Against the Clock by John Carson (best mobile ebook reader TXT) 📕

‘Just a Saturday morning.’

‘Jesus, Alex, are you still going on about me picking up Lillian?’

‘Of course not. I’m not jealous. What’s there to be jealous about? I mean, I’m fat and ugly, and Lillian is young and gorgeous.’

‘She’s not gorgeous. She’s one of the team.’

‘Aye, well, give her my love when you see her next.’

‘Alex, come on now, that’s not fair. We work together. We’re colleagues.’

‘We’re colleagues. We started off as friends. Look at us now; you’ve knocked me up.’

‘You’re my wife. It’s my job to knock you up.’

Alex got up from the couch, tears running down her face. ‘Do what you like, Harry,’ she said, leaving the room.

‘Oh, come on, love…’ he started to say, but it fell on deaf ears.

He would leave her alone for a little while. Give her a chance to cool off. It would all be over in a couple of months and she would return to normal. Harry loved his wife and no woman had caught his eye since he had been with her, and he knew this was a rough patch due to something she couldn’t control. He would be patient with her, give her the time and space she needed, because at the end of the day, he didn’t know what he would do without her.

Twelve

Harry wished that Alex had changed her mind and come out for a bite to eat. He had offered to bring in a chippie, but she had then suggested that he go and have sexual intercourse with his own person.

He couldn’t remember Moira, his first wife, being like this when she was pregnant. Granted, she had been a few years younger than Alex was now, but there wasn’t that big a gap.

He had thought about taking a chippie in for her anyway, but the last time he had done that, she’d been going full tilt with her head down the pan. Of course that had been his fault too.

He had an idea as he stood outside his stairs. The sun was going to be hanging around for a wee while longer, although it was already in its pyjamas, getting ready for bed as it started to pop down in the west.

He took his phone out and called Jimmy Dunbar. ‘Hey, Jimmy. Have you eaten yet?’

‘Naw. Fatso’s almost eaten his wardrobe he’s that hungry, but we’re waiting on Vern and Muckle coming through from Glasgow. We’re going to grab a bite somewhere, but a place where we won’t be leaving Sparky for too long. Why? Where are you? Ready for a wee sesh already?’

‘Not exactly. Alex is having a wee huff to herself.’

‘I’m not surprised. Her hormones will be all over the place.’

‘Can I join you lot when you go to eat?’

‘Christ, of course you can, pal. Me and Heid-the-Baw are waiting in the hotel lobby. Pop round. Muckle will be here in about ten minutes. The way he drives, Vern will have chewed through the fucking seatbelt by the time they get here.’

‘Magic. I’ll be round in a few.’ Harry hung up and walked away from the tenement building. He turned the corner and headed down to the main road. The hotel was just across the road, outside the Edinburgh Academicals sports ground.

Dunbar was waiting at the hotel’s front door for him. As Harry approached, a black Ford Galaxy pulled up. The driver of the car honked the horn and rolled down the passenger window.

‘Harry!’ Muckle McInsh shouted.

Vern was in the passenger seat and Harry could hear Sparky in the back. The back passenger window rolled down, and Harry wondered if this was a trick Muckle had taught his dog, but then Wee Shug’s face appeared.

‘Muckle! Shug! And Miss Vern,’ Harry said as Dunbar walked down the path to the pavement.

‘It’s just Vern now. Those two have lost all respect for me, Harry.’

Dunbar looked in at Vern. ‘I have to admit, Vern, that you’re walking a tightrope going out with that reprobate.’

‘What reprobate?’ Robbie Evans said, coming up behind Dunbar. ‘Some other reprobate you know?’

Dunbar looked at him. ‘No, I meant you.’

‘Don’t worry, Vern, I still respect you,’ Evans said.

‘Jesus. You’ll be telling us you wash behind your ears next.’ Dunbar shook his head. ‘Anyway, anybody got an idea where we can get some scran? Bearing in mind we have the dug in the back. Harry?’

‘Anybody in the mood for a chippie? I know somewhere we could go and eat it.’

‘Aye, magic!’ Muckle said, and they all agreed this would be a good idea.

Harry took his phone out and dialled a number.

‘There’s just one thing…’ said Muckle.

‘Don’t tell me you’ve turned vegan or something?’ Dunbar said.

‘No, it’s not that. It’s the car pulling in behind me.’

Dunbar looked at it, then back at Muckle. ‘Tell me I’m dreaming, son.’

‘Sorry, Jimmy, but he insisted on coming through.’

Dunbar watched as Calvin Stewart extricated himself from his car and came round onto the pavement. ‘Even the fucking fresh air smells posh through here,’ he said. ‘Is this the gaff where we’re staying?’

‘I don’t know if they have any spare rooms, sir,’ Dunbar said.

‘Fuck that for a game of soldiers. I’ll give them no fucking spare rooms. You pair of shaggers can share a room and one of you can give me yours.’

‘Erm, I’m not sure that would work, sir,’ Evans said.

‘How no’, son?’

‘It’s just…you know…’

‘Naw, I don’t fucking know. Or do you mean you want to share a room with me?’

‘It’s fine, you can have my room. I’ll share with DCI Dunbar.’

‘Will you fuck,’ Dunbar said.

Harry looked at them. ‘I think I have the solution.’ Then, to his son on the phone, he said, ‘Chance? Remember you said if I needed anything…?’

Thirteen

With their chippies in hand, they drove the short distance to Katie’s house, just off Queensferry Road.

‘Thank you for helping us out, Katie,’ said Harry, who was the first one into the kitchen.

‘That’s fine, sir. The house is lonely these days.’

‘I’m DSup Calvin Stewart from Helen Street station in Govan,’ the big detective said, barging