the daily drudgery of doorsteppings and interviews. Neighbours were being questioned — sometimes for the second or third time — as were friends, students and university staff. Flights and ferry crossings were being checked, the official photograph faxed to train operators, bus companies and police forces outwith the Lothian and Borders area. It would be someone’s job to collate information on fresh corpses throughout Scotland, while another team would focus on hospital admissions. Then there were the city’s taxi and car hire firms... It all took time and effort. These comprised the public face of the inquiry, but behind the scenes other questions would be asked of the MisPer’s immediate family and circle of friends. Rebus doubted the background checks would amount to anything, not this time round.