‘Eight miles to Edinburgh, everyone, according to that last road sign.’
‘Great.’ Mona gave Ian a curt nod. Conversation in the car had been limited since they’d climbed back in at Gretna. Ian and Bob had made a few attempts at chit-chat, which Mona had immediately shut down. She was in no mood to play along with their fictions about what she had or hadn’t witnessed at the services.
She contented herself with staring out of the window. It would be lovely to be home again. She was going to soak in a long bath, get clean clothes, plan how she could improve the ambience of her living room using pot plants and throws, and work out the best approach to bully Stuttle into authorising a pay rise for her. That was the one sensible thing that Bob had said on this journey; after all, she could have died in that wood. And sure, it was a bit pushy to imply the channels that she might have to pursue, but then Stuttle knew all about bullying.
The professor leaned forward. ‘I live in Newington, but I was wondering if you might be able to drop me at my offices at the university? I really need to do some preparation for tomorrow’s Parliamentary meeting.’
‘Ah,’ said Ian. ‘I thought someone had spoken to you.’
‘About what? The meeting is still going ahead?’
‘Yes, absolutely. We’ve all invested a lot of time and effort in making sure of that! But we remain a little concerned for your safety, Professor, so we’ve arranged for you to spend the night at a safe house. We’re not sure that going back to your own place is a good idea right now. We’ll keep a couple of Police Scotland officers with you at all times, then give you an escort into the Parliament building tomorrow.’
‘Is that really necessary?’
‘Professor!’ Mona turned round to face him. ‘We spent last night hiding in the trees at the back of a service station because a car full of persons unknown were trying to shoot you. You’ve been lured to London in an attempt to get you to miss a Health Check, and someone, for reasons we don’t yet know, chose to inject you with a sedative. Do you not think this highlights a need for you to have some protection?’
‘Oh, I suppose you are right.’ He sighed. ‘I was just so looking forward to a shower, change of clothes and a night in my own bed.’
‘It’s just one more night, sir,’ said Ian. ‘If it helps, we can try to locate Mrs Kilsyth and she can fetch whatever you need.’
The idea seemed to cheer the professor up. ‘Yes, that’s true. Tess will know what I need.’
‘And I have a request for you both. We would rather you didn’t mention the events of last night to anyone.’
‘Who do you mean by “we”, Ian?’
‘You work for the HET, Mona, just consider yourself told.’
‘That’s right, Ian. I work for the HET, you don’t. You work for Police Scotland, and last time I looked you were nowhere in my line management structure.’
He looked furious. ‘I risked my fucking life last night rescuing you two from a man with a gun, remember?’
‘And the mysterious group of people you call “we” put the professor and I in that position. I answer to John Paterson and Cameron Stuttle on this, and no one else.’
‘Just keep your mouth shut.’ Any remaining camaraderie from the earlier part of the trip had vanished. ‘And believe me, Paterson and Stuttle will have been told the same.’
‘So Stuttle’s not in charge of this operation?’
Ian shot her a look of absolute fury. She grinned in return. ‘Said something you shouldn’t have, Ian?’
‘And I’ll only tell Tess,’ said a voice from the back seat.
‘No, Professor! You can’t speak to anyone, not even Mrs Kilsyth.’
‘He’s a civilian . . .’ began Mona.
‘Shut it!’
‘Please don’t shout at Mona, I’m extremely grateful to her. But I can assure you I am deeply embarrassed about the events of the past few days, and I will be drawing no further attention to them if I can help it.’
‘That’s great, Professor,’ said Bob, in a tone of voice that aimed to be soothing. ‘So, Mona, are we all on the same page here?’
She folded her arms and returned to staring out of the window. She heard Bob sigh from the back seat, and resolved if he tried to pat her shoulder again, she’d break his fingers.
They drove in silence through streets that got steadily more urban. Mona’s thoughts turned back to the night’s events. She didn’t buy the Twitter crazies theory, but who else was out there that would be so concerned about the professor’s speech that they’d be willing to risk killing him? And all just to avoid a couple of weeks’ quarantine?
‘Mona, where can we drop you?’ Ian shot her a conciliatory smile.
She realised how tired she was. ‘Somewhere near my home. I need to sleep for a couple of hours before going in to work. In fact, if you pull in here I can leap out. I’m only about ten minutes from home.’
She undid her seat belt. ‘Good luck tomorrow, Professor.’
To her surprise, he opened his door as well.
‘Professor, you’re staying here,’ said Bob, alarmed.
‘Yes, yes, I just want to say goodbye to Mona.’
He bounded over to her, and swept her up in a big bear hug.
She seized the opportunity to ask him a question. ‘Professor,’ she whispered. ‘Are you really talking about the quarantine tomorrow, or is it something else?’
‘You are a very clever woman, Mona.’ He pressed something into her hand. ‘Please take my card. I’d very much like to meet you properly, under less stressful circumstances.’
Bob was out of the car now, watching them.
‘Thank you again for everything, Mona,’ said the professor, and climbed back in without looking at her.
‘Mona,’ said Bob, ‘we need to . . .’
She walked off, and was brought up short as he grabbed her arm. She tried to pull away, but he held firm. He stepped toward her and brought his mouth close to her ear. ‘I get that you are pissed off that there are things here you don’t know. But have you ever considered the possibility we are trying to keep you safe too?’
He released his grip and she ran, and didn’t stop running until she was back in her flat, door safely locked behind her. She paced up and down her living room, wondering how to channel the fury that was coursing through her. Lied to. Manhandled. What the hell were Police Scotland playing at? That is, if the two of them really were just working for Police Scotland. Sleep. She needed to sleep, but was so wound up that it seemed a distant possibility.
She sat down on the edge of her bed and looked at the professor’s contact details. Rather than handing her a single card, he’d given her a small bundle of them, held together with a rubber band. Mona smiled. The professor needed Theresa to organise him. She would phone him, in a couple of weeks or so, when all this was over. Maybe she’d take Bernard to meet him. That would be a meeting of minds.
She stuck the cards in the top drawer of her desk and yawned. Bed.