Connor marvelled at the performance Simon put in as the night wore on. He was the life and soul, carrying the conversation, making all the right jokes, showing just enough interest and teasing Connor just enough to win Jen over. For his part, Connor felt like an actor thrown on stage without a script. He nodded at the right moments, laughed along when needed, kept his body language casual. But all the time he kept his focus on Simon. On the man he thought he had known.
The friend who had been lying to him.
Jen seemed to sense his distance, kept sending him curious glances. Not that he could blame her. With this and the way he had acted in her flat the day before, she must be having serious reservations about Connor Fraser.
She finished her drink, pushing the empty glass across the table to signal she was done. ‘Right, well,’ she said, making a show of adjusting her hoody and sitting up straighter. ‘As I said, I’ve got an early shift tomorrow, so I’ll leave you boys to it.’
‘Sure I can’t persuade you to have another?’ Simon asked, giving her his best disarming smile. ‘You leave, I’m going to have to deal with this one all night.’
Connor glanced up at him. Deal with this one?
‘Nah, really, I can’t,’ Jen said, rising from her seat, Connor and Simon mirroring her. ‘An early shift at the gym is grim enough, but with a hangover? No thanks.’
‘Fair enough,’ Connor said. ‘C’mon, we’ll walk you back.’
She looked at him, gaze cooling. ‘Who do you think you are – Paulie? I’ll be fine, Connor. Stay here and catch up with Simon. I’ll see you soon.’
Before he could say anything else, she kissed his cheek, squeezing his arm as she did so. He felt the heat of her skin on his linger as she pulled away and looked into his eyes. ‘Call me tomorrow, okay?’
‘Okay,’ he said. ‘But at least text me when you get back. Been a few things going on in town recently, in case you hadn’t noticed.’
She rolled her eyes and cocked her head, but Connor could see she was pleased at his response. Wasn’t sure why he felt pleased as well.
‘All right,’ she said, turning away from him. ‘Simon, nice to meet you. Hopefully see you again before you go.’
‘Sure you will. I’m not letting him keep you to himself.’
Jen dipped her chin to her chest to hide her blush. Then she headed for the door. Connor watched her go, again felt the urge to go after her, make sure she got home safely. But then he saw another figure get up and follow her. A figure who had been hugging the bar, out of sight. A figure with a slight limp, one hand encased in a bandage that seemed to glow in the low light of the bar.
Paulie.
Connor smiled. One problem solved. Jen would be safe. He turned to Simon, the good-humoured mask he had been wearing for Jen slipping from his face.
‘Talk,’ he said. ‘And don’t lie to me, Simon. I’m not in the mood for any shit.’
Simon held up his hand, drained his pint. ‘Whole truth. Honest, Connor. But let’s get out of here. Suddenly I’m not that thirsty any more.’
They headed back up onto Bow Street, then followed the long downhill stretch that led away from the castle and back to the heart of the town. Connor tried not to think of Cowane’s Hospital as they walked, the body that had been found there.
Simon was looking ahead, the muscle in his jaw pulsing, as though he was chewing on the words he was trying to say. Connor watched him, determined that, this time, Simon would be the one to speak first. As they walked, he felt the cold, hard weight of the gun pushing into the small of his back, like an invisible hand propelling him along the street.
‘Jameson called me as soon as you asked him for a contact with the local police,’ Simon said, not looking away from the street. ‘He was worried that you were going to cause a scene for the firm and, from the way you were talking, that there might actually be a threat to you. Who better to call than your old partner? I arrived yesterday, flew into Edinburgh, hired a car and drove straight here. Checked the place out, made sure you were okay. Saw what you did to that twat who noised you up at the flat – nice work by the way. Stayed in town, back there.’ He turned slightly, pointing vaguely in the direction of a high-end hotel further up the hill that was popular for conferences and weddings. ‘Then I drove the car back this morning, dumped it at the airport, and was waiting to meet you.’
Connor nodded, anger and relief battling for supremacy in his mind. ‘And that’s it? No more? Lachlan called you because he was worried about me making a splash and dragging Sentinel’s name through the mud?’
Simon stopped. ‘Well, you can’t really blame the man, Connor. You do have a tendency to make a mess when you lose your temper.’ The smile on his face faded under Connor’s stony gaze. ‘But, no, it wasn’t just that. He was worried about you, Connor. Said he wanted me to see if there was a credible threat to you. Look, if you don’t believe me, call the man yourself.’
‘Oh, don’t worry, I will,’ Connor said. But what would he say? Thanks for sending an old friend to look after me, boss, but fuck you for thinking I’d be dumb enough to make a mess on my own doorstep?
Questions. Too many questions.
He looked at Simon again, studying him. He wanted to believe him and, in truth, it was exactly the type of move Lachlan Jameson would pull. Control the situation from afar. It was no different from what he had done when he’d asked about Robbie’s performance on the Benson job. Except this time he had been the one under observation. The thought didn’t sit well with him.
He took a breath. Whether or not he believed Simon was almost irrelevant – either way, he was part of this, which meant Connor had to keep him close. ‘So what did you find out on your snooping?’ he asked.
‘Well, I—’
Connor’s phone rang, cutting Simon off. He pulled it out, ready to kill the call, when he saw the number. Gave Simon a hold-that-thought look and hit answer.
‘Mr MacKenzie, thanks for getting back to me.’
‘Aye, whatever. I’m doing this for Jennifer, Fraser, not you. Clear?’
‘Totally,’ Connor said. ‘Did you manage to find anything out?’
‘Aye, yer fuckin’ right I did,’ MacKenzie growled. ‘Who was this kid, Fraser, and what was he to you? And how is my Jen involved in this?’
‘He’s just someone I need to track down for work, Mr MacKenzie. He’s no threat to you or Jennifer, I swear it. Do you think I’d let anything happen to her?’
A pause, the heavy breathing of an old bull echoing down the line, a father considering his options. ‘You best not, Fraser, believe me. But Jen seems to like you, so I’ll give you the benefit of the doubt. Billy Griffin was—’
A beep on the line told Connor another call was coming in. Irritated, he swiped the phone from his ear, staring at the screen. Saw Donna Blake’s number flash up, hit decline.
‘Sorry, Mr MacKenzie, had another call coming in. What were you saying?’