Resurrection Men

6

On Monday morning, Rebus was back at Tulliallan in time for breakfast. He’d spent most of Saturday in the Oxford Bar, passing time first with one set of drinkers, then with another. Finally, he’d headed back to his flat and fallen asleep in the chair, waking at midnight with a raging thirst and a thumping head. He’d not been able to get back to sleep until dawn, meaning he didn’t wake until midday on Sunday. A visit to the laundrette had filled in the afternoon, and he’d gone back to the Ox in the evening.

All in all, then, not a bad weekend.

At least he wasn’t having the blackouts anymore. He could remember the conversations he’d had in the Ox, the jokes he’d been told, the TV shows playing in the background. At the start of the Marber inquiry, he’d been at a low ebb, the past seeming to suffocate him just as surely as the present. Memories of his marriage and the day he had moved into the Arden Street flat with his young wife. That first night, he’d watched from the window as a middle-aged drunk across the street leaned for all his life against a lamppost, struggling for balance, seemingly asleep though standing. Rebus had felt an affection for the man; he’d felt affection for most things back then, newly married and with a first-time mortgage, Rhona talking about kids . . .

And then, a week or two before the tea-throwing incident, Rebus himself had become that man: middle-aged and clutching at the selfsame lamppost, struggling to focus, the crossing of the street an impossible proposition. He’d been due at Jean’s for dinner, but had got comfortable at the Ox, slipping outside to phone her with some lie. He’d probably walked back to Arden Street, couldn’t recall his journey. Hanging on to that lamppost and laughing at the memory of the man. When a neighbor had tried to help, Rebus had gripped the lamppost all the harder, crying out that he was useless, only good for sitting at a desk, making phone calls.

He hadn’t been able to look the neighbor in the face since . . .

After breakfast, he stepped outside for a cigarette and found a commotion on the parade ground. A lot of the probationers were out there. The CID intake were halfway through their five-week induction. As part of the training, they had to raise money for charity, and one of them had promised a parachute jump into the parade ground at 0915. There was a big letter X marking the spot. It was made from two lengths of shiny red material, weighted down with stones. A few of the probationers were squinting skywards, hands shading their eyes.

“Maybe got RAF Leuchars to help out,” one of them was suggesting.

Rebus stood with his hands in his pockets. He’d signed a sponsorship form, putting himself down for a five-quid donation should the jump succeed. A rumor was going around that a Land Rover with armed forces plates was parked in the driveway. Two men in light-gray uniforms could be seen at one of the windows in the building which fronted the parade ground.

“Sir,” one of the probationers said, making to pass Rebus. They usually did that, part of the training. You could get half a dozen of them in the corridors, all going “Sir.” He tried to ignore it. A door was opening, all eyes turning towards it. A young man emerged, wearing a one-piece flight suit, what looked like a parachute harness clamped around his chest. He was carrying a metal-framed chair. He nodded and beamed smiles at the crowd, who watched in silence as he made his way towards the X, planting the chair down firmly in its center. Rebus blew out air through his mouth, shaking his head slowly at the knowledge of what was to come. The CID recruit climbed onto the chair, crouched and placed his hands together, as if readying to dive into a pool. And then he jumped. Dust kicked up as he hit the ground. He stood up straight, opened his arms wide as if to accept the acclaim of his audience. There was some muttering, confused looks. The recruit picked up the chair. Behind their window, the RAF officers were smiling.

“What was that?” someone asked in disbelief.

“That, son, was a parachute jump,” Rebus said, his admiration tempered only by the knowledge that he’d just lost a fiver. He recalled that when he’d been going through his CID training, he’d raised money by taking part in an all-day relay attempt on the assault course. These days, he’d be lucky if he could walk it once through . . .

Back in the syndicate room, he announced that the jump had been successful. There were frowns and shrugs. Jazz McCullough, who had been made senior investigating officer, was talking to Francis Gray. Tam Barclay and Allan Ward were busy compiling the filing system. Stu Sutherland was explaining the structure of the investigation to a twitchy-looking DCI Tennant. Rebus sat down and pulled a sheaf of papers towards him. He worked for a solid half hour, glancing up every now and then to see if Gray had any message for him. When a break was announced, Rebus slipped a sheet of paper from his pocket and added it to the pile. With a cup of tea in his hand, he asked McCullough if he fancied swapping jobs.

“Fresh perspective and all that,” he explained. McCullough agreed with a nod, went and sat down in front of the papers. Gray had just finished a short conversation with Tennant.

“He looks antsy,” Rebus commented.

“The brass are in the house,” Gray explained.

“What sort of brass?”

“Chief constables. Half a dozen of them, here for some meeting or other. I doubt they’ll be bothering us, but Archie isn’t so sure.”

“He doesn’t want them meeting the remedial class?”

“Something like that,” Gray offered with a wink.

Just then, McCullough called out Rebus’s name. Rebus walked over to the table. McCullough was holding the sheet of paper. Rebus made a show of reading it.

“Christ, that had clean escaped me,” he said, hoping he sounded surprised. Gray was at his shoulder.

“What is it?”

Rebus turned his head, fixing Gray’s eyes with his own. “Jazz has just dug this up. Two officers from Glasgow visited Edinburgh, looking for one of Rico’s associates, a guy called Dickie Diamond.”

“So?” This from Tennant, who had joined the group.

“I was their liaison, that’s all.”

Tennant read the sheet quickly. “They don’t seem too enamored.”

“Covering their arses,” Rebus stated. “Now that I remember, they spent the whole time in the boozer.”

Tennant was looking at him. “This is you just remembering?”

Rebus nodded. Tennant kept staring, but Rebus wasn’t offering anything more.

“Who is this Dickie Diamond?” McCullough asked.

“He was a local small-timer,” Rebus said. “I barely knew him.”

“Past tense?”

“He could still be on the scene for all I know.”

“Was he a suspect?” McCullough asked.

Gray turned to the room. “Anyone turned up a Richard Diamond?” There were shrugs, shakes of the head.

Tennant nodded towards the paperwork in front of McCullough. “Nothing in there about him?”

“Not that I’ve found.”

“Well, there must be something in the files somewhere.” Tennant was talking to the room now. “And if it had been correctly indexed in the first place, it would be right next to this report. As it is, we’d better flag the name and keep looking.”

There were murmurs of “Yes, sir.” Francis Gray added the name to the marker board.

“Any chance your mates in Lothian and Borders could fill us in on this character?” Allan Ward asked, looking for a shortcut.

“No harm in asking,” Rebus told him. “Why don’t you get on the phone?”

Ward frowned. “It’s your patch,” he informed Rebus.

“It’s also Stu’s patch,” Rebus reminded him. Ward glanced towards Stu Sutherland. “But one of the skills we need to learn in an inquiry is transregional cooperation.” It was one of Tennant’s own phrases, which was probably why the DCI made noises of agreement.

Ward looked frustrated by this turn of events. “Fine,” he grunted. “Give me the number.”

Rebus looked to Stu Sutherland. “Do the honors, will you, Stu?”

“Be my pleasure.”

There was a knock at the door, causing Tennant to freeze. But when it opened a couple of inches, Andrea Thomson, rather than the feared posse of chief constables, was standing there. Tennant waved for her to enter.

“It’s just that I’m supposed to be seeing DI Rebus this afternoon, but something else has come up.”

Result! Rebus was thinking.

“So I wondered if you could maybe spare him this morning instead . . .”

She was uncharacteristically tight-lipped on the walk down the corridor, and Rebus gave up trying. But when they got to her door, she hesitated.

“You go in,” she told him. “I’ll just be a minute.”

Rebus looked at her, but she wouldn’t meet his eyes. When he reached out to the door handle, she turned and started walking away. Watching her, Rebus opened the door. He sensed movement from the corner of his eye. Seated in Andrea Thomson’s chair was someone he’d been wanting to see. He entered the room, quickly closing the door.

“Clever,” he admitted. “How much does she know?”

“Andrea will keep her mouth shut,” the man said. Then he reached out a hand for Rebus to shake. “How have you been, John?”

Rebus took the hand, returned its grip, then sat down. “Fine, sir,” he said. He was seated opposite his own chief constable, Sir David Strathern.

“Now then,” the chief constable said, getting comfortable again, “what seems to be the problem, John . . . ?”

A little over two weeks had passed since their first meeting. Rebus had been working in St. Leonard’s when a call had come through from the Big House — could Rebus nip across the road to the Blonde restaurant?

“What for?” he’d asked.

“You’ll find out.”

But as Rebus had made to cross the road, gripping his jacket shut against the fierce breeze, a car horn had sounded. The car was parked on the corner of Rankeillor Street, and a hand was waving from its window. He recognized the figure in the driver’s seat, even without the customary uniform: Sir David Strathern. The pair had met in the past at official functions only, and infrequently at that. Rebus wasn’t one for the sportsmen’s dinners, the boxing bouts with cigars. And he’d never found himself on a platform being given some award for gallantry or good conduct. It didn’t matter. Sir David seemed to know him.

It wasn’t an official car: black, gleaming Rover — almost certainly the chief constable’s own. There was a chamois cloth on the passenger-side floor, magazines and a shopping bag on the backseat. As Rebus closed the door, the car pulled away.

“Sorry about the subterfuge,” Strathern said with a smile. The action creased the lines around his eyes. He was in his late fifties, not that much older than Rebus. But he was the boss, the chief, the big stick. And Rebus was still wondering what the hell he was doing here. Strathern was dressed in gray casual trousers and a dark crewneck jumper. Mufti it might be, but he wore it like a uniform. His hair was silver, neatly clipped above his ears, the large bald spot prominent only when he turned his head to check for traffic at the next junction.

“You’re not offering me lunch then?” Rebus guessed.

The smile widened. “Too close to St. Leonard’s. Didn’t want anyone seeing us together.”

“Am I not good enough for you, sir?”

Strathern glanced in Rebus’s direction. “It’s a good act,” he commented, “but then you’ve spent years perfecting it, haven’t you?”

“What act is that, sir?”

“The wisecracks, that hint of insubordination. Your way of coping with a situation until you’ve had a chance to digest it.”

“Is that right, sir?”

“Don’t worry, John. For what I’m about to ask you to do, insubordination is a prerequisite.”

Which left Rebus more baffled than ever.

Strathern had driven them to a pub on the southern outskirts of the city. It was close to the crematorium and got a lot of business from funeral meals, which meant it wasn’t quite so popular with anyone else. Their corner of the bar was quiet. Strathern ordered sandwiches and halves of IPA, then attempted some conversation, as if this was a regular outing for the two of them.

“Are you not drinking?” Strathern asked at one point, noting Rebus’s still-full glass.

“I hardly touch the stuff,” Rebus told him.

Strathern looked at him. “That’s not exactly been your reputation.”

“Maybe you’ve been misinformed, sir.”

“I don’t think so. My sources are usually impeccable.”

There was little Rebus could say to this, though he did wonder who the Chief had been talking to. Assistant Chief Constable Colin Carswell, perhaps, who disliked Rebus intensely, or Carswell’s acolyte, DI Derek Linford. Neither would have painted Rebus in anything but the darkest shades.

“With respect, sir,” Rebus said, sitting back, food and drink untouched, “we can skip the foreplay if you like.”

He then watched his chief constable struggle to contain the anger mounting within him.

“John,” Strathern said at last, “I came to you today to ask a favor.”

“One which requires a certain level of insubordination.”

The chief constable nodded slowly. “I want you to get yourself kicked off a case.”

“The Marber case?” Rebus’s eyes narrowed.

“The case itself has nothing to do with it,” Strathern said, sensing Rebus’s suspicion.

“But you want me off it all the same?”

“Yes.”

“Why?” Without thinking, Rebus had raised the flat half-pint of beer to his lips.

“Because I want you somewhere else. Tulliallan, to be precise. There’s a rehab course about to start there.”

“And I’ll need rehab because I’ve been kicked off a case?”

“I think DCS Templer will demand it.”

“She knows about this?”

“She’ll agree to it when I tell her.”

“Who else knows?”

“Nobody. Why do you ask?”

“Because I think you’re asking me to go undercover. I don’t know why yet, and I don’t know that I’ll do it, but that’s the feeling I get.”

“And?”

“And there are people at Fettes who don’t like me. I wouldn’t like to think that they’d . . .”

Strathern was already shaking his head. “Nobody would know except you and me.”

“And DCS Templer.”

“She’ll be told only as much as I need her to know.”

“Which leads to the big question, sir . . .”

“Namely?”

“Namely,” Rebus said, rising to his feet, empty glass in hand, “what’s this all about?” He lifted the glass. “I’d offer to get you another, sir, but you’re driving.”

“And you said you hardly touch the stuff.”

“I was lying,” Rebus said, with the ghost of a smile. “That’s what you need, isn’t it? A convincing liar . . .”

The way Strathern told it was: there was a drug dealer on the west coast, a man called Bernard Johns.

“Bernie Johns, as he’s more colloquially known. Or was until his untimely death.” The chief constable nursed his near-empty glass as he spoke. “He died in prison.”

“Still protesting his innocence, no doubt?”

“No, not exactly. But he was adamant he’d been ripped off. Not that he ever said as much to us. It would hardly have helped his case, would it? ‘You’re putting me away for eight kilos, but I had a lot more than that stashed away.’ ”

“I can see it would have been awkward.”

“But word got around about a large amount of missing stuff. Either drugs or cash, depending who you talked to.”

“And?”

“And . . . the operation against Johns was big: you probably remember it. Ran from the winter of ’ninety-four to spring ’ninety-five. Three forces, dozens of officers, a logistical nightmare . . .”

Rebus nodded. “But Lothian and Borders wasn’t involved.”

“That’s true, we weren’t.” He paused. “Not back then, at any rate.”

“So what’s happened?”

“What’s happened, John, is that three names keep coming up.” The chief constable leaned over the table, lowering his voice still further. “You might know some of them.”

“Try me.”

“Francis Gray. He’s a DI based in Govan. Knows the place like the back of his hand, invaluable for that reason. But he’s dirty, and everybody knows it.”

Rebus nodded. He’d heard of Gray, knew the man’s rep: not so dissimilar from his own. He wondered how much of it was bluff. “Who else?” he asked.

“A young DC called Allan Ward, works out of Dumfries. He’s learning fast.”

“Never heard of him.”

“The last one is James McCullough, a DI from Dundee. Basically clean, so far as anyone knows, but blows a fuse from time to time. They worked the case, John. Got to know each other.”

“And you think they took Bernie Johns’s swag?”

“We think it’s likely.”

“Who’s we?”

“My colleagues.” By which Strathern meant the other chief constables in Scotland. “It looks bad, something like that. Even if it is just a rumor. But it tarnishes everyone at the highest level.”

“And what’s your role in all of this, sir?” Rebus was halfway down the pint he’d bought himself. The beer seemed to be weighing down his gut, as if what was liquid had suddenly become solid. He was thinking of the Marber case, the grind of all those cold calls. His hands gripping a cold lamppost.

“The three regions involved . . . we couldn’t ask a detective from any one of them to act on our behalf.”

Rebus nodded slowly: because it might get back to the three men involved. So instead they’d asked Strathern if he could think of anyone.

And apparently he’d thought of Rebus.

“So these three,” Rebus said, “they’re going to be at Tulliallan?”

“By accident, yes, all three will be on the same course.” The way he said it, Rebus knew it was anything but an accident.

“And you want me in there with them?” Rebus watched Strathern nodding. “To do what exactly?”

“To find out what you can . . . gain their confidence.”

“You think they’ll suddenly open up to a complete stranger?”

“You won’t be a stranger to them, John. Your reputation precedes you.”

“Meaning I’m a bent cop, same as them?”

“Meaning your reputation precedes you,” Strathern repeated.

Rebus was thoughtful for a moment. “You and your . . . ‘colleagues’ . . . do you have any evidence at all?”

Strathern shook his head. “The little investigating we’ve been able to do, we can’t find any trace of drugs or money.”

“You’re not asking much of me, are you, sir?”

“I appreciate it’s a tall order, John.”

“Tall? We’re talking Jack and the beanstalk.” Rebus chewed his bottom lip. “Give me one good reason why I should do this.”

“I think you like a challenge. Plus, I’m hoping you dislike dirty cops as much as the rest of us.”

Rebus looked at him. “Sir, there are plenty of people out there who think I’m a dirty cop.” He was thinking of Francis Gray, curious to meet the man.

“But we know they’re wrong, don’t we, John?” the chief constable said, rising to fetch Rebus another pint.

Tulliallan: no more Marber inquiry . . . a short break from the blackouts . . . and a chance to catch up with the man he’d once heard called “the Glasgow Rebus.” The chief constable was studying him from the bar. Rebus knew Strathern didn’t have long to go, retirement looming. Maybe the man was still hungry; unfinished business and all that . . .

Maybe Rebus would do it after all.

Now, in Andrea Thomson’s room, Strathern sat with his hands clasped. “So what’s so urgent?” he asked.

“I haven’t made much headway, if that’s what you’re wondering. Gray, McCullough and Ward act like they barely know each other.”

“They do barely know each other. There was just that one case they worked together.”

“They don’t act like they’ve got riches salted away.”

“How do you expect them to act? Drive around in Bentleys?”

“Have their bank accounts been checked?”

The chief constable was shaking his head. “There’s nothing tucked away in their bank accounts.”

“Maybe in a wife’s name . . . ?”

“Nothing,” Strathern stated.

“How long have they been under investigation?”

Strathern looked at him. “Is that any concern of yours?”

Rebus shrugged. “I just wondered if I was the straw you were clutching at.”

“We’re close to losing them,” Strathern admitted at last. “Gray’s up for retirement in less than a year; McCullough probably won’t be far behind him. And Allan Ward’s disciplinary record . . .”

“You think he’s looking for the early bath?”

“Maybe.” The chief constable was checking his watch, sliding the metal casing up and down his wrist. “I should be getting back.”

“There’s just one thing, sir . . .”

“About time.” Strathern took a deep breath. “Go on then.”

“They’ve got us working an old case.”

“Trying you out as a syndicate, eh? I dare say Archie Tennant’s in charge.”

“He is, yes. Thing is . . .” Rebus paused, considering just how much to tell his boss. “Well, both Gray and me tie to the case.”

Strathern looked interested.

“Gray worked it from his end, and I was liaison when two of Glasgow’s finest came through to Edinburgh on a recce. This was in ’ninety-five, same year as Bernie Johns . . .”

Strathern looked thoughtful. “It’s coincidence,” he said. “Pure and simple.”

“Tennant doesn’t know about . . . ?”

Strathern shook his head.

“And this case wasn’t foisted on him?”

Another shake of the head. “Is that why you wanted to see me?”

“Gray might think it’s more than just coincidence.”

“I agree, it’s awkward. On the other hand, if you play it right, it could get you closer to him. The pair of you already have something in common. D’you see what I mean?”

“Yes, sir. Do you think maybe somebody could ask?”

“Ask?”

“Ask DCI Tennant why he happened to choose that particular case.”

Strathern looked thoughtful again, pursing his lips. “I’ll see what I can do. That good enough for you?”

“That’s fine, sir,” Rebus said, but he wasn’t sure he believed his own words.

Strathern looked satisfied, and got up from the chair. The two men met by the door. “You first,” the chief constable said. Then he raised a hand and patted Rebus’s shoulder. “Templer’s mad at you, you know.”

“Because without my insights, the Marber case is doomed?”

Strathern accepted the joke. “Because of how hard you threw that mug. She’s taking it personally.”

“All part of the act, sir,” Rebus said, pulling open the door.

As he walked back along the corridor, he thought better of it and wandered downstairs instead to the break-out area. He needed a cigarette, but there were none in his pockets. Looking outside, he noted a distinct shortage of fellow addicts. There was a packet in his room, if he could be bothered walking there. Or he could linger in the hope that some Good Samaritan would come by.

The meeting had failed to put his mind at rest. He wanted to be sure that the Rico Lomax case was just a coincidence. And he couldn’t shrug off the niggling suspicion that perhaps there was less to this than met the eye.

No cabal of worried chief constables.

No drug money.

No conspiracy between Gray, McCullough and Ward.

Just the Rico Lomax case . . . and his own involvement in it. Because John Rebus knew more about Rico Lomax than he was telling.

A hell of a lot more.

Did Strathern know? Was Gray working for Strathern . . . ?

Rebus took the stairs back up to CID two at a time, breathing hard as he made his way back down the corridor. He pushed open the door without knocking, but the chief constable wasn’t there. Andrea Thomson’s office was empty.

Strathern had to be headed to the original building, the castle itself. Rebus knew the way. Moved quickly, ignoring the young uniforms with their clipped “Sir”s. Strathern had paused for a moment to study one of the display cases which lined the main corridor, the corridor facing the now empty parade ground. No chair or parachute; no X-marks-the-spot.

“A moment of your time, sir,” Rebus said quietly.

Strathern’s eyes widened. He pushed open the nearest door. It led to a conference room, empty save for rows of chairs with writing trays attached.

“You want your cover blown?” Strathern spluttered.

“I need more background,” Rebus stated. “On all three of them.”

“I thought we’d discussed all that. The more you know, the more likely they are to suspect —”

“When did they take the money? How did they know about it? How come the three of them ended up working together?”

“John, nothing like that has exactly gone on the record . . .”

“But there must be notes. There must be something.”

Strathern looked wildly about him, as though fearing eavesdroppers. One thing Rebus knew: if the whole Bernie Johns story was a front, there could be no background, no notes . . .

“All right,” Strathern said, almost in a whisper. “I’ll get you what I can.”

“By tonight,” Rebus added.

“John, that might not —”

“I need it tonight, sir.”

Strathern almost winced. “Tomorrow at the latest.”

The two men locked eyes. Eventually, Rebus nodded. He wondered if he was giving Strathern enough time to concoct a fantasy case. He didn’t think so.

By tomorrow, he could be sure.

“Tonight if possible,” he said, heading for the door. This time, he made straight for his room and those cigarettes.